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New DLC makes Animal Crossing avatars look even more punchable
To celebrate the release of Punch-Out!!, Nintendo is offering a gift to European Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City players on Little Mac's behalf. Is it enough to bring prodigal Crossers back into the Wii game? Well, only those who love headgear. We kind of think the protective boxing equipment looks slightly supervillain-esque, which is a bonus. From now until June 5, Let's Go to the City players who have WiiConnect24 on can get a gift of green boxing headgear just for turning the game on and checking their mail. The headgear will be stuffed into a letter. The item has yet to appear on the North American DLC hub, but we're confident American gamers will be able to protect their avatars' squishy heads soon. [Via N-Europe]
Analyst: Poor Wii Music, Animal Crossing sales stamina to blame for downturn
Wii sales have been the lowest they've ever been in Japan. Is the Japanese public losing interest? Screen Digest analyst Ed Barton told GameBizBlog that the Wii sales downturn is mostly due to the lack of staying power exhibited by Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Music. Barton says that the continued success of Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii only back up his claim. "These are older games that obviously have shown tremendous stamina, but Nintendo always needs to bring out new ways to drive console sales forward, and we just didn't see that with Wii Music and City Folk." Even though both titles sold decently enough (Animal Crossing was one of the region's top 10 selling games in 2008 and Wii Music debuted with 92,000 units sold in its first week), they lacked the necessary sales stamina of Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii. He says that there isn't much hope on the horizon either, despite the imminent release of Monster Hunter 3 on Wii. He warns that trying to transfer the user base from handheld to home console is risky and that the gamble may not pay off for Nintendo. Barton is of the mind that "it won't have the same level of success that it had on the PSP."
Nintendo opens NA Animal Crossing: City Folk DLC hub
North American Animal Crossing fans finally have a place to check for upcoming DLC updates to City Folk. Nintendo has opened an Animal Crossing: City Folk DLC hub site outlining downloadable content and game updates specifically for the NTSC region. A similar site is already available to Japanese gamers. Currently, the hub lists a special "shamrock hat" (available until March 24) delivered to town via a letter with the attached item with special Spring content coming soon. Let's hope that the update also means that North American City Folk will get as much cool content as their Japanese counterparts. [via GoNintendo]
Missouri Police say adults shouldn't play Animal Crossing
Son, turn the game box off and come over here. Now, since you turned 18 your mom and I have been meaning to talk with you about your little habit. No, not the smoking or the drinking. Really, we're fine with all of that. No, what we're concerned about is the time you spend exchanging friend codes with all those people in Animal Crossing: City Folk. We've been talking to Detective Andy Anderson of the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force, who says that he "cannot come up with any legitimate reason that an adult would be playing that particular game." Now, heaven knows what you've been putting in all of those letters and gift boxes, but Anderson told ABC affiliate KMIZ that you, and others like you, are likely playing Animal Crossing and similar games "for the wrong reasons." Sure it's addicting, but it's also evil, so please, son, do us all a favor and put the controller down and go play something more your age. But before you go, tell your mom to put down that galdarned Peggle and bring me a turkey pot pie. I'm glad we had this little chat. [Via Game Politics]
Animal Crossing City Folk for thrifty folk
It's not too often that a major first-party Nintendo release gets a price drop. That makes today's Amazon deal of the day, Animal Crossing: City Folk, somewhat of a novelty. If you thought $50 was too high for what seemed like a minimal content upgrade over Wild World, how does $30 sound? We're guessing it's going to sound pretty good to a lot of people -- enough people that Amazon will run out of stock before the end of the day. As usual, the person who benefits most from this deal is Tom Nook. Sometime within the 5-8 day Free Super Saver Shipping period, Tom Nook is going to find himself with a veritable army of new indentured residents. %Gallery-27704%
Lock up your children: Mr. Resetti may 'disturb' them
FACT: Animal Crossing games would be a lot less awesome without Mr. Resetti. The maddened mole teaches his lessons through tough love, subjecting players to lengthy, unavoidable rants every time they "forget" to save their game. Now, we're willing to admit that our parents contributed in some small way* to our upbringing, but would we be the same, upstanding citizens we are now without the firm intervention of Resetti? No. That's why we were disappointed to hear that the mole now carries his own warning, in case he makes kids burst into floods of tears or something. Madness, we know, but it's all there in black and white, in your Animal Crossing: City Folk manual: "Mr. Resetti's purpose is to teach players the importance of saving. However, parents should be aware that his personality and tone of voice, while intentionally humourous, are authoritative and may be disturbing to young children." Wow, protective, much? * Kidding, obviously, if you're reading, Dad. %Gallery-27704%
Press-only Animal Crossing features N-word [update]
A pre-played version of 2005's Animal Crossing: Wild World for DS, sent out to media outlets to encourage connectivity with the recent Animal Crossing release for Wii, contains at least one shocking addition, reports MTV Multiplayer. Importing the saved data from the DS cartridge sent by Nintendo into Animal Crossing: City Folk introduces a host of changes into the game, including one, suddenly no longer E-rated character, Baabara, who now greets players with: "How are you, Ñ---á?" [edited; original creator added diacritics] To clarify, this generally offensive slang term (preceded by another potentially offensive phrase above it) is not included in the retail release of the game. Rather, whomever Nintendo employed to play the version of Wild World sent to press with all of the game's items unlocked, purposely "trained" the Baabara character to use the term. Further, introducing this kind of offensive content into a new copy of the game, from a stranger via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, is nearly impossible. To import content from another game cartridge over the internet requires two users to first exchange their unique 16-digit codes before they are able to share data. In other words, your kids are safe -- unless they or their "friends" are the creators of such content. What MTV Multiplayer and other outlets have discovered is an isolated matter. Still, since the media serves as a filter through which you receive your news about Nintendo products, Nintendo clearly needs to work harder to prevent the kind of incident highlighted here from happening again. Also, an apology would be nice ... Update: And here's that apology ... "We regret that an offensive phrase was included without our knowledge via a wireless function that allows user-generated catchphrases to spread virally from one game to the next," said Nintendo in a statement sent to us. The company is asking that the 14 affected copies it mailed out to the media be returned. The full statement is posted after the break. [Note: As this post contains sensitive material, this is just a friendly reminder to keep the comments clean -- or face the perma-banhammer. Thank you.]
Metareview -- Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)
Paradoxically, it's the cause of the absolute saddest thing on the internet, but Animal Crossing has also been a source of joy for millions. Judging from the tepid reviews, Animal Crossing: City Folk's biggest problem appears to be not that it's more of the same joy-inducing escapism, but rather that it is the same joy-inducing escapism. 1UP (C): "Somehow, despite two previous time-sucking outings into the open world of Animal Crossing -- each fully preparing me for what to expect in a sequel -- City Folk still rouses some excitement at the prospect of collecting more rare furniture, fossils, and that one elusive bug or fish. But all of this quickly subsides upon your introduction to Tom Nook, everyone's favorite predatory lender. That's when the realization quickly sets in: This is all just the same old routine with extra goodies that do little to change things in any meaningful way." GameDaily (70/100): "Sadly, local co-op isn't an option, the graphics look last generation and we had little fun using the WiiSpeak microphone. If you're a fan of the series, you'll want to move into this City right away. Otherwise, pay a casual visit before you settle down." Games Master UK (80/100): "It's still a great game but fans of the DS version are going to feel short-changed by the lack of imagination in this Wii retread. For everyone who missed out last time, or if you're keen to start such an epic afresh on the TV, this may well be the family game that sends Wii Sports into permanent retirement."
Animal Crossing: City Events
Special events form a crucial part of any Animal Crossing game, giving players dates to look forward to and a chance to gloat about owning the full set of Pascal's ship-themed furniture. Like I just did there. Last month, Nintendo Power revealed Pavé (a peacock who runs the Samba Carnival-esque Festivale), Labelle (the third Able sister), Zipper (a bunny who appears on Easter -- SORRY -- "Bunny Day"), and Phineas (a beaver who turns up randomly to give out pinwheels and balloons), and now Famitsu has shed light on a few old and returning events and their respective characters. The fishing (October to April) and bug-hunting tournaments (June to September) are back, as is the aforementioned hippy otter Pascal and (obviously) Joan the turnip-selling warthog. There's also a comeback for one of the rarer characters in the first Animal Crossing: Wisp the Ghost, a spook that occasionally appeared at night who could be caught in your net, and forced to do your weeding and paint your roof! %Gallery-27704% KK says: buy Animal Crossing: City Folk to visit the city, reach out to friends, and make Iwata cry!
City Folk crossing into central mainstream with new ad
It's easy to hate on the new Animal Crossing: City Folk ad. Gut reaction is that it's not for us, for the real gamers, so clearly, Animal Crossing itself isn't, either. But that isn't the case; if you liked Animal Crossing at all before, you'll probably like it now. So, no, this commercial isn't for us. It's for everyone else, everyone who thinks Animal Crossing might not be for them. And when taken that way, it seems pretty effective to us. %Gallery-27704%
Animal Crossing: Emotional, Spendthrifty Folk
Animal Crossing: City Folk is sticking to the formula laid down by Wild World fairly rigidly, but it's not all a rehash. Some new outlets and characters can be found in the city section next to your village, two of which have been recently showcased in daily videos at City Folk's official Japanese site. The first of these stars Dr. Shrunk, whose dubious comedic talents have finally landed him the big one: a gig at City Folk's Theater. Here, you'll be able to watch the good doctor take to the stage, 'enjoy' his stand-up routine, and hopefully learn a brand new emotion in the process -- as you do. The second video (after the break) covers the Auction House (where you'll be able to offer items for those on your Wii's friend list to bid on), which appears to be manned by a Gyroid. Perhaps they ran out of ideas for new talking animals. %Gallery-27704%
Animal Crossing: City Folk in Creepy Mii Masks
We spent our limited Animal Crossing: City Folk time at E3 messing with the new Mii masks, reducing an effigy of a normally jovial executive to a blubbering mess. Should you want to follow our example, it's quite easy to do! And just a little bit off-putting, as this video of the new salon shows. You just go to the salon, choose the Mii you'd like the mask to resemble, and then ... a giant machine, buzzing and arcing with electricity, clamps down over you and reshapes your head! If you think about it like that, it's a bit weird that the Mii mask blinks and displays emotions. But, then again, you have to earn each emotional display by watching stand-up comedy, so maybe we're already in Weird City. %Gallery-27704%
Joystiq impressions: Animal Crossing: City Folk
Animal Crossing is a one-hit-wonder. You might like it and play it forever, hate it and avoid it completely, or think it was catchy and then just get tired of the tune. Animal Crossing: City Folk does little to change our perception. This is Animal Crossing, again; go fishing, pull weeds, repeat. Some love it, some hate it, and some just want something new. From what we saw at the Nintendo Media Summit, the city is just another place to go. Instead of Tom Nook's shop in your own town, you can buy from an upscale store. Instead of waiting for the fortune teller to visit, you can see her in the city. A few minor additions include a city-based auction house and theater where you see shows. The rest of the updates seem equally subtle. You can play with your Mii face. Up to four players can meet in one of their towns or the city. Gamer can talk over the WiiSpeak microphone (sold separately). You can type messages by plugging in any USB HID keyboard. Otherwise, it's Animal Crossing again. %Gallery-33749%
Animal Crossing boxart warms our cold, cold hearts
Just as Animal Crossing: City Folk won't be abandoning the series' trademark graphics, so the boxart is exactly what you'd expect: a bright, bustling village scene featuring fresh fruit, happy animals, KK strumming out a tune beneath a tree, and Tom Nook waiting to rake in your Bells. A lot of those villagers look familiar to! While a lot of traditional elements are on display, there is a hint of the fresh possibilities afforded by the titular city, and a bright yellow bus to transport us there. Ah, we're excited already! Do you approve, dear reader? %Gallery-27704% [Via Go Nintendo] KK says: buy Animal Crossing: City Folk to visit the city, reach out to friends, and make Iwata cry!
Nintendo introduces the Wii Speak community microphone
During their announcement of Animal Crossing: City Folk at E3, Nintendo announced a new "community microphone" called WiiSpeak -- from the look of it, it sits on your television right on top of the sensor bar, and Nintendo says it'll let you speak with other players around the world. Here's hoping they enable other online activity with the microphone as well. Finally, some Mario Kart voice chat? Yes please!
Animal Crossing: City Folk coming to Wii in 2008
At Nintendo's E3 press conference this morning, the company announced Animal Crossing: City Folk, a new game in the series that will have graphics similar to those of the GameCube version. The game will use the Wii Message Board to allow players to send messages to friends and allow players to put on masks to look like their Miis. It will also support a new community microphone option known as WiiSpeak that will allow you to talk directly to other players around the world. More details as we get them.
Nintendo E3 2008 press conference: Let's play bingo
#bingochart { border: 2px solid #111; border-collapse: collapse; } #bingochart td { padding: 1px 0px 1px 0px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-size: 80%; line-height: 90%; } #bingochart th { padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; margin: 0; } #bingochart a{ filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(opacity=100); -moz-opacity: 1;} #bingochart a:hover { filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(opacity=80); -moz-opacity: 0.80;} DS Lite redesign Mega Man 9 That pesky storage problem More Mario sports DLC A new Wii peripheral Link returns Even more Fit What comes after FFIV? Pikmin, baby, yeah! Dragon Quest IX Layton sequels Fanboys love Reggie New Wii colors Balance Board games Guitar Hero for everyone More language trainers Chrono Trigger Pokémon Platinum DS Novel to US Wii Music Captain Rainbow Spore Creatures Animal Crossing Wii Kid Icarus var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_E3_2008_press_conference_bingo'; In anticipation of next week's E3 Media and Business Summit, we've prepared bingo cards for each of the big press conferences, filled with some likely (and some not-so-likely) predictions for what each of the big three console makers intends to announce at arguably the biggest trade shows of the year.Today's card is for Nintendo (special thanks to Wii and DS Fanboy). Our fingers are crossed twice over (trust us, it's painful) for the no-brainer Pikmin sequel. Click on each of the slides above for more information about our predictions. The folks at NWF and DSF got a little carried away, so check out their full predictions (Wii, DS).Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference begins Tuesday, July 15, at 9:00am PT (that's 12:00 pm Joystiq Time / ET). As always, we'll be liveblogging the event, so you can play along in real-time with us. (Also: check out all our press conference bingo cards, including some for Microsoft and Sony!)Download a copy (PNG file) and play along!
Rumor: Animal Crossing, Punch-Out!! Wii being revealed at E3
The latest issue of Euro mag NGamer has a rumor that both Animal Crossing Wii and Punch-Out!! Wii will be revealed at next week's E3. The mag states (via N-Europe) that Animal Crossing Wii has been done for a while and, although not an MMO, uses Wi-Fi sharing. Punch-Out!! Wii can allegedly use the Wii Fit Balance Board for dodging as an option, while the rest of the gameplay will be similar to Wii Sports boxing or Wii Fit's Rhythm Boxing.Now, this all come from a magazine, which has a lead time, so even if the information is true, who knows if it's still accurate. Although Punch-Out!! Wii is a semi-surprise, let's be honest, Animal Crossing isn't a question of if ... but, when. [Via GoNintendo]
Animal Crossing Wii @ E3 FTW ZOMG ... maybe
Tom West of Official Nintendo Magazine went ahead and stated in his blog that "Animal Crossing Wii wil be unveiled at the conference." Referring to E3, of course. Top brass probably had an issue with this particular choice of words, and the blog entry now reads "everyone is hoping that Animal Crossing Wii will be there." Too late, hot plate! You can't outrun the internet, don't even try.Adding even more fuel to the fire, GAF'ers discovered Nintendo Norway has listed Animal Crossing on its 2008 release list, meaning we see game --> wait a short period of time for game --> buy game. Not a bad sequence of events, don't you think?Our rapid-fire E3 coverage will be starting very soon, so stick around for all the latest on Animal Crossing Wii and other games featuring utopian societies of anthropomorphic creatures.
Animal Crossing and Kirby coming to Japanese Wii in '08
According to Nintendo financial documents, "social networking MMO" Animal Crossing and a new Kirby title will hit the Japanese Wii this year, along with some other notable titles. ShackNews posted the Nintendo financial docs showing that beyond Animal Crossing and Kirby, there is also Wii Music, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Super Mario Stadium Family Baseball, and Everyone's Common Knowledge Television -- that last one sounds like it might stay in Japan. The document also shows that Mario Kart Wii is still expected for the spring in North America and Q2 for Europe, but there isn't much more beyond that at this time. That doesn't mean Nintendo doesn't have something up its sleeve, just that it isn't on this financial document from Nintendo Japan.