Animal Crossing: Wild World DSi and DS Lite

Released on 31/03/2006

• Animal Crossing: Wild World Review

  Mark walks on the Wild side... sort of

  It's a little like The Sims, but infinitely more happy.

  There's not a lot of point to Animal Crossing: Wild World. And, though that hardly sounds like a selling point, it is, in fact, one of the game's most endearing qualities.

  There's also not any given way to describe it, but we'll have a go: It's a little like The Sims, but infinitely more happy. That is, a Sims where you play as one single character… and move in a town that's already in existence. You can name it anything you want, and decorate it to a degree… but it's more about the experience of living within the world itself that's so unique.

  Oh, and it's a place populated by walking, talking animals. Did we forget to mention that?

  The DS Difference

  All of the above was, of course, true also of the GameCube original Animal Crossing. And Wild World is more a reworking of that idiosyncratic cult hit than a full-on official sequel.

  Only the truly heartless could fail to fall in love with it.

  There's been a heady degree of chopping and changing to fit it onto handheld, with certain factors, like the season-specific special events, sadly absent. But then the magical online Wi-Fi play makes it all worth the sacrifice. It uses the Nintendo Friend Code system, so you'll never find strangers spoiling your experience, but does let up to three of your friends into your village at the same time.

  Of course, a virtual visit from people potentially thousands of miles away isn't anything new to online gaming - online RPG's like Final Fantasy XI have been doing that for years - but Animal Crossing boasts such an extraordinary amount of charm, only the truly heartless could fail to fall in love with it. Be it fishing, foraging or venturing out on an item hunt, managing your inventory or creating new designs with a stylus on the touch screen, or playing with those around the globe in a real-time online world, Animal Crossing: Wild World is a different kind of experience to truly lose yourself in.

  If you want to spend some time spirited away by your DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World is the perfect game to do just that. It will take you to another, happier, more colourful place, and drop you back into the real world after many fun-filled hours with a smile on your face.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • Wonderfully charming and utterly unique gameplay
  • Great control interface
  • Friend Code system makes visiting and hosting your friends safe and fun

  

  

  • Not massively different to its GameCube daddy
  • A bit sedate for some gamers
  • Online play is limited to visiting/being visited by people you already know

  Review by: Mark Scott
  Review Published: 05.04.06

  Published: 23/05/2006

• 3DS dominates the opening of the Tokyo Games Show

  It seems like only a few weeks since we were slurping up news from Gamescom in Cologne (probably because it was only a few weeks ago) but now all eyes are on Japan, as the Tokyo Games Show bursts into life.

  Predictably, Nintendo has dominated the first day of the show, with a slew of announcements that should make 3DS owners very happy.

  First up is the news that the 3DS port of Monster Hunter Tri - with its second stick add-on - will be followed by official sequel Monster Hunter 4, which will be a Nintendo exclusive. Given that the series has driven the PSP to incredible success in Japan, that's quite a coup for Team Mario.

  Also confirmed are pre-Christmas European release dates for Super Mario 3D Land (November 18th) and Mario Kart 7 (December 2nd). The lack of Mario on the 3DS has been a sore point since its Easter launch, so fans will surely be pleased with that. December 2nd will also see the European launch of Pokemon Rumble Blast, the first 3DS title for another classic Nintendo series.

  Looking ahead to 2012, Mario Tennis and Animal Crossing will debut on the handheld, while Luigi's Mansion, Kid Icarus and Paper Mario are also on the way.

As a valued customer we now offer you the facility to sign up to email price alerts. Please enter the price you want to be, or below, and if drops to that level we will let you know...