Animal Crossing: Wild World

Live in a town filled with talking animals. Pick fruit and sell it to a raccoon. Fish, catch bugs, plant and water flowers. Buy furniture. Send letters. Visit other players’ towns. Watch fireworks. Go shopping. Design clothes. Listen to a guitar-playing dog. Watch colours change as the seasons go by.

Animal Crossing is a game that survives on length rather than depth. You play it over a period of time, rather like a game of skill, although there’s next-to no skill involved. You improve by mastering emotions - sadness! Surprise! - and paying off your mortgage. I think it’s fair to say Animal Crossing perhaps isn’t the most exciting game in the world.You'll find this exciting one day

Playing it with friends is even better, and what really lifts this above the Gamecube version. Although the trading sadly doesn’t extend to animals, you can swap patterns, villagers, phrases, constellations, furniture… quite a lot, really.

Animal Crossing is almost impossible to review because it either appeals to you or it doesn’t. I’ve tried at great length to talk two of my best friends into appreciating it, but it’s not a game that can be taught; only learnt.

In short: A parallel, beautiful world of wonder and charm.

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1 Comment by catherine | Thursday, March 1, 2007 @ 4:27 pm

ive got animal crossing wild world i luvz it ive also got nnookintons

2 Comment by James | Thursday, March 1, 2007 @ 8:30 pm

Thanks for your comment, Catherine!

I’m glad you like Animal Crossing - it’s one of my favourite games, and the only DS game I really play these days. Well done on getting Nookington’s, too!

If you ever played Animal Crossing on the Gamecube you might be interested in my old Animal Crossing diaries!

3 Comment by Nick M | Wednesday, March 14, 2007 @ 4:15 am

I havn’t got a DS yet but When i get one on may 19th, i am definitley forking out for animal crossing: wild world. Only one question, is it the same as the gamecube version ( realtime real world/life time) or does it have more things in it or has some things been taken out, and are the graphics just as good?

4 Comment by James | Wednesday, March 14, 2007 @ 7:00 pm

Hi Nick, thanks for coming by!

The graphics aren’t as high resolution as the Gamecube version, but the biggest change is the way the world is presented - the view is much lower now, and as you walk the world moves in what’s cutely called a “rolling log” effect. It’s weird at first but actually quite nice when you get used to it.

Wild World shares quite a lot with the Gamecube - many villagers, items and the general flow of the game, for example - but introduces entirely new festivals, an observatory with the ability to draw constellations, a hairdressers and the ability to wear hats, masks and disguises and, most importantly of all, wi-fi multiplayer.

You can now visit friends anywhere in the world or have them over to your town, opening up a world of fishing competitions, item trading and communication. It’s a feelgood game anyway, but when you give your friend on another continent that missing fossil your smile goes through the roof!

I honestly recommend Animal Crossing above almost all DS games. I’ve had it for a year and I still adore it. I hope you do too!

5 Comment by Nick.m | Thursday, May 24, 2007 @ 12:20 am

Guess what! Yeah, i got animal crossing and a D.S. Its an awsome game. Even when my tom Nooks is closed i still have fun in it. Soon i will have Nookway!

6 Comment by Nick.m | Thursday, May 24, 2007 @ 12:41 am

sorry firedrill. its an awsome game though isnt it! I cant wait til i get more bells.

7 Comment by Nick.M | Friday, May 25, 2007 @ 3:59 am

! Yay my Nookways opened yesterday, although I still don’t have a watering can Maybe today. I live in Australia so the timeframe will be different. It must be night where you live right now?

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