"The Crossing"

Nintendo has always been known to publish titles that were on the quirky side, so it wasn't a true surprise to see this game pop up on the publisher's list a couple of years back. Meet Animal Crossing, a game that puts you in charge of a guy who's just starting out in life. There's only one problem-you're in a world full of animals that talk! That's right; Nintendo did it again in this title. Animal Crossing, or AC, is one of those games that truly show what Nintendo is capable of given the right situations and environments to develop in. I was honestly skeptical about this game when I first saw it, as it was shaping up to be another one of those titles that only my brother could buy. He has a bad habit of picking up titles that honestly have no value in my eyes, so you can imagine what I felt like when I saw him with it in his hands at my local GS. Needless to say, I can't say that I like Sim games any more than I used to, but it definitely was nice to play something new.

AC does something that very few games out there do, and that's putting the player in an imaginary circumstance while still retaining that feeling of realism. You may not be able to talk to animals in real life, but they almost feel as though they are real in this game. They know when you've been gone for extended periods of time, and they know when you forgot about some important day. It's truly amazing to see just how much dialogue Nintendo threw into this game. Now there isn't any real story in this game unfortunately, but you make your own story. Every animal you interact with, every thing you do; everything creates a unique story that no one else can have but you. Nintendo was very wise in doing what they did, as it opened my eyes to see a bigger picture.

It's always funny to see an animal talk, and you'll have a lot of those moments as you go throughout the world of AC. Eagles, Hippos-you name it, the game has it. Every last one of those animals has a distinct personality that only it has. Whether it is shy or bold; Nintendo managed to excellently integrate each and every one of those personalities into these beings. Combine that with the witty/humorous dialogue that always seems to pop up in the most inappropriate places; and you have a title that definitely does something of its own. Just like real life though, people move on. Over the course of time close friends will move out of your village. There is a way to prevent this though, and that stems from the fact that when you treat that animal with kindness, it won't want to move. Keeping close villages is a key point in the fun factor of this game.

That's the Hobo.

In an attempt to actually make this more than just a one player game, Nintendo decided to actually allow up to four players to live in one village. The only downside to this is that you can't interact with each other at the same time. You are allowed to send mail to each other though, as well as checking out each others house. I can't say that what they did was huge in this department, but it definitely was nice. By allowing players to interact with each other on one file, it opens up the ability to fill up the games multiple collections much quicker, as well as giving friends the ability to try to beat each other in challenges such as paying off their house.

Have you ever had a goal in life to get out of debt, only to find yourself back in it continuously? That's the situation that presents itself in AC. You come right off the train as some HOBO and have to actually take a huge loan from the local proprietor, Tom, just to get a darn house. Just like in real life though, you have the ability to build up your riches and do something truly special. I can't tell you how good it feels to pay off something in this game, and it truly is nice when you do it before your friends and get that sweet gold statue while they get silver . The bigger your house gets, the more stuff you can fit in it. Couches, pianos, rockets, toilets-you name it, the game has it. You can either get these items from the inhabitants of the town by doing fetch quests for them, or you can be a man and shell out the bells necessary to pay for the item at the local department store. Fetch quests can be generally very boring to complete, but it can be rewarding if you do it for a person to make him or her to like you more.

I was personally surprised to see that Nintendo decided to place the graphics in an unrealistic tone, but they did. It works perfectly for the game actually, as it allowed it to do things that it wouldn't be able to do if they looked real. When you're trying to catch a fish for example, you can see the water splash as the fish tries to get away. A bug can buzz around with its wings flapping rapidly. It's things like that that truly make this game shine, not because of any graphics that look life-like. What I've learned over the course of my gaming is that you really have to take in the simple things for what they are, nothing more. By doing that, you can learn to appreciate what's given to you in life. That being said, your character can either by a male or female. Nintendo gave the players the option this time to customize your character's clothes as you see fit, which is nice in retrospect. They do kind of look jagged though unfortunately.

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a pop?

Although it shouldn't come as surprising to most, Nintendo decided to stick with a repetitive soundtrack throughout the duration of this game. Thankfully, you can change the music in your house by getting a CD player and talking to KK on Saturday nights. It's nothing much better though unfortunately, but it is an improvement over the norm. Making it on time to KK can be a bit rough, as he's only there for an hour. That also is one of the big drawing points of this game. By placing everything in real time, events play out in the game world just as they play out in the real world. On October 30 you celebrate Halloween, and on December 25 you celebrate Christmas. Characters engage in the normal festivities of the certain holiday. This truly works in Nintendo's favor, mainly because it is fun to see what the characters do on certain holidays.

I've never really been a huge fan of Sim games, mainly because they don't truly appeal to me. What I can say about this one though is that it truly is a joy to play, for more than one reason. They were extremely nice to include a memory card with every copy of the game, and it really helps being as though the game takes a massive 57-8 blocks to save. If my brother had to buy a card for this game alone, then it probably wouldn't have worked out as well as it did. Another wise move they made was to include such a massive amount of things to do, as the game never really ends. There's always something to do in the wild world of AC, so dive on in and enjoy the ride .

Pros

+Tons of Things to Do

+Characters Have a Distinct Personality

+Events Take Place in Real Time

Cons

+They Had a Bad Music Track

+Tough to Really Leave the Game in Fear of People Moving Out

+No Ability for True Multiplayer

It is a wild world, but just how much of a world is it? Reality, in this game at least, is lacking, but that's what makes it special. In a sense, talking animals? You would have almost never expected it, let alone to the point that they chose to incorperate it to. They had a ture sense of appeal, each of them, because they were written with great humor, great wittyness, and more. If they can learn to do this is a future game, possibly one for the Wii, then they will be in a better position for a future release. If a game has the abilities like this, then it will prosper. If it doesn't, then it will fall to the wayside, lost in a sea of never ending faces. Animal Crossing does something special in everything that does come its way, and you don't find that very often. If you don't pick this game up, then you're depriving yourself of a great experience, if you do, then welcome to a wild world. Best yet, it even comes with a memory card for its outrageous requirements! That's Nintendo for you, always thinking of the player.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/07