Yes, yes, yes. My happy place, blah blah, small town with big city shops. That's what this trailer is trying to tell me, but all I hear is "You're the mayor!" When I got my hands on Animal Crossing: New Leaf during Nintendo's big 3DS showcase, I was sorely disappointed by the end of my first day, but not because New Leaf can't live up to previous games in the series. I was upset because I didn't have a chance to exert my mayoral power!
In fact, my first day in New Leaf felt like the first day in any other Animal Crossing, with interesting new neighbors and small-time items in the shops. In New Leaf, T&T Mart has all the usual merchandise, while specialty shops cater to specific fashion choices and Nook sells parts for you home. Yeah right, Nook. I'm not owing you another bell in my life.
What else didn't I get to play with on my first day? How about the home showcase or Club LOL? There's so much to do in New Leaf! I know a lot of people have missed out on Animal Crossing because of the GameCube's under-performance or the perception about gaming on Wii, but the DS version, Wild World, made AC a really compelling game thanks to the nature of portables. I could never come up with an excuse to skip playing even 10 minutes a day.
Like any good habit, knowing I had been playing consecutively for so long made it easier to keep playing, visiting K.K. on Saturdays and checking with all of my neighbors on holidays. All of which begs the question: do you get the game from the eShop or do you stick with a physical copy? I've gotten use to digital games on my PlayStation Vita, but most of my 3DS library is retail. With the problems Nintendo has had delivering retail copies to… well, retail, you might not have the opportunity to choose.
