Animal Crossing: City Folk

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Animal Crossing: City Folk
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date(s)	November 1, 2008 November 16, 2008 November 28, 2008
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer (online and off)
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone
Platform(s)	Wii
Media	Wii Optical Disc
Preceded by	Animal Crossing: Wild World
Credits • Gallery

Animal Crossing: City Folk (Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City in PAL regions) is a Wii video game and the fourth addition (which includes the Japanese only Animal Forest) to the Animal Crossing series. The game features a heavy emphasis on interaction and is the first game to make use of WiiSpeak, a device that allows the player to interact with others around the world without the need for a headset. A bundle has been made available that includes both the game and WiiSpeak once the game was released.

Another prominent feature is the introduction of a city along with the always present town. In the city you're able to go to the hair salon, the auction house, the theatre, Gracie's shop and the HRA to see what's going on in other people's villages. It's possible that other things will also be present.

[edit] Gameplay

In Animal Crossing: City Folk, there is no prominent goal but to just enjoy your new virtual life. You'll take control of either a boy or girl, whose appearance is determined in the beginning of the game. They move into a new house and initially have to pay their debts to Tom Nook. After doing so, more expansions to your house can be made via more payments.

The character is controlled via the nunchuck's joystick, though an alternate control scheme will allow you to play using just the Wii Remote without the extension by pointing to where you want your character to move. Basic actions can be performed with the standard face buttons, though some will allow you to use motion controls (such as for fishing and bug catching).

Your village consists of shops, a town hall, a museum, multiple neighbors, and other areas. Fishing can be done in the multiple bodies of water, while bugs can be caught with your net almost anywhere. Fossils, Gyroids and other items can be dug up using your shovel, while with the watering can you can construct a wonderful garden. With the slingshot you can shoot down items from the sky, and with the axe you can chop down trees to tidy up the village.

One of the new aspects of the game is the city, which is mentioned in the game's title. You can access the city by going to the bus stop, which is located near the town gate. In the city there are even more things to do, such as partake in anauction, visit high-end shops, change your hairstyle and shoes, watch a show in the theater, visit Redd's and Katrina's, see other players' houses via Nintendo Wifi Connection and just have a nice chat with the villagers currently there.

The game uses the Wii's internal clock to determine what day and season it is. The time of day will also change depending on what time it is in real life. The series is often lauded for playing even when you're not - weeds will grow if you're not there to pull them, flowers will die, days will pass and old neighbors will be replaced by new ones. Special events will occur depending on what day it is - holidays will take place on their respective times as well.

[edit] Reception

The game has been well received, though criticisms have arisen, primarily due to its uninspired qualities that basically copy from the previous chapters in the series. This was also something that critics panned Nintendo for doing with Wild World on the Nintendo DS, though it was accepted due to the fact that it was introduced to a handheld and that it featured online capabilities that weren't featured on the GameCube or (for Japan) Nintendo 64 versions of the game. The city aspect, while new, features plenty of shops that were featured in the normal village beforehand, and some of the things, such as the theater, aren't exactly new since the benefits you receive for visiting it are the same as finding Dr. Shrunk in Wild World. The inclusion of friend codes have also turned some off, though the new WiiSpeak accessory has been considered a welcome, albeit long overdue, addition to Nintendo's deluge of accessories for the Wii.