E308 Media | Animal Crossing, WiiSpeak Come To Wii

During Nintendo's E3 conference, Animal Crossing: City Folk has been announced to be coming to Wii. From what we can tell it doesn't look much better than previous titles in the series on the visual front, but adds extra elements to the game. No longer are you restricted to your town, now able to traverse nearby cities, take part in activities within them and interact with friends much more with enhanced messaging features, including the ability to post to a special worldwide message board and the obligatory visiting of other towns. City Folk should be out by the end of the year - whether this applies to Europe remains to be seen.

In addition to this, a voice chat solution has been added. WiiSpeak is a standalone microphone that can be placed nearby and picks up your speech for better communication in game. Other players' voices appear to come from the TV, stopping those nasty predators getting to little Timmy without mummy knowing. At least in Animal Crossing, all players will be able to talk simultaneously. It's probably a bit like being on speaker phone, so if you don't like that...unlucky.

Stick with C3 for more details as we get them...

Update

Synopsis for the Press Release of Animal Crossing: City Folk below (new and interesting parts highlighted);

Animal Crossing: City Folk
Console: Wii
Launch Date: Holiday 2008
ESRB: RP (Rating Pending)
Game Type: Community Simulation
Accessories: WiiSpeak microphone (sold separately)
Players: 1-4 alternating, 2-4 simultaneous via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Developer: Nintendo

If life were an endless vacation, what would you do? Go fishing, collect shells or watch fireworks with friends? Build a snowman, exchange presents with family or decorate your house for the holidays? Take a trip to the city, go on a shopping spree or visit friends from all over the globe? In Animal Crossing: City Folk, life moves at a relaxed pace, but the world brims with endless possibilities.
� There's always something new to do. In the living, breathing world of Animal Crossing: City Folk, days and seasons pass in real time, so there's always something to discover. Catch fireflies in the summer, go trick-or-treating on Halloween or hunt for eggs on Bunny Day. If you're in the mood for something a little faster paced, take a bus to a new urban city area that's unique to Animal Crossing: City Folk. There you can catch a show at the theater or check out the sales at Gracie's boutique. But if you don't show your face back home for too long, your neighbors will miss you.
� Up to four people from your household can live and work together to build the perfect town. Design clothes and patterns, write letters and post messages on the bulletin board for each other, or invite up to three friends to visit your town using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. With the new WiiSpeak microphone, it's like you're all in the same room. The microphone sits atop the sensor bar and picks up the conversation of everyone in the room to encourage a more inclusive experience.
� Get to know your neighbors. The heart of Animal Crossing: City Folk is building relationships with the animals in your town as well as with other players. Befriend your animal neighbors by exchanging letters, gifts and favors. Animals can also move from town to town, bringing their memories and stories from their old towns with them. And since animals are notoriously loose-lipped, they spill all the juicy details.
� Express your personal style. Customize your town, your house and yourself by collecting bugs, fish, fossils, art, furniture, clothes and accessories. You can also go to the salon in the city to change your hairstyle and get a Mii makeover. Plus, if you design clothes in the tailor's shop, animals will wear them and maybe even bring them to other towns.

And this is what WiiSpeak looks like...