A fun and addictive addition to the Animal Crossing franchise.
The DS version takes all of what the Gamecube version had and makes it better. How, might you ask, would a handheld version of a game be better than the original? Because of a little thing called Wi-Fi. While the entire game is almost exactly similar to the Gamecube version, what with the same stylized graphics, the same atmospheric melodies and the same game layout, the introduction of Wi-Fi opens up a world of possibilities. In this new version, you can visit other players' towns, shop at their stores, trade items and clothing with them, fish in their ponds and sea, and go bug catching with them, along with a host of other things, all due to the DS's Wi-Fi capabilities. This is what makes the game fun and worth buying. There is a certain amount of satisfaction that you can withdraw by building up your house and creating an awesome town, then to invite your friends and show off.
The gameplay is excellent. It's a great game to relax, to just sit back and play, with practically no tense moments; it's all slow-paced and in real-time. One thing I found annoying, however, was the game's insurance policy--that is, the game has a little thing that makes sure you play a for a little while, quite often, if not everyday. If you abandon your town for a week or so, you'll load up your game to find that your town is infested with weeds, your flowers are all shriveled up, dead, and your neighbors will have moved away for lack of company. In short, all your hard work is wasted. However, this *can* be avoided with as little as 10 minutes of gameplay every other day, but you might find yourself feeling "tied" to the game.
The graphics are great. The stylized, chibi-style graphics work great with the game, and if they were any more realistic, it just wouldn't feel like Animal Crossing. The sounds are good as well, with happy little melodies that play in the background as you roam your town. These are both minor points, though, since what keeps you hooked to Animal Crossing is the fun gameplay.
I'd recommend this game to all casual gamers, who can set aside a little time every day to play. This game isn't one where you can waste hours and hours every day, but isn't one that you can shun for a month or so, and decide to revisit.
Pros:
+ Addictive, fun gameplay
+ Wi-Fi capabilities
+ Nice art design
+ Relaxed theme
Cons:
- Once you put it down, you won't come back because of the weeds and the lack of neighbors
- The town is a bit small