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