Spring Break
'Crossing' into familiar territory
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 12/1/08 Section: Focus
Welcome to the familiar town setting of "Animal Crossing: City Folk." In this iteration of the beloved franchise for the Nintendo Wii, players traverse a recognizable landscape established and refined by the two previous entries.
As players get accustomed to the new Wii controls, one that facilitates the menu system like "Animal Crossing: Wild World" did by allowing players to point at the tab they want to open, realization sets in that this is the same "Animal Crossing" as the original, released for GameCube in 2002. Tom Nook introduces himself, lets the character choose a house, and then discusses the debt players will have to repay over the course of the game. Nook offers the player a job, which serves as the basic control tutorial for the game, and forces the player to introduce his or her character to all the residents of the town.
After this, the life simulator relaxes its hold on the player. The main draw of the series has always been its living, breathing atmosphere, meaning that the game continues even when the player isn't there. Villagers can move in and leave the village on a whim, especially when they aren't visited often. As Nook's debt is paid off, the house can be expanded, and eventually include a basement.
As days pass, players can partake in various activities to make money to pay off the debt. Players can fish, catch insects, collect fossils, pick fruit, or scavenge for seashells. Most of these items can be donated to the town's museum or sold to Tom Nook for money. Since the game is seasonal, different insects and fish appear at different times in the year or different parts of the day.
Aside from these tasks, players can also pursue leisure activities. Players can speak to neighbors to strengthens friendships and do favors for them also. This usually results in a fetch quest that normally ends with the player receiving a free item. There are also town events, which are usually announced when the player leaves their house. Harvest Day, the game's version of Thanksgiving, for example, brings with it a paranoid turkey who is fearful that he will be eaten. These events are quintessential for breaking up the monotony of the game for those who have been with the series since the beginning.
As players get accustomed to the new Wii controls, one that facilitates the menu system like "Animal Crossing: Wild World" did by allowing players to point at the tab they want to open, realization sets in that this is the same "Animal Crossing" as the original, released for GameCube in 2002. Tom Nook introduces himself, lets the character choose a house, and then discusses the debt players will have to repay over the course of the game. Nook offers the player a job, which serves as the basic control tutorial for the game, and forces the player to introduce his or her character to all the residents of the town.
After this, the life simulator relaxes its hold on the player. The main draw of the series has always been its living, breathing atmosphere, meaning that the game continues even when the player isn't there. Villagers can move in and leave the village on a whim, especially when they aren't visited often. As Nook's debt is paid off, the house can be expanded, and eventually include a basement.
As days pass, players can partake in various activities to make money to pay off the debt. Players can fish, catch insects, collect fossils, pick fruit, or scavenge for seashells. Most of these items can be donated to the town's museum or sold to Tom Nook for money. Since the game is seasonal, different insects and fish appear at different times in the year or different parts of the day.
Aside from these tasks, players can also pursue leisure activities. Players can speak to neighbors to strengthens friendships and do favors for them also. This usually results in a fetch quest that normally ends with the player receiving a free item. There are also town events, which are usually announced when the player leaves their house. Harvest Day, the game's version of Thanksgiving, for example, brings with it a paranoid turkey who is fearful that he will be eaten. These events are quintessential for breaking up the monotony of the game for those who have been with the series since the beginning.
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