NeoPets

"Definitly not pokemon"

I am surprised to see that this isn't more popular than pokemon!!! Honestly, you are put in a world, and you could become anything you want. But the only requirement to do anything first is to get a ''neopet'' which in turn, do not look anything like pokemon.

Basic Idea - 10
You get a pet, and take care of it.
Possibilities are virtually endless, but usually you become one or a hybrid of the following.
You could become a battler, and try to be the best neopet master of the universe.
You could take advantage of the battlers, and charge extra for the items they buy and become a merchant.
You could be a normal person, who comes on just to play your favorite of the hundred or so games they have.

Gameplay - 10
Many games to play. You play games and earn fake money. The fake money is used to buy food, grooming items, toys etc. for your pet. If you want more money, open your own shop. Buy from the computer controlled shops and try and haggle for cheaper prices, then sell higher at your shop. OR place your item on auction.

Controls- 10
Point and Click to get to the next page. Click on items you want to buy.

Graphics- 9
More like artwork. This is online, and there are very few animations cause they take too long to load. Beautiful Artwork In my opinion. Definitely not an eyesore.

Story- 10
Everything is associated with the story you are being pulled along with. Such as the newest one is a war in another land. You have to now choose your side, and earn battle points for your team by attacking the other side. Now items are more expensive with the stimulated economy. Not to mention the nicely written plot being written as the war goes on. And this is only for last month. They have a fresh new story every few months, effecting the whole neopian community.

Sound- 0
There is little or no sound. Probably you will find sound in some games but usually not.

Replay value- 10
You have to adapt and change as neopets changes. A world may suddenly vanish, and those items you kept turn more expensive than gold. Wars will make items more expensive, with more demand from the public. The Stock Market may crash, sending your savings down the drain. (hasn't happened yet, but it may...)
The best part must be that you are in a world with real humans going around. They will go to the next shop if it is cheaper there than your shop.

Friendliness to Newbies- 3
Unless you got a good friend, you will have absolutely no idea what to do when you get to neopia. (the world of neopets) There are about 6 worlds, and millions of user-made shops. There are the computer generated shops that sell sometimes more expensive that the usermade shops, or sometimes much cheaper.
Ex. Faeries sell for about 1000 in a computer shop, while sell for 5000 in most of the usermade shops. While a Snowball costs 2000-3000 in the computer generated shops, they sell for 50-100 in the user made shops.

It will take a while for you to get used to Neopets. Give it a two weeks to learn the maps, about 3 months learning the correct place to buy your items, and a year to learn the secrets of the game. I mean the BIG secrets they keep.

If you came to Neopets 4 years ago, it would have been easier to start off. Now, with more than quadruple the game selection and thousands more items, it got harder.
I'd say, neopets gets more unfriendly to newbies each year, and that is the major flaw of the game.

Give it a week, you don't have to care for your pets, for they never die. If you just want to play their old school arcade type games, go on. If you just want to become the best shop in all of neopia, go on. If you want to be the best neopets trainer, but don't have time to take care of them, place them in the hotel were they will rest and eat for up to 28 days.

Rent or Buy??
Why Rent when it is free?
Buy it, don't like it, abandon it.

Overall Score again: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/11/02, Updated 12/11/02