Dog's Life Details

Dog's Life

Dog's Life is a 3D action adventure that casts players as Jake the Dog. Not a cartoon or a caricature dog, or indeed 'the latest weapon-wielding, crime-fighting video game hero from the future' dog. Just a plain and simple, bog standard, common or garden mutt.

The story sees the panting protagonist embark on an epic adventure to track down his best friend Daisy. As he makes his way across the USA, from his home in the sleepy Mid-West countryside, through scenic ski resorts, to the bustling metropolis, Jake soon uncovers a sinister dog-napping plot, headed up by the evil dog-hating Miss Peaches.

The game world itself is non-linear and free-roaming and, within it, players are free to wander around at their own leisure, experimenting with their canine abilities and interacting with the game's diverse set of both human and animal characters. The idea throughout the course of the adventure is to have a load of fun by simply being a dog, as well to complete the assortment of missions that arise. As such, the game gives you the opportunity to perform all (did you say ALL?) the actions of your average dog, such as dig, chase, fetch, herd, swim, beg, hunt, mark territory, and more...

The majority of Dog's Life is played out in the third person, but occasionally another point of view is required - 'Smellovision' mode. This is a first-person perspective that provides a dog's view of the world, in which smells stand out as colours in an otherwise sepia environment. Players must make use of this throughout the game, as Jake must collect scents along the way in order to open up mini games, which subsequently give him the ability to move between the game's environments. As well as this, you also need to befriend fellow pooches and get them to help you out occasionally - you know, say if there's a small cat flap in the way and a certain Chihuahua is on hand.

It's great that developers are still coming up with (and publishers still supporting) new gaming concepts like this. Dog's Life is definitely novel, and it's also a lot of fun. Ever wondered what the Littlest Hobo got up to between rescuing people and harassing drunks? Now's your chance to find out.

Certificate
Developers	FRONTIER DEVELOPMENTS
Publisher	SCEE
Genres	Adventure
Released	Production year: 2003 PS2: 31 Oct 2003
Number of players	1