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Animal Crossing: City Folk

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7.9 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 50 critic reviews
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Based on 42 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Genre(s): Simulation

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: November 16, 2008

Summary

(Also known as "Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City") If life were an endless vacation, what would you do? Go fishing, collect shells or watch fireworks with friends? Build a snowman, exchange presents with family or decorate your house for the holidays? Take a trip to the city, go on a shopping spree or visit friends from all over the globe? In Animal Crossing: City Folk, life moves at a relaxed pace, but the world brims with endless possibilities. There's always something new to do. In the living, breathing world of Animal Crossing: City Folk, days and seasons pass in real time, so there’s always something to discover. Catch fireflies in the summer, go trick-or-treating on Halloween or hunt for eggs on Bunny Day. If you're in the mood for something a little faster paced, take a bus to a new urban city area that’s unique to Animal Crossing: City Folk. There you can catch a show at the theater or check out the sales at Gracie's boutique. But if you don't show your face back home for too long, your neighbors will miss you. Up to four people from your household can live and work together to build the perfect town. Design clothes and patterns, write letters and post messages on the bulletin board for each other, or invite up to three friends to visit your town using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With the new WiiSpeak microphone, it's like you’re all in the same room. The microphone sits atop the sensor bar and picks up the conversation of everyone in the room to encourage a more inclusive experience. [Nintendo]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Animal Crossing Animal Crossing: Wild World

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Kotaku Review Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Gameplayer

The feeling of progression and development is a great draw as well.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Not so much a sequel as the Cube version with new features, but still essential for anyone happy to start again.

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n-Revolution Magazine UK

A lovely game for the right people. It may not appeal to more hardcore gamers, but for anyone else it’s excellent.

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Cheat Code Central

Animal Crossing: City Folk is one of the most charming and entertaining life sims out there, with lots to explore and experience.

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Destructoid

It may not be the re-boot that non-fans (and ex-fans) of Animal Crossing were looking for, but City Folk is the ultimate entry in the ultimate series about goofing off. For that alone, it deserves an...

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Game Revolution

Although it offers a plethora of ways to interact, it is ultimately limited by the friend codes feature. Luckily, you can have fun all by yourself with this one.

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N-Europe

A great game at heart, newcomers should pick it up immediately, others proceed with caution.

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IGN UK

Even if you've worked your way through previous iterations, it's as compulsively addictive as always although its easy to resent the familiarity of it all.

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Games Master UK

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.

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Nintendo Power

New player or returning fan, young or old, casual or hardcore, Animal Crossing: City Folk could very well become your new obsession. [Holiday 2008, p.76]

G4 TV

If you’re interested in the authentic Animal Crossing experience, you can pick up the original for about twelve dollars now. If you don’t care about being an uber-Animal Crossing nerd, you will find a tremendous amount of enjoyment in this one as well.

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VideoGamer

It's hard to be down on a game that, when judged on its own merits, is great fun and addictive, but it's equally hard to look past the fact that this is essentially the same game we've been playing since it belatedly arrived on the GameCube.

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NGamer UK

Only the stony-hearted would fail to appreciate at least some of this game. [Jan 2009, p.48]

Pelit (Finland)

A good and mildly addictive virtual-life experience. It's an acquired taste, though. [Feb 2009]

Deeko

All in all, it is still enjoyable but could have been so much more. If you enjoyed the previous two installments, or you just like these lazy simulator games, I definitely recommend this game.

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Wii Brasil

Whoever did not play Wild World, try this one. But anyone who already has the DS version must seriously think about it before buying Animal Crossing: City Folk. Any doubts? Stay with the DS version.

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Gamer 2.0

However, this is a solid entry for gamers that have yet to indulge in the Animal Crossing experience.

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Game Informer

Times change, and games must change with them. Animal Crossing, while still a charming and often engaging experience, seems stuck somewhere in the last generation of gaming.

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DailyGame

It's just more of the same, which is a big missed opportunity for Nintendo. Once the novelty of Wii Speak wears off, there isn't any incentive to continue.

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GameSpot

City Folk offers more of the same Animal Crossing gameplay that you know and love, with the emphasis on "same."

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IGN

After putting literally weeks and months into playing both the GameCube original and the Nintendo DS sequel, it was very disappointing to see that, after putting nearly two weeks into Animal Crossing: City Folk that very little effort went into the design beyond porting and enhancing the Nintendo DS game.

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3DJuegos

Animal Crossing: City Folk is a conservative videogame especially recomended for people who never have lived in the Nintendo's animals town. Everybody else should value if the lack of novelties are not enough to avoid a new mortgage in Wii.

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Kombo

Animal Crossing: City Folk is not a bad game, and is in fact a very good game. The only problem is, it's ultimately the same game as before, and to a greater degree than any Mega Man sequel ever was.

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Meristation

We can define Animal Crossing with "déjà vu". This title is almost identical to the Nintendo DS version, there are only minor changes, so nobody who played Wild World will find anything new in Let's Go to the City. But it's Animal Crossing, so it's a good game for all kind of players with dozens of objects to collect and lots of friends to meet.

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GameShark

If I may put my series-wide disappointments aside, Animal Crossing: City Folk is still a superb title that should be picked up by everyone who has yet to play an Animal Crossing game.

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Gameplanet

An excellent choice for newcomers to the series; for long-time fans it's a bit like watching a remake of your favourite classic movie: predictable, with no major surprises in store... but certainly no less enjoyable than the original.

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GamingXP

As this game rocked on GameCube, it rocks on the Wii nowadays.

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GameFocus

If you’ve played any version of Animal Crossing before, your love of the series will pretty much be the deciding factor on whether or not you’re going to pick this up. Online is a nice feature, but when the game is almost the exact same as the previous two versions, it’s time to try something new.

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Da Gameboyz

There is no doubt that Animal Crossing: City Folk is a good game, however it is only good for those that have never played the past games before.

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GameTrailers

It’s been three years since the previous Animal Crossing on the DS, but City Folk is virtually identical and costs $20 more.

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Gamervision

But no matter how enjoyable it might be, the fact remains that Animal Crossing: City Folk is a sloppy, lazy port of a Nintendo DS title to the Wii.

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GameDaily

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.

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Edge Magazine

City Folk is effectively Wild World 2.0, allowing players of the DS game to migrate to Wii and continue pottering aimlessly around their mature towns, bringing their possessions and neighbours with them. [Christmas 2008, p.97]

GamePro

New arrivals will probably enjoy the multitude of activities in Animal Crossing: City Folk, but long-time residents won't find much to keep them from moving out.

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NintendoWorldReport

There are several extremely frustrating issues with this incarnation of Animal Crossing. That said, what was written in the beginning of this review still holds true: the core game is still extremely charming.

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LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Cute time eater brings all the same fun and experience as previous GameCube and DS versions but nothing more. Remake it is... [Issue#173]

Nintendojo

Animal Crossing: City Folk is a difficult game to evaluate. It is undeniably a well-made and highly polished game that offers all the interesting activities and character the series is known for. On the other hand, it’s almost identical to past titles in the series, with almost nothing in the way of new features.

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Gamer.nl

Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City can be judged in two ways. For gamers that are new to the series and for the experienced Animal Crossing gamer. For the first group Animal Crossing is a must buy if you own a Wii. For the second group the game will be one big déjà-vu. The game offers very few new and innovative elements in comparison to it's predecessor, but comes with a very strong game concept. Having this said, gamers that never played an Animal Crossing game can easily add one point to its grade.

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InsideGamer.nl

Let’s Go to the City recycles so much from earlier games in the series, it’s hardly worth calling it a new game. This shouldn’t be a problem for first time-players, but fans of the Animal Crossing-series can easily pop in their old disc for a flashback to 2004. The only thing they’ll miss is the addition of Wii Speak, which even comes at a price.

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Play.tm

The basic gameplay appeal lives on in City Folk, but Nintendo's laziness is there for all to see.

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Worth Playing

Overall, Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii seems like it should have been held back until more work was done on it. The transfer to the Wii didn't add enough polish to justify a purchase in my eyes, so those who really want the Animal Crossing experience can go get the GameCube version for a steal and not really miss very much at all.

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Giant Bomb

If you've never played an Animal Crossing game before, you'll probably love its charm and get lost in all the different tasks you can perform. And if you've stayed away from the series for any serious length of time, you'll probably still be able to enjoy yourself. But the formula hasn't changed, and for a lot of repeat players, it'll probably wear thin quickly.

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games(TM)

Rumours of am MMO Animal Crossing and even a dedicated Wii Channel had got us very excited about the sequel, but the reality comes as a crushing disappointment. [Jan 2009, p.100]

Thunderbolt

There simply isn’t enough of anything new and revolutionary to warrant years of dedicated play filling the same catalogues of collectables and earning awards that no-one except yourself will ever care about.

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Level7.nu

The third iteration of this lovable franchise makes it's way to the Wii, but not much has happened since the days on the Gamecube. There are few new features or content to be exited about this time around, but if you liked the previous games this is more of the same.

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Cubed3

Animal Crossing: Wild World is a good entry to the series for newer players; there's the same charm and simple fun that has drawn in many fans - but with the available technology and development time there was so much potential for doing more.

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Eurogamer

This is the best execution of Animal Crossing so far, but it is difficult to view it as anything other than a lazy remake of what's gone before.

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Game Positive

Nintendo has seen fit to take a three year-old DS game, pretty it up for the Wii, and tack on a few shallow features on top of an increased price tag.

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1UP

City Folk just seems like a huge missed opportunity - either that, or a lazy cash-in on Nintendo's newfound casual audience. If it's the former, they ought to just call it Wii Mortgage Payments.

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GameSpy

Ultimately, Animal Crossing: City Folk doesn't take any meaningful risks, sticking to essentially the same formula we've seen in the previous GameCube and Nintendo DS games. While those games were quite entertaining, and this newest version doesn't debut anything meaningful, we'd have liked to see something new from Nintendo this third time around.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 42 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Paulina H gave it a3:
The game was really fun until all the grass suddenly disappeared, and the fact that it takes over 8 months to re-grow the grass and you not being able to walk on the "growing" grass took all of the fun out! It's not fun to live in a wasteland, i don't really recommend this game to animal crossing fans!

Why Not? gave it a9:
Wake up, reviewers -- this is NOT a remake. No, this game, if anything, is an improvement. Between the original and Wild World, there were several big changes -- most of which were reacted to positively. So why do you shoot City Folk down because so much is the same? There are more new things than ever before! There's new furniture, new things to catch, and even new events. You can even go to a brand new area! Sure, the Wi-Fi is nothing new, but now you can chat while you play, thanks to the new Wii Speak accessory. And one last thing: the music. This is a great soundtrack, especially for a game that doesn't focus on music. Let's face it -- some people just don't like the Animal Crossing series. But if you are an Animal Crossing fan, or even a newcomer to the series, I say give it a try. I give Animal Crossing: City Folk an 89/100.

Tj the gamer gave it a7:
City folk isn't a bad game it's just that it seems like nothing is new. There are some new villigers and fish/bugs/fossils, but it won't be enough to satisfy as a sequel. The plots the same as Wild World and styled after it, however there are a few changes. The biggest is being able to go to the city. In the city, you can meet other animals who will move to your town eventually, shop at Gracie's (an extremly expensive store), auction house (I was hoping there would be actual online auctions, but it's just between you and the A.I.), Shampoodles (Harriot's salon), Happy Room Acadamy, a theater (for learning emotions), and Redd's place. It's nice to see something other than your town for once, but the size of the city is a real let down. There are minute changes from Wild World as well. Tom Nook's store now closes at 10pm instead of 11pm, You can now design the back of your design shirts as well as the sleves. Neighbors now react to you differently, good relationships make them notice you faster, while bad relationships make them take forever to notice you. Overall the game isn't bad, many will just think it's reharshed.

Derpy Derp gave it a9:
I have to say, I am really mad at anyone who says this is a "lazy remake." They abviously don't know just how much work actually went into this game. I've noticed at least some changes in every aspect of the game: new villiagers, new bugs, new fish, new furniture, new events, new clothes, new dialogue, new hairstyles, new shops, new options, new shoes, new activities. Saying this game is just like Wild World is like saying all the Guitar Hero games are alike, or all the Halo Games. The truth is, every one of these games uses the same basic formula; after all, it's not as if you're going to create a whole new series with it. But all of these also bring something new to the table with every incarnation. Those who don't like Animal Crossing games can find their entertainment elsewhere. I, for one, don't care for the Halo or Guitar Hero series, but I don't choose to bash on them for lack of something more productive to spend my time on. I think that Animal Crossing fans will love this game like I do, and newcomers may find something for them as well. This is worth, at the very least, a rental. If you don't like it, that's okay. Just don't bask on other people's opinions.

Elliott W gave it a10:
I hate the fact that this game is getting such low reviews just because it's simaler to previous games- I would ignore the score of 73 by the critics. If you're new to the series, You need to buy this game! Fun, addictive, it really does feel like your second life and it's heart breaking when your favourite animal moves out. The game is a life simultor, although I must point out this is not like the sims- in this game you can do whatever you like, as there are no needs or hunger demands. Even though its open-ended, there are objectives you can set for yourself, like to save up for a bigger house, make your house look nice, care for the wildlife, collect all the bugs/fish/fossils etc. However, some people just don't like this game- like my brother, for example. I guess its a certain game for certain people, and if you didn't like the previous games there will be very little to change your mind here. And for veterans.... it's very Samey to the DS version... but this is actually a good thing! I mean, they could of took a huge risk and failed, but they played it safe and gave us the AC formula we all love. There are some nice subtle additions, such as more villagers, bugs and fish. Other touches include being able to look like your mii, a more advanced clothes- designing tool, being able to cycle through tools with the d-pad and even the tiniest point of being able to see your foot-prints in the ground. The city is a bit of a letdown (it's tiny), and something new would of been nice. And anyway, does anyone know how hard it is to develop and de-bug an animal crossing game? People say it's a safe, lazy update; maybe so, but this game is definitely worth buying. Overview: Gameplay: Simply stunning and addictive, will have you playing for months, even years if you're the type of person who is willing to play every day and put in effort. The more effort you put in = the more enjoyment comes out. The controls ain't bad either. Presentation: Sure, the graphics arent amazing, but theyre not supposed to. Most Nintendo games are about the 'fun factor', not flashy graphics. But still, most people will fall in love with the cartoony style. Note- Don't be put off by the childish visuals! Music: Catchy, retro... just great music for your everyday life in the game. K.K slider's tunes (a singing dog who sings in the cafe on saturday nights) are awesome and very catchy. Overall: A brilliant game. Newcomers: A must have. Veterans: Most of you should still find enjoyment here.

eey 777 gave it a5:
I was *so* excited about this game, but I am really disappointed by it. I moved my character over from the DS (it was extremely easy to do this, and it seemed like a good idea, but I'm not sure it was). The main game area is the same as Animal Crossing: Wild World - you can go to the city, but you're living in an AC:WW town. I feel like I've been there and done that. Also, the graphics look really bad - just like a blown up view of what is on the DS. I don't think I'll play this more than a few times. :-( boo hoo.

Red G. gave it a9:
Yes, its an improvement on the first 2 Animal Crossing games. Yes, it's fun. But Nintendo could have added more to make this game a lot better. This version is good, but I don't think I'll be giving up Wild World just yet.

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Animal Crossing: City Folk

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