I might be in the minority here, but I thought the GCN game was THE sleeper game to get.  It sort of came from nowhere, got next to no attention and I gather not many people cared.  And yet, it was probably the most endearing game I've played pretty much ever. 
I'm really getting into ParK Patrol now for DS, and I'm finding it to be equally addictive and relaxing to play.  It's a totally different spin, no more family or household to explore, now your main job is to restore and customise a park and visit a small part of a town across the road.  Good times though still and I submit that if you don't want to hug Chibi-Robo, your heart is black as night. 

I played a demo of it once and thought it was kinda fun, but I don't have the game or anything.
~~NGD

I don't like picking up my own house My wife would kill me if I was shirking my duties by playing this game hehe.

If I lived anywhere close to a game store I'd have this one already. I'm definitely picking it up over Christmas. The original is right up there with Animal Crossing on my list of favorite Gamecube games. Maybe I have some weird, incredibly specific fetish for games where you can't die, have to do mundane chores, and where the people talk in a crazy gibberish language.

I never played the ds version but the cube version was just plain awesome, if i see it for cheap ill buy it again, but I wanted to sell it while it had value and i was getting ready to purchase a wii at the time.

I'm almost done the DS game I think.  Just on the cusp of 1000 flowers now, which I am thinking is the main goal to "finish" the story.
Good solid game all around. 
I find it's not quite as touching or expansive as the first, but different and fun still.  In the first game, you really got to identify with the family and help them overcome some marital and family problems, while also relating to the toys and such.  Very good emotional stuff in my view, if you spent the time to get into it. 
Park Patrol, is mostly about rebuilding the park.  Period.  There isn't really a grander cause you're contributing to, and no motherly character that loves and appreciates you exactly.  Nonetheless I'd recommend this to any one who liked the first and wants some good portable Chibi fun.

I also heard this game is exclusive to Wal-Mart, which I am not sure about, but that strikes me as odd.  Can't remember Nintendo doing anything like that before. 

THe Wal-Mart thing is a crappy little ploy cause they wanted some of the money to go to replanting trees in parks and only walmart would do that. Im not making this up either, weird isnt it?

Heh I actually was a winner in the contest they had on Nintendo.com for this game a while back so I win 1 tree seedling. I collect promo stuff so I was pretty excited about it.

I too love the Chibi series and also think the first one was definitely better then the second but there both good in their own ways.

Actually I think that's pretty cool

Now if only Wal-Mart would agree to plant some decent wages, fairly priced labour in other countries, and some "not destroy small business" trees, the world would be alright.  But yeah I mean trees are nice.  Gives them something to look at from their gigantic, tree destroying, eyesore parking lots.