The first game in this Nintendo franchise to be localized, where your player avatar lives in an idyllic little town full of charming animal residents with distinct personalities. Though the main objective is to pay off your house, the game is all about managing and improving your virtual life, collecting items through activities like fishing and fossil-digging, and interacting with the townsfolk for seasonal events and prizes. Considered one of the best entries in the franchise for its art direction and world. The series continues on NDS and 3DS. The original Animal Crossing (Animal Forest / Doubutsu no Mori) came out for the N64 and received a translation patch later on, but is inferior in every way to the Gamecube port.