Petz: Hamsterz 2 (Nintendo DS, 2007)

Let me first say that IGN and other places don't say too much about this game, but gave it decent reviews so I decided to go out and try it. WHOOPS. This game is one of the worst I've ever played and I've been playing video games since I was about eight.

The only good things I found about this game after playing if religiously for about a week were: 1) It was very very CUTE. 2) The hamsters are very life-like with their movements (until they repeat their animations after the first few minutes... then they don't feel as realistic at all). 3) The cages are VERY customizable inside, leaving a lot of room for creativity. 4) Seriously, the hamster getting in the wheel and running so much it gets flung out of the wheel and into it's food bowl is amusing (but it repeats nearly every time the hamster goes in the wheel and loses it's luster...)

The bad? Where do I even begin... 1) This game DRAGS ON in the beginning. After a week of playing every single day for HOURS I couldn't seem to get my two hamsters to have babies together. 2) There is this tedious chore of going to the pet shop REPEATEDLY to tap the screen for the three people working there to earn things like new items in the shop and new places to take your hamster. (Which you REALLY want!) This doesn't make the game fun at all, just aggravating, repetitive, and time-wasting. 3) The hamster animations, though realistic, repeat too much. It's not random enough. In Nintendogs, the animations repeat, however it's not painfully obvious. 4) The animations clip, the hamsters can get "frozen" on the screen for a while until another hamster bumps it or you exit the screen and return. The hamsters can also go through themselves by bending their entire bodies, which would of probably scared me as a child. 5) The hamsters will almost always hate you and bite when you try to touch them, no matter what you do or put in their cage. 6) Expect more than a week to go by before being able to breed your hamsters together... if you even can. I can't say, I played for a week and my hamsters would never do anything together, so use your own judgment on whether or not that's important.

There is also a terrible lack of realism, which, you know, is okay since it's a video game, but I would imagine it'd teach real kids some bad things indirectly. For one? DON'T put two hamsters in a cage together, especially right away! They will kill each other! IF YOU ARE BUYING THIS FOR YOUR CHILD MAKE SURE THEY KNOW HOW HAMSTERS REALLY NEED CARE SO THAT THEY DO NOT USE THIS AS AN EXAMPLE OF REALITY. Buy them a cheap hamster book, anything. Rodents need to be slowly introduced with each other in reality and this process can take weeks! Secondly, rodents do not just have ONE baby, they can have something like 8-20 at a time (I don't know the exact number, google it) and can instantly breed again right after giving birth for yet ANOTHER litter. One last thing is that HAMSTER BITES HURT. It's NOT okay to aggravate a hamster until it decides to bite you. Hamsters don't like their home being moved all over the place and it will stress them.

I basically would just NOT suggest this game unless you have money to blow and a LOT of patience with tedious, badly made video games. I also wouldn't suggest getting this for children if you do not have an intent on explaining to them how hamsters really live and need care. Maybe a kid COULD enjoy this game, but to me it was just... sad. The ratings I've seen it get are WAY too generous.

This is a very lifelike game and has taught my son who has a real hamster what it means to really take care of one and play with it.

I purchased this game for my 10 year old granddaughter for Christmas. This is her review of the product.
"When I got Hamsterz 2 for Christmas, I was SO EXCITED. I have always wanted a hamster, but my mom won't let us get another pet. This game is awesome because you get to feed it, pet it, give it water, and play with it. When you first get it, it's kind of confusing, but once you read the insruction manual you get the hang of it. I would recomend this game to ages 8-12, because you really have to understand everything about the game to be able to play it, in my opinion."

As you can see, it was a hit.

cool hamster.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Game was exciting and fun to play. Easy for everyone to play and learn. The game is filled with lots action and challenging activities for anyone who plays this game.

I absolutely love this game!! The graphics are amazing, and it's entertaining to play. Anyone with even the tiniest of gaming experience can play and enjoy this game.

This is the perfect game for a child who loved Nintendogs. The hamsters are really cute, cuddly, and interactive. I especially think that a girl would love this game. My daughter has already played this games for many hours and I can see her getting many, many hours of play from this game.

good price fast shipping thanks. Havent used the game since it is for a gift, but hopefully all will work as planned

this game seems real quick, i know my kids will love it, they are animal lovers. they like dressing them and feeding and playing with them

This game is really cute I gave it as a gift and the child loved it, the hamsters were really life-like and the game was very entertaining.

Son loves the hamster games. He is three and is able to play the game. The hamster game has fun characters and appeal to different levels. My ten year old likes to play also.

this is a good game that takes carefull planning and alot of concertration. this is a simple "take care of an animal" game that requires some concentration.

This game is very boring ONCE you figure it out. I had to go on-line to figure it out so I could explain it to my daughter & she still couldn't get it. To me, it is just plain BORING!!!!! Would NOT recomend!!!

I bought them as Christmas gifts for my granddaughters. I could not get them in the stores in my area as they were sold out. They were one of the things that they asked for. I tell them they have $50 to spend and they give me a list of things they would like for me to choose from. When I can get them cheaper than regular price then I can get them more items on their list.

My son likes the animal games but he said this one was lame. There were not many options at all. In comparison to Dogs this game was not worth buying at all.

I was looking and I saw it I love HAMSTERS and it was 18 dollars and it was 30 in wal mart so I bought it.When I got it in the mail (which was fast)I played it all the time.I LOVE IT

THIS WILL NOT BE 'RATABLE' UNTIL AFTER 12-25-2008!

PLEASE STOP SENDING REVIEW FORM!

THANKS.....

my fiance loves it she playes it alot she likes how you can play with more than one hamster at a time

This game is sooooo cool. all the different things you get to do with your hampsters is so real! you have toi take care of them, feed them and even pet them to make them happy! You can set their cages up in different ways and buy different things to put in their cages. My little Cousin loves it!

Great doing business with you. My niece loved the Petz Hampster 2 for her nintendo DS. Quick processing and fast delivery. Thanks again. Will check your other items out in the future.

I bought this game for my niece that LOVES Zack and Cody, I haven't gave it to her yet but she will receive it on her 7th birthday and I know she will love it!

Excellent service! I recieved the game in record time. Im very pleased with my purchase! I bought this as a gift for my grandaughter. She loves it. Thank You.

child's gift, child has a pet hamster, so i thought it was a appropriate gift. i asked the child her opinion of the gift and she said it was fun