Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Giftpia - The New Animal Crossing?

Posted by simoniker on from the those-wacky-nintendo-chaps dept.

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing out that IGN Cube have hands-on impressions of Nintendo's latest 'communication game', Giftpia. This seemingly odd but addictive mushroom-chomping title is directed by Square veterans, and IGN ventures that "Giftpia may be billed as an RPG, but it's really more of an adventure.. there are no stats beyond your health meter, no random battles.. in a sense, Giftpia borrows a lot from Nintendo's Animal Crossing." Hopefully this'll include Animal Crossing's compulsiveness, as well as its saccharin-sweet style - in any case, the Japanese version of Giftpia is already released, and IGN mentions that "..shown off in English at this year's E3, Giftpia is almost guaranteed to see a US release."

14 comments

  1. Hopefully... by lightspawn · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You won't need to buy hundreds of cards, a scanner, gameboy, and link cable to fully enjoy the game (like animal crossing, or animal forest+ as it was called in Japan).

    Isn't anybody else bothered by this? When I buy a game, I want it to be stand alone. No pokemon red/blue, no GCN/GBA, no cards to scan, nothing. Extra stages as downloads are fine but don't put them online just to say the game has online features like Sega did, and make sure they STAY online.

    1. Re:Hopefully... by moyet · · Score: 1

      No hopefully it will come out in Europe, so you actualy can buy it. Or turn to Freeloader.

    2. Re:Hopefully... by d3kk · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I never played Animal Crossing, but I did play Pokemon Red/Silver/Saphire. It's not necessary at all to buy cards, the scanner, or a link cable to get a lot out of the game. Sure, it's frustrating sometimes not being able to get that elusive trade-only pokemon, but there's still tons to do and many ways to win without it. I think it's good on Nintendo's part to do things like that for the hardcore gamers who want a little something extra and can afford it. If they didn't, we'd all be sitting here saying, "Wouldn't that be cool if..?"

    3. Re:Hopefully... by Masami+Eiri · · Score: 1

      I agree. Personally, I like it when games have interfunctionality.
      GBA linkup? I have a GBA, and if I really want to, I'll stop at Blockbuster and use my (unofficial) employee discount to get a link cable for cheap.
      As for stuff like Pokemon, I have friends who like the game too, we make sure to buy different versions. Easy enough.

    4. Re:Hopefully... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Sometimes they do it right. GBA/GCN link functionality can be really cool when it enhances a game. Things like madden playcalling come to mind (if that happens). I gotta say I was pretty dissapointed in the Metroid link capability. Basically, you just have to prove to your Gamecube that you own a GBA and a copy of Metroid Fusion. Once the save's been made you don't need the GBA to play the original Metroid. "Look Mr. GCN, I bought your little brother! Now let me play those extra parts of that game I paid for!"

    5. Re:Hopefully... by Yorrike · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Sorry, but you didn't buy Metroid Prime so you could play the original Metroid. You bought it because it was a damn fine game which won just about every "best of 2002" prize a few months back.

      You didn't pay any extra for the original Metroid bonus, they gave you that for free.

      Little extras are never selling points, they're just there because they're cool. Now stop complaining and get to gaming : )

      --

      Looks can be deceiving. Or CAN they?

    6. Re:Hopefully... by chrismcdirty · · Score: 1

      And you didn't buy Metroid Fusion so you could play the original Metroid. You bought Fusion because it was a damn fine game.

      --
      It's like sex, except I'm having it!
    7. Re:Hopefully... by ziggles · · Score: 1

      I fully enjoyed Animal Crossing (and continue to fully enjoy it), and I don't own a GBA, scanner, or cards. Those things are just extra bonuses for people that own those products already.

      They didn't take things out of the game to make them exclusive for the GBA linkup. They come up with ideas to use the GBA link so they can add something extra to the game. I don't see how that could be interpreted as a bad thing.

      However, at E3 Nintendo did show a lot of games which require the GBA link to play at all. That does piss me off. Animal Crossing is not one of those games.

    8. Re:Hopefully... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sounds like you've never played any of these games. it is people like you that spread fud and then your friends to listen to your ignorant remarks and repeat them like lemmings. nintendo never lost their cool, sony just knows how to market better to the mindless cavedwelling masses. unfortunately, people like you are their marketing tools.

  2. Looking forward to this by Bagels · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm very much looking forward to this - it's made by some of the same people that made Chrono Trigger. I hope they fix up the graphics a bit before releasing it, though - the 'Cube is capable of much more.

    --
    --- Bwah?
  3. Animal Crossing 2? by agentmouthwash · · Score: 1

    Any word on when Animal Crossing 2 comes out? I paid my mortgage, caught the bees, got the golden axe. There is nothing else for me to do!!!!!!!!

    1. Re:Animal Crossing 2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Animal Crossing 2...all it is is our version of Animal Crossing converted to Japan. See, we got this huge updated version of the game, and they missed out, so AC2 is basically our game...but now for the japanese.

    2. Re:Animal Crossing 2? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those damned bees always get me. Fuckers, theyll rue the day.

  4. Looks good by Otik2 · · Score: 1

    This does look good. For one thing, anything made by anyone who worked on Chrono Trigger must be good. But this just looks fun. I haven't played Animal Crossing yet (I know, I'm a bad person), but I'm really excited about this. It might not have the best graphics or storyline, but it looks like just playing it will be fun, and that's all you really need in a game.