Forward:
If anyone who is anyone has owned a Gamecube, you've probably heard of the cult favorite Animal Crossing. The game is about a College boy moving out on his own, in a World of Doubutsu. The point of this game...well, there really isn't a point. Basically, you run around town planting Flowers and Trees, pulling Weeds, digging up crap, paying off your house, and drawing a Penis for your ever so clever shirt design. Seasons will change your town's color composition, animals respond to your actions, good old American holidays are celebrated, while all of the Japanese holidays were raped out of the original version, the list just goes on.
However, if you hadn't realized it yet, Nintendo hates online gaming. Sadly, you and a friend of far away relations couldn’t play and frolic together in a vast sea of buffoonery. [Remember your "Girlfriend" in Taiwan? Of course you do.] This hurt many of you lonely people, who actually got the Town cleaned, earned all of the Golden Items, and collected all of the Fossils, Insects and Fish WITHOUT cheating, [I know you're out there.] and STILL had 55 days left until your attention span ran dry and went onto that new Sonic Collection game. Well, fear not, for Nintendo has revived a cult phenomenon for the 'Cube, and turned it into a cult phenomenon for your pants. And no, I don't mean your Gumshoe, if you even get that reference.
Intro:
Animal Crossing: Wild World for your Nintendo DS, takes the fun of the original, and slunks its way into your portable world, as you play the role of -------, who lives in *Town name that sounds like a funny reference to your Meat and Two Veg*, and helps make the world a better place, as you run around town planting Flowers and Trees, pulling Weeds, digging up crap, paying off your house, and drawing a Penis for your ever so clever shirt design. Except with the newly added Stylus function, you can have the breathtaking experience of trying to move around Town with it, and then having it not respond half the time at all.
Animals Love the Stylus Action. Do You?
While we're on the stylus subject, I have to say it's not all that bad. There are a lot of things that help you on your merry way, that actually feel, and respond better while using your stylus. Such as picking items, pointing at weeds and chopping down the neighbor's...heads. [Sadly, Nintendo STILL hasn't really implemented the latter feature.] While there have been improvements on the original, like selling more than one thing at a time in Nook's Store, using the stylus becomes a big help. Unfortunately, things like drawing shirt designs, and basic walking around town, are really better off being controlled by the good old Directional-Pad. I found I could make much better looking designs in the GC version, than I could in the DS version. However, using the stylus is cool, and until it gives me a strain on the muscles on my titanic hand, I have been known to use it.
...By the way, if you are going to use the stylus, be sure to not have the damn Shovel equipped...
Benevolent Sand Monsters for Graphics?
Graphics are about as good as a 3-D game on the DS is going to get frankly. It's an obvious step down from the Gamecube version, and the once perfect FPS has been shot down to fit the DS' style. You do however, get used to the graphical changes of the game, but I always hate how the DS' 3-D specs always looked like a bunch of sand monsters crawling together on the screen to make it look like something is happening...But more on that for another time.
Keeps Your Toes A-Tappin’:
The music is really good. The sound quality is really nice, and would probably sound better with headphones, but seeing is the DS isn't mine, I'm not in current possession of it right now, AND I haven't tried it yet, I can't say for sure. The music is the same style, but the music has made definite changes. It's still however a welcome change.
The Part You Cared About:
Now, onto game play. However much I described using the Stylus a couple paragraphs ago, it still stands that although you can play this game both ways: with D-pad or Stylus, it's probably best to use both at the same time. Game control of walking around and digging up crap is very shoddy with the stylus, as sometimes the computer doesn't seem to understand what the hell you're pointing at, even though it clearly says it's a damn Peach. Also, trying to walk around town with a Shovel equipped turns into a real bitch, as most of the time, you're trying to walk, but instead, your character starts digging up crap instead! This is why for movement, it's a hell of a lot smarter to use the D-Pad to walk around town, pick up Items and making designs, while the Stylus is better used to select items, simple click and drag crap and making "special designs".
The weird thing about this game is that I can't give a definite answer as to its replay value. The fact that the game goes on forever and a day, it makes it hard to give a definite opinion on such things as, how long one will play it, how long it takes to get repetitive, etc.
Ok, So What Else Is There?
The game offers the player many special events to frolic through and earn special items in. There are many animals to make friends with, [Not that being "friendly" with animals really defines one's character, right?] and there is the obviously thrilling WiFi function, which allows you to have more than one friend in town, and widely wanted feature that Nintendo reaped out of the 'Cube. The game supplies the gamer with many different things to do, and there really isn't a goal, so Fun and Replay Values are up to the gamer to decide.
For my opinion, the main goal of the game is to clean up your town, and make it a perfect place to live, which is much like its Pappy on the 'Cube. To find out how your town is doing, go to the Post Office, and ask the Pelican Girl over the counter for suggestions, because that Bitch knows everything. After you've cleaned up your town, [Which is more fun if your friends aren't total dicks, and actually help you out for a change instead of pretending to hit you with the Axe.] the only real thing to do afterwards, is to check up on your town every couple of days to pull Weeds, check on dead Trees, sell some Turnips, make a kick ass looking house, and celebrate with your friends AND animal friends within one of the town's many cool...Hootn'nannies. Sadly, after you've kicked your House up a notch, and cleaned the town, there really isn't a hell of a lot left for you to really do, and with a person like me, means it's time to move onto another game, forget about Animal Crossing, only to return to it 2 years later, and start over on cleaning up the town...True story.
So What?
People who need to have specific goals in their games will probably not find this game at all fun. However, when you've played the 'Cube version, get addicted, and then realize you can fuck around and do nothing with friends in your town instead of fucking around and doing nothing with friends in reality, this game will probably be on the top of your Christmas List already, and you'll just have wasted your time reading this review.
Either that or you already have the game.
1102 gives this game a 4/5.
If anyone who is anyone has owned a Gamecube, you've probably heard of the cult favorite Animal Crossing. The game is about a College boy moving out on his own, in a World of Doubutsu. The point of this game...well, there really isn't a point. Basically, you run around town planting Flowers and Trees, pulling Weeds, digging up crap, paying off your house, and drawing a Penis for your ever so clever shirt design. Seasons will change your town's color composition, animals respond to your actions, good old American holidays are celebrated, while all of the Japanese holidays were raped out of the original version, the list just goes on.
However, if you hadn't realized it yet, Nintendo hates online gaming. Sadly, you and a friend of far away relations couldn’t play and frolic together in a vast sea of buffoonery. [Remember your "Girlfriend" in Taiwan? Of course you do.] This hurt many of you lonely people, who actually got the Town cleaned, earned all of the Golden Items, and collected all of the Fossils, Insects and Fish WITHOUT cheating, [I know you're out there.] and STILL had 55 days left until your attention span ran dry and went onto that new Sonic Collection game. Well, fear not, for Nintendo has revived a cult phenomenon for the 'Cube, and turned it into a cult phenomenon for your pants. And no, I don't mean your Gumshoe, if you even get that reference.
Intro:
Animal Crossing: Wild World for your Nintendo DS, takes the fun of the original, and slunks its way into your portable world, as you play the role of -------, who lives in *Town name that sounds like a funny reference to your Meat and Two Veg*, and helps make the world a better place, as you run around town planting Flowers and Trees, pulling Weeds, digging up crap, paying off your house, and drawing a Penis for your ever so clever shirt design. Except with the newly added Stylus function, you can have the breathtaking experience of trying to move around Town with it, and then having it not respond half the time at all.
Animals Love the Stylus Action. Do You?
While we're on the stylus subject, I have to say it's not all that bad. There are a lot of things that help you on your merry way, that actually feel, and respond better while using your stylus. Such as picking items, pointing at weeds and chopping down the neighbor's...heads. [Sadly, Nintendo STILL hasn't really implemented the latter feature.] While there have been improvements on the original, like selling more than one thing at a time in Nook's Store, using the stylus becomes a big help. Unfortunately, things like drawing shirt designs, and basic walking around town, are really better off being controlled by the good old Directional-Pad. I found I could make much better looking designs in the GC version, than I could in the DS version. However, using the stylus is cool, and until it gives me a strain on the muscles on my titanic hand, I have been known to use it.
...By the way, if you are going to use the stylus, be sure to not have the damn Shovel equipped...
Benevolent Sand Monsters for Graphics?
Graphics are about as good as a 3-D game on the DS is going to get frankly. It's an obvious step down from the Gamecube version, and the once perfect FPS has been shot down to fit the DS' style. You do however, get used to the graphical changes of the game, but I always hate how the DS' 3-D specs always looked like a bunch of sand monsters crawling together on the screen to make it look like something is happening...But more on that for another time.
Keeps Your Toes A-Tappin’:
The music is really good. The sound quality is really nice, and would probably sound better with headphones, but seeing is the DS isn't mine, I'm not in current possession of it right now, AND I haven't tried it yet, I can't say for sure. The music is the same style, but the music has made definite changes. It's still however a welcome change.
The Part You Cared About:
Now, onto game play. However much I described using the Stylus a couple paragraphs ago, it still stands that although you can play this game both ways: with D-pad or Stylus, it's probably best to use both at the same time. Game control of walking around and digging up crap is very shoddy with the stylus, as sometimes the computer doesn't seem to understand what the hell you're pointing at, even though it clearly says it's a damn Peach. Also, trying to walk around town with a Shovel equipped turns into a real bitch, as most of the time, you're trying to walk, but instead, your character starts digging up crap instead! This is why for movement, it's a hell of a lot smarter to use the D-Pad to walk around town, pick up Items and making designs, while the Stylus is better used to select items, simple click and drag crap and making "special designs".
The weird thing about this game is that I can't give a definite answer as to its replay value. The fact that the game goes on forever and a day, it makes it hard to give a definite opinion on such things as, how long one will play it, how long it takes to get repetitive, etc.
Ok, So What Else Is There?
The game offers the player many special events to frolic through and earn special items in. There are many animals to make friends with, [Not that being "friendly" with animals really defines one's character, right?] and there is the obviously thrilling WiFi function, which allows you to have more than one friend in town, and widely wanted feature that Nintendo reaped out of the 'Cube. The game supplies the gamer with many different things to do, and there really isn't a goal, so Fun and Replay Values are up to the gamer to decide.
For my opinion, the main goal of the game is to clean up your town, and make it a perfect place to live, which is much like its Pappy on the 'Cube. To find out how your town is doing, go to the Post Office, and ask the Pelican Girl over the counter for suggestions, because that Bitch knows everything. After you've cleaned up your town, [Which is more fun if your friends aren't total dicks, and actually help you out for a change instead of pretending to hit you with the Axe.] the only real thing to do afterwards, is to check up on your town every couple of days to pull Weeds, check on dead Trees, sell some Turnips, make a kick ass looking house, and celebrate with your friends AND animal friends within one of the town's many cool...Hootn'nannies. Sadly, after you've kicked your House up a notch, and cleaned the town, there really isn't a hell of a lot left for you to really do, and with a person like me, means it's time to move onto another game, forget about Animal Crossing, only to return to it 2 years later, and start over on cleaning up the town...True story.
So What?
People who need to have specific goals in their games will probably not find this game at all fun. However, when you've played the 'Cube version, get addicted, and then realize you can fuck around and do nothing with friends in your town instead of fucking around and doing nothing with friends in reality, this game will probably be on the top of your Christmas List already, and you'll just have wasted your time reading this review.
Either that or you already have the game.
1102 gives this game a 4/5.
