Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Developer	Nintendo
Publisher	Nintendo
Release Date	June 9, 2013 NA November 8, 2012JP June 14, 2013 EU June 15, 2013AU
Genre	Life Simulation
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Rating	[ERSB] E [PEGI] 3+ [CERO] A

Contents 1 Background 2 Gameplay 2.1 Controls 2.2 Online 3 Development 4 Impressions 5 Trailers

[edit] Background

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is the upcoming fourth installment in the Animal Crossing series. Information about the game has been released in small doses since the E3 conference of 2010, and AC fans all over the globe have been anxious until the recent announcement of the game's worldwide release frame. It is said that the game will make great use of the new 3D technology and hardware capabilities of the 3DS and will also have improved graphics over the previous handheld installment.

The game released in Japan on November 8, 2012 under the title Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori. This literally translates to "to jump out into the animal forest" which brought about the theorized title "Animal Crossing: Jump Out".

[edit] Gameplay

In this newest installment, players will fill Tortimer's role as mayor. Shizue, a dog character, will serve as the mayor's assistant. Also new to the series is the ability to swim and dive in the ocean. A conceptual map of the new town includes larger bodies of water and islands that are accessible by players. It also depicts model homes, a lengthy shopping mall, a main village, and a beach. Players can dress their characters in marine suits, as well as full-body clothing which includes pants, skirts, socks and shoes.

[edit] Controls

Character movement is controlled by the circle pad only. When paired with the B button, your character will run. The stylus-control functionality has been stripped from the bottom screen due to the map and other miscellaneous tabs having taken place there. Most item interaction/organization is done through the bottom screen. The D-pad serves as a shortcut button for equip-able items (i.e. shovel, net, etc.) and also rotates/zooms the camera depending on location.

[edit] Online

As with the two previous installments, players will be able to connect and share experiences with friends via wi-fi. All that's needed is an exchange of friend codes: the nine-digit number auto-assigned to each system. Once the trade has been made, each recipient is able to visit the others' town via the train station, where they can explore foreign lands, exchange items, play games, and much more. Unfortunately there is no voice chat functionality; players are forced to type on a small keyboard that displays as a pop up on the top screen.

[edit] Development

Prior the release of the 3DS, rumors of the game's development were floating around and eventually confirmed when Animal Crossing 3DS was announced at E3 2010. It was set to be released along with a plethora of other installments of well-known series, but neither an exact nor estimated release date were provided. More information and screenshots were released at the following year's E3 conference and other events including the Tokyo Game Show in late 2011. Nintendo claimed that the game would be out before 2012's fiscal year end, but they failed to deliver. However, they revealed in a recent issue of Nintendo Power Magazine (click the thumbnail to the right) that the estimated time of arrival (ETA) would be Summer 2012 for North America.

On October 25, 2012, Nintendo announced via their monthly Nintendo Direct session that the localized title for North America will be Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Its projected release window would be the first half of 2013 for NA and Q2 for Europe. Australia was excluded. Along with the date, they also showcased the game's official logo for the first time, which surprisingly received a good deal of criticism due to its color inconsistencies and lack of traditional hanging sign. It is believed that both Europe and Australia will retain the North American title and logo but it has not been officially confirmed.

On February 14th 2013, Nintendo finally revealed the most anticipated of details. A release date of June 9th 2013 was set for North America and June 14th for Europe and the UK. A few days later, June 15 was announced for Australia.

[edit] Impressions

"The non-interactive, but real-time, Animal Crossing Demo didn’t answer much else besides proving that 3D works within the Animal Crossing universe. It did more than prove it, too. Animal Crossing’s art was gorgeous on the widescreen 3DS display. As was the case with many other 3DS demos, the 3D wasn’t noticeable – and that’s not a negative. The 3D added real, tangible depth to the on-screen image, the greatest asset of 3D. It fit perfectly. I was forced to quickly jump over to another 3DS demo before Animal Crossing concluded, preventing me from culling anything important from what may be changing in terms of gameplay." - G4TV Website

"But at least you get to see how well the stereoscopic LCD can display the familiar Animal Crossing world. The "rolling log" effect of the game's world is in effect in this version as you watch one of the Animal Crossing humans wander the terrain and bump into the occasional animal -- one of which was a bear that I've never seen before in any of the prior Animal Crossing games, leading me to believe there will actually be new creatures to encounter." - IGN.com Review

"There isn't much gameplay in the short, non-interactive trailer, but one thing is certain: This is the best-looking Animal Crossing yet, surpassing even the Wii version. The camera is zoomed in a lot closer to the main character, and the extra detail on your protagonist and the environment is immediately apparent. The trees look particularly impressive. The bark and leaves look much more vibrant, and the 3D effect when running through a forest is a treat. The inside of a home is just as stunning. You can now rotate the camera to get a look at everything you've collected. The items in the demo home included a model train set and a drinking water bird, and it was fun just to stare at them because they were so detailed." - Gamespot.com Review

[edit] Trailers

• E3 2011

• Oct 2012 Nintendo Direct

• Feb 2013 Nintendo Direct