Okami
Okami is simultaneously the Japanese word for “god” and “wolf,” and that is exactly what you play in this beautiful, expansive game.
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The main character is a wolf named Amaterasu, also known as the sun goddess from Japanese mythology. Your quest is to rid darkness from the land of Nippon (another name for Japan) using celestial weapons and brush techniques, which is where the motion controls on the Wii come in.
Do not worry if you don’t like motion controls, you can also control the brush with the control stick in the game version for the PS2 and HD remake for the PS3. In Okami, you collect praise, the experience to level up, by completing sidequests and feeding other animals, including a certain number of very important dog characters.
Those dog owning gamers who want to spend a video game running around as a canine and learning mythology from another country, Okami will be by far the most perfect game.
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess plays a lot like Okami in that for a good portion of the game you will also get to control an awesome looking wolf.
In the video game, you're trying to rid the land of Hyrule, a medieval fantasy setting, from the twilight engulfing it. However, this time, the hero of the game is not truly a wolf, but a green-clad swordsman that can transform into a wolf using the power of his sidekick.
Twilight Princess has a darker tone and setting than Okami and is part of a series of extremely popular video games stemming from the original Legend of Zelda in 1987, but can be played as a standalone game without prior knowledge of the others.
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Plus, when in your human form, you can carry around other dogs in a cute fashion whenever you find them within the gameplay. What dog owner wouldn't want to do that in a video game?!
Nintendogs / Nintendogs + Cats
The Nintendogs video games are a series of handheld games released for the Nintendo DS and 3DS that allow you to use the system’s camera and touchscreen to take care of a dog of your very own.
Gamers who want a dog but still cannot manage to get one, as well as pet owners who don't get enough of their own dogs at home will get a kick out of this game. Taking care of your own pooch for an infinite amount of time? Sign me up!
In Nintendogs, you train puppies using obedience classes, teach them tricks through the microphone, and take them out for walks to play games with them. Everything is closely simulated on real life events, except that it's not; and you still need to remember to take out your real dog outside at some point.
Nintendogs is a very simple game for casual video game players who are big on dogs, cats or other pets, and those who want to raise the level of cute puppies in their lives. Video games might be bad for dogs, but there's no harm in you taking alone on this venture.
The Pokémon Series
There’s little doubt that you’ve never heard of Pokémon before. And if you know what a Pokemon is, you'll understand why this game is on the list. But there's more to that.
Pokemon has a long series of different games that are very similar. Each Pokémon in their games is based on something from the real world, and there are plenty of Pokémon based off of dog breeds – enough to make a team of dogs, if you wanted to.
To name just a few dog breed inspired Pokemons, there’s Arcanine, the pseudo-legendary fire dog; Houndoom, the Doberman; Stoutland, the Scottish terrier; and Granbull, the bulldog.
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There are also the three legendary dogs – Entei, Suicune, and Raikou; fire, water, and electric type, respectively. In the newer Pokémon games, you can even use a function called PokéMon Amie to pet, feed, and play with the Pokémon you’ve captured. Cute, isn't?
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the most recent in a series of life-simulation games where you’re a human living in a world of animals.
Does this sound like an ideal setup for a truly loving dog owner seeking to spend more time with dogs, even in the digital setup?
Many of the NPCs throughout the game are dogs, including Isabelle, the mayor’s secretary; Booker, the town police dog; and K.K. Slider, a musician who gives free music to the player every Saturday night.
In Many of your neighbors can be dogs as well as various other animals, ranging from cats to chickens to elephants and many more. This game isn’t just for dog lovers, but for animal lovers of all kinds.
Dog’s Life
Pet owners who are eager to spend more time with digital dogs and like a game with a comedic edge will find the game Dog’s Life to be exactly what they're looking for.
The premise of the game is that an evil cat food company is kidnapping dogs to be made into their cat food, and the main character, an American Foxhound named Jake, has to save all the dogs, including the love of his life, Daisy, from the company.
Dog's Life plays out like a cartoon, with hilarious dialogue and animated expressions on the dog characters. This old game is still praised by many of its truest fans, and especially those who adore all kinds of dog related video games.
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Dog’s Life is one of those lesser-known gems in the video game world that dog lovers will beg for, but it will guarantee a certain level of satisfaction for any canine games fanatic.
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Who didn't expect this game to be on the list? One of the most popular video games of 2013 rose to popularity not as another Call of Duty, but for having a dog in the game.
For the action-oriented dog owners, Call of Duty: Ghosts is a first-person shooter army game with one major difference from other common first-person shooters. That difference is named Riley, a German Shepherd who is trained by the army and a part of the player’s squad, even playable during some missions.
From the dog’s own perspective, you can spy on enemy troops and help to take down those who threaten Riley’s master. It is often known by fans as “Call of Duty: the Dog Game,” and will strike a chord with anyone who believes in dogs as heroes.
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Call of Duty: Ghosts while not being the greatest game has demonstrated to video games how deeply one can care for a pet in the digital world. Try it and you'll know what we mean!
The Sims 3: Pets
If you can’t get enough of your life with pets or you want to see what it would be like to play God over a world of humans and animals, The Sims 3: Pets is the game for you.
It is an expansion pack, so you will have to own the original Sims 3 to play it, but the game is well worth it, especially if you're tired of real life and want to be in (almost) complete control over your dogs.
The Sims is a very popular game series. In The Sims: Pets, you can create characters and their homes and either help them live a happy, successful life or a wacky, strange, danger-filled one. With the Pets expansion pack intact, you get to throw animals in the mix, including dogs, cats, horses, and other pets.
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What's great about this game is that you have the freedom to create the actual pet yourself, too, naming them and giving them their own unique personality, even taking control of them to help them mess up their owner’s house if you so wish. Would it be fun to have a truly perfect dog?
The Sims 3: Pets is a life-simulation game done right with pet owners, and can possibly even help you figure out what it is that goes through your dog’s mind when they eat your homework.
