Animal Crossing: New Leaf review - Home away from home

Animal Crossing is one of those Nintendo games that have a very dedicated group of fans. Much of this can be attributed to the massive amount of customization and level of control players have with their personal towns. The first game was originally released on the Nintendo GameCube, followed by a successful sequel on the DS. Now Animal Crossing has come to Nintendo's newest handheld the 3DS. With a number of changes to address many of the concerns from players about the previous installments, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is looking to bring a whole new group of gamers to the franchise. Get ready to wave goodbye to a large portion of your time, because it will all be spent playing this game.

Animal Crossing New Leaf is the epitome of a relaxation game. There really isn't a true ending to playing an Animal Crossing game, much of what you get is based on the time you put into customizing your house and building up your town. At the very start, a series of questions helps determine your character's basic look, as well as the layout and landscape of your personal town. Shortly after arriving in town, your character becomes the new mayor and becomes tasked with helping the townsfolk prosper. There never really is a sense of urgency or dilemma in any part of the game, despite events passing in real-time and the game presenting players with various tasks. You can pretty much accomplish anything you like when you please, the game doesn't really penalize you for taking your sweet time.

Once you have your home established and you're in the mayor's seat, the game vastly opens up and allows the freedom to choose what will be done next. You can order the creation of buildings with the help of donations from townsfolk, raise enough funds to pay off your home loan and expand your residence, and even converse with townsfolk and gauge their views on your mayor-ly duties.

Much of anything done is dependent on saving up enough bells, the game's currency, to accomplish what you wish. Trying to raise enough bells can be a little repetitive in many instances, but quickly you'll find yourself so engrossed into developing your town that hours will pass by like minutes. Literally, playing the game can be that addicting. From catching bugs, to fishing, to auctioning off furniture; there is a ton of ways to gather enough resources to feed your addiction to developing your own personal town.

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