Nintendo’s new Wii MotionPlus was not the only peripheral revealed at this year’s E3. During the Nintendo Press Briefing on Tuesday morning, Nintendo’s Katsuya Eguchi appeared on video to tell the whole, wild world about Animal Crossing: City Folk. The long-expected Wii incarnation of Nintendo’s anthropomorphic virtual life series, Animal Crossing: City Folk will include a wide number of expected features, including the ability to send messages to other consoles’ towns. What’s more, Eguchi unveiled a brand-new peripheral which will see its first use through City Folk: the Wii Speak, a TV-mounted microphone which will allow voice chat between Animal Crossing denizens (and, one assumes, players of future Wii games).
Wii gamers have been clamoring for voice chat since the Wii began to explore online titles. Instead of implementing a headset, however, the Wii Speak microphone will sit atop the television, allowing all gamers present to holler at one another — suggesting that its ultimate use will be to accomodate chatting between several groups instead of merely collections of individuals. This is something of a break from Nintendo’s rigid commitment to protecting underage gamers from the wrath of strangers, but we’re assuming one will still need to use the infamous Friend Codes in order to connect vocally with your fellow City Folk.
Why “City Folk?” Animal Crossing residents will occupy the familiar “towns” of the previous games, but will also be able to travel to large “cities,” which will offer a central hub filled with desirable goods and services. Haircuts, even. Eguchi narrated a video presentation of the new Animal Crossing title, which looks to incorporate all of the familiar series staples (house decoration, customized clothing, item trading, fishing, interacting with tempermental fuzzy AI residents). New for the Wii version, of course, are a variety of online features: Players will have the ability to send not only messages to one another, but photos as well — sending them both to their friends’ towns and their Wii Message Boards.
Players will also be able to visit one another’s in-game towns and residences, in what appeared very much to be real time. This is where Wii Speak enters the picture — players will be able to chat eachother up via online voice functionality, sharing pleasant conversation as they wander, decorate, and fish together.
It’s also worth noting that the included holidays for Animal Crossing citizens include “Halloween” and “Bunny Day.” I would like to know why it’s acceptable for a children’s game to broach the subject of pagan harvest rituals, but not the rebirth of Christ.
Animal Crossing: City Folk is scheduled to launch by the end of 2008.
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