After reading over and over how City Folk is Wild World, I just to point out how City Folk really is a mix between the previous console AND handheld versions. First, here's what director Aya Kyogoku had to say about City Folk in 2008 in the Iwata Asks segment.
Kyogoku: Now that Animal Crossing will be played once again on a TV screen, I think that people who first came into contact with Animal Crossing on the DS will find that there's a very different feel to this game. And then on the other hand, I think it will bring back fond memories for people who first played the game on the N64 or the GameCube. The titles in the Animal Crossing series start with the player working for Tom Nook, so there's that feeling of familiarity, while at the same time there are many things that are different and many fresh elements for the player to enjoy. I'd especially like the players to enjoy the animal's dialogue. We've really paid a lot of attention to detail, so as well as the regular conversation, I'd like the players to enjoy all the subtle reactions of the animals, some of which will come as a total surprise.
Source:
http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/accf/0/4
City Folk brought back real world holidays from the original. It brought back cliffs/ramps from the original. It brought back individual houses for players from the original. It brought back the fountain from the original. It brought back the Reset Center (originally from e+), that was absent in Wild World. It also brought back villagers tied to holidays such as Jingle, Franklin, etc that were left out of Wild World (no real holidays, no special villagers). Those who are adamant that they're the "same game" really didn't play Wild World and the original that much, as they'd see exactly what Kyogoku was saying- they wanted a feel of the prior games, THAT is why IGN said it best when saying City Folk is a "blending of the GameCube and DS games"- there's FAR too much from the original to just lump it in and say it's from Wild World- NO, IT'S NOT!
Take the gold axe as further proof. You had to do a ridiculous amount of trading with special villagers to get the lucky item you needed to continue (their picture was the other item), until you finally got that gold axe. How did you get the gold axe in the original? From Farley. Where did Farley live? In the tree AT THE FOUNTAIN- you get the gold axe from Serena in City Folk, and she lived where? Next to the bus stop, IN THE FOUNTAIN. See? They brought back elements from the original, NOT just porting the exact same game. Now, I'm not saying there's a lot of similarities, yes, City Folk uses Wild Word's soundtrack, and has a majority of the same things setup the same way as Wild World, but there's just too many additions from Animal Crossing that return to truly say this game is a true port, as it's been merged with the original- a good 20% just from what I've noted already in this. Give it the roughly 10% new content with the city, Labelle, Kicks, Phineas, Nat, etc, and that gives it 70% Wild World.
IGN called it the right thing saying it's a "blended version" of the first two. That's what Kyogoku also said. That's what I pointed out here as well. That's what fans need to be calling it, not this bias statement of a "Wild World port", but a blended game of Animal Crossing GameCube and Wild World. It's returned too many things from Animal Crossing/e+ to be called a port of a game that removed them from the series!
Kyogoku: Now that Animal Crossing will be played once again on a TV screen, I think that people who first came into contact with Animal Crossing on the DS will find that there's a very different feel to this game. And then on the other hand, I think it will bring back fond memories for people who first played the game on the N64 or the GameCube. The titles in the Animal Crossing series start with the player working for Tom Nook, so there's that feeling of familiarity, while at the same time there are many things that are different and many fresh elements for the player to enjoy. I'd especially like the players to enjoy the animal's dialogue. We've really paid a lot of attention to detail, so as well as the regular conversation, I'd like the players to enjoy all the subtle reactions of the animals, some of which will come as a total surprise.
Source:
http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/accf/0/4
City Folk brought back real world holidays from the original. It brought back cliffs/ramps from the original. It brought back individual houses for players from the original. It brought back the fountain from the original. It brought back the Reset Center (originally from e+), that was absent in Wild World. It also brought back villagers tied to holidays such as Jingle, Franklin, etc that were left out of Wild World (no real holidays, no special villagers). Those who are adamant that they're the "same game" really didn't play Wild World and the original that much, as they'd see exactly what Kyogoku was saying- they wanted a feel of the prior games, THAT is why IGN said it best when saying City Folk is a "blending of the GameCube and DS games"- there's FAR too much from the original to just lump it in and say it's from Wild World- NO, IT'S NOT!
Take the gold axe as further proof. You had to do a ridiculous amount of trading with special villagers to get the lucky item you needed to continue (their picture was the other item), until you finally got that gold axe. How did you get the gold axe in the original? From Farley. Where did Farley live? In the tree AT THE FOUNTAIN- you get the gold axe from Serena in City Folk, and she lived where? Next to the bus stop, IN THE FOUNTAIN. See? They brought back elements from the original, NOT just porting the exact same game. Now, I'm not saying there's a lot of similarities, yes, City Folk uses Wild Word's soundtrack, and has a majority of the same things setup the same way as Wild World, but there's just too many additions from Animal Crossing that return to truly say this game is a true port, as it's been merged with the original- a good 20% just from what I've noted already in this. Give it the roughly 10% new content with the city, Labelle, Kicks, Phineas, Nat, etc, and that gives it 70% Wild World.
IGN called it the right thing saying it's a "blended version" of the first two. That's what Kyogoku also said. That's what I pointed out here as well. That's what fans need to be calling it, not this bias statement of a "Wild World port", but a blended game of Animal Crossing GameCube and Wild World. It's returned too many things from Animal Crossing/e+ to be called a port of a game that removed them from the series!
