Hobbies And Interests
Nintendo DS Virtual Pet
The Nintendo DS portable gaming system is home to many virtual horse titles, in which players care for and train a pony. In "I Love Horses," the player takes on the role of Annie Greenhill, who owns a pony farm. Players explore this environment and try their hand at the tasks essential to keeping ponies, including grooming, which utilizes the DS stylus. Players can then race the ponies or teach them gymnastic skills. In "Pony Luv," players get to pick a pony to own from the six available, which they can then train and feed. Players can enter competitions, such as dressage contests, and even kit out their ponies in outfits.
Nintendo DS Franchise Games
Some Nintendo DS pony titles are linked to popular TV and toy franchises. "My Little Pony: Pinkie Pie's Party" stars Pinkie Pie, one of the titular diminutive ponies. The player must guide Pinkie Pie around a town, looking for clues and playing mini-games to help the pony find her missing birthday presents. "Bratz Ponyz," meanwhile, re-imagines the girls from the "Bratz" franchise as ponies. Players control one of the four ponies on offer, exploring a series of boutiques and shops, while participating in mini-games linked to each establishment in an attempt to get as well-groomed as possible. For example, the jewelry store is home to a bead-stringing challenge.
Other Console Games
Pony love games also exist on other gaming systems, such as the 2D educational title "Clever Kids: Pony World" for the Sony PlayStation 2. This game features an array of activities involving ponies, each housed at its own in-game area. Players can participate in timed math contests at the target range and learn more about different horse breeds by visiting the stables. Game Boy Advance title "Horse &Pony" allows players to breed and nurture a pony. Players use a range of menu screens to perform tasks such as feeding the pony, before taking their pet out to hurdle courses to race, in an attempt to earn in-game currency.
Board Games
These titles are usually designed for more than one player. Based on the best-selling property-trading game "Monopoly," "Pony-opoly" gets players collecting ponies, not streets, and asking rivals for treats rather than money. Players are also on the lookout for horseshoes, but must avoid being sent to the stable. The objective of racing board game "Pony Express" is to be the first player to make it to Sacramento on the back of a pony, while avoiding the threats and distractions of the countryside. The game features specially designed dice that display poker hands when rolled to determine movement and the outcome of duels, as well as to introduce an element of bluffing to the game.