We think you’ll agree with us that gaming dogs add so much to gameplay. From raising them and teaching them tricks, to having them fight alongside you in battle, our canine gaming pals provide some serious fun!
In our two-part blog we’ll cover the top ten dogs in popular games, as ranked by the Jelly team. Here are numbers ten through to six…
10 – Nintendogs (2005)
Will any of us ever forget shouting ‘SIT!’ at their Nintendo DS screen continuously for 5 minutes, waiting for your new Labrador to FINALLY hear your command? The object of Nintendogs was to adopt, play with, and ultimately train a virtual dog. Owning up to eight dogs at any one time, three in the household and five in the ‘dog hotel.’ Players were able to decorate their house, adopt different types of dog and take them for walks.
But as much as we all loved Nintendogs, I’m sure most of us can hold our hands up and admit that maybe we didn’t participate in grooming our cute dogs that much. One would always run away because the game hadn’t been played within in a 24-hour period, making us feel like the worst pet owners in the world and solidifying the fact that if we couldn’t look after poor Peanut the virtual corgi, there was no way we could take care of an actual dog!
RIP to all the virtual dogs we’ve not seen for 13 years…
Nintendogs was initially released in Japan in 2005, before hitting the rest of the world market. It was such a huge success that all of the versions combined sold 23.9 million copies worldwide resulting in Nintendogs being 2nd on the Nintendo DS bestsellers list, just behind New Super Mario Bros.
9 – KK Slider – Animal Crossing (2001)
Everyone’s favourite Jack Russell! KK Slider made his debut in the first ever Animal Crossing game in 2001. His chilled and loving demeanour lead him to become a regular character in each subsequent Animal Crossing game.
He could be found in the game on Saturday nights, sat on a stool with his guitar, taking in the night air and playing a song. He had a playlist of 55 songs in the first game alone and KK insisted he didn’t want a penny for his musical talents, he wasn’t about selling out to ‘the man.’ But when we went to do our shopping, his album would be there for sale.
You lied to us KK Slider! How could you?!
Animal Crossing was/is a community simulation game. The player would create their own character, edit them to their desired appearance and take them fishing, bug catching, fruit picking etc. They could even buy furniture for their house from good old Tom Nook the Raccoon. There have been four Animal Crossing games in total as well as side games such as Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which was created for mobile gameplay.
8 – Sim Dogs – The Sims 2: Pets (2006)
If you’re a big Sims fan, you’ll probably be thinking: ‘We first had pets in The Sims: Unleashed!’...and you’re absolutely right. However The Sims 2: Pets was where players were really able to communicate with their dogs as well as having access to over 72 pre-made breeds already in game, which is pretty epic.
These dogs weren’t ordinary types either, they could go to work. Fido could become a movie star, rescue pet, or even part of the security pet corporation making big money! They were relatively easy to look after, although we’re sure the ‘make all happy’ cheat was entered one too many times because we all wanted a super dog who could do everything, right?
The game was initially published by Electronic Arts (EA Games) and it added to the original life simulation game, ‘The Sims 2.’ However, it was developed for multiple consoles and became a standalone game itself for the likes of PlayStation 2. The game sold a total number of six million copies worldwide and we’re now on the fourth series of Sims games, with ‘The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs’ being the latest pet release for the franchise.
7 – ‘Dog’ – Half Life 2 (2004)
So we know ‘Dog’ isn’t actually an animal, but he’s called ‘Dog’ and he’s kind of a pet so we’re going with it. We first meet him during a tutorial for the Gravity Gun in Half Life 2 and we get to see pretty quickly just how cool he is. He’s a robot built by Eli Vance, made to protect Eli’s daughter Alyx.
‘Dog’ is pretty aggressive, standing at around 2.5 metres tall and ready to tear machinery up in an instant. We wouldn’t put him up there with the cuddly, cute furballs in Nintendogs though, he’s incredibly beneficial to the game. He even has a bit of attitude, if ‘Dog’ beats the player in a race you can guarantee he’ll break into a taunting victory dance!
Half Life 2 is a first-person shooter game, the original Half Life game was developed in 1998 so there was much anticipation for the second instalment and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Winning 39 Game of the Year awards and selling 6.9 million copies in total, it proved to be a great game. We think ‘Dog’ definitely had something to do with that.
6 – Chop – GTA V (2013)
Grand Theft Auto has been in our lives now for a pretty long time but GTA V was when we were first introduced to our beloved Rottweiler, Chop. He’s owned by Lamar Davies but lives with Franklin, who is one of the three main characters controlled by the player in the main game.
Chop will attack pedestrians if they are targeted by Franklin and unfortunately ends up getting a two-star wanted level and shot by the police, so he’s certainly not invincible. As much as we love Chop he is a bit naïve, we’ve all seen him walk toward oncoming traffic and falling into swimming pools… thank goodness for respawns!
GTA V was brought to us by Rockstar Games back in 2013 on PS3 and Xbox, and later released in 2014 on PS4 and slightly after that in 2015, on PC. The game is based around heists, shooting and driving, but unlike some action games, GTA V has a vast online community where players can interact with each other. Although the game was released back in 2013/14, there have been no end of upgrades to the online play, with a nightclub element being the latest release.
So, there you have it, Jelly’s favourite gaming dogs from ten to six! Make sure you keep an eye out for our top five gaming dogs tomorrow on National Dog Day, and we’ll be sharing our own real life dogs on social media for you all to adore!
