Dog's Life
Dog's Life | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Alistair Lindsay | | |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 | |
Release | ||
Genre(s) | Action-adventure | |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Dog's Life is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Frontier Developments exclusively for the PlayStation 2, starring a dog named Jake.
Plot
The game opens in Clarksville, a city located in the
Eventually it is revealed that Miss Peaches, head of a
The epilogue reveals that all the stolen dogs were saved and that Jake and Daisy are together.
Gameplay
The game allows the player control or interact with over 15 dog breeds each with distinct traits and abilities. They handle things in different ways, that can also be used in challenges or puzzles.[1]
The game is divided into three areas: Clarksville, a rural town; Lake Minniwahwah, a ski resort; and Boom City.[1] These are then divided into smaller areas such as districts or farms. Humans willing to give missions in exchange for bones populate every area. Bones can also be found buried underground or hiding somewhere. Bones are used to increase your stats, which will make it easier to complete missions.
Certain smells picked up through the game's "Smellovision" will activate challenges against a local dog. In each small section of the game there are four challenges, two of which are to find eight smells of the same colour and compete against a local dog. These missions include races, obedience trials, tug-of-war games and a territorial game where the player must run around urinating in marked areas to obtain territory.[1]
There are also salons in some levels where Jake can get his coat cleaned and brushed. He also gains a shiny new collar with a silver 'J' at the front.
Once these dogs are beaten, the player is able to take control of that dog and use their special abilities to find other bones. Other challenges include scent-collecting challenges, and a minigame called "Doggy Do", where the player must copy the moves of the local dog. There are also dangers in certain areas, such as the dog catcher and his
Jake can interact with many characters including: chasing, shaking and throwing chickens, stealing sausages, and shaking kittens.[1]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 64/100[2] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Edge | 5/10[3] |
Eurogamer | 6/10[4] |
Famitsu | 28/40[5] |
Game Informer | 7/10[6] |
GameSpot | 7/10[7] |
GameSpy | [8] |
GameZone | 9/10[9] |
IGN | 7/10[10] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | [11] |
PlayStation: The Official Magazine | 7/10[12] |
The New York Times | (average)[13] |
Dog's Life received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[2]
Eurogamer found the game amusing, but felt that it offered little for experienced gamers, being aimed at a younger audience. They praised the game's "warm sense of humour" and "cute visuals" and found the idea of controlling a dog to be "actually quite cool".[4] Although GameSpot called the game charming and entertaining, they said that there is not much to do in the game, other than playing and controlling the dogs.[7] GameSpy called it "a nice change of pace" but found the game bland and considered it to be aimed more at younger children than teenagers.[8] IGN called the gameplay "simple and well-executed", but noted that the visuals "look like the game was ripped from a PSone title" and that the audio seemed "all over the place".[10] Charles Herold of The New York Times called the game fun but forgettable.[13] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, one six, and two sevens, for a total of 28 out of 40.[5]
According to the
References
- ^ a b c d "Dog's Life - Case Info"
- ^ a b "Dog's Life for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ^ Edge staff (January 2004). "Dog's Life". Edge. No. 132. p. 102.
- ^ a b Reed, Kristan (November 10, 2003). "Dog's Life". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ^ a b duckroll (May 18, 2005). "This week's Famitsu scores are in! (BOMBA)". NeoGAF. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ Brogger, Kristian (September 2004). "Dog's Life". Game Informer. No. 137. p. 107. Archived from the original on November 18, 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Shoemaker, Brad (August 24, 2004). "Dog's Life Review". GameSpot. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Chapman, David (August 23, 2004). "GameSpy: A Dog's Life [sic]". GameSpy. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ The Bearer (September 29, 2004). "Dog's Life - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Lewis, Ed (August 24, 2004). "Dog's Life". IGN. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ^ "Dog's Life". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. September 2004. p. 89.
- ^ "Review: Dog's Life". PSM. October 2004. p. 32.
- ^ a b Herold, Charles (October 14, 2004). "Touches of Weird, Done Best in Japan". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-904994-45-9.