Animal Crossing (series)

"Animal Crossing", known in Japan as ] [cite web|publisher=GameSpot|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/animalcrossingds/review.html?|title=Animal Crossing: Wild World for DS Review|accessdate=2007-05-17] which has led to the series becoming one of Nintendo's leading franchises. As of March 2007, over 7,000,000 units of games from the "Animal Crossing" series have been sold. [cite web|publisher=The Bell Tree (03-10-07)|url=http://www.the-bell-tree.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1173543357&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2&|title=Animal Crossing in Shigeru Miyamoto's Keynote at GDC|accessdate=2007-05-17]

eries

Games

Gameplay

Despite its ad infinitum nature, the game presents several tasks, including the capture of each fish and insect. Some types of fish and insects are only available during certain parts of the year or at specific times. Both fish and insects can be donated to the museum, kept in the house as a decoration, or sold to shopkeeper Tom Nook for varying amounts, with some, like the Stringfish, fetching prices as high as 15,000 Bells, and others, such as the cockroach, selling for 5 Bells. The game keeps record of which insects and fish the player has caught.

Insects

Capturing insects requires a net, which can be purchased at Tom Nook's store. Most insects can be found during the summer, while very few are available during winter. Most insects can be located either based on the insects' volume and tone of chirping, or through careful inspection of trees and flowers. Some are more difficult, however; pill bugs must be found by using shovels or axes to hit rocks, and bees must be caught before they have the chance to sting the player and leave his/her left eye swollen shut. Ants and cockroaches may be lured by spoiled turnips or Halloween candy left on the ground. Fleas may be caught by swinging the net at another animal when small dots can be seen jumping on them. The player's reward for capturing every type of insect is the golden net, which is larger than the standard net, and a butterfly model for the player's roof.

Fish

Catching fish requires a fishing pole, which is also available for purchase at Tom Nook's store. Ponds, lakes, rivers, and the ocean are available for fishing. Certain fish live only in certain bodies of water, and some fish can only be found in the rain, or at certain times of the day and year. The player's reward for capturing every type of fish is the golden fishing rod, which causes fish to stay on the line longer (making it easier to catch fish) along with a fish-shaped weather vane for their house.

Fossils

The player must use a shovel, purchased from Tom Nook's store, to dig up fossils. Initially, fossils unearthed are unidentified. In "Animal Crossing", the player must send by mail to the Farway Museum to identify the fossil; in "Animal Crossing: Wild World", the player instead asks the curator, Blathers, to identify it. Once identified, fossils can be sold to Tom Nook, donated to the museum, or displayed in the player's house.

Gyroids

Gyroids in "Animal Crossing" resemble clay figures, and are found in the ground, usually after it has rained in the game. In the Japanese version of the game, "gyroids" are called haniwa, after a kind of archaeological artifact native to Japan. Gyroids make various sounds at intervals determined by the music the player has chosen to play in his or her house. In the Nintendo GameCube version of the game, a player can sell items, save his/her progress, and perform other actions via a gyroid stationed at the player's house.

Pitfalls

Pitfalls are an item that, upon burial, cause all who step over them to fall into pits where they were buried. Pitfalls can be obtained by talking to villagers, digging them up, or looking in the lost and found (located at the Police Station in "Animal Crossing" and with gatekeeper Booker in "Wild World"). In "Animal Crossing", non-villager NPCs are not affected by pitfalls. The name of the item was changed from "Pitfall" to "Pitfall seed" in "Animal Crossing: Wild World".

On July 31 2007 the Pitfall item was announced on the Smash Bros. DOJO website as a usable item in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl". [ [http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/items/item06.html Smash Bros. DOJO!! ] ] When used, it temporarily traps the one hit by it to be trapped in a pit just like in the game. However, it only traps the one hit if they are in contact with the ground, otherwise it functions as a throwing weapon that causes the victim to rapidly descend to the ground upon impact.

Balloons

Occasionally, a balloon will float by the player in the air, carrying along a present for the player. In "Animal Crossing", the player must follow the drifting present until it gets caught in a tree. In "Wild World", they can use a slingshot purchased from Tom Nook's store to pop it.

Axes

Players can purchase an axe to cut down unwanted trees, but the axe will eventually break after enough uses. A golden axe is awarded to players in "Animal Crossing" who beautify the town by following the Wishing Well's instructions consistently long enough. In "Wild World", however, the player must do the "red turnip trade" and follow a series of other trades with other special visitors such as K.K. Slider, Saharah, Tom Nook, Crazy Redd, and Pascal to obtain the Golden Axe.

Patterns (made by player)

Players may design patterns at the village tailor shop, the Able Sisters, run by sister hedgehogs, Mabel and Sable Able, at a cost of 350 Bells. These patterns can be used for wallpaper, flooring, umbrellas, and shirts; in "Animal Crossing", the player can use the pattern on the door of his/her house. Players can also use the Game Boy Advance, hooked up to the Nintendo GameCube with a GCN-GBA link cable, to design for free. After a player designs patterns, they can put up to eight of them on display at the tailor shop: four as shirts, and four as umbrellas. In "Animal Crossing: Wild World", all eight patterns are displayed as shirts. Displaying patterns other villagers to wear them. If players put up signs of those patterns around town, they become more popular. Mabel tells the player the most popular shirt and umbrella patterns if asked.Also in wild world, there are 8 starter designs on display in the Able sisters. You can trade your designs with those. If you notice, all of them are made by players in a town called Treehill. It is rumored that Treehill is west of the Boondoxians.

Headgear

If the player's character is a boy, then he wears a stereotypical Viking-styled hat. If the player's character is a girl, then she wears a cone-styled hat. In "Wild World", there are several different shapes of hats available, but players can also go "hatless" and choose a hairstyle in the hair salon at Nookington's.

Happy Room Academy

Once a player finishes Tom Nook's chores, the Happy Room Academy ("HRA") will begin judging the interior design of the player's house occasionally (every other day in "Animal Crossing" and every Sunday in "Animal Crossing: Wild World"). If the player has changed their interior since the previous inspection, the HRA will send the player a letter informing them of their rating. The HRA judges the first and second floors of a player's house, according to a point system. Upon earning certain numbers of points, the player will receive prizes.

hopping

In "Animal Crossing", the primary method of obtaining new items is by purchasing them from Tom Nook's shop. When players begin their adventure, the store is an understocked, tiny building, resembling a log cabin, called Nook's Cranny. As players progress through the game, Tom Nook expands his store at intervals, making it larger and increasing the daily inventory.

Thousands of bells must be spent at each interval for Nook to upgrade his shop. Eventually, a department store is opened, called Nookington's, staffed by Nook and young twin raccoons named Tommy and Timmy.

At the end of every month in "Animal Crossing", Nook runs a raffle, which players can enter by handing over five raffle tickets, won by buying furniture, wallpaper, flooring, clothes, and umbrellas over the course of the month. Items cannot be purchased or sold on Raffle Day. Tickets for a particular month must be used in that month, but of any year; e.g. a set of April tickets obtained in 2006 cannot be used in May 2006, but can be used in April 2007.

Feng Shui

Certain furniture items in the game have the properties of Feng Shui. If certain colored items are placed on specific sides of the player's house, the player will have an increased chance of finding rare items, Bells, or both. The use of Feng Shui will also result in a higher Happy Room Academy score. Other items, such as trophies and items received on holidays, will provide good luck in money and items regardless of placement or color.

Characters

Tom Nook

Tom Nook is a tanuki (racoon) who owns the general store in the town. When the player's character first arrives in town, he will sell the player a house. Because the player does not have enough money, Tom Nook lets the player mortgage the house. Each time the player pays off their debt, Nook expands their house by expanding the size of the main floor or adding another floor. When the player's character fully pays off its last debt, Nook gives them a commemorative golden statue placed in front of the train station. During this process he will also upgrade and expand his store multiple times, until it becomes a department store (with two tanuki assistants). The player can perform various functions at his store including buying and selling items, browsing through their personal catalog of previously purchased goods, or entering secret codes.

Tortimer

Tortimer is a elderly tortoise, and mayor of the town. When the player first meets him he introduces himself, and later asks the player's opinion about where he should construct a new bridge. If the player talks to him on holidays, where he is usually near the Wishing Well, he gives the player gifts related to that holiday.

Resetti

Resetti is a mole who appears every time the game is played after the player resets the GameCube, immediately appearing outside their character's house, and scolds them for doing so. If the player keeps resetting, Resetti threatens to, but never does, delete their town.

Porter

Porter is a monkey who works at the train station, and will help the player take a trip to other towns.

Officer Copper

Officer Copper is the head dog of the Police Station. He stands outside the Police Station and tells the player of upcoming news or the location of visitors in your town. On summer mornings, he hosts a morning workout regime.

Officer Booker

Officer Booker [Bulldog] is the secondary officer of the Police Station. He is in charge of the interior of the police station and the lost and found department.

Pelly

Pelly is a female Pelican that works in the Post Office in the daytime. Throughout the game there are references to an alleged relationship with Pete, the mailman, including certain female villagers gossiping when you talk to them and Pelly trying to "fool" you on April Fools' Day.

Phyllis

Phyllis is a female Pelican who works in the Post Office at night. She often complains and insults the player. If the player has a bank account she will sometimes trick them by overstating the amount of Bells in their account.

Pete

Pete is a male pelican who delivers the town's mail twice a day. His conversation often revolves around drama about his relationships with his co-workers. You may speak to him briefly outside the Bulletin Board in your home Acre at 9:00 and 17:00

Mabel and Sable

Mable and Sable are porcupine sisters who run a tailoring store. Sable is less friendly, but will eventually warm up to the player's character the more they talk to her, and the more designs they make or take from their store. After she befriends the player she will tell them more about her and her sister's past.

Crazy Redd

Crazy Redd is a fox who owns a black market tent, selling furniture. His items sometimes consist of Nintendo items like the Triforce and Master Sword. Some of Crazy Redd's items are highly rare, but many can be found in Nook's store for a much cheaper price.

ahara

Sahara is a traveling camel who occasionally comes to town to sell rare carpets. She asks for a "trade-off", which involves trading a carpet the player owns, plus a fee, for one of hers. Most of her items are very expensive and she becomes saddened and leaves if the player refuses to buy from her.

Gracie

Gracie is a giraffe who appears every Saturday. When spoken to, she gives the player the option to play a mini-game to wash her car as fast as possible. If the player does a respectable job cleaning her car, Gracie will give them an item of clothing. If done well, they will receive an exclusive Gracie brand item not available anywhere else.

Blanca

Blanca is a white cat who occasionally appears on the train. Every time she appears the player is given the option to draw her face on a pixelated grid, with her explanation being that she lost it.

Rover

Rover is the blue and white cat you meet at the start of the game. He asks to sit down next to you on the train and depending on how you answer his questions your face and gender is determined, along with you choosing your name and the town name. When visiting another town you may meet him again.

K.K. Slider (Totakeke)

K.K. Slider, the singing dog who is actually named Totakeke appears outside the train station every Saturday night at 8pm. You can request a song or get him to play a random one and if you have space in your inventory he will give you a "aircheck" to play on a music player at your house.

Kapp'n

Kapp'n is a old sea turtle (Kappa) that will ride you to Animal Island if a Gameboy Advance is connected to the gamecube. He sings Sea Shanty's and if you're a female player, he will hit on you.

Jingle

Jingle is a reindeer who walks around town on Christmas Eve to give gifts to "nice" inhabitants. He refers to himself as "Jingle the Black Nose Reindeer".

References in "Super Smash Bros."

Due to the popularity of the series, Animal Crossing characters and items have made many appearances in the latter two entries of Nintendo's "Super Smash Bros." series.

In "Super Smash Bros. Melee", Mr. Resetti, Tom Nook, and K.K. Slider all appear as trophies players can collect within the game. Because the game predated the release of the Gamecube iteration of the series (the first one to be released in North America), their first appearances are listed as "Future Release". Also, K.K. Slider's trophy's name is translated directly as his Japanese name Totakeke.

The series has more significant cameos in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl". Included in "Brawl" are an item (the Pitfall, described above), several trophies (including ones for Redd, Sahara, Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy, Pelly and Phyllis), an assist trophy (Mr. Resetti), and a stage ("Smashville"). The time of day and scenery for the stage is determined by the Wii's internal clock in a similar fashion to the "Animal Crossing" games. Special events also occur during a specific time and date the stage is played; at 8pm on Saturdays, K.K. Slider will appear and host a guitar performance. The stage is influenced by "". [ [http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/stages/stage06.html Smash Bros. DOJO!! ] ] Several songs from "Animal Crossing: Wild World" play on this stage. [ [http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/music/music07.html Smash Bros. DOJO!! ] ] [ [http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/gamemode/various/various18.html Smash Bros. DOJO!! ] ]

References