Gamers were generally surprised when Nintendo released Animal Crossing on the GameCube a couple years ago. More of a “people” (to use the term loosely) simulation than an actual game, Animal Crossing had players controlling their person through the mundane tasks of daily life, like planting trees, working, collecting items and meeting other strange folks. The DS version does throw a few new things into the successful formula, but rest assured that they are all nice additions, like online play and innovative use of the stylus/touch screen format. Not to mention the fact that you can take your Wild World with you wherever you are now, given the attractive portability factor of the DS. All things considered, if you were a fan of Animal Crossing when it hit the GameCube, then the Wi-Fi online factor alone should make this a warranted purchase.

The game starts out much like the original, with your character arriving in a town, a complete stranger to everyone. At this point, you get a house and a job working for Tom Nook (to whom you are indebted for your homestead) and after that, the world is your oyster. You make money in order to pay Tom off however you see fit, meeting other people throughout the town, performing odd jobs for them and getting new things here and there. While the premise of a life simulation may turn many gamers off (for example, those who are still thoroughly annoyed by the huge success that the Sims franchise has become [get over it!]), Animal Crossing is an extremely addicting game that feels right at home on the DS.
 

Earning the game’s currency will grant you access to new additions to your house and your avatar, meaning that you can buy things to furnish your place and new outfits to wear. Score enough money and you’ll be able to even upgrade your house itself, adding additional stories and rooms to it. The collecting aspects are definitely the game’s biggest draw, although the NES games that you could unlock in the GameCube version are sorely missing.

The DS control scheme (which utilizes the touch screen and stylus) is pretty comfortable here. You can point on the screen in order to perform a variety of actions, from simple things like movement and interacting with items and people, to more touch sensitive things like casting a fishing line and digging a hole and so forth. However, if the touch screen isn’t quite your cup of tea, then you can use the face buttons and the D-Pad to do your business.
 

Another great thing about Animal Crossing is that there is always something new to check out. The game runs on its own clock, even when you aren’t playing it, so you’ll want to log back on every now and then just to see what new events are taking place.

The online play options are pretty cool, allowing you to link up with people from all around in order to share worlds and interact with each other. For example, you can “immigrate” to worlds that your friends have created and set up shop there, sharing a house between four of you. Once in the same world, you and your friends can chat with each other, and basically hang out in the digital world same as you would in the, er, analog world. Plus, in order to keep the riff-raff out, Wild World will only let friends that you have authorized into your world, which is great for keeping everything tidy and in line.
 

Graphically, Animal Crossing won’t dazzle you, which is fine, because it’s not meant to. The game has its own unique style to it, with simple looking characters made up of very few polygons that sport a very bright and cartoony look. The game does fine at emulating its GameCube big brother’s look, and stands as a very quirky and fun looking game.

The sound is good as well, with the characters speaking in a bizarre form of gibberish, with text below providing you with insight as to what they’re saying. The music is soft and unobtrusive, and suits the game’s laid back feeling very well.

Like its predecessor, Animal Crossing: Wild World certainly isn’t for everyone. However, those who look hard enough will find a fun and addicting life simulator with charming characters and a compelling world to play in.

Gameplay: 9.0
Animal Crossing: Wild World plays out almost exactly like the GameCube version, which is a good thing for fans. Portability fits this game very well, allowing you to pick up and check on your persistent world anytime from anywhere. Also, the DS control scheme is quite comfortable and innovative.

Graphics: 8.0              
Hmm, it’s kind of rough to rate this game graphically. While it won’t wow you in the slightest, the game sports a very unique look, adding nicely to its slightly bizarre atmosphere and kooky characters.

Sound: 9.0
The sound fares quite nicely in this game, with nice music and the character’s strange way of speaking accounting for pretty much all of the game’s sound presentation (it should be noted that you can turn off the voice work altogether if it grates on your nerves).

Difficulty:  Easy
 

Concept: 8.5 
Animal Crossing crosses from consoles to the DS very fluidly, and the game actually feels more at home on the DS than it did originally on the Cube.

Multiplayer: 9.0

The game has some great features made better by Nintendo’s robust Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing you to interact and set up a house with friends from around the world. The game also requires that people be authorized before they can set foot in your world, which is another nice touch.

Overall: 8.5                                                                                                                                       

Animal Crossing: Wild World is an engaging and compelling life simulator with a quirkiness about itself that young and old will love to play.