It's an insane world.
From the moment you start 'Zing up on the DS, you will get the same familiar feel of the original game. Cap'n, the lustful sailor from the original, will bring you to your town hall where you'll meet the likes of Pelly, Tortimer, and the slave driver himself, Tom Nook. The gameplay has changes slightly. For example, the world is no longer flat; as you move, so does the horizon. However, almost everything that made the original so fun is still here. You can play the game in any number of ways, from diligently doing chores for the townsfolk to redesigning the landscape in your own image. Some added features include the ability to slingshot things out of the sky and even design your own constellations, as well.
There are a few things left out from the original. As you can't connect to a Game Boy Advance, the island is not in this version. Personally, I don't see that as a huge loss. What gets under my skin a bit more is that you can no longer purchase old NES games. That takes away one small aspect of the game, as I used to spend hours playing Donkey Kong. However, it doesn't effect the game overall. You play Animal Crossing for Animal Crossing, not for games made in the 80s. At any rate, the new features easily make up for the removal of these minor bits.
For newcomers, 'Zing is a rather unique experience. Imagine the Sims, only with chibi-style anime and talking animals. That probably sounds like a strange combination, but that is 'Zing in a nutshell. Animal Crossing allows you to play a human character in a community of talking animals. You define your own goals. You can strive to have the biggest house or the perfect collection of objects, you can dig up artifacts for the local museum, you can plant trees and redesign the landscape, or you can just socialize with the animals in the area. The game seems initially like a quick distraction that won't reel you in, but you'll be surprised at how addictive the game becomes.
The best feature that Wild World adds is the ability to travel into other people's towns. In the Game Cube version, you could travel to other towns saved on other memory cards but you couldn't interact with other players. In this version, you can visit your friends and play games with them in their own town. You can also play with friends and strangers alike from long distances thanks to the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Overall, Animal Crossing is and has always been a social game, and Wild World expands upon it, bringing the fun to friends both near and far.