Nintendogs + Cats is undeniably adorable and will absolutely keep players enthralled for a while since some of the better secrets (Mario room, robot dog) require a substantial wealth of earned Trainer Points to unlock. It isn’t without it’s flaws however, and the more you play, the more the little things grate on you.

Like the fact that your cats don’t seem to care you even exist. Or that puppy weight management is more difficult than it appears. Not to mention the inexplicable need to use AR cards for a contest. Did I mention that your cats want nothing to do with you? Oh, I did. Good.

After spending two weeks meticulously raising my virtual puppies (and trying to turn a profit), I’ve developed some rather unique views on some aspects of Nintendogs + Cats…

The time has come. You know that the moment you grab your very own 3DS, you’re going to have to grab a copy of Nintendogs + Cats. It’s practically a requirement. The thing is, Nintendo isn’t going to make that easy for you. Just like the original Nintendogs, Nintendogs + Cats is going to come in three different varieties. Oh yes, eventually they’ll all have the same dogs, after you’ve invested enough time playing to unlock extra breeds. But initially, each version will only have nine puppies available so you have to pick one…

Nintendo World 2011 took place in Japan between January 8-10, 2011 and, as you can guess, it was pretty much a celebration of the forthcoming 3DS. One of the games that was there on display and playable was Nintendogs + Cats, which also happens to be one of the 3DS Japanese launch titles. What a great opportunity to hear all about the pet simulation’s special features…

The DSi will arrive in China on December 15, 2009, and it not only comes with the 1000 DSi starter points that the DSi came with in other regions like Japan and North America. The Chinese iQue DSi will also include Nintendogs.

It looks like it comes with a full version of Nintendogs: Labrador and Friends in Chinese. But, due to the DSi space constraints, one has to wonder if its actually possible to have a full DS game like Nintendogs installed on the system. It could be a demo, but all the screenshots and information on the site suggest it is a full game.

It looks like Nintendo’s really trying to use the included Nintendogs to sell the game…

Facebook has already become a viable gaming platform, filled with all sorts of casual, browser-based games players can add to their profile and account and play as they wish. But what happens when Facebook users become bored of the casual games they’re playing? The casual games on Facebook are quite entertaining and all, but after a while their simplicity can cause their users to become tired of following the same routine to succeed.

That’s where console, handheld and computer games can step up. Many of the Facebook casual games, like YoVille, Mafia Wars or FarmTown, are incredibly similar to existing major releases. Facebook users can easily transition to the game that corresponds to their favorite Facebook applications, and hopefully find something that will hold their interest and perhaps even help them find other games they may enjoy.

Gamertell is taking look at some of the most popular game applications on Facebook today, and pairing them up with comparable major releases, in the hopes of expanding the horizons of casual, Facebook gamers…

Yesterday, Gamertell started our look back at the 10 cutest games Nintendo has helped develop and produce. Today we’re going to continue that list starting with number five and ending with what, in our opinion, is the cutest Nintendo title.

We last left off at #6 – Pikmin 2 for the GameCube. Today, we’ll pick up with #5 – Yoshi’s Story. So join us for our look back and see if one of your favorite games made our list…

While in a scantastic mood, looking for holiday deals in various mailings, I noticed something rather curious in the November Dell catalog I received in the mail. It includes a page of video games. And not PC games.

Yes, Dell, the company known for making laptops, desktop computers, monitors, printers and PC accessories (at least, that’s what the title bar of the company’s web site reads), has an entire page dedicated to Nintendo games…

The latest advertising onslaught from Nintendo is a series of commercials featuring female celebrities playing DS games with the tag-line, “I Play for Me.”

This seems like a fairly innocent notion and a means to get women and girls interested in the system by showing famous women engaged in games. However, quite a few gamers have taken issue with the games depicted and the actresses’ behavior.

There are three TV commercials currently airing: One features singer Carrie Underwood playing Nintendogs, another features actress Liv Tyler playing Brain Age 2 and the final commercial shows America Ferrera playing New Super Mario Brothers…

Not all shovelware is completely bad.

Sure, games that fall into the shovelware category, like Chicken Shoot and Elf Bowling, are often designed to purely to generate quick revenue. And yes, the quality of shovelware is more often than not rather atrocious. But that doesn’t mean that the mere existence of it is entirely bad.

Not only is shovelware a videogame tradition but its proliferation is a positive sign for gamers. Below are three important reasons why shovelware games are actually good…