Cute, fun, and addicting game for Nintendo DS

My Nintendo DS was given to me as a gift in August 2007, and one of the first games I purchased for it was Animal Crossing: Wild World. Though it did take a while to learn the ways of the game (not to mention the DS itself) I found myself immediately addicted. The smooth movements of the characters, bright graphics, and "real-time" setting are among the best features of the Animal Crossing game.


Gameplay.
Animal Crossing:Wild World is a fun, interactive game for Nintendo DS. You play a cute, personalized character that improves, customizes, and explores the small village you have just moved to. Around the town you can find and interact with your fellow villagers - talking animals with various personalities and secret pasts. You can do an enormous plethora of things in Animal Crossing, from catching bugs and paying off the mortgage for your house, to buying expensive coffee and collecting dinosaur fossils for the town museum.

A great feature of the game is that you can have up to 4 people or "saved games" in your town. You all share the same house, and can pitch in equally for the ever-increasing mortgage you must pay to make your house larger. But each player has separate items that they can collect and use, a separate sum of Bells (money), and separate reputations with each of the townspeople.

Only 8 villagers can live in your town at once, meaning that in order for you to meet new people, others will have to go. You will always get a letter in your virtual mailbox in the game if one your pals is moving, and sometimes you can persuade them not to go. Also, you can keep a villager in your town for much longer if they offer you (and you accept) a picture of him- or herself to put in your house.

Because Animal Crossing is an international game, some holidays like Christmas and Halloween aren't celebrated, in order to be fair to anyone that buys it. However, the game has tons of other extra holidays and events to make up for it, such as "La-Di-Day", where you compete with other villagers to compose the best town song; "Yay Day", the official compliment day; and the Acorn Festival, an event that lasts a few days and you can exchange autumn's first acorns for mushroom-themed furniture.

Items are one of the most important parts of the game. Fish, bugs, paintings, and dinosaur fossils can be collected and donated to the town museum. There are over 600 pieces of furniture, wallpaper, and flooring styles for your home, and an additional several hundred clothing items for your character. You can dig up fossils and ancient noise-making things called "gyroids" in the ground; plant flowers and 8 different kinds of trees to care for; find items in the town recycling bin; and even collect fruit, shells and bottled messages that wash up on the ocean shore.

There isn't really any "objective" to Animal Crossing:Wild World, and there isn't any point where you "beat the game". Basically you collect items, earn Bells, get a big house, and keep your town clean (weed- and litter-free). It sounds simple and boring, but Animal Crossing is one of the most addicting games I have ever played.


Graphics/design.
The graphics and design of Animal Crossing:Wild World are cartoonish yet very 3-D, and produce a much more interactive effect while using the Nintendo DS's touch screen and stylus. However, the lines and edges in the game often appear "pixelated" and jagged. The graphics quality is overall above average for a portable system game.

As for the design of the actual game cartridge, I would give Animal Crossing a 5-star rating. All Nintendo DS games are very small squares less than an inch and a half wide and tall. Very easy to lose, obviously, but also surprisingly durable - my particular game cartridge fared just fine after a spin through the washing machine.


Wi-Fi feature.
The wireless capabilities featured on many Nintendo DS games are particularly useful in Animal Crossing: Wild World. You can invite people from all over the world to come to your town over Wi-Fi, or go to their village yourself. You can do just about anything on Wi-Fi with a friend that you could do in regular gameplay.


"Real-time" setting.
One of the greatest things about Animal Crossing for DS is the "real-time" feature - the game progresses hour-by-hour, week-by-week, and season-by-season according to the preset time on your Nintendo DS system. As the day goes on, the sky in your game will fade from bright azure in midday to orange in evening to starry deep blue at night. The seasons are distinct as well - beginning in August, the lush green of your town's trees will slowly fade to rich oranges and reds, and when December starts, so does the snow. Winter will taper to an end around March, beginning the rainy season and the time when flowers thrive.

One of the smaller details included in the unique "real-time" feature is the clock in the lower right corner of the screen, letting you know the time your DS is set to at any moment.


Audience.
Some might think Animal Crossing is too "cute" or "childish" for anyone older than 12. But really it's just as fun for a 30-year-old as it is for a 10-year-old. Animal Crossing:Wild World for DS is the perfect game for anyone who wants to relax and enjoy some time in a tiny virtual village.