Animal Crossing Impressions

Who would have guessed that collecting furniture and cutting down peach trees could be fun? But Nintendo did create a franchise that's built upon the very real tenets that accruing lots of stuff is reward enough for a job well done, and of course a new version has to grace its latest system. The 3DS version of Animal Crossing looks a lot better than the previous three renditions, though, and not just because of the extra dimension. We came away itching to dig holes in the ground one more time after seeing the first footage of the latest Animal Crossing.

There isn't much gameplay in the short, noninteractive trailer, but one thing is certain: This is the best-looking Animal Crossing yet, surpassing even the Wii version. The camera is zoomed in a lot closer to the main character, and the extra detail on your protagonist and the environment is immediately apparent. The trees look particularly impressive. The bark and leaves look much more vibrant, and the 3D effect when running through a forest is a treat. The inside of a home is just as stunning. You can now rotate the camera to get a look at everything you've collected. The items in the demo home included a model train set and a drinking water bird, and it was fun just to stare at them because they were so detailed.

There's no word on a release date or extra activities for this latest Animal Crossing, but the visuals are certainly impressive. Keep your eyes on GameSpot for more information on this collect-a-thon as soon as we find out more.