When PBN gave me the opportunity to review a Wii game, I literally JUMPED at the chance. It almost didn’t matter what the game was. Lucky for me and my Wii-addicted 9 year old son, it was “Littlest Pet Shop“, by EA Games. Now, I will admit, I was a little concerned that my son would think this game was too “girly” for his tastes. He’s majorly into all things superhero and action-packed. But he also seriously loves animals (he watches Animal Planet all the time) and his pet dog, Pup and is a video game addict-in-training (he takes after his father), so I thought it was worth a shot.
Boy, am I ever glad I took that shot. I didn’t know much about the “Littlest Pet Shop” franchise before getting this game, since my daughter is only 8 months old and we try to stay away from too much marketing around here. Apparently, there is a big line of “Littlest Pet Shop” games on the Nintendo DS too. This is not to mention the abundance of toys at the local department store. The notion with the game is you adopt and name (and accesorize!) various pets (everything from a hampster to a frog, which was my personal favorite) and then you can play with these pets in various “lands”. You make sure that each pet is getting enough affection and food, and then purchase different playground equipment with “kibble” that you earn by playing on other playground equipment. It’s oddly addictive, brightly colored, cheerful and engaging.
My son, in a word, LOVES it. I tried to get him to think of some constructive criticism and he couldn’t think of one thing. He told me that it was one of his most favorite games ever. Considering how this boy feels about Rock Band, that’s high praise indeed. I even had fun, helping him play a game with one of the pets one afternoon. We laughed and shouted at the television and had a great time together. The games are fun and there is literally SO MUCH to do in this game, that it could seriously be months before your child gets bored with it.
I honestly think this is a game that could be great for the whole family. Small children could easily understand it and older children and even adults can have fun exploring the worlds and playing the games. The genius is in the simplicity. So if you’re looking for a great game for the Wii fans on your Christmas list, look no further than “Littlest Pet Shop“.
Tags: animals, EA Games, Hasbro, kids, Littlest Pet Shop, Nintendo, pets, video game, Wii
