GigapetsARe back?

[Penguin-keeper]

Has anyone purchased one yet? They are cheap and I checked out the app for it on my phone. Definitely something I'm considering buying at this time.

I'm waiting on the penguin, myself, so I'm just as interested in hearing opinions about the one that's out at the moment.

 

[KidRetro64]

Uh. Gigapets have never been one of my favourites. But, I will consider it maybe.

 

[cmarie]

I just found these on Insta last night and ordered the Unicorn. So excited to see new digital pets coming back to life! I also saw on their website that they ship worldwide for those asking about other countries. Also if you join their group on Discord via their website invitation, you can speak directly with the developers and other followers. Kinda cool They also respond quickly on Facebook.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Thanks for the new info, Cmarie! Now I can get one but there are also other Vpets competing for my attention, primarily the rerelease of the Original Tamagotchi that will probably hit Canada on Halloween (if the rumors are true). I do hope they release new versions later on as if there was a cat ready for purchase, I would have little hesitation but with the current options I'm leaning towards the T-rex more than the unicorn. Rarity-wise, the unicorn is a much more exotic animal and it might be the first time that animal was used in a Vpet. I guess my only flimsy qualm with it is that it is a girly version, but that usually adds extra comedy.

 

[Penguin-keeper]

I also saw on their website that they ship worldwide for those asking about other countries.

Sweet! They've finally added it! That wasn't the case before. Thanks for the heads-up!

Now I just need to wait for the penguin one to be released...

 

[cmarie]

Thanks for the new info, Cmarie! Now I can get one but there are also other Vpets competing for my attention, primarily the rerelease of the Original Tamagotchi that will probably hit Canada on Halloween (if the rumors are true). I do hope they release new versions later on as if there was a cat ready for purchase, I would have little hesitation but with the current options I'm leaning towards the T-rex more than the unicorn. Rarity-wise, the unicorn is a much more exotic animal and it might be the first time that animal was used in a Vpet. I guess my only flimsy qualm with it is that it is a girly version, but that usually adds extra comedy.

Of course! Happy to help. I am right there with you on the competition right now. I'm in the US and anxiously awaiting the 9/30 release so I can be waiting on Gamestop's doorstep that morning LOL. My wallet is feeling it this month with the P1/P2 releases, a pair of meets preordered and now a single giga on order. But it's worth it! I don't want to sit back and miss the wave like I did in years before.

 

[Hoky]

So I'll put pics on my log prolly tomorrow, but here's my brief mini-review of my GigaPets AR T-Rex.

Graphics:

First off, the animations are really good! He does all kinds of stuff and has a number of different fun idle animations. He trips over rocks, stomps around, chases rats... lots of neat little touches. Feeding, play, doctor, sleep, bathing... all have smooth little animations, and while it's annoying you can't cancel out of them (c'mon guys, I know what eating meat looks like), they're all really good. At the same time, it's a sobering reminder that the 2-frame, jerky animations that even modern color tamas have are a choice, and that much simpler tech can handle animations in a much more fluid and, y'know, ANIMATED way. Also, the screen isn't as mirrored as older, non-backlit tamas, so it's easier to see from some angles.

Sound:
Nothing complex. No real beeps and bloops. There's a lot of little roars, and moving between icons is more a drum beat than a tone. It's definitely a change of pace, and it works really well for a little dino.

Design: Shell is pretty blah. The color green is kinda garish, and the black stripes on the sides seem kinda haphazard. A darker, translucent shade would have gone a long way. The overall shape is comfy to hold though. Also, man, left buttons are great. It's too bad the icons follow old-school thought rather than trying to streamline more. C'mon guys, the menu doesn't need to be the 7th icon, and the play (yarn ball) and doctor (round smiley that LOOKS LIKE A YARN BALL) are too close together and result in far too many trips to the doctor (especially when it's icon #4 and I'm used to playing with Connections where play is... icon #4...). It's also weird you always have one icon selected, because I keep accidentally picking things in my pocket, more so than even the menus on my hair-trigger mushiking.

Gameplay: It's a Gigapet! It's just as quirky as you remember, what with 4 different stats and a habit to randomly drop and raise things. I haven't hit the old "You're gonna die today no matter what" glitch the old ones have had, but it does seem to still keep losing points while it's sleeping, which results in it waking up basically on death's door. Also, it goes to sleep at 9:30, but you can wake it up any time and then it seems like you're just kinda outta luck. Also it wakes up at 7:30 am. I NEVER wake up that early if I can avoid it. XD
That said, that quirkiness does make it feel more alive and a little more varied than a normal tama. The 3 included games are simple but fun, there are a lot of options of things to do with your pet, and they're pretty fun to just sit and watch. Getting him to do tricks on command is a neat little addition as well.

Oh, also, let's talk about the app quick: It doesn't really have a point. It's not BAD or GOOD, it's just more detailed versions of animations. You unlock new animations by feeding, cleaning up after, playing games with, and doing other activities for your pet (And then pulling up the corresponding pictures in the pet's phone icon while scanning the pet with your phone). The animations in the app don't always quite match though, which is too bad. You unlock the character in the app with a code off the back of your Gigapet, and then you can start unlocking animations. Within an hour I had already unlocked all of them. It's a neat little novelty, but nothing more than a distraction. I wish it added more to the pet itself, but since the Gigapet software on the pet itself is still basically the exact same as it was in the late 90's, there's nothing additional to unlock on the actual pet that could play into the app. Like I said, it's neat, but I probably won't touch it again until I get more pets.

And will I get more Gigapets? Yeah! I'll probably get the dragon and the monkey. It's a bummer there aren't things like evolution trees or something a little more complex than what we had 25 years ago, but what is there has a lot of character and is a fun pet to run alongside your main tamas. If you liked the old ones or you want an inexpensive alternative virtual pet, swing over to their site and pick one up (or wait until they have out the character you want!). Where Tama leaned more and more in the direction of a virtual FRIEND, Gigapets AR still feels like an oldschool virtual PET, and I appreciate them for that!

(EDIT: OH! There is one weird software quirk I keep running into: In the mornings, he keeps asking for a bath but refuses to take one. He's not sick and disciplining doesn't help either; he just keeps refusing. I wonder if that happens on the dog as well?)