I too hate the rolling. Alas.
The DS version was disappointing because it had very few new elements. I forgave Wild World because it turned out to be a very faithful handheld adaptation of the console game, which is what I figured Nintendo was going for. Plus, the DID bring the game online, even though I felt the mode was rather lackluster.
This title really needs something new, and the city is not going to cut it. There needs to be really great connectivity. There needs to be an integrated use of Wii Connect 24 to send letters, packages, or anything to people who aren't playing at the same time. What would be really great is if you are able to visit other people's towns while they weren't playing, but that's obviously not going to happen. actually, what would be really great is if two people could live in the same town online, but now we're moving into dedicated servers and pay-to-play territory, which is not the right direction
At this point I honestly don't have any hope that Nintendo will come through with anything special. Animal Crossing is one of my favorite games of all time, and I hate to see it evolve so little over so many years, but knowing Nintendo I expect to be disappointed...