I have it and have played at least 5 hours already. It has gameplay elements from Zelda, Harvest Moon, The Sims, Shenmue, GTA3.. along with a few innovative elements of its own. Graphically, it\'s N64-esque.. but reminds me strongly of Zelda:LTTP if it were 3D. I\'m talking same level of detail, same textures.. just 3D.
Sound effects are silly. Music is silly, but some of it is rather soothing. Online.. it is not.
There is a ton of communication though. This game
can literally last for years, from what I\'ve seen.
BTW, as far as demographic.. this game looks like a Fisher-Price developed product.. but underneath that exterior, there lies a surprisingly realistic experience. The folks around town talk like reasonable adults, some with their own funky little quirks. (like one gal that calls you "hipster" all the time) There are some "mainstay" characters like Tom Nook, the owner of a local shop that a good portion of the game revolves around, the Mayor (a turtle) and various Post Office employees.. but other than that, all of your neighbors are randomly chosen by the game when you create your town.
BTW, the town you get is totally random. There are thousands of possibilities even without factoring in which neighbors you get. Neighbors aren\'t permanent, either. If they don\'t find your neighborhood friendly.. they may move away and somebody else might come to live \'dere. It\'s already happened in my game, to a guy that I generally neglected.
If you\'re a Nintendo fan, this game has a lot of cool nostalgic stuff. I won\'t spoil anything.. but let\'s just say that the "similarities" to Zelda don\'t end with the gameplay/graphics.
There are many NES ROM\'s you can play.
One of the cooler parts of the game is th\' Able Sisters, which allow you to edit your own 32x32 textures to wear on yourself or your umbrella. Personally, I\'ve already made a goofy picture of Mario to greet visitors at my house, and a "Luigi" costume. Speaking of the house, let me get back to communication; You can set "away" messages at your house. You can also write things on the bulletin board, and mail letters (attaching gifts optional) at the Post Office. Also at th\' Post Office is a musical chime you can modify.. Zelda 64-style. It\'s a little tough if you\'re not fluent with notes.. but if you know your stuff, you can create your own little "song" that\'ll play during the day as the hours pass. (at midnight, for example)
My main qualm with the game is that it\'s in real-time. Nook\'s Cranny (the shop) is only open from 9AM to 10PM.. so if you want to play before/after work.. you can\'t sell/buy to ol\' Tom Nook. It\'s not that big of a deal, though.. since a lot of stuff happens at night.. especially as the game progresses.
If you have a GBA, get the GCN/GBA link cable because it allows you to access a secret island that contains rare items. I got coconuts, for example.. which Nook will buy for 5 times the price of the local fruit. Your town gets only one fruit that grows within its borders.. you need to visit other towns (by having multiple memory cards or multiple friends) and the Island to get any others. I\'m going to stop here to avoid any more spoilers.
I have yet to truly get into this game.. but so far it\'s been positive.
Rent before you buy, but if you want to buy now.. you shouldn\'t be disappointed.
