Petz Dogz Family Hands-On

Puppies are undeniably cute, but they can also do not-so-cute things that can make having a real one a chore. Not to mention, depending on your dog's personality, it may not always like being dressed up in a tutu or enjoy strutting around in a cape. That's where games like Petz Dogz Family come in, where you can take care of your own adorable canine without thinking about pooper scoopers and the other unpleasant things that come with owning a pet. At Sony's PSP Go event last night, we sat down with a bright pink PSP and spent some time playing with a darling little Chihuahua named Cece.

Who's Making This Game: Petz Dogz Family is developed by Osaka Studio and published by Ubisoft.

What The Game Looks Like: It's hard to resist those puppies' eyes, and visually the game looks quite good on the PSP. Some of the rooms in your house are a bit sparse, but we assume that it can be customized as you go through the game. There are several areas of the house that you can visit as well as different outdoor locations, and it's all presented in a bright, colorful manner that is pleasant to look at.

What Is There To Do: You'll feed, play with, and bathe your puppy and take it to the park to keep it happy. At a nearby park we were able to play fetch and toss a Frisbee around by taking some toys out of a chest, but it seemed that Cece was not so interested in bringing any of the toys back. We did meet a not-so-friendly lab puppy at the park (with no owner in sight) and tried to get it to play, but it seemed much more interested in snoozing on the grass.

Over time, you'll unlock new items, and you can also cross-breed your dog to create an entirely new breed. To document all the precious bonding moments between you and your dog, there's a photo option in which you can take up to 10 photos and share them online. You can also set up play dates with your friends over ad hoc and exchange dogs.

How The Game Is Played: Your interactions with your dog are done via the analog stick. Everything you do is like a minigame, whether you're pouring water or puppy chow: you'll have to use the analog stick to pour the water, move it up and down to shake the box of kibble or move it back and forth to rub your pet's head. Using the L and R buttons, you can rotate the camera, which moves it into fixed angles. This takes a bit of getting used to, because you'll have to tap around to find which area of the room you want to focus on. It feels a bit more awkward playing on the PSP instead of having the freedom to use a touch screen on the Nintendo DS.

What They Say: Ubisoft's Petz Dogz Family allows players to raise and care for a family of dogs--for the first time on the PSP system!

What We Say: It would make little sense to play these virtual animal sims if you had a real pet. But for those who don't and who want the companionship and unwavering loyalty from a pet, then Petz Dogz Family should give you at least a puppy fix if nothing else. It's cute, and you can take the game with you anywhere and keep it in your purse. Petz Dogz Family is set to be released on November 3.