So, the good news is that the new Animal Crossing for Wii is coming; we've all known about it for ages and Nintendo even has it on its release schedule for the end of 2008. What we don't know, however, is what form the game is going to take. Of course, you might have read the current suggestion floating around - reported by one of our sister magazines Edge, no less - that it's set to be a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. In theory, that sounds great... but also in theory, it sounds like it goes against everything Nintendo stands for right now.

If you're not sure what I mean by that, I've got two words for you: Friend Codes. Right now, Nintendo's approach to online gaming is to let people play together in a controlled environment - indeed, it's the most solitary example of online gaming I've experienced. There's no direct communication with people other than those you know and have the Wii Number for (and even then, that's only through mails sent via the Message Board). You need complex strings of numbers for every game you play just so you can play with your friends. And although more games are coming in that let you play against random strangers, the way the system is set up means you might as well just be playing against some advanced AI.