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We’re IGN, and we have a problem. We’re undeniably addicted to Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Audrey Drake, Nintendo Editor

Brian Altano, Executive Editor, Custom Content

Andrew Goldfarb, News Editor

Samuel Claiborn, Executive Editor, Wikis

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Oh, who are we kidding? Come June you’ll be in the same boat. A certain kappa’s boat , to be specific…The funny thing about Animal Crossing: New Leaf is that in theory it’s the ideal experience to just pick up and play for 30 minutes. Theoretically you could just jump on in, dig up some fossils, water some flowers, and pop back out. Yet that’s not at all what I end up doing. I was shocked to look at my 3DS Activity Log recently and find that my average play time is actually more than four hours. But what really made my jaw hit the floor was when I glanced at my total playtime – 135 hours, as of today (which is exactly three weeks from when I first downloaded the game). What the…? Is that even possible?! I know I’ve been playing a lot… a whole lot… but wow. How could I have played so much, yet still feel like I have so very much left I’d like to accomplish?Such is the magic of Animal Crossing, and in New Leaf that magic has been refined to a science. If I’m being honest, my somewhat shameful Activity Log actually makes perfect sense. The reason so much game time has flown by in such a relatively short period is that there is just so very much to do in this game. It’s a tad ridiculous, really - and that’s why New Leaf is near impossible to stop playing. But aside from the sheer number of things to keep your attention, what stands out most is how invested this world gets me. In all honesty I wasn’t too wowed with City Folk, and quickly sort of drifted away from it. But when it came to Wild World, I was in absolutely in love with my town and its inhabitants. It was hard to believe any new AC game could draw me in to that degree, but with the subtle and not-so-subtle improvements New Leaf brings to the table, it’s achieved just that. Acting as Mayor and being able to personalize my town takes things to a whole new level, and amplifies the feeling that I’m really making a difference in my village, really shaping it to reflect my personality. There’s so much to customize and arrange and plan for, so much to enjoy and do and see. The additions (which I won’t even attempt to list here) make the experience I already loved feel much more fleshed out.I often hear people ask what makes Animal Crossing fun – and in truth, it’s a hard one to explain. I personally dislike the Sims games, and just simulation games in general (not that they’re bad, they just tend to bore me for whatever reason). But Animal Crossing is different. It’s so darn charming, so engrossing, so unbelievably lovable that it has a way of sinking its claws in you and never letting go. You’re living out a whole new life in Animal Crossing, going from rags to riches, from a tent to a freaking castle, from a stranger on a train to the mayor and everyone’s best friend. It’s the sort of experience that’s impossible to put down, and that deepens the more time you put into it. Every day really feels distinct from the last, and now more than ever, the town feels like an extension of the player. Even with 135 hours invested, I see no end in sight. Even though I’ve been time traveling like absolute mad over the past few weeks, my town is still far from anything resembling complete. And I love that about this game. It’s the sort of experience I’ll never really be “done” with, and it’s a game I can already tell I’ll be playing for years to come – and especially since I have it downloaded to my system, popping in to check on my town and villagers will be simpler than ever.Let’s just hope my octopus friend, Octavian, never moves out. I may never recover…The train clacked as I woke, alone, escaping from the places I'd leave behind on the trail to where I'd start anew. The gates opened and I surveyed my new surroundings. This is where I would call home. I started with a tent and a lantern and a few bucks in my pocket. I had no tools, very little means of making money and a pile of debt. I scavenged the fields for fruit and beaches for shells and sold them off for enough cash to afford a modest shack. I hoarded discarded furniture like a bankrupt vagrant, hustled deals to pay bills and donned whatever garb my lavish living neighbors were giving away. The rain poured down. The mail barely came. I was struggling to even exist. I looked broke. I felt broken. But I was learning the lay of the land, little by little, day by day. I was making it. I was living the American dream.Weeks later, I sauntered past my orchards of fine fruits to the custom stone bridges I'd commissioned and stone walls I'd raised around my keep and through the door of my mansion, nodding at the immaculate stone tiles and rare art that adorned the walls . Room after room of divine furnishings stood before me, all mine to take in. My world was rife with elegant fountains, sprawling shops and jubilant villagers. My tent was no more. My lantern lit nights were but a flickering memory. I had made it. I was finally home. And I was a king.Or a mayor.Of a town full of weird talking animal people.Let's not get bogged down in the details here.It’s impossible to stop playing Animal Crossing. Even if I intend to jump in for five minutes with one specific goal, there are always dozens of other things I can do. On my way to sell some turnips, I might see a fossil I can dig up and donate to the museum . On the way back from that, I see a bug I haven’t caught yet . Then one of my neighbors asks me to help him find a new shirt. Then I see a present on a balloon and have to pull out my slingshot…I love all of the Animal Crossing games, but the franchise is at its best when it’s portable. I put dozens (if not hundreds) of hours into Wild World, and New Leaf has brought back the same feeling in a way I really didn’t expect it to. Animal Crossing definitely adheres to a formula and it’s easy to see why Nintendo is sometimes accused of releasing the same game over and over, but New Leaf really does feel like a game-changer. Everything about creating your town and maintaining your relationships with neighbors is still similar (and so damn charming), but the new mayor duties are brilliant – instead of only your house feeling like it’s yours, the entire town does. The customization is on a whole new level, plus there are so many awesome Nintendo items. Oh god, even writing about it makes me want to be playing.I fully intend to play Animal Crossing for the next billion hours, and I’m starting to realize that this may be the best entry in the franchise yet.Animal Crossing: New Leaf exploits my obsessive need to collect stuff: fish bugs , fruit, mustaches. I can't say I'm totally enamored with checking off virtual items from the endless lists, but like catching Pokemon or grinding for rare item drops in Castlevania, I'm definitely unable to help myself.While new sets of collectibles would be enough to sell me on any new Animal Crossing iteration, New Leaf has actually surprised me with its multiplayer, or really just "social," options. I visit Brian, Andrew or Audrey's towns regularly to sightsee, wreck up the place, trade and take advantage of their crazy time traveling. That's right: I haven't changed my clock once! New Leaf has found some clever ways to suppress my urge to time travel (which is the only way I've played Animal Crossing before). I have access to other seasons and advanced items in other towns (and the Tropical Island ), while collecting, home expansions, and the smart addition of town planning functions which all make living in the moment more fulfilling: there's always something to do. And for the first time in my Animal Crossing career I have the damn weeds under control.

Audrey Drake is a Nintendo Editor at IGN. She is also a lifelong gamer, a frequent banisher of evil and a wielder of various legendary blades. You can keep track of her wild adventures by following Aminka on IGN or @GameOnAminka on Twitter. Game on!