Bits and pieces coming in about Animal Crossing: City Folk—which I'd previously sworn not to buy on account of it looking like the same game, yet again—suggest that this sequel might actually have some interesting features to it, and ones that go above and beyond the paltry few we heard about at E3, like the revolting Mii-face "mask".
The auction house is explained in a little more detail in the latest issue of Nintendo Power. It allows you to put up your items for sale so other players can buy them. It's suggested that this feature works with your Wii Friends. A feature that works with the online service more generally is the Happy Room Academy showroom, which shows off rooms that have received high scores the world over.
In-game photography—which was last seen only in Japanese versions of the game—reappears here, and you'll even be able to bring photos from the game to your computer via an SD card. Series head Eguchi says Nintendo is looking at bringing 100% free downloadable content to the game, including furniture, wallpaper, and flooring, as well as brand-new stuff (not just on-disc unlockables). If that's not enough, in an Edge interview he notes that you'll be able to separately design the front, back and sleeves of your clothing and have a similar level of customization for hats.
Finally, the game marks the return of a bunch of the more popular holidays from the GameCube release (like Jingle), and adds more events with associated visiting characters, such as Bunny Day and a carnival. It sounds like these might help bring back some of the charm that was absent a bit from Wild World... or, at least, so we can hope.
The auction house is explained in a little more detail in the latest issue of Nintendo Power. It allows you to put up your items for sale so other players can buy them. It's suggested that this feature works with your Wii Friends. A feature that works with the online service more generally is the Happy Room Academy showroom, which shows off rooms that have received high scores the world over.
In-game photography—which was last seen only in Japanese versions of the game—reappears here, and you'll even be able to bring photos from the game to your computer via an SD card. Series head Eguchi says Nintendo is looking at bringing 100% free downloadable content to the game, including furniture, wallpaper, and flooring, as well as brand-new stuff (not just on-disc unlockables). If that's not enough, in an Edge interview he notes that you'll be able to separately design the front, back and sleeves of your clothing and have a similar level of customization for hats.
Finally, the game marks the return of a bunch of the more popular holidays from the GameCube release (like Jingle), and adds more events with associated visiting characters, such as Bunny Day and a carnival. It sounds like these might help bring back some of the charm that was absent a bit from Wild World... or, at least, so we can hope.