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Sequels make the gaming world go 'round. Nearly all of this year’s biggest titles on every platform seem to be followed by a 2, 3 or 4. Nintendo is also well known for releasing sequel after sequel, and with such a massive stable of franchises, who can blame the company? But despite the large amount of sequels it puts out, Nintendo can always be counted on to innovate for better or worse, which is why Animal Crossing: City Folk comes as a bit of a surprise. The newest installment in the candy-coated lifestyle simulator is perhaps Nintendo’s safest sequel ever. It’s still well-crafted and addictive, but City Folk is almost the exact same game the big N has released twice before. visuals Aside from the changed viewing angle, it would be almost impossible to tell City Folk apart from its GameCube predecessor, itself a port of an N64 title. Animal Crossing has always been more about the style than the graphical quality, but a leap this minuscule is really more of a hop. It looks smooth and maintains the feel of the series, but it doesn’t really help ease the sense of déjà-vu that the gameplay provides. audio One of the elements that makes City Folk such a calming experience is its extremely relaxing soundtrack. The game’s tunes consist of laid-back guitar and piano arrangements, and there is a different one for each hour of the day. The music is the gaming equivalent of a sauna. There are also collectible songs doled out by wandering musician K. K. Slider every Saturday night, with many different styles and sounds. The amount and quality of music in City Folk is impressive and always soothing. gameplay Animal Crossing is not a game, per se. It’s more of a daily activity, something to check in on for a little while after work or before heading out somewhere. There is no plot or overarching goal, aside from paying off the debt on your house. It’s non-linear and completely sandbox, all done at your own pace. There is a multitude of ways to pass the time, collect new items and make money. Go fishing in the river and ocean to populate the museum. Plant and harvest fruit. Create new clothing patterns and watch them spread throughout the town. One of the biggest hallmarks ofAnimal Crossing is that everything happens in real time. Play the game at midnight and it will be midnight in-game. The store will be closed and some villagers will be asleep. It snows in winter and rains in spring, and all manner of festive events happen on holidays throughout the year. There’s always something new to look forward to, and it really feels like a living, breathing town that exists even when the system is shut off. Unfortunately what was novel seven years ago on GameCube and three years ago on DS is much less so on Wii. Nintendo had the perfect chance to take advantage of the Wii’s features and bring new ideas to the table. Instead, City Folk is little more than an extremely polished port of the DS version. Aside from the much-touted City, itself a collection of features from past games collected in one convenient area, there is almost nothing new for diehard fans of the series. Sure, there are new outfits, new furniture sets and a few little quality of life improvements like the ability to change shoes and edit the sleeves and backs of custom outfits, but it barely warrants an expansion pack, let alone full-blown sequel status. It’s surprisingly a stagnant effort from a company that has embraced innovation and risk-taking so much in the past. Do not be mistaken: City Folk is in no way a bad game. In fact, it’s great on its own merits. It’s amazingly therapeutic to visit your village after a hard day of work in the real world and partake in some of life’s similar pleasures. There are lots of neat little touches, like paths slowly forming where the player travels the most. The online functionality and Wii Speak peripheral all work flawlessly, and the social aspects add a lot of fun and replayability to the experience. For the brand new players Nintendo appears to be targeting here, City Folk is fun, addictive, and contains all the charm of its predecessors. multiplayer Online connectivity is a huge facet of City Folk. The implementation is the same friend-code swapping business as usual, although if someone you don’t have on your list is in a town you’re visiting, you can add them with the press of a button. It’s pretty much the same as Wild World: open your gate to allow friends to visit or go out and explore another town. The more you interact with friends online, the more it will seep into your game. Neighbors in your town will discuss visitors. Clothing and even villagers from friends' towns will begin to show up in your town, and it’s possible to send friends letters and items without going through the gate opening process. It’s a very solid online experience that is bolstered by crystal-clear voice chat with Wii Speak and USB keyboard support for chatting. Ignoring the inescapable friend code system, it’s one of Nintendo’s finest online efforts to date, and it adds a lot of life to the experience. overall Animal Crossing: City Folk is a difficult game to evaluate. It is undeniably a well-made and highly polished game that offers all the interesting activities and character the series is known for. On the other hand, it’s almost identical to past titles in the series, with almost nothing in the way of new features. New players, feel free to add a point or two to the final score. City Folk is great for what it is and absolutely perfect for the uninitiated. Veterans, however, need to ask themselves how excited they are about playing the exact same game a third time. If that seems appealing, then City Folk will be a satisfying purchase. If not, just stick to the DS title. Animal Crossing: City Folk gets away with decent marks this time, but the next title in the series needs to be the leap forward Nintendo is famous for.
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