Animal Crossing

:This article is about the video game. For the series of the same name, see Animal Crossing (series).
Animal Crossing, also known as Animal Crossing: Population Growing and Animal Forest in Japanese localizations, is a life-simulation game developed by Nintendo. It is the first installment in the Animal Crossing series. It was released in 2002 exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube.
== Plot ==
While on a train, an cat named Rover arranges a meeting between the newest citizen of a new town and the local shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, a raccoon named Tom Nook, shows the four vacant houses to the new citizen and tells them to decide which they would like. After the citizen decides, Tom Nook tells them that they do not have enough Bells, the currency of the village. Tom Nook decides that they can pay off their debt by working for him.
After completing an assortment of chores for Tom Nook, the citizen is still in debt, so Tom Nook allows the rest of the debt to be paid off from the local post office.
== Gameplay ==
The gameplay of Animal Crossing is very unique as it is open-ended and allows players to do whatever they want in their town. Players complete tasks for the villages to earn new furniture for their house or Bells, which can be used to buy useful items and other pieces of furniture or to pay off the debt that Tom Nook places on the player at the start of the game.
Real-life events and holdiays take place with the in-game clock and calender, such as Halloween and Independence Day. Players can earn new holiday-specific pieces of clothing or furniture from these events. Players can also get classic Nintendo Entertainment System games, such as Wario's Woods and Clu Clu Land.
While a multiplayer aspect is incorporated, players can play only the classic Nintendo Entertainment System games at the same time. Other ways of interacting with another player is through trade and visiting each other's towns. If more than one player is on the same memory card as another player, then player choices that affect the entire village affect each and every other player that plays on the same memory card.
== Reception ==
Animal Crossing was named the seventh best game of all time on the Nintendo GameCube by the television show, "X-Play", on the television network G4TV. On IGN, the game holds an "outstanding" 9.1 rating.
Animal Crossing was also rated the fifth-best GameCube game by ScrewAttack on their "Farewell to the GameCube, ten GameCube games" list, saying, "It's a game that plays even when you're not and can last up to 20 years!" The game's popularity inspired the creation of an animated film based on the second installment in the series, Animal Crossing: Wild World, which was released exclusively in Japan.
Category:Games released on the Nintendo GameCube
Category:Games that are rated E
Category:Games released in 2002