E3 2005 Tamagotchi Impressions

Before Furby or Yu Gi Oh!, there was Tamagotchi. Those keychain life simulation games epitomized casual gaming. Tamagotchi can be incorporated into any activity, and it can be monitored at intervals, much like a real pet. Bandai is working on a version of the game for mobile phones, the only devices already ubiquitous enough to support a virtual pet game.

Bandai has reduced the difficulty level of the game to cater to inattentive users. A Tamagotchi can now go four days without food, although he might lose some e-weight. The game runs on your phone's clock and calendar, as there's no other way (such as a CMOS battery) for the game to keep track of the passage of time.

You can view your Tamagotchi in the original monochrome or in new-and-improved color cute-o-vision. You can also change the style of your Tamagotchi "shell," the patterned frame begirding the play area.

Despite these few innovations and the new platform, this seems to be the same game everyone played at inappropriate moments in 1995. Tamagotchi is slated for a midsummer release.