Animal Crossing (GC)
Life or something like it.
Reviewed by Libe Goad

There’s a new designer drug on the market. Unlike other mind-altering substances, we strongly recommend taking three or four doses a day to illicit feelings of well-being and euphoria. You can’t smoke it; you can’t sniff it and you can’t stick it in a needle. All you have to do is pop this baby into your GameCube and you’ve found nirvana in the quirkiest game of the season, Animal Crossing.

At a fleeting glance, Animal Crossing looks like another Pokemon-style game that wants you to collect ‘em all. While collecting items is an integral part of the gameplay, Nintendo’s wacky title plays more like a life simulation game, filled to the brim with sandbox activities and plenty of witty repartee. The gameplay doesn’t offer much of a challenge, but the sheer number of activities can keep you occupied for hours… or weeks, as the case may be.

As the game begins you step into the shoes of a mini-human who is moving to a new town, fully inhabited by talking animals. Once you arrive, you move into a house – with a mortgage – and have a job running errands for resident merchant Tom Nook. Soon you are free from working for someone else and must concoct your own money-making schemes to pay off your debt and furnish your pad. So much for fantasy gameplay.

You can partake in a myriad of activities which will help you acquire cash, including catching fish, bugs, collecting fruit, seashells – all of which can be sold to Tom Nook. Certain bugs and fish are only available certain times of the year, so expect a premium price for these items. Big money can be acquired by running errands for your neighbors or keeping a swank pad.

Keeping up appearances with the neighborhood folk is important as well. You can stay on (almost everyone’s good side by keeping in close touch in person or through your town’s efficient mail system. You can literally write in-game letters to your neighbors, and they’ll send a response. Granted, they can’t understand what you write in your letters, but the return mail is generally amusing.

In the human-to-animal relations, I was surprised to find that the dialogue is consistently hip and witty. The game seems completely free of poor translations, and for the first time, the characters seem to be on the level. Granted, no critter has yet to bust out with “shizzle my nizzle,” but you will have the chance to teach them your own favorite phrases, namely “your mom” or “sexy mo fo.”

Another cool element in the game -- time keeps ticking whether you’re around or not. In a spectacular display of real-time gaming, each day you neglect the game is reflected in your town. Weeds start to grow all over town and unhappy residents move the hell outta’ Dodge. Also, the less time you play, the more you’re apt to miss special guest appearances by rare goods merchants, fortune tellers, live music and holidays, to name a few.

For the game’s duration you are confined to your town, which can be rough if you’re prone to wanderlust. Nintendo thought ahead and if you happen to know someone who has their game saved on a memory card, you can visit their town.

If you’re like us and don’t know anyone within a 100-mile radius who is also playing the game, you’re out of luck. As consolation, if you have a Game Boy Advance and a GameCube link cable, you can take your little human to a tropical island to fish, gather new fruits and just get away from it all. If you don’t have a GBA or the cable, we don’t recommend you spend money to buy one just to reach the island. It’s so small and the activities are so limited, we couldn’t help but feel that we’ve been hoodwinked by Nintendo’s in-game marketing plan.

Speaking of pushing product, Nintendo also integrated its eReader, which allows you to swipe a card to add extra elements to the game. Again, it’s a passing amusement if you have one lying around, but save yourself the trouble otherwise.

The graphics look gorgeous. The bright, cartoon environment will bring a smile to your face, as will the soundtrack, a perky series of orchestration that sticks in your head long after the game has been turned off. All environmental noises are completely complimentary to the gameplay with exception to the animal’s distorted gibberish, Animalese. At times, long speeches in this special language can create some rather unspecial feelings. Fortunately, you can change the sound or mute it in the options menu.

Women and casual gamers will love this game for its friendly environment and low-impact gameplay. Your human counterpart can be a boy or girl, and other than the fact that all of the girly animals consistently refer to their overbearing boyfriends; this game is largely free of gender politics.

Don’t let this game’s kiddie exterior fool you. Animal Crossing is ripe for the picking whether you’re sitting pretty in a Prada pantsuit or a fresh pair of Osh Kosh overalls.

SCORE: 9.5