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> Results: Animal Crossing: Wild World
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Release more than three years ago, Animal Crossing remains a popular and addictive essential game for any Gamecube owner. When Nintendo announced it was developing Animal Crossing: Wild World for the DS, and later confirmed that the game would feature wireless travel between towns using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, it seemed the game was sure to be a winner. It's everything the original GameCube game was ... and more.
The premise is similar to the original Animal Crossing. You move to a new town and have to take out a loan to get a new house. Much of the early game is spent trying to get out of debt while getting cool things to wear, put in your house and helping with the environment and aesthetics of your town. Once you are out of debt, the next step is to improve your house and get back into debt! This cycle continues as long as you likeﾗor you can work on filling up the museum, decorating the town, or any of a myriad of other tasks. The game uses the touch screen and dual screens to provide easier visibility and access to pretty much everything better than on the GameCube. The touch screen can be used as the primary control by tapping the screen, or the player can revert back to using the D-pad and buttons. One of the greatest uses of the touch screen is for the on-screen keyboard. It's like using a virtual keyboard on a PDA such as a PalmPilot! This is useful for writing letters and when you visit friends online.  The online portion of Animal Crossing: Wild World is based entirely on Nintendo's ﾑFriend Code' system. This means that you cannot just visit any town, it has to be one that belongs to someone you have registered as a ﾑfriend' on your system. This makes the system much more secure and family-friendly, but requires more effort to connect for a visit. Once online, it's exciting to visit a new town and see what things you can find or buy, and to explore and chat with your friends. The game supports up to four people in a town at a time. Unfortunately, to send mailﾗeven to friends you have previously visitedﾗyou need to go into their town and visit their post office. It seems this could have been handled better, and is one of the few small complaints with the game. Animal Crossing: Wild World is an engaging game that simply goes on and on, and you feel compelled to go along for the ride. It's exactly the type of simple and quirky yet addictive and innovative game that wins Nintendo so much praise. It takes the Gamecube original, tailors it for perfect handheld ﾑgaming on the go', and incorporates online features that make you want to keep coming back for more, yet removes any worry about the safety of your kids.  
The game isn't for ﾑAll Ages' because there is nearly constant reading required. Other than that, you wander around, having positive and uplifting experiences with your neighbors, fishing, digging for treasures and engaging in simple and harmless entertainment. The wireless modes are fine for families as well. The developers have been careful to balance wireless gameplay with security. This allows for players to create an entire town according to their taste and share it in a way never before possible. Animal Crossing doesn't follow a structured plot. It's about living life in a dynamic small town where you can make a positive (or negative) difference. It is a great game for kids of all ages to enjoy while working with others and seeing how their actions affect the environment.
This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Animal Crossing: Wild World |
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