I have been waiting for this game to be released ever since the first hints of its development way back to probably January of this year. ngmoco has finally released Touch Pets Dogs to the US store yesterday (Nov. 9, 2009).

Touch Pets Dogs (TPD) does not disappoint at all. Its a game for all flavors of player: Man, woman, boy, girl, young, old, etc… I mean who wouldn’t want a cute little puppy that can’t mess the family room carpet!?

ngmoco has outdone itself with this game. The amount of depth these little puppies have is outstanding. There are seven breeds of puppies to choose from when you first adopt your new pet. Labrador, Portuguese Water Dog, West Highland Terrier, German Shepherd, Jack Russel, Dachshund, and even a Robot Dog. After you find a suitable puppy from the adoption agency, the game starts by “training” the player on what to do to take care of their new bundle of furry joy. There is a lot to learn and the lessons are very unobtrusive by placing a small circled question mark near the bottom right hand side of the screen. When ever the game has something to tell you, that question mark appears.

The tutorials go over taking care of your new pet, training him/her, grooming, petting, and even dealing with the inevitable need to “go outside”.

There are 5 daily care items that need to be taken care of each time you start the game: Feeding (energy), Water, Let Out, Petting and Cleanliness. For you new pet to be happy, it will need to have all those stats at 100% or close to it. Your pet will have daily pampering goals to be met too: Shampoo, Cleanliness, Brushing, Dressing Up and Feed a Treat. All these items help your puppy to be very happy, so much so that you will start earning Puppy Bucks. PB’s are later used to purchase toys, treats, and other goodies for your new pet at the Pet Store.

Along with caring for your pet, you play with your pet to help it to gain it’s skills: Chasing, Fetching, Tricks, Catching and agility. There are daily strength training goals: Chasing, Fetching, Catching, and Agility. There is also a daily Tricks Workout with goals: Tricks, sit, raise up, lie down, and stand (probably to start with, there are other tricks that are unlocked as your new puppy gets smarter). These goals help your puppy to learn 5 careers: Crimefighting, Rescue, Celebrity, Scientist and Politician.

You can also invite friends puppies over for playdates which help improve their Socialization and Friendship stats.

You are also not limited to just one puppy. You can adopt up to 5 puppies that will all play together and interact with each other and yourself. Be warned, you will be going through your dog food quite quickly if you have more than one pet. Only two pets can be on the screen at one time.

From what I have read, if you don’t go into Touch Pets Dogs each day to take care of your pet, it won’t do nasty things like mess the family room rug. The game will automatically take your pet outside so that it can take care of it’s business. However, your pet won’t be very happy with you when you do return. So you should probably be ready for the responsibilities a new pet brings.

My only gripe is that in order to feed your pet, and believe me, they need feeding quite frequently, you will have to pay real money to purchase food for your pet above and beyond what the game will generate for you on a daily basis. Just like Eliminate Pro, also by ngmoco, your pets food is regenerated on a daily basis. I’m not sure how much food is generated daily, but probably enough to at least spend a few hours a day with your new best friend. The AppStore has several optional apps that allow you to purchase more food for your pet. 10 bowls for $0.99, 20 bowls for $1.99, 120 bowls for $9.99 and 400 bowls for $29.99. You can also purchase dog food in-app by touching your Plus+ avatar on the upper left of the game screen and then touching Puppy Master. There you can purchase either 10, 120 or 400 bowls of food. You can also convert puppy food into Puppy Bucks.

Overall, this game is a truly “must have” game for your and your families iPhone/iPod touch. Everyone will be able to enjoy playing with their new puppies and fun will be had by all.