Game Vortex writes: "It seems like everyone is releasing their own videogames lately, so I guess it is natural for National Geographic to join them. Their first venture into the gaming industry, National Geographic Panda, is a pretty good one.
The pandas in National Geographic Panda are totally adorable. You can tell that the programmers studied real pandas to mimic their movements and actions so well. Even the little things like rolling over or scratching an ear look so real. The backgrounds are also wonderfully beautiful. No matter how much you move the camera around, it is still fluid. You can't always get the angle you want easily, but you won't make it skip a beat trying. They even implemented things like the sunrise and sunset. The sky at those times is just beautiful! There are several choices that you can buy to upgrade the interior of your panda's house. Anytime you start to get bored with the way things look, you can just change everything around easily."
WorthPlaying writes: "Every day, more and more animals are decreasing in numbers and being added to the ever-growing endangered species list. Among these animals are the blue whale, the Siberian tiger, the bald eagle, and the giant panda. I have a friend who is so obsessed with pandas that he's gone as far as making his password "pandadefender." I learned more than I ever hoped about pandas, thanks to National Geographic Panda for the Nintendo DS."
It's worth noting that National Geographic Panda for Nintendo DS comes with Secrets of the Wild Panda, a 53-minute DVD. Of course, National Geographic Panda isn't actually intended as an educational videogame. After all, the game does involve buying funny hats and cute clothes for panda cubs that never grow up. But since the bonus DVD is included with the game, Namco Bandai's title makes for an interesting proposition. It's a light but undeniably cute virtual pet game, and it's also a little bit of an educational opportunity. Oh, and there are pandas.
GamerDad writes: "A couple of years ago when visiting family in Georgia, we went to the Atlanta Zoo. The most memorable thing about that trip to the zoo is we got to see a couple of pandas real up close. They were just behind a glass wall, just inches from us. The male panda had his butt facing us the entire time, he was more interested in the long stalks of bamboo the zoo keepers kept shoving through a little window. But the female panda was more affectionate. She came right up to us and leaned on the glass while we made petting motions on the other side. As she sat down she looked up at us like how a dog looks at you when you pet it. Enough to melt your heart right there. Now you can interact with virtual pandas on your DS with National Geographic: Panda."
