|
Animal
Crossing: Wild World
|
|
|
|
|
Lots
of variety |
|
|
Multi-player |
|
|
Tons
of replay value |
|
|
|
|
|
Missing
elements of the original |
|
|
Touch
screen & stylus ignored |
|
|
Some
boring parts |
|
|
|
|
|
Ooh....baby
baby....it's a wild world. How's that for an intro
with absolutely no imagination whatsover?
by Cole Smith
December
8 , 2005 - Imagine
if you could hang with your favorite videogame characters
in the private virtual world that they inhabit when
not starring in blockbuster games. Well, keep imagining,
because that's not what happens here. But Animal Crossing:
Wild World is not far from this premise. It doesn't
feature mega-star characters but it does put you in
a simulated world full of charming characters just
hanging out.
It
might be difficult to explain the appeal of this game
since there is no real story, no quest or no particular
ending. But I'm a professional, so get the heck out
of my way kid and watch papa shoot the bear.
The
appeal to Animal Crossing is simple. It's simple.
That's the explanation. No need to muddle it all up.
The answer is clear, short and concise. That's why
I get paid the big bucks.
Animal
Crossing: Wild World is not a new game. It's not the
sequel to the Cube version, it's actually a modified
version of that Cube version. It hasn't been overhauled
to the extent that I would recommend it if you've
already played the Cube version but it's a very interesting
game and one I would definitely recommend checking
out if it's new to you. It's geared towards kids but
anyone that enjoys the relaxing, openness of a sim
is sure to get something out of this.
To
elaborate on the appeal of this game, it really boils
down to the simple day-to-day activities of the characters
in the game and your ability to influence the appearance
and activities of your village. It captures some of
the charm of Harvest Moon but with virtually no emphasis
on reaching structured goals. Once you arrive in the
woods you will be befriended by Tom Nook, a raccoon,
who will feed you and give you shelter in return for
a few errands and chores. All you really need to do
is survive is do a little work for these animals.
It's kind of like living the life of a hobo. You acquire
a house, furnishings, clothing and a lot more but
nobody's screaming at you to get it done before the
evil dragon comes back.
There
is no evil dragon. There are no ghosts, monsters or
aliens to kill. About the worst thing you'll encounter
is housework. Some shooting is involved, but it involves
using a slingshot to shoot down presents that randomly
fly overhead. Parents are not to worry, the game is
non-violent and there are no adult-oriented themes.
You
are encouraged to help build the village the way that
you see fit. You can collect bugs and donate them
to the museum. You can landscape the village by moving
trees, grass, flowers and rocks around. You can build
your own house and furnish it will all kinds of neat
options. Money is earned by collecting, harvesting,
salvaging, fossil hunting and by selling various items.
There are plenty of things to keep you occupied and
it seems like you'll never explore it all, but things
do slowly grind to a halt after a few weeks or months,
depending on how often you play the game.
There
is an internal clock that manages to keep events in
real-time. Some days there just isn't much to do beyond
an hour or so of gameplay. This keeps things fresh
and you'll look forward to coming back the next day
to see what's happening. Holidays, weekends, festivals
and events are all kept track of and if you miss a
few days or weeks, the game will continue on without
you further helping to perpetuate the illusion of
a virtual world.
There
are some new additions to this DS version - and a
removal. You have more interactions with NPCs and
there are some new tasks to perform and new items
to collect. You can express yourself better with new
accessories such as different shirts, sunglasses and
hats. Gone are the NES mini-games that you could collect
and store in your virtual gaming room. This was a
good incentive to get off your butt and experience
the animal world but there are different things to
focus on now. One of the biggest additions is the
multi-player aspect. You can play wi-fi or online.
Other players can view your village and you can tour
theirs. It's an incentive to do something with your
life so that others can visit and make fun of you.
There
really isn't much to do with in the multi-player mode
as far as games are concerned. It's more of a virtual
tour where you can visit other online villages although
there are some interactions such as chatting, exchanging
letters and picking up some of the other players'
creations such as patterns. Only four players are
allowed in any village at one time and you'll need
a friends' code to enter. I don't know why, since
the editor is disabled so that visitors can't screw
around with your options and turn your village into
a house of horrors. Why do I always think of such
things?
I
must admit to being a little disappointed in the control
system as the touch screen and the stylus are not
integrated into the gameplay to any great extent.
You can poke, prod and scratch with the stylus but
the best use of the system is for dragging and dropping
inventory or otherwise communicating with the interface.
It makes things quicker but it's nothing that couldn't
be accomplished with a few buttons and the D-pad.
Graphically
the game is impressive on the DS, even though it didn't
look that great on the Cube. The characters are cute,
the houses are quaint and the environment appears
as a streaming map as you move in any direction, disappearing
and reappearing over the horizon. Don't expect a whole
lot of voiceovers. The interaction between characters
is all text-based. Amazingly enough the writers have
managed to make most of the different animals' personalities
shine through. As you can imagine most of the characters
are one-dimensional - but they're animals, give them
a break.
If
you've got a DS you will probably want to check out
a copy of Animal Crossing. Just don't expect a lot
of action and to truly savor the experience, limit
your playing to an hour or two a day. Think of this
game as a huge, living canvas for you to express yourself
with.
Features:
- Players
and up to three friends can hang out in the same
village and interact in real time - either through
wireless LAN or over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Now players can visit a friend's village from thousands
of miles away.
- The
touch screen simplifies item management and world
navigation. Tap the touch screen to type letters,
draw designs for clothing or wallpaper, drag clothing
or items onto characters or just lead them around
the world.
- Much
of the cast of the original Animal Crossing returns,
including animals of all shapes and personality
types: K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, Blathers, Mr. Resetti
and more. There are also a number of new characters.
By
Cole Smith
CCC
Staff Writer
|
It's
really not up for debate: Nintendo does make some
of the best games. While some gamers may have "grown"
up and matured beyond what they believe to be Nintendo's
kiddy games, lovers of innovative gaming of all ages
continue to revel in some of the coolest gaming experiences
thanks to the imaginations at work at the Big N. 
Expect
Wild World to be released sometime in December in
North America. Until then we'll be hanging out at
Tom Nooks. Look us up!
