The animals that aren't rendered as well as Nintendogs. The port did not include upgrades to graphics or gameplay...
Zoo Hospital is a new iteration of a game that I remember playing that came from the award winning educational software company The Learning Company back in June of 2005. (TLC) was an American educational software company, founded in 1980. In 2005 Mindscape Games became distributors of Adventure Company and Dreamcatcher games. "TLC, along with Brøderbund, later became a subsidiary of Riverdeep, however some of the acquired entertainment holdings were sold to Ubisoft." (Wiki) The game previously called "Zoo Vet" that I played on PC back in '05 is now Zoo Hospital DS, developed by Melbourne, Australia developer Torus Games. The latest trend is to migrate games that have been dubbed with the "Casual" game genre, from PC to handheld consoles. This process is a long and convoluted one, similar to the the family tree of pedigreed show dogs. If you like animal sim gamers you may become immediately addicted to this engaging and heart warming game. If you are an animal lover this game is for you. It has an "E" rating and it is fine for young people and adults and would be a fun entertainment for families to play together. The game is of course designed to be educational. There is information about animals and medical procedures, but not to the same exacting extent that were in the PC version. It should not be considered to teach you how to use medical tools or train you in appropriate medical procedural processes. For those kids interested in becoming a vet someday, try the older version of the game on your PC.
Gameplay:
In the game you are guided by a virtual Doctor who prompts you with the information that you will need for each case. There is also a little laptop icon to help you keep track of the widely different needs of each zoo animal. There is data about what respiration rate and temperature is normal for a Platypus, an Elephant and a Panda Bear that is is very handy, even for a pretend Vet. You will need to put the animal through various tests in order to see what the problem is. In some cases it is pretty strange. Vomiting is often caused by a fork in the throat. I wonder who has been leaving all this cutlery around where a Lion or a cobra can swallow it?
I gave a Zebra a stimulant for low respiration and a sedative for being 'hormonal', I gave out lots of antibiotics. The game also teaches about the more mundane side of veterinary care such as caring for a Bison with infected teeth, and all of it is done in the most diplomatic and amusing fashion.
Conclusions: There is plenty of humor in this game as well as learning experiences. The graphics are pretty good, but not great. It is harder to become attached to animals that aren't rendered as well as Nintendogs, which we have gotten used to during the time while the Zoo Vet franchise has been bought and sold and ported around. The migration did not include upgrades to graphics or the game play. It just sort of truncated it. What it may lack graphically it makes up for in other areas. I have seen worse. Much worse.
This is a game that might make you want to cuddle your DS. It's a port of a great game, that is still a good game on DS. It is going to be enjoyed by lots of people I am sure. Kids will love it. Teens might find it a bit stupid, and it isn't deep enough to keep adults engaged. It's worth trying at least a rental, and if you collect animal sims it is a buy. I give it a 7 out of 10 tails of approval.