Aug 06, 2005 04:01 PM
2990 Views
(Updated Aug 06, 2005 04:03 PM)
ARE YOU BORED OUT OF YOUR SOCKS?? DO YOU FEEL LIKE TOILET PAPER?? IS EVERYTHING AROUND YOU DARK EVEN IN DAYLIGHT??
Man... that was a dramatic start to a review. Ignore that.
The much needed introduction
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Years ago, a handheld virtual pet game called TAMAGOTCHI made huge waves. Every snot nosed brat that had huge powers of persuasion got their pops and moms to buy them one. TAMAGOTCHI was the ultimate pet - virtual feed, virtual care, virtual potty - which means you dont get soiled beds. The catch was - if you didnt look after the darned things - THEY DIED!! And when they die... you're back to square one.
TAMAGOTCHI was banned in many countries after some domestic violence occurred when the virtual pets died....
The computer equivalent
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Then came virtual pet software - DOGZ, CATZ, ODDBALLZ, CREATURES... a whole lot of them. They were all about virtual pets. Creatures you create, nurture, play with and have fun with. They're not real, but they are there - On your screen.
Overall, the concept of a virtual pet is sweet even though it will never replace a real one.
Neopets
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NEOPETS.COM is also about virtual pets. Its one of the most popular sites online and offers a great platform for some clean fun and games. Technically the site is for the juniors but everyone including yours truly, play neopets.
Getting Started
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Log on to https://neopets.com
Click SIGN UP, specify your age, choose an ID and complete the signup process.
CREATE your first NEOPET. Select a species of pet you wish to create. There are 50 or more species to pick from and these include the Uni (unicorn), a Gelert (dog), a Hissi (snake), a Scorchio (dragon) and many more. Explore and select the one you wish to create. Give it a unique name and your ALL SET!
Once you create an account and a pet, you get your own USER LOOKUP page where all your info will be displayed.
Warning: Creating multiple accounts is dangerous. Neopets has been known to suspend accounts that do this.
What do you do on Neopets?
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The objective is to create or adopt virtual pets (maximum four per account) and to look after them. You got to:
And to do most of these tasks, you need money. Neopian money is called NEOPOINTS.
Earning Neopoints
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There are several ways in which you can earn NEOPOINTS (the virtual money on Neopets).
Play games to earn neopoints. There are over 160 FLASH and HTML games to play.
Run a shop and sell items for neopoints.
Trade and Auction items for neopoints.
Play the stock market game and trade in shares
The neopoints you earn can be deposited in your Neopian bank account and you can gain interest.
When you start out, playing games is the best way to earn neopoints. Save up and get rich.
The Lands Of Neopia
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Neopia is the virtual planet where neopets dwell. There are several areas that you can explore and there are tons of things you can do. The site is exhaustive.
Some of the lands are:
Neopia Central - a place where you find all kinds of shops, a hospital, a lodge etc.
Krawk Island - an island where pirates roam
Mystery Island - a tropical island with friendly and unfriendly natives.
Lost Desert - a land that resembles ancient Egypt.
Haunted Woods - where evil creatures lurk
Terror Mountain - an icy land of fun and mystery
Virtupets Space Station - a satellite
Explore away.
Useful Tips
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If you are poor and have under 3000 neopoints with you, you can feed your pet(s) for free at the SOUP FAERIE
There are chores which you do daily, places which you visit daily. Go there everyday and you get freebies and stuff. Some of these places include The Fruit Machine, Tombola and Coltzans Shrine
Stash all your valuable items in your SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX (you get this free when you open a bank account). This will prevent them from getting stolen.
Be careful with neopoints. Like real life, spend wise and earn good.
The Battledome
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This happens to be my favourite feature on the site. You can make your pets fight opponents at the battledome. You have to prepare your pet well in order to have a good win-loss record. Intense training, the right weapons and good strategy is all you need.
Painting your pets
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One cool thing that you can do is change the appearance of your pet. If you had a UNI (unicorn) and you wanted to give it an ancient Egyptian look or a Royal look, you can buy a DESERT or ROYAL paint brush and paint your pet. Sometimes you get lucky and find a paint brush. Sell those and make a lot of neopoints.
Overall
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Neopets is EXHAUSTIVE. There are so many things to do that you will take a few days to get to know the whole site. But the fun factor is great. So is the addiction factor. The good thing is that its kid-friendly. So if your children want a clean source of online fun, get them neopetting. Neopets has very strong policies and has word filters that prevent profanity. Anyone who abuses the system is instantly removed.
Neopets has fresh content and enough hooks and kicks to keep you riveted.
Last Word
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BRILLIANT CONCEPT, BRILLIANT SITE, AWESOME FUN!
Keep the child in you alive...
~finis~
The sheer volume of the site makes it impossible to go through every detail but I've made an effort to cover the bases and give you a good start. Hope it helps.
