Animal Crossing

[Patches]

So a few days ago for my birthday I got Animal Crossing: Wild World.. I've never owned an Animal Crossing game before because it's never really seemed too appealing. But now I'm an addict o_o .. I don't understand how a game so simple can possibly be so addicting.

Even though I love the game I still can't figure out why I love it so much xD

Now I can't wait until City Folk comes out for the Wii! I've been looking up a lot of trailers and so far it seems like it's going to be pretty awesome.

*randomly changes subject*

I got my Wii for Christmas last year and I got Twilight Princess with it. I was crazy about that game when I got it. Then I got stuck in the water temple which I believe is only the 3rd temple in the game. I spent hours and hours on trying to figure out how to get to the boss key. I got to the point where I just put the game down and didn't want to play it anymore because I was so sick of that dungeon and my pride (major Zelda fan) was making me refuse to look it up online or something. So finally a few days ago I picked it up again for the first time in at least 6 months and i found it! On accident.. But I found it. It made my day, I couldn't believe it though. The amount of hours I had logged into that game right after defeating the boss in that temple is 77 hours... Most people to my knowledge have beat that game with a time close to that..

Anyway, I just felt like sharing because it really did make my day... xD;

[Lindz]

Animal Crossing is addicting! I played the Gamecube version every single day for 5 years!

I held onto Wild World for about a year and a half before quitting. Just wasn't as fun~ Sometimes I think of picking it back up but my town would be a wreck and the few people I had on my friendslist probably quit long ago to x_x

City Folk looks awful. Why is it still an N64 game? It is possible to have simplistic designs that look good that don't look like they were made 10 years ago! I don't got a Revolution though so its of little concern to me anyways.

[Jerichi]

I have procured a copy through some minor convincing and a fortunate scenario.

Initial reports say that it is fairly similar to the GC version, but incorporates some of the better elements of the DS version.

(If you wish not be spoiled, read no further!)

Firstly, the intro is much shorter and easier to accomplish than the GC version, and is a little shorter than WW's.

Secondly, town layout sees the return of cliffs, river systems more reminiscent of the GC version, and the inclusion of the Town Hall and Wi-Fi Gate and the continued absence of the train (replaced by a bus system to accommodate for the City gimmick), police station (though the Wi-Fi gate doubles as a less fun Lost and Found), and Wishing Well (somewhat replaced by the Town Hall, though it doesn't have the same charm). Most of, if not all, the holidays from GC are restored (thank GOD), but some WW events like the Bug-Off and the Flea Market (that was in WW, right?) have been kept. The same museum format seen in GC is updated in CF, adding in the WW features of the Cafe and the Observatory. The museum itself is much larger than that of previous versions, and all of the exhibits are well made and fairly extensive (though the Fish room has been compacted, it has a variety of colorful tanks in which to house your fish). The whole sky feature has been kept as well, and the daytime sky looks very realistic; it even has the sun! However, it retains one of the worst changes from WW: the interaction system. It forces you to chat up fellow residents ad nauseum until they give you a job or something. It also makes you go back to the sender to get your gift, which lengthens the process more.

Thirdly, the abolishment of the acre system has been retained, allowing for more seamless navigation, though it does mean you have to hunt down residents even if they're right outside of their house and can only enter them when they're inside. Also, the sky element has been reincorporated well into the more detailed environment of CF, as its rendered in real-time in the horizon as you stroll through your town. You're also able to look at it much like the top screen of WW by simply pressing up when your hands are empty.

Fourthly, the graphics, though generally unchanged, are much cleaner and smoother than previous iterations. Everything feels well rendered in true 3D and some of the annoying polygon glitches from the GC version have been fixed. Use of 2D items has also been reduced significantly, and pretty much everything is fully rendered (though the pots in Nook's Cranny are up to question).

Fifthly, the City is basically one big store that offers some extended services and incorporates a lot of the traveling salespeople from the last two games. Redd now operates out of a shady shack in town, the HRA now has headquarters and a weird feature that allows you to enter a "showroom" of the "best house" (though I don't know how it exactly works yet, since it just took me to one of my neighbors crappy shacks), Dr. Shrink returns in the Marquee, which makes emotions much easier to obtain, though they cost about 800 bells and about 20 seconds of watching the bumbling fool do some sort of show, GracieGrace is basically Nooks+, selling stuff you'd never need for highly inflated prices, the Auction House looks promising (and features a Gyroid, a character I really missed in WW), but I don't know much about it yet, the dog that changed your hair has her own establishment, Shampoodle, and offers her services from the start, though there's not much to say about her aside from the fact that she can put a Mii onto your character if you'd really want to do that, and Katrina has a new permanent base of operation, though I've yet to try it as I have rather bad luck with her. Oh, and there's a skunk construction worker who can change your shoes. It's easily the best customization option in the game. Wendel, Joan, and Sahara (at least I think she's still around), however, have been restored to their former glory/retained.

Which brings me to the sixth point, customization. It's greatly improved in this game, as you can change pretty much anything, as I'm sure you all know. You're able to edit pretty much every aspect of your shirt, you can change your hair and face, you can change your shoes, as I've mentioned before, and you can wear a variety of wigs, glasses, and hats, as well as make your own based on a pattern. Though I still see no means of changing your shorts...

Finally, the control. It hasn't changed much, though the Wiimote + Nunchuck combo gives you some options. You can either play point-and-click style or classically with the joystick and A+B (you can even play one-handed, as C and Z act as A and B, respectively!) My biggest criticism of the system is that it forces you to use point-and-click to navigate menus, especially your pockets. This becomes extremely inconvenient, and since the sensor bar isn't very reliable, it can be frustrating at times. However, they've managed to reduce the amount of navigation you're forced to do by making the directional pad into a "tool wheel" of sorts, allowing you to scroll through all your available tools for easier and faster access. This makes spontaneous Bug Catching much easier, and makes everything a lot faster.

I'll be testing out Wi-Fi when I can find someone else who has it, and further reports will be relayed then.

(Major spoilers over!)

Overall, it's proven to be a lot like its predecessors, but doesn't fail to keep the same old charm and addictiveness from the older iterations. Some features could still use an overhaul or return to old ways (here's lookin' at you, neighbor system!), but it's an overall improvement from the last two games. While I prefer GC slightly at the moment, CF looks promising due to its customization options and general fun factor, and the city aspect looks to make some of the more fun but limited features of the previous games more accessible and practical.