Animal Crossing (Game Cube) Review

By Foxx

Let me start off by saying, it was some challenge tearing myself away from Animal Crossing long enough to write a review about it. Okay, here’s the scoop:

-         Animal Crossing plays in real time: Live in a 24/7, 365 day world managed by your Game Cube’s internal clock (even when it’s not on)! Day is day, night is night, winter is winter, 11:24am is… well, you get the idea.

-         236 Animal characters to interact with: Bears, squirrels, frogs, birds, etc. Lend them a hand, write a letter, or just chat!

-         Build and decorate your own home: Don’t forget to check your mail!

-         Over 1400 obtainable items: Rugs, clothes, fossils, furniture, etc.

-         Tons of things to do: Fish, dig, hunt insects, interact with animals, chop down trees, and much more.

-         Play classic NES games: Donkey Kong, Excite Bike, Pinball, Balloon Fight, Clu Clu Land, and more.

-         Up to 4 players can live in your village simultaneously.

-         Visit your friends’ village: Hop on the train and see what your friends’ have done with their Animal Crossing. Bring back a souvenir!

-         Game Boy Advance and E-Reader compatibility: Travel to a hidden island via your GBA. Get special items and games complements of your E-Reader cards.

-         Trade items with friends: Special password feature allows you to trade items via the internet.

-         Check out monthly events: Holidays, gatherings, fairs. Mark that calendar!

-         Free Memory Card 59 comes with the game: At no extra cost as well.

Now that you know what there is to do in Animal Crossing, here’s the rundown. When the game begins, you find yourself on a train. An odd looking cat named Rover finds a seat next to you and you begin a conversation. This is where you get to choose your name, gender, name of village, etc. Rover sets you up to meet with his friend, Tom Nook (raccoon owner of the town store). Nook sets you up with your very own house. You won’t have enough cash, so Nook will spot you (for now). You must earn the rest to pay back the loan (work for Nook, run errands, sell items, etc).

Now it’s time to meet the locals. When I started up my home town of Tree Top, I met Ricky, Kiki, Puddles, Cashmere, Weber, and Ace. These animals were randomly selected villagers for Tree Top. The other animals I met are standard non-player characters (NPC) that appear in every village. There are 236 NPC’s, which means, nearly endless possible combinations of characters. As the game goes on, animals will come and go. They may move to your friends town, or move from no where in particular (Bertha moved to Tree Top this morning).

The past few days I have been running errands for my new friends. They reward me with new items that I either sell to Tom Nook or use to furnish my home. In addition, I have dug up, shook from a tree, or just plain found many items, including fossils, apples, sea shells, money, and clothes. These items helped me to pay off part of my debt to Tom Nook and expand my home.

When I’m not running errands, I write letters to friends; especially Ricky (he loves to get mail). I didn’t think that writing letters would be a fun part of the game, but it’s great to get mail in return. I found myself trying to decide which stationary Kiki would like the best and trying to find the right words to write.

The amount of depth in this game is astonishing. The NPC’s always have something new to say. Sure you hear a repeat phrase here and there, but I still find the animals saying something new everyday. There are many other things that keep Animal Crossing flowing, such as:

-         55 songs to collect for your home stereo.

-         A museum to visit and donate to.

-         Design patterns for clothing.

-         Write a theme tune for your village.

-         Visit an island (Game Boy Advance) with special items.

-         Plant a money tree. That’s right!

Animal Crossing is surprisingly addictive and will keep you going for months. Gamers with an itch for destruction, action, and violence won’t find it here, but what you will find is a very original gaming experience. How will you create your Animal Crossing?

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