I'm approaching this as someone who started with New Leaf, and instantly became a relentlessly devoted player. I've heard a lot of resentment over the years from OG fans that the new games are too saccharine and pleasant. After finally trying the original game, it's a perspective I can see and respect, but I dunno, man - I like Nice Animal Crossing.
Going back, you can really see Dobutsu no Mori's weird, warty 64DD roots. The N64 may have been shaped by the west, with games like Turok and Banjo-Kazooie, but the 64DD was a playground for Nintendo's internal late 90s weirdos. Projects like Doshin the Giant and the Game Boy Camera. The place that gave birth to Tingle. Kids today, who wanted to play the cute animal game because they saw a popstar play it on a YouTube Live stream, have no idea about its aggressively scribbled heart.
The original Animal Crossing is an uncaring game at its warmest, and otherwise quite hostile. Villagers are often prejudiced, selfish and lazy. All the patter about Tom Nook's callousness? It's actually warranted here. There are kind, sweet villagers too, but they're the town doofus that everybody dunks on.
I think what's crucial is there isn't really much incentive to do anything in this game. You can contribute to the museum, decorate your house, customise your character, but there really isn't much inherent appeal to it. Every object in the game looks like it was pulled out of the reductions basket in Woolworths, and I didn't really care to be the one good Samaritan on Asshole Island.
There's always extra steps to everything to make it just that little bit more of an irritation. Want to swap out the item you're holding? Go to your inventory screen, drag the held item back into an empty spot in your inventory, drag the desired item into your hand, and resume. Don't have an empty space to put the item while you transfer? You're shit outta luck, buddy. Hope those fish like umbrellas.
I realise that there's more to GameCube AC - Folk won't shut up about the unlockable NES games - but it's just so blasé to your presence. There will be days when you just can't do anything because the shop's shut, and you don't have the item you need. Sure, there's time travel, but if you're not going to play the game by its rules, toss off and make your own.
I don't think this game really has the same appeal as modern Animal Crossing. It's more comparable to Tomodachi Life. A weird little toy to poke around and see if something amusing happens. This isn't a "Life Simulator". What you have in Animal Crossing 1 isn't a 'life'. It's a crude doodle of yourself with stinklines coming out.
Again, I kind of like this stuff. It's funny. But after a week of these sociopaths and villains, I was ready to run back into the appreciative arms of New Horizons. I'm somebody who's so into the vibe of the modern games, they enjoyed one-player amiibo Festival. I have been repeatedly assured that my opinion on Animal Crossing is unrelatable and irrelevant. Maybe I just ain't real enough for this shit. Give me a present and tell me I'm fabulous.
Going back, you can really see Dobutsu no Mori's weird, warty 64DD roots. The N64 may have been shaped by the west, with games like Turok and Banjo-Kazooie, but the 64DD was a playground for Nintendo's internal late 90s weirdos. Projects like Doshin the Giant and the Game Boy Camera. The place that gave birth to Tingle. Kids today, who wanted to play the cute animal game because they saw a popstar play it on a YouTube Live stream, have no idea about its aggressively scribbled heart.
The original Animal Crossing is an uncaring game at its warmest, and otherwise quite hostile. Villagers are often prejudiced, selfish and lazy. All the patter about Tom Nook's callousness? It's actually warranted here. There are kind, sweet villagers too, but they're the town doofus that everybody dunks on.
I think what's crucial is there isn't really much incentive to do anything in this game. You can contribute to the museum, decorate your house, customise your character, but there really isn't much inherent appeal to it. Every object in the game looks like it was pulled out of the reductions basket in Woolworths, and I didn't really care to be the one good Samaritan on Asshole Island.
There's always extra steps to everything to make it just that little bit more of an irritation. Want to swap out the item you're holding? Go to your inventory screen, drag the held item back into an empty spot in your inventory, drag the desired item into your hand, and resume. Don't have an empty space to put the item while you transfer? You're shit outta luck, buddy. Hope those fish like umbrellas.
I realise that there's more to GameCube AC - Folk won't shut up about the unlockable NES games - but it's just so blasé to your presence. There will be days when you just can't do anything because the shop's shut, and you don't have the item you need. Sure, there's time travel, but if you're not going to play the game by its rules, toss off and make your own.
I don't think this game really has the same appeal as modern Animal Crossing. It's more comparable to Tomodachi Life. A weird little toy to poke around and see if something amusing happens. This isn't a "Life Simulator". What you have in Animal Crossing 1 isn't a 'life'. It's a crude doodle of yourself with stinklines coming out.
Again, I kind of like this stuff. It's funny. But after a week of these sociopaths and villains, I was ready to run back into the appreciative arms of New Horizons. I'm somebody who's so into the vibe of the modern games, they enjoyed one-player amiibo Festival. I have been repeatedly assured that my opinion on Animal Crossing is unrelatable and irrelevant. Maybe I just ain't real enough for this shit. Give me a present and tell me I'm fabulous.