Animal Crossing: Wild World
Nintendo DS
The Verdict: At first glance, ‘Wild World’ looks like simple child’s play, but in reality it’s a heavily-emersive gaming and social experience.
3 of 4 stars
They want lots of stuff, they judge you by your clothes and the size of your house, and they’re just a step above illiteracy. No, I’m not talking about valley girls; I’m talking about the residents of “Animal Crossing: Wild World,” possibly the most addicting and bizarre game on the face of the Earth.
Upon first impression, “Wild World” looks like a child’s game, using vivid colors and cutesy Japanese-inspired characters to fill the “Animal Crossing” atmosphere. What lies beneath the juvenile surface, however, is gameplay so incredibly simple and fun that gamers from age 4 to 94, male and female, will be hooked for hours at a time.
There is no true premise to the game. There’s no bad guy to beat, no princess to save and no epic ending. In fact, there is no ending. The game goes on and on, using the Nintendo DS’s internal clock to synchronize with real time. Seasons change, scenery transforms and fabricated holidays come and pass. Players can fish, dig up fossils, collect art, run errands for neighbors, do landscaping, write letters and do a lot of other useless stuff.
But why would things so tedious and simple be so addicting? Incentives, people! Incentives!
There are thousands of things to collect in the “Wild World,” from furniture to music to Metroids. The game features an interesting collection of Nintendo cameos and other cool collectibles, but they’re pretty rare.
Collecting pure stuff isn’t quite as fun as designing your hip and ever-changing pad with the hundreds of different furniture items you come across. Right now I’ve got a pool table, a rocket ship and a robot-shaped stereo my neighbors are hankering to get their hands on.
Now about those neighbors … these animals are the most ridiculous, superficial mammals (and amphibians) to ever be programmed into a videogame. They will trick you into buying their stuff, beg you to get them clothing and tell you your status isn’t good enough.
But no matter how bad they bruise your ego, they are irresistible. They also have a lot of nice things to say about you. If you create a constellation at the observatory, the shape will be set in the sky, and neighbors will take notice of your creation. They remember your birthday, give you free stuff and ask for your advice on what cool new slang should hit the forest.
Don’t try writing these furry critters a letter with more than five letters to a word, though. They wouldn’t stand a chance of passing first grade grammar courses in real life.
Of course, this isn’t the first iteration of “Animal Crossing.” “Wild World” is nearly identical to its predecessor on the Nintendo Gamecube. There are a lot of familiar faces and sites, and the gameplay itself seems unchanged.
On the negative side, cool features like playable games from the original Nintendo Entertainment System and real holidays aren’t part of “Wild World” like they were in the original. But one new feature that trumps the Gamecube version is the ability to visit other towns via Nintendo WiFi.
Sure, there are a lot of things to collect, but there are even more places to see. Players can connect to the WiFi network and visit millions of towns players have inhabited throughout the globe. Got a pal in Tokyo with “Wild World?” Visit his town, hang out with him, go fishing together or have a cup of joe at the museum coffee shop. Players can chat with one another until their hearts are content and even trade off items and shop in each other’s stores.
The one true-to-life part of “Wild World” is that everything will cost players something. From the minute they walk into their towns for the first time, they will already be in debt to store owner Tom Nook, who finances your house until you finally pay off your mortgage in Bells, the town currency.
“Wild World” is a relief in the world of gaming. Gamers can play at their own pace, and the town keeps on going even when its only living resident is too occupied with the real world. No set objectives, no glitches and a world of social opportunity make this installment of “Animal Crossing” a compelling, utterly addicting evolution in gaming.