"Hamsters... That's all that's to it."

First Impression
8/10
A classic standard to virtual pet care is to entice the player in animals/creatures that often exhibit cute characteristics; no doubt, hamsters are a self-explanatory addition to the pet extravaganza. The main feature of Hamsterz Life is the extreme cute factor that the player immediately notices upon loading the first screen, and everything else s/he is about to ensue follows exactly that objective.

When starting the game, the style is very reminiscent of “cutesy” anime when introduced to a girl named “Hammy” who guides the player through the major points in the game, including the selection of a brand new virtual baby hamster. A small list of species with their common names are given, allowing the player to choose between two to three different colors. After entering a few bits of information, the game begins.

Graphics
7/10
The actual hamster in the game does not look as cute as the anime-esque rendition; rather, the hamster and its surroundings are in realistic 3D, allowing the player to zoom in and out of the hamster's cage in a setting that appears to be the owner's virtual bedroom. Unfortunately, the transition between 3D and the drawings doesn't have a smooth connection to each other. The 3D hamster and its surroundings are rather choppy in contrast to smooth art; the most amusing aspect of the graphics is that the hamster does in fact look and act like a hamster.

Sound
6/10
The music is light and easy to the ear; however, the repetition of the same song playing in the background as the hamster wanders throughout the cage gets really old – in fact, very seldom does the music ever change. Along with the music, the audio also features appropriate sound effects. For example, when the hamster plays with a xylophone of its size the player can hear xylophone sounds; also, the hamster squeaks.

Gameplay
7/10
This game is not geared to educating people on how to care for a real hamster other than holding it occasionally, which gets old in the game. The majority of the game is aimed at allowing the pet to have fun, which includes giving it a variety of unique toys with which to play (balls, roller coasters, slides, flowers etc.), a number of intriguing accessories to wear (jackets, earrings, glasses, hats etc.), and giving it new equipment to use (such as water bottles, wheels and different styles of cages). The entire game is played with the touch screen where the stylus can be used to pet the hamster, clean, offer toys, carry around and sometimes antagonize the hamster by bothering it when it would prefer to do something else.

The more interesting features of the gameplay include expanding the hamster's English vocabulary by either answering a question it asks, or by speaking words or phrases offered in a list. The hamster itself does not talk, but it does have comic bubbles which is often used to spontaneously tell the player something it learned in the past.

Another interesting aspect of the gameplay are the minigames which takes the player to a more interactive and fast-paced segment of the game. In this segment of the game, which occurs at random, you are given a small set of mini games anime style, which, incidentally, have nothing to do with the hamster. Here the player is given opportunities to win prizes for the hamster by beating the games, which are branched into levels of difficulty: easy, normal and difficult.

Other opportunities to get news things for the hamster lie outside of the cage. Appearing at random, presents may pop up in the virtual bedroom. All it takes is for the hamster to find it; sometimes the guidance of its loving owner is necessary.

Controls
10/10
As mentioned previously, the entire game is operated via touch screen. The controls are simple, and Hammy the girl offers instructions each time a mini game pops up. Sometimes, the player may even be surprised at what the hamster does in response to interaction!

Frustration
5/10
- This game can get very monotonous after awhile; it seems as though the hamster can never die, yet it may continue to grow.

- Mini games are only a random event.

- Speaking to the hamster is a fine feature, but almost ridiculous to have the hamster frequently tell you, “It's enough to make you cry!”

- There are many inconsistencies in the game. For one, the game case is NOT what the game looks like, and contrary to the exaggerated description to sell the game, the hamster does not build its own “ham country.”

- The bedroom cannot be explored too much, the hamster is restricted to the foot of the bed to a little further away from the opposite side of the bed.

- Prizes or presents usually give the player something that is already owned. All it does is indicate next to the item the quantity, but it serves no real point and sometimes it can be a disappointment.

- Also, there's a re-occurring hamster drawing which can never be played with. It appears to be a panda-hamster, but it's only seen in the artwork or in trailors for the game.

- It doesn't take long until one may decide s/he has explored everything in the game.

Lasting Appeal
6/10
Ubisoft added a charm to the game by imitating the general behavior and movement of the rodent, including but not limited to the awkward waddle of a real hamster, the funny spins the hamster may go through before coming to a complete stop in a running wheel or burying itself in the grass/sheddings.

However, the novelty ends after the player has explored all of the above.

Overall
5/10
The game unfortunately does not attract the attention of a person for very long. On a better note, it is still worth it to explore the funny little things the game has to offer; and although it is obviously intended for a younger audience, the game can still appeal to other ages. It is a nice little game to amuse friends and family, though there is not much content. For hamster lovers, this would be a great present!

Score
54/80 = 67%

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/18/07