Round 2 of everyone's favorite animal neighborhood simulator, or is closer to round 1.5?
Three years later Nintendo releases “Animal Crossing: Wild World” for use with their portable system the Nintendo DS, but is it the similar experience of fun and innovation that the original console version inspired or merely a second helping of the same game?
For gamers that are unfamiliar with the original game, “Animal Crossing” is best described as a life simulation that relies heavily on collecting and communication. Upon starting the game, players are introduced to a randomly generated town that they can name and live in. After being loaned a house to live in by the town store owner, gamers are set free to do whatever they want in their very own town.
Some of these activities include fishing, bug-catching, digging for fossils, collecting furnishings for the house interior, designing patterns for clothes or other materials, or running errands for your animal neighbors for items.
That’s right, animals for neighbors.
As the title of the game implies, there are many animals running around about town. Like previously mentioned, “Animal Crossing” is all about communicating with the inhabitants of the town, and by doing so gamers will be asked personal questions, asked to run errands, or even mocked for an action or fashion mistake.
Each animal neighbor has his or her own personality, and soon players will be able to decide for themselves which animals will give you the time of day and which will probably end up murdered and buried behind their virtual houses.
One of the neater aspects of “Animal Crossing” is the real-time clock that the game runs on. This means that if a player wakes up in the morning to check on their town, then it will also be morning in their town. If they come home from a night class to play, then the town’s moon will also be on the rise.
This even applies for the day gamers are playing on. For example if a gamer visited the town on his or her birthday, then all the animals would say something about the birthday and the gamer may even receive a present.
A bit of bad news about this version of “Animal Crossing” is the obvious absence of major holidays from the calendar. Gamers can think political correctness for that.
Overall, “Animal Crossing: Wild World” is such a simple game to pick up and get started with. Newbies to the series will find themselves completely engrossed with this game for months to come, but fans of the original Gamecube version will find themselves more frustrated with the final outcome of this game than pleased.
With over three years of development time, it is extremely hard to believe that Nintendo hasn’t added a lot more content and options to this game. Sure the game is now playable with the Nintendo DS’ touch-screen and can be played on Nintendo’s new Wi-Fi connection, but the core of the game looks and plays exactly like its predecessor.
Besides a few new items and the previously mentioned additions, “Animal Crossing: Wild World” is precisely reminiscent of the Gamecube game released in 2002. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it just means that fans of the original will find themselves bored with this game quicker than others.
Despite these minor flaws, “Animal Crossing: Wild World” is still a must-have for fans of the Nintendo DS. If gamers can look past its family friendly presentation and atmosphere, than this game can keep anyone occupied for a very long time.