Games like the Chao garden from Sonic Adventure 2

[machomuu]

Uh, I think you mean the best part of the game. Interchangeable with the only part of the game, because I'm pretty sure my time with SA2 was just the Chao Garden.

But lessee...Ignoring the obvious Neopets (which fit the same criteria but is also Neopets), the Monster Rancher series was this. Get and raise pets that you would nurture for battle and dungeon crawling- which, inevitably brings me to Digimon World Championship for the DS, which was similar. It's been years since I played WC and almost a decade longer since I played MR, but they're pretty darn close to it.

Other than that, if I was to highlight a genre, the Princess Maker series and games related to it. Basically, it's a series of games where you nurture a young princess into a dependable queen, generally with a plot attached to it. While some may see this as creepy, I'd say that any pandering of any sort is sparse and left to the aesthetics, but if you enjoy the choice making aspect of the Chao Garden and watching your newborns grow into flying, racing, boxing machines, you may be interested in this series. While they aren't developed in the West, a PM-lite, of sorts, by the name of Long Live the Queen (which is very well worth your time) is officially translated and on...at least Steam.

Super/Danganronpa 2. Though that's a lot closer to Tamagatchi than the Chao Garden, but you do have to use items you collect in the game to feed your pet. It's also a fantastic game worth your time (if you've played DR1), so it's at least worth considering.

The Rune Factory games, and in particular 3 and 4 (On the DS and 3DS respectively, though there are titles for the Wii that I, personally, haven't engaged in much), do this pretty wonderfully with their Farm Animal system. By giving them gifts, you can befriend monsters in the wild (almost all of them, bosses included). This serves several functions, as they can accompany you into battle, help you on the farm (since it's, as it called itself, "a fantasy Harvest Moon"), or in some cases let you ride them for increased mobility and new movesets.

One thing that RF does that I think more games should do is that it rewards you for cooking and eating everyday, but this also goes for NPCs (monsters included). As a result, you can nurture your pets by bringing them specific foods, not all that dissimilar to Sonic's means of feeding your animals. Also, you can bet them (which'll make them like you more). Oh, and in RF4, at the very least, there are monster battle festivals where two of your monsters will face off (via AI) against the other townspeoples' monsters for a valuable prize. I get a real kick out of the pet system in this game.

 

[Nah]

Man Sonic Adventure 2 was a huge part of my childhood (and my sisters's) and the Chao garden was a big part of that. Raised one to the max level and cleared all the levels in Chao racing and karate and everything.

Super/Danganronpa 2. Though that's a lot closer to Tamagatchi than the Chao Garden, but you do have to use items you collect in the game to feed your pet. It's also a fantastic game worth your time (if you've played DR1), so it's at least worth considering.

I don't remember there being any sort of pet raising side game in Danganronpa 2?

But my memory is shit sometimes and I haven't actually played the game, just read/watched some LP of it

 

[machomuu]

I don't remember there being any sort of pet raising side game in Danganronpa 2?

But my memory is shit sometimes and I haven't actually played the game, just read/watched some LP of it

Well it probably isn't your memory. It's just something that you can do on the side so, probably, the LPer(s) just didn't do it. It's pretty easy to ignore, but basically it's this small game where you feed and raise a bear. If you neglect it, it evolves one way, if you nurtured it, another, and- well, you get the idea.

It's really small and avoidable, but it was a nice little side thing that really felt like the games it was trying to emulate.