Petz Dogz 2: Civil Servant Defeats Evil

Note: this review only applies to Wii and PS2 because if you play on the Nintendo ds it's a completely different game from what I've read online. If you don't like dogs, they have a cat version of the game. :) 

It all started because I wanted to show my friend what this Petz Dogz 2 is all about. From the cover, you go into this Wii game expecting a take-care-of-a-virtual-animal game. That is not what this game is. This game is an adventure game.

What is Petz Dogz2 about?

It starts with a magic top hat. This magic top hat contains both good and bad magic and happens to be under the protection of your family. You play as a dog of your chosen breed and have parents who stress that magic hat must not fall into the wrong hands or it would be catastrophic. You are hanging out with your pal, Victor and he says, "Guess who's in town? Only the evilest wolf to ever wolf, Ivlet! We should go visit him in jail without adult supervision." You agree. That night, you and Victor help Ivlet get both the magic hat and get out of prison. (surprise, surprise). With his "newfound freedom", Ivelet lays waste to the island. He releases the zoo animals, trashes every building, bridge, etc. In the aftermath, Victor decides to lock himself in jail out of guilt, and as punishment, you must now go around the island and clean up the mess you've made.

Is Petz Dogz 2 ok for kids?

Heck yes. If I were to give this a movie rating--not that I'm qualified to do so--I'd give it a G or PG rating.

What I love about this game

• There are so many cute dogs. You also get this ability to 'call' other animals. For example, I called a hedgehog that was *adorable* as heck.
  
• There's so much creativity for the plot in this game. If you play the first ~15ish minutes you'll get what I'm talking about.
  
• There is hours worth of gameplay.
  
• Good difficulty level for the target audience
  
• Good mechanics that match the Wii only two buttons are not used: 1 and 2
  
• Building on mechanics you previously learned (better get good at throwing rocks and barking because you'll be doing that for the entire game).
  
• Mini-games were fun and get you a ton of money
  
• Unique plot. The main character screwed up and fixed it which is a great moral lesson for kids.
  
• The customizable main character
  
• the soundtrack
  

What I disliked (minor spoilers)

• Too many cutscenes.
  
• Too much babying. They tell you exactly where things are, they teleport you to where you conveniently need to be instead of letting you figure it out.
  
• Too many tasks inside of tasks. Want to access a new part of the island? First, you'll have to get the carpenter to fix the bridge. He's booked but finds that he works faster to music. Go see the naturalist to see if there's a bug that sings. There's a singing cricket that you'll now have to hunt down.
  
• The camera is awkward and sometimes you can't see where you are going which makes the game harder than it needs to be especially in the final fight
  
• The entire problem is the main character's fault. Victor isn't the best influence either and doesn't help at all. The beginning and end are just not great. The main character should not have gotten the hat in the end. No discipline whatsoever for the main character. Yes, they have to be an errand dog but there's no obvious restrictions/actual parenting from your parents.
  
• The day-night cycle is freaking useless. There's no curfew so you have to be inside at night. There are no special events that only happen during the day or during the night. You don't get tired so there's nothing stopping you from grinding through the game (like I did). It's purely aesthetic which is annoying since someone had to code that in.
  
• Items you gather unless requested are useless and as far as I know, you can't get rid of the fruit/veggies you gather.
  

Final Thoughts

If I were ~10 years old I'd probably give it an 8/10. Thank you for reading through my take on Petz Dogz 2 and letting me go on about a game that brings joy and nostalgia for me. If you want to play it yourself, here is a link to the game on Amazon, and here is a link to it on Gamestop. (Not affiliated but could be). Comment below your favorite breed of dog and if you like it, check out this similar review.