It’s highly unlikely that living in a town inhabited by super-deformed, talking animals is an idea that appeals to most video gamers: But Nintendo’s “Animal Crossing” lets players do exactly that, while proving itself to be one of the most innovative and addictive games in recent memory.
“Animal Crossing” blends characteristics of “Harvest Moon” and “The Sims,” then adds some item-retrieving elements of the “Zelda” series for good measure. The object is, basically, just to get by. Performing odd jobs for cash, making friends, writing letters, fishing, decorating your house and donating rare specimens to the local museum are just a few of the things that are available to do.
One characteristic that makes “Animal Crossing” stand out is its use of the GameCube’s internal clock. The game runs in real time, meaning that whenever you play — be it night or day, spring, autumn or winter — the game’s environment will reflect it. Things will change in your town, even when you’re not there, and the fact that some special events (like a concert by a guitar-playing Dalmatian) only occur at certain times on certain dates, you might find yourself clearing off your calendar to be sure that you can participate. Pathetic? Yes, but definitely a testament to Nintendo’s ability to create a hugely addictive game.
Another of the numerous innovations is the ability for players to visit their friends’ towns. Since each town’s geographic layout and residents are randomly generated from hundreds of possibilities, no two towns are the same. Plus, visiting a friend’s town is a great opportunity to get items or pull pranks. You can even find items from other towns that aren’t available in yours, and some of your animal buddies might move to another town while you visit and vice versa.
On the technological side, “Animal Crossing” is the first game to make liberal use of the connectivity between Nintendo’s GameCube (GC) and Game Boy Advance (GBA) systems. Using the link cable to connect a GBA to the GC allows for the use of a special, portable version of the pattern design tool, which allows players to customize their clothes and more. Connecting the GBA also unlocks a tropical island off the coast of your town that you can travel to.
Old school Nintendo classics like “Excitebike” can be found and played in “Animal Crossing,” but with a GBA, you can also download games and take them on the go. Furthermore, Nintendo’s new “e-Reader” accessory for the GBA will allow players to add upgrades like new items and characters to their town, much like a patch for a PC game. This capability makes the replay value of “Animal Crossing” even greater.
Although “Animal Crossing” showcases some interesting technical innovations, it is missing one thing: a keyboard. While it isn’t a nightmare, typing with the controller can be overly time-consuming and annoying. Even if not included with the game, the availability of a separate keyboard accessory would have been nice. Still, not too much complaining can be done since Nintendo does package a free memory card with the game. It’s a blessing that Nintendo had the foresight to do this since one town takes up 59 blocks of storage space (up to four players can live in one town).
This is a game that becomes a part of your life like no other. There is always something new to look forward to, and time is constantly chugging along. “Animal Crossing” is all about exploration and experimentation instead of “beating the game,” because it never actually ends. Although “Animal Crossing” is probably not the kind of game that players are likely to binge on for seven straight hours at a time, it is definitely one that will get played almost daily for, conceivably, years — a claim that cannot be made for most games.