With the new Animal Crossing coming out around a month ago, I thought it'd be a fun idea to stream some of the original N64 game (which I did this past Saturday~). However, when I picked it up a few weeks back, I was met with the realization that while the save battery in the cart worked, the time-keeping battery did not. My appetite for classic Animal Crossing had been not been satiated though, so I finally broke down and got a Gamecube controller so I could finally play GC games on my Wii. I recieved my golden statue in front of the train station earlier today, so I'm calling this game "beaten" in that regard, and I did this pretty casually over the course of a few weeks.
Doubutsu No Mori is the original N64 game that got a straight up port to Gamecube in Japan with the same title. Doubutsu No Mori+ is a fairly significantly upgraded version of the same game, and it's also the game that would serve as the basis for the international release a few years later: the game we in the West simply know as "Animal Crossing" (and that game would then in turn lead to Doubutsu No Mori e+, which was a further modified version ported back to Japanese from the international version). This upgrade that '+' brings to the table brings the N64 original far closer to what we know with Animal Crossing, but there are still some interesting differences between them.
The biggest additions to the N64 game are the Able Sisters' shop as well as the Museum. Another house upgrade or two (namely the basement) have also been added along with 16 more bugs and 16 more fish to catch. You also have a calendar now so you can know when which holidays are! The framerate is also WAY smoother, which is something I didn't even realize until I played them back to back XD
Things it lacks compared to the American version that would follow it are 8 bugs and 8 fish, as well as many fossils and paintings (there's like half as many of each in this version), another couple house upgrades, e-reader functionality, and some American holidays like the Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed ones. The main reason to play this over the American Gamecube game would be the inclusion of several Japanese holidays and aesthetic designs that the American version would take out (like the trees turning pink for cherry blossom viewing), as I think they make this game feel more different than it actually is (aside from, you know, it being in Japanese instead of English XP), but they're still very close to the same thing.
Other than that, it's still classic Animal Crossing. The village is divided into 5 rows and 6 columns of acres, you can do chores for villagers with a direct action with them, and you catch lots of fish and bugs to pay off your loans and make your house bigger. Your town is immutable, for the most part, and you're just someone who lives there. You aren't some hot shot mayor or island owner like the newer games. I wouldn't say it's better in that regard, just different and clearly created with a different gameplay loop in mind. This isn't really supposed to be a game you play for untold hours at a time. It's more something you give an hour or two every day, or every few days.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. In an age of far more in-depth and customizable Animal Crossing games, I think this far more passive, relaxing experience is still worth going back to. I have a lot of nostalgia for the series, but if you want a relaxing time with no Nook Miles or such weighing on the back of your mind, classic Animal Crossing is still as good as it's always been. Even if it may be a bit dull at times, it's still a nostalgia piece that will always be close to my heart <3
Doubutsu No Mori is the original N64 game that got a straight up port to Gamecube in Japan with the same title. Doubutsu No Mori+ is a fairly significantly upgraded version of the same game, and it's also the game that would serve as the basis for the international release a few years later: the game we in the West simply know as "Animal Crossing" (and that game would then in turn lead to Doubutsu No Mori e+, which was a further modified version ported back to Japanese from the international version). This upgrade that '+' brings to the table brings the N64 original far closer to what we know with Animal Crossing, but there are still some interesting differences between them.
The biggest additions to the N64 game are the Able Sisters' shop as well as the Museum. Another house upgrade or two (namely the basement) have also been added along with 16 more bugs and 16 more fish to catch. You also have a calendar now so you can know when which holidays are! The framerate is also WAY smoother, which is something I didn't even realize until I played them back to back XD
Things it lacks compared to the American version that would follow it are 8 bugs and 8 fish, as well as many fossils and paintings (there's like half as many of each in this version), another couple house upgrades, e-reader functionality, and some American holidays like the Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed ones. The main reason to play this over the American Gamecube game would be the inclusion of several Japanese holidays and aesthetic designs that the American version would take out (like the trees turning pink for cherry blossom viewing), as I think they make this game feel more different than it actually is (aside from, you know, it being in Japanese instead of English XP), but they're still very close to the same thing.
Other than that, it's still classic Animal Crossing. The village is divided into 5 rows and 6 columns of acres, you can do chores for villagers with a direct action with them, and you catch lots of fish and bugs to pay off your loans and make your house bigger. Your town is immutable, for the most part, and you're just someone who lives there. You aren't some hot shot mayor or island owner like the newer games. I wouldn't say it's better in that regard, just different and clearly created with a different gameplay loop in mind. This isn't really supposed to be a game you play for untold hours at a time. It's more something you give an hour or two every day, or every few days.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. In an age of far more in-depth and customizable Animal Crossing games, I think this far more passive, relaxing experience is still worth going back to. I have a lot of nostalgia for the series, but if you want a relaxing time with no Nook Miles or such weighing on the back of your mind, classic Animal Crossing is still as good as it's always been. Even if it may be a bit dull at times, it's still a nostalgia piece that will always be close to my heart <3
There's a mysterious, vaguely uncanny vibe to this one that later games never quite emulated. I like it, and it sticks in my mind long past the lifespan of newer, and arguably better, Animal Crossing games.
"I hope you go to JAIL! And that your stupid house is TORN DOWN, tee-hee!" - Bunnie
I miss all the free NES games from this series :(
Only played this one for around a month or two but still really liked it. Still has a lot of charm and neat little features that never made it to any future games. The villagers being assholes is awesome too. Some aspects of it are clunky and outdated though, stuff like inventory management and item storage were greatly improved in the sequels.
Still a really cool game though with some reasons to play it over other entries in the series.
Still a really cool game though with some reasons to play it over other entries in the series.
used to ring in the new year with this classic growing up. the one that started it all, there's just something oddly satisfying about the grid feature of the original. kk slider saturday's will not be forgotten.
the second comfiest game of all time.
So much more charm than some of the later ones--this iteration understood "coziness" in the right ways and made your villagers feel so much less generic than the newer ones.
got on this game a few weeks ago and one of my villagers said he hasn't seen me in 108 months
Such a neat game!! Each day feels different and it really nails down the formula for next games. And hey, there's games inside the game!
This game helped me out of a rough spot growing up so it will always be my number one favorite. Nothing has even come close to taking it's spot. That's really all I can say without getting to personal.
Immaculate vibes, man!
I will always have New Leaf as my preferred Animal Crossing game, but after playing this for a bit I really respect the origins of the series. Sure, its more simple, more rough around the edges. But that makes it interesting! It may not have the endless content of New Leaf, but its got a unique feel, I respect that.
I will definitely be playing this more. I may write more detailed thoughts once I play a lot more.
I will always have New Leaf as my preferred Animal Crossing game, but after playing this for a bit I really respect the origins of the series. Sure, its more simple, more rough around the edges. But that makes it interesting! It may not have the endless content of New Leaf, but its got a unique feel, I respect that.
I will definitely be playing this more. I may write more detailed thoughts once I play a lot more.
Roald
Such a nostalgic game for me with the perfect charm that other Animal Crossing games haven't matched
I've been playing a lot of the first/early installations of the many Nintendo franchises recently, and what strikes me about Animal Crossing in particular is that they clearly hit the nail on the head first try.
The fact that this game has almost all the classic Animal Crossing mechanics and quirks that make it so loveable and recognisable is very impressive. I think even the most casual New Horizons player could pick up Animal Crossing and not feel like 'wow this is old and clunky' etc.
There obviously are some big differences that differ this from the rest of the series, like the grid map system that's tied in with the camera, as opposed to a 'globe' sort of view - but to be honest I don't mind it so much, it even feels like a nice twist from playing the modern versions.
My main issue with the game is that the gameplay becomes quickly repetitive and there isn't a whole lot to do apart from make money. There are almost daily random events, but they're usually over in a minute or so. If I played this in 2001 I'm sure I would have been hooked and could have played this almost daily for a whole year, but I'm 30 hours in and without changing the season manually, I've ran out of stuff to keep me interested (there's really not much to do in winter).
The villagers, art style, music, museum, furniture/interior design aspect - it's all genius and stuck the landing so well that it's mostly unchanged 20+ years later. While I would still just recommend people to play the latest game, of if they're looking for something more retro I'd still just recommend Wild World - however I'm glad I got some solid hours in.
The fact that this game has almost all the classic Animal Crossing mechanics and quirks that make it so loveable and recognisable is very impressive. I think even the most casual New Horizons player could pick up Animal Crossing and not feel like 'wow this is old and clunky' etc.
There obviously are some big differences that differ this from the rest of the series, like the grid map system that's tied in with the camera, as opposed to a 'globe' sort of view - but to be honest I don't mind it so much, it even feels like a nice twist from playing the modern versions.
My main issue with the game is that the gameplay becomes quickly repetitive and there isn't a whole lot to do apart from make money. There are almost daily random events, but they're usually over in a minute or so. If I played this in 2001 I'm sure I would have been hooked and could have played this almost daily for a whole year, but I'm 30 hours in and without changing the season manually, I've ran out of stuff to keep me interested (there's really not much to do in winter).
The villagers, art style, music, museum, furniture/interior design aspect - it's all genius and stuck the landing so well that it's mostly unchanged 20+ years later. While I would still just recommend people to play the latest game, of if they're looking for something more retro I'd still just recommend Wild World - however I'm glad I got some solid hours in.
this game is seriously fucking great i will dickride ACGC till my grave, not my first but i love the ammount of personality into it has a vibe that the others cant replicate
From hanging out with the villagers to collecting a bunch of arcade cabinets and making a cool gaming basement, Animal Crossing was truly a special game that I have a lot of great memories of. Crazy how so many staples in the series were present even in the first game, and how many things the first game had that the new ones don't.
AC is a wacky life simulator with a tranquil cadence that never delivers an action packed moment, but there's also never a dull one. Playing it year round in hopes of catching seasonal fish and bugs while overlooking the town's cyclic changes is time consuming, but a pleasure nonetheless.
After playing this game inconsistently for the past 4 years (and just getting back into it after maybe 2 years of leaving my villagers to rot), I finally paid off my debt and will call the game complete. I gotta say, although very aged compared to the many newer entries in the series, Animal Crossing's gameplay loop is pretty addicting (more addicting than Chinese fart porn, if I do say so myself). Within the next few months I hope to collect all of the fish and bugs and complete my museum :D
no se a cual jugué pero me encantaba irme a la isla y cazar tiburones
in my opinion just as good as wild world if not slightly stronger, seasonal shit being present is always a bonus. villagers felt super real in this one, not just because they talk shit but because they have wants and needs and relationships with the other villagers and overall just have a bigger presence in your town.
the music is divisive i think, a see a lot of love but also a lot of hate for it, maybe some people find it to be too quirky but i love the music of population growing, it gets so fucking weird at like 2AM and i love it - the game's just like "bro why are u awake". the vibes are truly there and they reach a level of animal crossing that i'm not sure has been quite met since. (although new leaf's ost is phenomenal)
i do come back to this game every so often but i recently played for about 2 weeks straight and had a good time with it. just as fun as i remember it being, if not more so. one gripe i have is it takes far too long to unlock the tools in nook's cranny so i just used a code to cheat 'em in because otherwise there isn't much to do in one day.
i also used cheat codes to play NES games which is super cool. (nintendo should do that again with GB games or smth) overall a really fun package and a great first entry in what is now one of nintendo's staple franchises. probably my 2nd favorite AC game, just behind new leaf which i do plan on properly playing at some point.
the music is divisive i think, a see a lot of love but also a lot of hate for it, maybe some people find it to be too quirky but i love the music of population growing, it gets so fucking weird at like 2AM and i love it - the game's just like "bro why are u awake". the vibes are truly there and they reach a level of animal crossing that i'm not sure has been quite met since. (although new leaf's ost is phenomenal)
i do come back to this game every so often but i recently played for about 2 weeks straight and had a good time with it. just as fun as i remember it being, if not more so. one gripe i have is it takes far too long to unlock the tools in nook's cranny so i just used a code to cheat 'em in because otherwise there isn't much to do in one day.
i also used cheat codes to play NES games which is super cool. (nintendo should do that again with GB games or smth) overall a really fun package and a great first entry in what is now one of nintendo's staple franchises. probably my 2nd favorite AC game, just behind new leaf which i do plan on properly playing at some point.
The neighbours talk smack all the time, so it feels more realistic.
7.5/10
7.5/10
Jumped on this game after a few years one time and Apollo called me a moron. Love this game 😁
Great game. Perfectly executes what it wants to be. Little life simulator.
I'm so nostalgic on the og one. The cozy days of desperately searching for the NES games, farming money with fruit export, time travel for shit and giggles and complete all the possible collections there (bugs, fishes, fossils).
Soooooooo cozy, a game that feels like things go on when you don't play and is much less micro-managey than the later titles in the series.
when i was a kid i played this with my dad on the same gamecube and one time eunice asked me for a new catchphrase and being the funny 8 year old i was i put the worst swear word i could think of - "jackass" - as the phrase. after giggling for like 10 seconds i realized that my dad might see it and id get in trouble so i deleted the whole world so he could not see evidence of my sin
the villagers are so mean to me, it's great
it's an early game so it's really limited in comparison to later ones, but it's still lovely and nostalgic
it's an early game so it's really limited in comparison to later ones, but it's still lovely and nostalgic
One of my top 2 on gamecube. So good, great memories with this one.
its OG animal crossing no complaints here.