A couple of years ago when visiting family in Georgia, we went to the Atlanta Zoo. The most memorable thing about that trip to the zoo is we got to see a couple of pandas real up close. They were just behind a glass wall, just inches from us. The male panda had his butt facing us the entire time, he was more interested in the long stalks of bamboo the zoo keepers kept shoving through a little window. But the female panda was more affectionate. She came right up to us and leaned on the glass while we made petting motions on the other side. As she sat down she looked up at us like how a dog looks at you when you pet it. Enough to melt your heart right there. Now you can interact with virtual pandas on your DS with National Geographic: Panda. Is it as good as a trip to the zoo? Read on to find out:

National Geographic: Panda is yet another DS pet simulation game to follow in the footsteps of the popular Nintendogs game. In fact, you might as well call this Nintendpandas (or Namcopandas, as Namco Bandai made this one). Keep your panda happy by feeding it, cleaning it when it’s dirty, playing with it, and petting it with the stylus.

Since it has the National Geographic license, this game has more of an educational spin on it. It even comes with a free DVD of a National Geographic documentary on pandas. It’s a good deal at more than an hour long, but while it’s kid-safe, it’s not exactly ‘geared’ towards kids so they might get bored watching it. Every day that you play the panda game, you unlock facts to read about pandas, but it’s just the script that the narrator reads from on the DVD.

The 3-D graphics and animations are lifelike enough, and the panda makes all sorts of sounds that I guess a panda would make (and oh boy does that thing eat a LOT of bamboo). The game reads off the DS internal clock, so it’ll be the same time in the game as it is in real life. The main problem with that is you only get a set ‘allowance’ of money each day to buy food, water, and toys for your panda. And once you’ve spent all that, you have to wait until the next day to get more money. So after you’ve fed, washed, and maybe taught your panda a new trick if you’re lucky, there’s not a whole lot else to do.

Kid Factor:
Because of the lack of activities in this title, I imagine most kids would be bored with this game unless they just REALLY like pandas or other virtual pet sims. I would just pass on the game and use the saved money to take the kids to a real zoo, or a subscription to a National Geographic kids’ magazine (Do they still make National Geographic World? I used to read that when I was little.). Reading skill is needed to play National Geographic: Panda, and it is rated E for Everyone.

Speaking of pandas, one panda related DVD that every kid I’ve shown to liked is Panda Go Panda. It’s an anime by Miyazaki (Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away) and if you can find that DVD, snag it right there! You’ll be in for a real treat. Very cute cartoon.

Tags: Game Reviews