Animal Crossing: City Folk Detailed

Nintendo revealed the first details on the Wii incarnation of Animal Crossing at its E3 2008 press conference in Los Angeles.

Dubbed Animal Crossing City Folk, the game brings players out of the village and into a bustling city. Players can also catch a bus to a new urban city area where they can bid on items put on auction by other users, though no other players will be seen in the new environment.

The game makes use of the newly unveiled Wii Speak set-top microphone, allowing users to communicate with others while visiting towns created by friends via an internet connection.

The open-village series, which tasks players with repaying an ever-increasing house loan, debuted on the Nintendo 64, followed by installments on the GameCube and Nintendo DS. Only the latter two were released outside of Japan.

The title was officially confirmed in financial documents from Nintendo earlier this year.

It is not yet clear whether the Wii Speak peripheral will be bundled with Animal Crossing City Folk. More details will likely follow. Click through for a trailer