This should be the shortest review in the world. You all played Animal Crossing on GameCube, right? Of course you did. Well, the sequel is here and it fits in your (oversize) pocket. Review over. Go. Buy. Now.

But that doesn't do things justice, does it?

Animal Crossing: Wild World for Nintendo DS is the wildly addictive small scale life simulator from Nintendo. Take over a virtual 'you' and move into a small town filled with cute little animals. Play botanist or paleontologist. Collect bugs, catch fish, and decorate your house. You want to impress the Happy Room Academy, don't you? Of course you do! Now go find the matching sofa for that table.

If you've never played Animal Crossing before you'll find this introduction more than welcoming. Starting with a cab ride to town, you're first encounter is with the salty Kap'n ,and the exchange you have with him will impact your avatar in your new virtual life. Once you arrive at town hall you're basically free to do whatever you want. Inevitably you'll run into Tom Nook, local merchant, and helpful raccoon. Not only will he give you a part-time job to teach you the basics of town life, but he'll give you a place to live - for a price. That looming debt load is the only direction you'll ever be given in Animal Crossing, and it's all you'll ever need.

The array of things to do daily in the world of Animal Crossing is pretty staggering, and you typically have no real pressure to do any of them. Oh, sure, planting flowers looks nice but it doesn't pay as nearly well as fishing. But do you even want to work on your debt right now? It's up to you - no worries about Tom Nook coming around looking for his share. Want to help the museum fill its collection? Or do you just want to decorate your house? Eventually you're small cottage will be too small, and if you pay down your mortgage to Mr. Nook he'll be happy to renovate - for a price. This is how the circle is brought full, as a core component of the customization in Animal Crossing demands you pay back Tom Nook someday. It is a gentle push, but a constant one.

Along the way to financial freedom you'll meet a wide array of characters - people will move in, people will move out. You'll send and receive letters from townsfolk, run their errands, and solve their problems. You'll pluck weeds and harvest fruit, and every task you can undertake has real, tangible rewards that will advance your quest to further personalize yourself or your home.

Additions to this version of Animal Crossing are slight - hats and accessories are now available to further customize your character. A watering can lets you give flowers and saplings an extra boost. And new to the museum is an astronomy lab where you'll be able to customize the constellations of the Animal Crossing world. Fish and bugs are of a wider variety and are slightly more common. It is worth noting that none of these new additions are nearly as entertaining as the original tasks, but they do add a bit of flavor.

However, the big addition to the Animal Crossing universe is pretty impactful: online play. As the second title from Nintendo to support the newly established Wi-Fi Connection, Wild World allows up to three people to visit your town over the internet. While there is no in-game town browser - you'll need to share "friend codes" in order to access each other's towns - this is a radical step in the right direction and fills a void that was clearly present in the original GameCube edition. Arguably, the multiplayer gameplay is a bit light as all it allows is for others to experience your town as you do. While players can strike up in-game entertainments like scavenger hunts on their own, nothing within Animal Crossing really smacks of a true multiplayer game. Indeed, even chatting is a bit of a pain. These aren't deal breakers: Wi-Fi play is an incredibly welcome addition.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the wireless integration is the viral content distribution. Characters will move into your town from the towns of your friends, bringing with them stories and letters. Bottles with messages will appear on the shore originating from strange authors in foreign towns. Occasionally town interactions will be more dramatic, with abandoned characters or goods that need to be delivered on a future visit across towns. This material carries a significant wow factor and greatly enhances play. It truly makes one feel like their town is really a part of a Wild World.

There are limitations: you can only connect to a town when both visitor and town owner have each other on the friend roster, and the roster can only hold 32 names. While this will encourage small islands of mutual connectivity, it does create barriers to easy integration. Nintendo has taken this step to minimize online problems, and it is pretty simple to learn to live with. But anyway you look at it you will need a way outside of Animal Crossing to setup games in advance via the sharing of friend codes which some people might find more difficult than others. While it's tempting to lament integrated matchmaking, the necessity to do it outside the game provides a more robust filter as to whom is getting through your town gates.

There are a lot of additions to Animal Crossing for Nintendo DS, and one noteworthy omission; NES Classic games have been entirely removed. While for most their inclusion was a sideshow novelty in the original game, it really would have been neat to see them come back. Unlikely to be a big detraction, some might find this more annoying than others.

The visuals are bright and extremely attractive, although players of the GameCube edition will notice a lower frame rate immediately. The world of Animal Crossing is now contiguous - no grid system of screens to traverse - and it is notably smaller than the previous game. The touch controls are quite intuitive and very enjoyable; touch where you want to go, tap yourself to execute the primary context interaction. However some tasks like fishing are much easier using the non-touch controls. Inventory management with the stylus is practically a dream come true. The audio - oh, the audio! - it is easily the best sounding game on the DS. The music is relaxed and melodious and just simply fantastic.

Animal Crossing is simple and that is its strength. It is also engrossing, addictive, and really, really fun. The simple inclusion of portability is more than enough to recommend this game, however the significant improvements make it an almost irresistible package. While there are undoubtedly some who really won't find this game to be their style, most people will find it a deeply novel treat. Indeed, there are few games one could recommend for a non-gamer so soundly as Animal Crossing: Wild World. Even if you can't experience the Wi-Fi connectivity, Animal Crossing is a total blast - the online play is just icing on the cake.

Dec 17, 2005 | 0 comments
Edward Pollard