', known as ' or ' ( in Japan, is a video game franchise developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development . After release in Japan, the game was improved upon and released in the United States on 15 September 2002, later being made a Player's Choice game. The game utilizes the GameCube's internal clock to create a persistent world .
Because of its complexity, the game takes up an entire 59 block memory card. If bought new, it comes with a memory card with an sticker already on it.
In Japan, was released for the Nintendo 64 on 14 April 2001, and a new edition of the game, called , was released for the GameCube in December of the same year. Another new edition of the game, , was released on 27 June 2003. Only Japan saw a Nintendo 64 release.
Gameplay
has been dubbed a "communication game" by Nintendo. It is an open-ended game with no plot, where a player can live a separate life with no preset plot or mandatory tasks. There are, however, certain goals to achieve to which players will be naturally drawn. The game observes time like society does, observing days, weeks, months, and even years; using the Gamecube's internal clock to be consistent with real time. Since the game follows real-life time trends, there are many actual events and holidays spanning the year. One featured holiday is Halloween, where the only point of the holiday for the main character is to find Jack and get a present from him, avoiding villagers who demand candy.
House improvements
The most obvious goal is to expand the size of the player's house. This house is the repository for furniture and other items bought or acquired during the course of the game, giving this goal a strong motivation.
Tom Nook, a tanuki who runs the local store, gives the player his first house and a debt of 19,800 Bells (the game's currency, which also appears in ) along with it. This house is small and is furnished with wallpaper, carpeting, a box, a journal, and a radio. Part of the debt is paid off as the player works for Tom Nook. Upon paying off the entire debt, Tom Nook offers to expand the house. If the player accepts, the house is enlarged overnight for 148,000 Bells. If the player doesn't, he still expands the house; claiming that the player will need the space. Upon paying this new debt off, Tom Nook gives the player the option of having the house expanded again for 398,000 Bells or having a basement built for 49,800 Bells. After the player chooses one and pays back the debt, Tom Nook then offers to complete the other. The last addition to the house is the installation of a second floor. Upon paying back the 798,000 Bells for this last expansion, Tom Nook builds a statue of the player in front of the train station.
Tom Nook is more than willing to sell furniture and other items to fill a house, no matter what size, but there are many other ways to acquire furnishings. A trip to the junkyard may yield items that were unwanted by someone else and can be had for free. The police station has a lost and found department run by Officer Booker, who will allow anyone to claim any item (any item discarded outdoors by any player may end up here). Other villagers that live nearby almost always need favors and will reward the player with clothing or furniture or even Bells for helping. However, some villagers will take items or Bells from you, often as part of a game that they insist on playing. The other way to contain furniture is to shake a tree in your village and a piece of furniture will fall out if you shake the right one.
Villagers
The village initially contains a handful of villagers, and others will move in or out depending on the player's actions. All of the villagers are animals, hence the game's name, and each has their own small home the player can visit. There are many interactions a player can have with the villagers, including talking with them, trading furniture and other objects, completing tasks for rewards, and writing letters to them. Villagers will also interact with each other.
If the player doesn't interact with individual villagers on a regular basis, they are likely to leave the village. The village also has a level of "attractiveness" depending on certain parameters that are never explicity described to the player, but are hinted at by a spirit living in the village fountain. A high attractiveness will draw new animals to live in the village, while a low attraciveness will make existing villagers likely to move out.
Fish and insects
maintains a list of all fish and insects caught by the player. Some types of fish and insects are only available during certain parts of the year or at specific times. A complete roster of fish and insects is never available to the randomly generated town that the player enters upon starting the game, necessitating visits to other players' towns to complete catching all possible fish/insects (gathering a complete collection of fruit/fossils/paintings/furniture, etc. may also require visiting other players' towns).
Capturing insects requires a net, which can be purchased at Tom Nook's store. Most insects can be found during the summer, and very few are available during winter. Most insects are found by walking around and listening to the loudness of an insect's chirping, or looking at trees or flowers, but some take more dedication. Pill bugs must be found by examining rocks, and it is quite difficult to capture a bee before it has the chance to sting. Ants and roaches may be lured by spoiled turnips or candy. The mole cricket can only be found by listening for its distinctive sound and attempting to dig it up. The player's reward for capturing every type of insect is the golden net, which is larger than the standard net, and a butterfly picture for the player's roof.
Catching fish requires a pole, which is also available for purchase at Tom Nook's store. There are ponds, lakes, rivers, and the ocean available for fishing. Certain fish live only in certain bodies of water, and some fish can only be found while it is raining. The player's reward for capturing every type of fish is the golden rod, which causes fish to stay on the line longer and makes it easier to catch fish, and a vane shaped like a fish for the player's house.
Nintendo Entertainment System games
Nearly two dozen NES games are available to collect in . is packaged with a memory card that gives the player two to begin with, and others are acquired in various ways. The games available include:
* Soccer
* Clu Clu Land D
* Punch-Out!!
* Wario's Woods
* Baseball
* Pinball
* Golf
* Balloon Fight
* Tennis
* Donkey Kong
* Donkey Kong Jr.
* Donkey Kong Jr. Math
* Donkey Kong 3
* Excitebike
There are four NES games often referred to as the "Forbidden Four" that can only be had by using an Action Replay cheat device or an e-Reader . and are available through both, while and are only available by using an Action Replay. The newer, Mike Tyson-free version of is also available by way of Action Replay.
Museum
A player may choose to visit the local museum , but will not find much there initially. The museum has rooms to house fish, insects, paintings, and fossils, but relies on the player to complete the exhibits by making donations to Blathers, the owl curator . The fish and insect rooms can be filled by catching specimens to donate. Paintings are found like other furniture. Fossils can be dug up, but must be mailed off for identification before donation.
Pattern design
You can also design patterns in a store in the bottom layer of the village, named the Able Sisters, but at a cost of 350 Bells. These patterns can be used for wallpaper, umbrellas and shirts. You can also use the Game Boy Advance , hooked up to the GameCube with a GBA-GC link cable to design for free.
Happy Room Academy
The Happy Room Academy ("HRA") rates every part of the player's house, except the basement that the player can have built, based on a point system. Each day (Depending if the player changed their interior the previous day), they will send the player a letter informing him or her of the amount of points earned. The HRA will deduct points for the following:
*If the player mixes different themes or series on the first floor.
*If the player puts furniture that has a use against a wall or in a place that is inaccessible.
*If the player puts objects like raffle tickets, tools, or trash on the ground.
The HRA will add points for the following:
*If the player completes a furniture series, theme, or set.
*If the wallpaper or carpet matches the series or theme.
*If the player has the complete necessities of life from a same or different series.
*If the player has valuable objects within his home.
Upon earning a certain number of points, two different furniture pieces from the town model set will be received.
Each gyroid in the player's house adds 825 points to the HRA score.
Feng Shui
In , some items have Feng Shui properties. If the player places the item that corresponds to that color in the certain part of the room, he or she will receive a benefit.
*Orange items are placed in the north side of the house, green items in the south, and yellow items in the west. All sides give the player good luck in money and items.
*Red items are placed in the east side of the house and they give the player good luck in items.
Secrets
The time of day in is determined by an in-game clock that is coordinated with the GameCube's internal clock. This in-game clock can be changed by hours, days, or even years to whatever date and time the player wishes. This is often used to visit important dates and holidays to acquire special items or accomplish specific tasks. Because a few weeds pop up in the village every day, one side effect of time travel is an overgrowth of weeds, lowering the village's attractiveness.
One randomly chosen rock in the village will spout money for every time it is hit by either your shovel or axe. This can only be done once a day. To find it the player must keep searching for the rocks and hitting them as he or she comes across them. It is a good idea to dig a hole behind your characters to hold them in place as they will naturally be pushed back by the force of the shovel/axe hitting the solid rock.The rock can be hit several times in a row,at the last one you will hear a sound.
Certain songs such as can only be accessed by specifically requesting K.K. to play them.
Around Christmas, villagers will start to make igloos around town. Sometimes villagers will make bets with you. If a villager asks you to pick a bag and you can buy the item inside, sometimes you can get a item called "DUMMY". It is a white triangle that has japanese writing on it. It can only be obtained in this manner and it counts as furniture. The HRA score for "DUMMY" is not yet determined.
Multiplayer
There are main types of multiplayer gameplay in .
In the first, up to four players can create their own houses in a single village. No two players can play at the same time, but by taking turns they can each affect the village in their own ways, communicate with each other via the town board and mail, and share in the experiences of the village.
In the second, by connecting two memory cards with save data to a GameCube, a player can use his or her character to visit another player's village. Because no two villages are exactly alike, this allows players to visit different villagers and collect more items.
In the third, two players can play NES game together. All that this requires is two controls and an compatible NES game (keep in mind that not of the NES games have the two-player option). Once the controls are in just select the NES game you want to play and press the "A" button. Once the game is started select the two-player option and you're set.
A fourth, minor type of multiplayer play consists of trading items with another player using a system of codes. By specifying the name of another player and the name of their village, a player can "trade" an item, generating a code which the other player can input to retrieve the item.
Item Trading
Animal Crossing features a popular Offline Item Send & Recieve feature. Through the use of passwords customised by Player and Town name,players can transfer certain items to each other.
It is also possible to get special gifts from Nintendo with special Universal Passwords.
Important Figures in the Village
* Tom Nook the shopkeeper.
*Tommy and Timmy, who work at Tom Nook's shop when it is Nookington's department store .
*Tortimer, the mayor .
*Officer Copper, who keeps an eye out on the village by telling the player about special guests before they arrive and when you visit another village you could get a map from him. He also teaches aerobics for the sports fairs and from July 25 to August 31 from 6 AM to 7 AM.
*Officer Booker, who is in charge of lost items.
*Pelly, the friendly daytime (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM) clerk of the post office.
*Phyllis, the grumpy nighttime (7:00 PM to 7:00 AM) clerk of the post office.
*Pete, the mail delivery pelican. At 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, the player can talk to him in front of the town bulletin board.
*Blathers, the museum curator.
*Kapp'n, the kappa (mythical creature)/kappa who operates the boat to the island.
*Sable and Mabel, owner of the Able Sisters tailor shop.
*Sow Joan, who comes around every Sunday morning to sell turnips , which can be sold to Tom Nook for more or less than the player paid. (Turnip speculation is one of the most profitable ways to make money in .)
* K.K. Slider (Totakeke), who comes around every Saturday night to play music in front of the train station. The player can have him play for him or her. They can also request any one of his 55 songs.
*Gulliver, a seagull who washes up on shore once a week and gives the player an item, usually a model of a item from a foreign country.
*Crazy Redd, a fox, owner of the black market which comes around town occasionally. He usually sells things one can find at Tom Nook 's shop, but has rare items for sale once in a while.
*Wendell, a hungry walrus who gives out rare wallpaper if the player gives him a fish .
*Gracie, a giraffe who is known for fashion. If the player cleans her car well, he or she can receive a rare piece of clothing.
*Saharah, a camel who sells rare carpets.
*Katrina, a fortune teller who gives readings for the price of 50 Bells. The readings have 24-hour effects, such as love (animals of the opposite gender will fall in love with the player) or bad luck (the player will trip and fall occasionally while walking).
*Wisp, a ghost who comes out during the night from 12 AM to 4 AM. He gives the player furniture , gets rid of all the weeds in the player's village, or repaints the roof of the player's house.
*Mr. Resetti, a mole who comes if the player resets and tells him or her to refrain from resetting. He is also the town "groundhog," who is used during the Groundhog Day festivities.
*Don Resetti, Mr. Resetti's brother. He is calmer than his brother and appears after you reset a few times. Like his brother, he wears a hardhat and holds a pick-axe.
*Chip, the beaver who hosts the summer and fall fishing tourneys.
*The villagers, ranging from a wide variety of animal species and personality types. For male animals, there are three, generally described as "jock," "sleepy," and "grumpy," and for female animals, there are also three, generally described as "nice," "hyper," and "snobby."
Using the Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance plays a major role in . To link the two, one needs a Game Boy Advance- GameCube cable.
The island
When the two systems are linked, Kapp'n can be found at the dock and will row the player to the island, where a villager has taken up residence. The player can give the villager items in return for money and other commodities. Also on the island are coconut trees, and this is the only place they can be found. It is always summer on the island, and only summer fish and insects can be caught there. When the player leaves the island, he or she can choose the option of transferring the island to his or her Game Boy Advance and interact with the islander as a minigame for in-game rewards.
e-Reader compatibility
is compatible with the e-Reader . One can use e-Reader cards to get new items, including NES games, a new town tune, or a shirt design.
Other Animal Crossing Games
Animal Forest e+
This game is an improved version of , adding many features from the English version, , and some new features found only in this version. Some of the new features include:
*New town monuments, fish, insects, and villagers.
*The ability to hold flowers.
*Villager's tasks have been re-designed.
*Medicine which can cure bee stings, or can be given to ill villagers.
*New furniture and themes.
*The ability to use Animal Forest + (Doubutsu no mori +) and Animal Forest e+ (Doubutsu no mori e+) e-cards at the Wishing Well to control which villagers appear in the town.
*The ability to shop at night.
*A way to visit Mr. Resetti.
Upcoming Animal Crossing games
Two future games have been announced by Nintendo:
* for the Nintendo DS is scheduled for North American release on December 5, 2005.
*An untitled game in development for the Nintendo Revolution .
Trivia
*One of the rarest fish in the game, the coelacanth , is also one of the rarest fish on Earth .
*Three game trophies are available in : Tom Nook, Totakeke, and Mr. Resetti. The characters were listed as being from a future release, as was released before in the United States.
*Because the game file is very small, the entire game is loaded into memory from the very start of the game. One can open the disc cover and take out the disc while playing the game without experiencing any gameplay issues.
*The European release was significantly delayed. Translation issues are one reason for the delays, as was translated into 7 additional languages. Nintendo later promised Europe that "we are not going to be two years late, as we were with Animal Crossing on GameCube, on any other products*There is absolutely no connection between these games and the anime and manga series Animal Yokocho , althought the title "Animal Crossing" was used for that series in some early English-languages articles.
