Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (とびだせどうぶつの森, Tobidase Doubutsu no Mori) is the sixth installment in the, being developed by Nintendo and has been released exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

While retaining much of the gameplay from older titles, Animal Crossing: New Leaf marks a large change in the series, as the player now takes on the role of the mayor. With the help of the townsfolk and "one eager secretary" it is now the player's job to make the town a better place to live. New Leaf also has a change of art style, with the players and the villagers having more human-like shapes, rather than the shorter ones seen in previous games, as well as the trees, flowers, and houses taking on a more realistic appearance.

Development and Unveiling
The game was originally unveiled at E3 2010, though very little was shown. A trailer was shown showing off featuring the updated features, and little new features were shown. Shortly after, there was news that the player could be the mayor of the town, with the goal being to make the town a better place to live. A non-playable demo was also available on the show floor at Nintendo's booth as an example of the 3DS's 3D effects. Due to it not being given much detail, fans speculated that it might have not been an actual game but just an example and that another Animal Crossing game would be developed later.

At E3 2011, the rumors were proven false. During Nintendo's press conference, the Animal Crossing logo, among others, appeared on-screen as a list of upcoming 3DS games. Additionally, a new trailer was released. The trailer showed off a new feature in the game: swimming and diving in the ocean. Also, a player was shown changing not only his shirt, but also his shoes and pants. A player was also shown coming out of what appeared to be his tent-house. Throughout the town, benches and a beehive were shown, with a villager and later a player sitting on the bench. A new character was also shown, a yellow dog following the player. Fans quickly assumed she was the 'eager secretary' that helps the player mayor the town.

In an interview with Kotaku editor Stephen Totilo, the creator of Animal Crossing, Katsuya Eguchi, revealed that Animal Crossing 3DS will allow players to arrange their furniture in any way they like, and will also feature new networking experiences.

The title was confirmed at the Nintendo World Report on April 21, 2012.

Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed Animal Crossing: New Leaf is still in development on Monday June 11, 2012 for 3DS.

In the June direct conference it was confirmed that 4 people can live in the same village like the last 3 games. On another note, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, they will reintroduce the train and Porter.

In early October, an Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL bundle was announced in Japan for when the game releases. In addition, another Japanese Nintendo Direct episode regarding Animal Crossing was scheduled for Friday, October 5. During the 47 minute video, highlights included K.K. Slider now performing as a DJ at a comedy club known as Club lol, customized road designs, megaphones for getting villagers' attention, diving for coral, new multiplayer games hosted on islands, meeting other players through the 3DS's StreetPass feature, and more.

In early 2013, to promote the new game, Nintendo launched an official Animal Crossing: New Leaf website, containing information and trailers regarding the game.

Nintendo later announced in April 2013 that the Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL bundle will also be released in North America and Europe, which includes a copy of New Leaf on its SD card at a total price of $219.99.

Gameplay
Gameplay in New Leaf follows the same pattern as previous games in the series, though with a greater diversity in activities, characters, venues, and more.

Role As the Mayor
Unlike the last few installments in the series, where the player became a resident of their town, the player is now the mayor of the town. While the player is still able to relax and engage in activities such as fishing and bug catching, they now have the responsibility of regulating the town and improving it. The player can build new features for the town, such as bridges, statues, or shrubs. They also can alter store prices and hours. Only the first player to start up the game is the mayor.

Tortimer Island
The tropical island from returns in New Leaf as Tortimer Island, which can be accessed from the dock after certain conditions have been met. Kapp'n can take up to four players to the island on his motorboat for 1000 Bells, and the location is accessible to Wi-Fi visitors. No items can be taken to Tortimer Island, and all items in every players' pockets will kept in storage until they return. On Tortimer Island, players can participate in a variety of 38 minigames, called tours, hosted by Tortimer himself. Winning these tours wins the player medals which can be used to buy exclusive items at the island's shop.

Villagers
Many villagers from the previous games make their re-appearance, in addition to a number of new ones. The number of villagers able to live in each town is 12. New species of villagers have also been introduced, including the hamster and the deer. Two new personality types, smug and uchi, have been added to the game in addition to the returning six, making for a total of eight different possible personalities.

Other New Features
New Leaf introduces many other new features for the, some of the most notable being:
 * New insects and fish have been introduced for catching.
 * New fruits have been added to the game.
 * The player can now customize their pants and shoes, reflecting the taller character designs seen in the game's art style.
 * The player can now pick the town map on the train when the game is started, rather than be assigned a random map.
 * House exteriors can now be customized to reflect various styles.
 * Certain pieces of furniture can now be placed onto walls.
 * The player can now go swimming in the ocean and dive for coral and Seafood, a new type of collectible.
 * Several new villagers, and special characters are introduced, as are several new species, such as hamsters, deer, and alpacas.
 * Flowers now drip with water once they have the watering can used on them, allowing the player to know whether they've watered it or not.
 * A new tool, the Megaphone, can be used for getting villagers' attention by saying the players name in the system's microphone.
 * Furniture is now fully customizable using different designs.
 * The player can communicate with another player even if they are in a different town.
 * New multiplayer games hosted on islands accessible by boat. Medals are awarded to winners that can be traded for prizes. The minigames are hosted by Tortimer, and he seems happy with his new job.
 * There is more interaction with the villagers meaning the player can now see them fishing, going in and out of buildings, and shaking trees.

New Buildings
New Leaf features a new Main Street, a shopping district located to the north of every player's town. The shopping district features a wide array of shops and venues, many of which are new to the series:
 * Timmy and Tommy's store - Formerly run by Tom Nook in previous games, Timmy and Tommy now run the general store in New Leaf.
 * Able Sisters - The Able Sisters offer clothing as in past games, in addition to now offering the ability to share and obtain created patterns through QR codes.
 * Labelle also returns, and is connected to the Able Sisters selling hats, umbrellas, and other accessories.
 * Post Office - The postal service returns as an independent building on Main Street.
 * Nook's Homes - A building where players can alter the appearance of their home and buy a variety of designs and decorative objects from Tom Nook.
 * Kicks - A shop that sells shoes and socks, run by Kicks, a minor character who first appeared in.
 * Garden Center - A shop that sells flower seeds and tree saplings, run by a sloth named Leif.
 * Shampoodle - Located upstairs to the Able Sisters, offering hair and eye color styling. Like previous games, the store is once again run by Harriet.
 * Museum - Blathers continues to run the town's museum, which now offers a wider range of fossils and fish to exhibit, an exhibition room, and a museum shop that is run by Celeste.
 * Club LOL - A club run by K.K. Slider and Dr. Shrunk. K.K Slider works daily as a DJ, while still holding traditional performances on Saturday nights.
 * Photo Booth - A booth that allows the player to take a picture for their I.D. card.
 * Dream Suite - Run by Luna, allowing players to visit other towns by inputting that town's dream address. The visit is set in a dream world, so no alterations can be made to that town.
 * Happy Home Showcase - A showcase that stores houses of other players who have exchanged data via StreetPass. The homes may be viewed, and furniture from the houses can be ordered for purchase.
 * Fortune Shop - After receiving 20 fortunes from Katrina during her visits, she will open a permanent Fortune Shop.

Other buildings found in the town include:
 * Re-Tail - A shop run by Reese and Cyrus, where the player can sell items, customize furniture, and recycle items into new creations. They may also post items for sale to villagers or other players.
 * Police Station - The police station returns as a public works project for the town. There are two different styles the player can choose from:
 * Classic, which run by Booker and appears as square wooden building.
 * Modern, which is run by Copper and resembles the rounded building seen in previous games.
 * Resetti Surveillance Center - The surveillance center returns as a public works project, which is designed as a manhole cover the player may enter after rainy days.
 * The Roost - This coffee shop also makes a return as a standalone building that can be built through a public works project. Brewster makes his return in the Roost, who the player can now work part-time for, and take coffee to-go outside of the Roost.
 * Campground - A campground can be constructed as a public works project. Depending on the season, Tents and Igloos will periodically appear with animal visitors. Players can play games with them, and occasionally encourage, or discourage them to move into their town.

Release and Reception
New Leaf received overwhelmingly positive reviews and ratings upon release. Its visuals were a key point for praise, with the 3D features well-commended. The more in-depth gameplay and details offered from previous Animal Crossing games were also viewed positively, along with the presence of enough new content to keep the game exciting.

Ratings include:
 * Famitsu: 39/40
 * GameSpot: 8/10
 * IGN: 9.6/10

In Japan, the game sold over 600,000 copies in its first week, and went on to become the top-selling Nintendo 3DS game in the country at over 2 million units. Worldwide, New Leaf has sold over 3.87 million units as of June 12, 2013.

Image Gallery
The following are official press images distributed to Animal Crossing sites. Most of the images were taken directly from the trailers, but some new character art was also provided for players, Bill, Rosie, Bob, Filbert and Curt.

Developer Roundtable
Nintendo has released this roundtable with the developers of the latest Animal Crossing game.

June 2012 Nintendo Direct
During a Nintendo Direct on June 21st 2012, gameplay footage of the new Animal Crossing was shown that reveals a wealth of new information. The following video is a translation of the footage into English.

This video translates all the Text in the Game.

The following video breaks down the trailer and goes more in depth noticing the new features and items in the New Game.

Trailers
The following videos are trailers for Animal Crossing: New Leaf revealed at E3 conferences.