Animal Crossing: Wild World
Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail
Ever hear the word "delightful" to describe a video game? Well, you have now. Animal Crossing: Wild World is just that -- a silly, engrossing and all around pleasant DS diversion that makes great improvements to the series by milking the DS's unique capabilities. Designing your own patterns and writing letters are now a snap thanks to the stylus and touchscreen.
And playing online with friends is much easier than in Mario Kart DS. Again, friends are registered via shared codes, but hooking up with online buddies is made much more probable by the ability to leave your town gate open while you go about your business. An open gate is a sort of flag, letting people know that your town is accepting visitors. Being able to play while flagged substantially increases the chances of meeting up with another Animal Crossing player. The first time I opened the gates to my town, Lunchton, two players from the Gaming Age Forums almost immediately stopped by to chat, meet my animals and trade fruit.
Stopping a minute to reflect, between trips to Tom Nook's shop, I've only got a couple quibbles. The online friends list is far too small; I've already maxed out my roster after two days of play. Nintendo may have underestimated how organized players would be. Considering the rabid online communities that formed around the GameCube game, they should have erred on the side of caution, allowing for at least twice as many friends.
And as much as I love returning to this world, it's very evident that Animal Crossing: Wild World is less a sequel than a third refinement of a proven formula (the game was first seen in Japan on the Nintendo 64). Sure, more than enough new stuff has been added to make the familiar game feel fresh again. But my imagination reels with the possibilities of a ground-up reinvention and next generation expansion of the Animal Crossing concept.
Wouldn't an Animal Metropolis as fast and detailed as San Andreas or Liberty City be fresh?
Recommended
Publisher: Nintendo
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail
Ever hear the word "delightful" to describe a video game? Well, you have now. Animal Crossing: Wild World is just that -- a silly, engrossing and all around pleasant DS diversion that makes great improvements to the series by milking the DS's unique capabilities. Designing your own patterns and writing letters are now a snap thanks to the stylus and touchscreen.And playing online with friends is much easier than in Mario Kart DS. Again, friends are registered via shared codes, but hooking up with online buddies is made much more probable by the ability to leave your town gate open while you go about your business. An open gate is a sort of flag, letting people know that your town is accepting visitors. Being able to play while flagged substantially increases the chances of meeting up with another Animal Crossing player. The first time I opened the gates to my town, Lunchton, two players from the Gaming Age Forums almost immediately stopped by to chat, meet my animals and trade fruit.
Stopping a minute to reflect, between trips to Tom Nook's shop, I've only got a couple quibbles. The online friends list is far too small; I've already maxed out my roster after two days of play. Nintendo may have underestimated how organized players would be. Considering the rabid online communities that formed around the GameCube game, they should have erred on the side of caution, allowing for at least twice as many friends.
And as much as I love returning to this world, it's very evident that Animal Crossing: Wild World is less a sequel than a third refinement of a proven formula (the game was first seen in Japan on the Nintendo 64). Sure, more than enough new stuff has been added to make the familiar game feel fresh again. But my imagination reels with the possibilities of a ground-up reinvention and next generation expansion of the Animal Crossing concept.
Wouldn't an Animal Metropolis as fast and detailed as San Andreas or Liberty City be fresh?
Recommended
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