There is a game which exists were more fish or bugs compared to the previous titles in its series is a feature which can be slapped on the back of the box. A game which is filled with talking animals which tell you about their day a hundred times over. A game which is often associated with a particular animal which runs a monopoly on the general store and retail business.
That game is Animal Crossing, and it is returning this year for the 3DS.
For me the series is an interesting one, I like it because for every different person their goals in the title are slightly different. It is one of those games which you can either do one particular thing instead of one other particular thing with both choices been the correct way to play. Animal Crossing does this with its array of activities which the player can preform. At the end of the day the game is a relaxation title, which isn’t changed with the 3DS irritation.
The key change in the 3DS title is now you are the mayor. Which is quite unusual that this hasn’t happened before, because really you pretty much do everything when it comes to the town while everyone else just sits around. However that isn’t the point, the point is this time you have the “badge”, your the mayor- BAM! While it is unknown how detailed the mayor integration within the title will go, it is known you get to put buildings and objects where you want them in the town. Quite similar in some ways to how the next Harvest Moon title is approaching the game world. While I don’t know if you can move buildings once placed like in said Harvest Moon title, it is an interesting feature which will no doubt expand the games world. You also have an assistant which follows you around. The previous mayor, that turtle dude is probably still rocking it around your town- but as the event planer, which is pretty much what he did anyway, well that is just speculation but it is popular belief.
The world is also much bigger then previous Animal Crossing games. The beach for example isn’t just a pit of sand on the edge of the map, it has its own section as well as been one huge beach which wraps around the town. You can also swim too! As for the town there is a shopping area which is over the train tracks and a display home area behind that. Display Homes come from street pass and spot pass which means you get to check out what other people have done to their homes in that area.
Speaking about homes, did I tell you that you start off in a tent for some reason? Yeah. Also there is heaps more customization added which includes modification down to the mailbox.
Also when it comes to customization there is almost no bounds, furniture can be modified much more then previously, as well as clothes can be modified. There is even no gender limits on what your character can wear, so if you want to spruce your boy character up in a skirt- you can.
The general theme of Animal Crossing is that for some reason you are moving to a town full of animals, as the only human per town it will make you scream for more interaction. So the game puts you through the place of building up your home, teaching you responsibilities as well as forcing you to interact with those animal creatures. The AI for these animals are questionable, but in the 3DS iteration it seems so far from footage seen that the game will improve on this slightly.
Your town itself has various limits to what exists, there are expected buildings however which will remain in the 3DS version such as the museum, town hall etc. With buildings like Nooks been questioned if it will be in the town or the shopping center. Nook is also just a pompous real estate agent as well, so no doubt his cusions or children or what ever they are will be running his chain of high priced low end good supermarkets.
So overall there are much more features which have already been announced for the game, as well as features which haven’t been announced.
For me Animal Crossing 3DS will be a major player in game of the year, especially when just counting 3DS games. With the release date expectation been late Q2 all the way to Q4 and the fact that many of the major 3DS games which are game changes might not just make it this year in the west means that this will be one golden game. Even then if it was up against major game changes for the system, it could still be near the top. The overall aspects of Animal Crossing are perfect for a handheld ecosystem and after many of the games in the series just copied each other one which on the surface seems to change it all is a good thing. With everything banking on the mayor feature, as well as the online interaction which the game will deliver on- will this game be a game changer in itself? Find out when it launches later this year.