View Full Version : Neopets review by Sar.
Neopets is presumably the biggest virtual pet site out there on the web (or at least to my knowledge) launched November 15, 1999 by Adam Powell and Donna. Since Neopets 1.0 (I call it 1.1) is no longer in existence and was replaced April 26, 2007 by a newer layout and pet designs, there have been mixed feelings about the site. The site is currently owned by Viacom.
The Basics
Neopets offers a large variety of different pet species, roughly 54, ranging from fictional dogs, cats, insects, birds and even aliens. There is a limit of five accounts on the site, with a max of four pets per account. That would be 20 pets in total legally. Only one account maybe designated as a main, used for earning Neopoints (the in game currency) and often sending it to your sides to fund them. All sides can be used for it pet storage and communication, including guilds.
Overall Neopets does offer a lot of pet slots a person may use, but multiple accounts do complicate things a bit. So I would give them 7 out of 10 for this.
Game Play
Most games except PHP games can be played without a Neopets account, so feel free to try them out before signing up to get a good feel on how to earn points.
Most games on the site require a variety of different versions of Adobe Flash. Version 9 is recommended for the games, but older games can use older versions. There are a few PHP games as well, including the famed NeoQuest and NeoQuest II. Also there are well over a hundred different games, as well as a few sponsor games here and there. A few games are remakes of very popular games (such as Flycatcher being very similar to Atari's Centipede) to help make earning Neopoints easier.
Gaming wise with Flash, unless you spend countless hours trying to get the best items, I give it a 6 out of 10. It gets too tedious and often frustrating trying to get 1000NP on every game.
Art
The background art is exceptional as well as the caption contests and worlds. However Neopets on 2.0 have instituted a system to where you could dress up your Neopets. Certain colors like Faerie and Grey often are molded to fit the clothing scheme, and thus they do not look as cool or nearly as popular as during the old times. There is now a distinction between male and female pets, as female pets have makeup and a more feminine look.
Overall I'd give art a 9 out of 10, mainly because the pet art isn't what it used to be.
Economy
The economy of the site, while it is somewhat stable is often inflated to a bit. Unless restocking is a priority and an easy objective, most people have to resort to games. There is also an addon for Internet Explorer and Firefox which is a toolbar that often sends alerts for you to get rare items, however with so many people getting the items, the rarity shoots down and it often unbalances the economy from time to time. However basic foods and toys are extremely cheap, so getting started is not difficult.
I'd give it a 4 out of 10. In other to get full benefits, you need to possess luck or play a ton of games.
Plots
Every once in a while there is a plot that is released to open a way to a new world, or just a way to spend some time. There are beautifully drawn animated and even interactive comic strips that go along with the plot, to aid the player in knowing what is happening.
I'd give plots 9 out of 10. The only reason why there isn't a 10 here is because often some puzzles are extremely difficult to pick up on and most players tend to use guides.
The Community
For the most part, the forums are quite fast and full of all sorts of people. Due to the rules that exist there, just the slightly misinterpretation might get you frozen. I recommend going into deep detail into the rules if you plan on being a regular there. I'll add the small point that a virtual pet site is meant to get away from reality.
I'd put a 0 out of 10, mainly because it is just pointless to go on there, unless you're looking for something pointless to do.
Overall
For the best experience on Neopets, I'd recommend just playing Neopets just for the games. There are guilds and boards and it is possible to form friends there, but from experience most people don't glance at the rules, and often result in being frozen. The only reason why I play Neopets as over pet sites is because I'm mostly familiar with it, and just haven't found another pet site to fit my interests.
Only one account maybe designated as a main, used for earning Neopoints (the in game currency) and often sending it to your sides to fund them.
What if you use the other accounts to earn Neopoints as well?
What if you use the other accounts to earn Neopoints as well?
Unless it is a donation for a guild shop, which you must designate the account name with the guild, you will either get warned or frozen.
Has anyone ever been frozen in the past for this? It's considered cheating, correct?
Also; didn't Doug C. Dohring buy out Neopets in the past?
Has anyone ever been frozen in the past for this? It's considered cheating, correct?
Also; didn't Doug C. Dohring buy out Neopets in the past?
Yes, I've seen a few people get frozen for playing games on multiple accounts.
Doug owned Neopets from the beginning days of 2000, so he didn't really buy it out.
Well, yes he did; Adam and Donna were the sole owners at first, right?
Probably, but I wouldn't think they have the money to keep a site large at the rate it was growing.
Probably, but I wouldn't think they have the money to keep a site large at the rate it was growing.
True. http://info.neopets.com/presskit/compback.html
The website, www.neopets.com, was founded by British college students Adam Powell and Donna Williams. The Neopets website initially went live on November 15, 1999. The development from a simple website into a viable business took NeoPets, Inc. company founder and CEO, Doug Dohring, just a few short months. With the guidance and expertise of an experienced management team, NeoPets, Inc. developed into an operating business by April 2000 (following its February incorporation), and reached initial profitability by July 2000. During that same period, the company brought on the artists, writers, programmers, sales and support staff, and many of the additional senior management that currently comprise The NeoPets Team.
So, I'm pretty sure it was just Donna and Adam at first - then Doug came along.
Well seeing that Neopets was first of its kind (fictional wise), I can see why people would jump on the bandwagon to control it.
I agree, but do you think Neopets is better off now that its owned by Viacom?
No, even though I was fairly new to the site when it was bought out, I felt like the site was becoming more business oriented. The site was originally made for college kids, but now is aimed for everyone.
That's why I only play an hour on my main account, mainly because the site is starting to drift away from time to time.
(Going away for a bit)
Yes, but what about the lack of staff-interaction with the users? Do you think that's fair to the users?
TheTeen
09-20-2007, 04:11 PM
I know a lot of users who use multiple accounts to earn money.:/ Neopets is good and lots of things to do, but it lost me.lol:P
The problem with staff interaction is that you got 100 moderators/support for a million people. Yes I know it takes time for things to be sent, and I feel that there should be more people to help manage the site in general. It's understandable that there is a lack of support at any given time.
The problem with staff interaction is that you got 100 moderators/support for a million people. Yes I know it takes time for things to be sent, and I feel that there should be more people to help manage the site in general. It's understandable that there is a lack of support at any given time.Well, shouldn't they be able to hire more support staff members?
Well, shouldn't they be able to hire more support staff members?
Theoretically, yes.
Are they willing to? I don't know.
Theoretically, yes.
Are they willing to? I don't know.Exactly. What do you think about their merchandise? You didn't mention anything about it in the review.
Exactly. What do you think about their merchandise? You didn't mention anything about it in the review.
While it is part of their site, even on the navigation bar, I cannot review something I have little experience with...Even though I do use Ebay.
I could add a section on McDonald's if you so request.
If you could that feel free to do so. They're releasing new merchandise for Christmas and such.
Your new rule prohibits me from editing my own posts older than a week.
Send me the edited version and I'll implement it.
Alright. It might take some time to think up, as well as the TCG part I forgot.
Julia
12-26-2007, 01:20 PM
I agree i played neopets for a while. And i did'nt like it anymore. The fourms was to many people. You have a hard time makeing friends. Nobody was friendly.
SubitusNex
12-28-2007, 09:14 AM
My first post. Hi, everyone. :)
I found this board because I've been looking for a replacement for Neopets. I've been a member of Neopets since 2001, and I used to really enjoy it.
Over the past few years, however, it's gone downhill. I've seen the various changes they've made over time, and although some of the changes have been beneficial, many have just been frustrating.
Although I believe that the younger players should be shielded from any adult-related content, I believe Neopets is far too censored. One example is the fact that you can't discuss one of their games - 'Cheat'. They've censored the word 'cheat' to the point where a person can't even post the word in a forum or on a board. I can't help but wonder why they'd name a game after a censored word. To me, that seems ridiculous. You can play the game, but you can't discuss it.
They've changed the pets over the years, which didn't always sit well with a number of members. Granted, some needed changes, but some didn't. Many people have spent thousands to get their pet to look the way they want, only to log in one day and discover that their pet looks completely different.
They've implemented the 'NC Mall'. Users can buy items (clothing and accessories) there for their pets using cold, hard cash (instead of Neopoints). The only downside is that once you've purchased an item (and your real bank account is a little lighter), they only allow you to keep the item for a few months. Honestly, if I'm parting with real money, I want something I can have forever.
I wasn't one to visit the forums much, primarily because people were posting tons of crap, and I simply didn't have the time or inclination to wade through the garbage.
Another thing I noticed recently (which really ticks me off) is that they've drastically lowered the game payouts. One example is Chemistry For Beginners - last week, the payout was 2.87 (for those of you who aren't familiar with Neopets, you take your game score, and multiply by the payout number to get the final Neopoints total). I used to be able to get the maximum payout by getting a score of 390. I logged in this morning only to discover that the payout is now .87, which is a huge difference (the player would have to get a score of approximately 1150 to get the max payout). That's a drastic drop.
The final straw occurred this morning - they have scratchcards (nine circles, scratch six, if you have three identical prize symbols, you win). They specifically state that if you have two separate prizes on one card (three of one symbol, three of another) you automatically get the highest prize. I scratched three 5,000 symbols, and three snowball symbols. In theory, I should've received 5,000 NP. They gave me the snowballs instead (one peach snowball, one wet snowball). Total value of the snowballs? 2NP.
I'm not one of those people who has the luxury of playing 24/7. I have an hour or two each day, and that's it. It's at the point where it's impossible to earn a decent amount of Neopoints in that time frame, and the changes they've made are frustrating to the point where it's just not fun anymore.
As it stands, I'm completely fed up with them.
That's my two cents.
Welcome to VPL.
I don't rely on Flash games to keep my main functional, so that's probably why I don't have much of an issue with the site.
InuYouki
01-29-2008, 10:10 AM
I too am fed up with Neo. I barely go on anymore. The real kicker for me came a few days ago when they made the draik morphing potions for draiks only. What the HECK is the point of that? Like many I don't have 24/7 to spend earning the HUGE amount on NP it takes to get a draik. And now that they did that I never will. The site has horrible customer service too. ( I use to have premium) The staff is lazy and they seem to freeze just for the fun of it. I myself was never frozen, but was warned on many occasions for things I never said or did. The site is not what it use to be :(
Revvi
01-29-2008, 11:49 AM
I haven't been to neo in ages, but since there was a reply to the thread I had to look here. xD
I just remembered something I read a long time ago. It's my favorite comparison to neo, although it doesn't cover the hackers and it's from an older review(over 2 years old):
"Neopets may be the largest pet site in terms of features, registered accounts, and staff, but it is not certainly not the best in my eyes. Most of the users here are blindly obsessed, rude, hormone induced little monsters. Stick about 80,000 of them in a 50 acre field, with 50% of them trying to buy items at any given time, and the other half trying to talk, and that is how it is. The group would be about 15% males and the rest females, with 80% of the females flirting with the males. Out of the group, there are maybe 100 moderators/police/whatever, most with no desire to much of anything besides maybe bother some random people when one of the bosses are looking. The entire lot is covered with commercialized products including toys, stickers, billboards, banner advertisements, annoying flashing shockwave files, and generally other distracting features. You can barely walk around without bumping into someone, who, if you are new, will most likely spit on you and call you a n00b, and call you a n00b still when you ask what a n00b is."
~Yami Poli. YamiPoli.com :: Index (http://yamipoli.com)
As far as I remember, this covers about 75% or more of the forums...
polaworld
02-11-2008, 05:03 PM
well ive started playing neopets around decembre 2005 i'm one of the oldest players around
and when i came home and played on neopets i felt warm and now when i play neopets
it seems like everything is around graphics and everything is around the pets to get clothes for it and ofcourse not to forget that every good part on neopets is only for primium members or just for people that are nuts enough to pay 5 dollars or even more to play a game i tought it said neopets is a free virtual petsite well they are wrong xD
I know my english isn't the greatest and i typed half what i was meaning to say
ofcourse i can put it in dutch so you guys could translate it but
what i really wanted to say was neopets is losing members every day
nothing ever happens
the only thing they keep the site active it bringing out plots so people would stay active x.x
really if that's the only thing they can do then please shut the site down ^^
but still i'm a neopian fan ^^ :p
nlee20
08-04-2008, 08:57 PM
I go on neopets just to get on sometimes but I have been playing it since middle school and I am now 19 years old and a sophmore in college I don't really see that neopets fits my age group anymore. I now code my own petsite.
Mintacia
08-06-2008, 03:09 PM
Everyone complains that neopets is too strict with their rules.
That's not true. There are certain things that will get you a warning immediately, and if you know the few things, and avoid them, you'll be good. No holding contests with prizes, no cursing, no harrassing anyone/continually begging anyone, no off site links, no romance at all in RPs.
The reason people get frozen ALOT on neo is cause they neglect the rules that everyone knows. They post links but try and disguise them, or they write curses and put extra letters in them. A friend of mine was recently frozen. I asked why, and she said that she and friend RPed romance. Every single RPer knows never to do that. It's the number one RP rule.
And it's not that lot of people get frozen. It's that some people get frozen ALOT. I have friends who have gone through three or four accounts. And I have friends who have never earned a single warning ever.
The rules are stricter then other sites because neo is a site for younger children. Their target audience is not teenagers, not really. They have to make the site acceptable, and the boards, for 10 year olds.
Ryvien
10-29-2008, 08:04 PM
I played on Neopets since I was 5. I guess I liked the old version; not that I remember it a lot.... But one of the main problems with neo is that it takes so long to load a page, and it lags the whole computer... It could just be me, but I'm not sure. Mostly...I really dislike multiple ads on every page x.x
The new beta version included the NC Mall, which like Maple Story's Cash Shop (yes I play that too), and problems with spending real money on pixels is that the majority of the items sold cost more than $10 each. Compared to Ichumon's $1/$5 items, I think it's a bit more worth it when it's cheap enough.
- Lowering the cost of some 'premium' items may be a good idea. More users will be wanting to buy them, and the pet site will benifit from it. I, for one, wouldn't want to spend $40 on a site that doesn't really interact with other users like an RPG game where your Premium/Cash shop Items can be "seen" by other users....
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