Another "older Animal Crossing game has a superior element to New Horizons" thread

[Shellzilla_515]

Each Zelda game is vastly different from the next. Animal Crossing games tend to have subtle differences between iterations (which is why the small details matter so much).

See, and there we go again "I'm getting a little tired of all this drama". Would it be better if this forum was an echo chamber?

I feel like I need to explain this a little further. I don’t mind people sharing their opinions. It’s just that I need to politely express how I feel about the current environment of the forum as opposed to just bottling it up. We all have our own opinions and different tastes. I cannot force someone to change theirs because that’s what they feel about the game. Sometimes, I wanted to know why that’s the case. You’ve shared your opinion, I wanted to share mine as well politely. I hope I didn’t rub you off the wrong way. Have a good day wherever you are.

 

[LoyalDragonfly]

It seems people value "being fair" - so I'll add that NH has better general "quality of life" features, and gives a great sense of "freedom". But that matters very little when substance is absent. Though oddly, I disagree with you - I find the GCN graphics very charming. ACNH (other than the sky which Nintendo always nails out of the park), feels very "plasticy" if that makes sense?

I can't agree with this more. The textures of the villagers, especially, has always been something that's bothered me about NH graphics. It's like the villagers are just plush toys or something... and only Stitches should look like that.

Also...

I think there's a difference between a game being a spiritual successor to a previous game, and a game that references a previous game. I've never played ACGC (although I've been wanting to try it out for a while!), but my SO, who played a lot of it, AND has also experienced NH for the (admittedly sort of short) duration I played it, can confirm that it feels nothing at like the original. The original ACGC was a game about community and living with your animal villagers. ACNH is about designing a beautiful-looking town. It's a much more 'modern' feeling game, despite a pretense of being simpler with it's deserted island premise.. but, I mean... one of the first thing you get is a cell phone of all things. That, for me, all but destroyed the idea that we were going to go back to 'simpler' times, right there. ACNH, rather than being a spiritual successor of the 'feel' of ACGC, took the design aspects of New Leaf and ran with it as the new theme. I feel like it's actually more like a hybrid, console version of Pocket Camp and Happy Home Designer, if anything.

Nintendo LOVES to add little homages and references to older games... that's nothing new. That a shop has the same name as a previous game's shop, or includes somewhat similar functionality for NPCs, seems more like a reference than anything else.

IMO, an actual spiritual successor would have been taking a big step back from customization and design, and gone back to the idea that there are just some things that you, the player, have no control over. There would be an increased focus on villager interaction and becoming a part of the community... and also taking things as they come, including the things that we've come to consider inconveniences. Landscape architecture and cute photo-op reactions wouldn't have taken center stage, at any rate.

I get your pain, OP. You can't criticize NH without hearing both that it's 'doing it's own thing' and thus, not supposed to be like the other games... while at the same time also supposedly being a spiritual successor to the original. Which... even I can tell, it definitely isn't anything like the original, cute little homages and references notwithstanding.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

The big details matter, too! You know, like terraforming, crafting, and island hopping for new villagers. Those things tend to get ignored because beans don't go far enough when you throw them, or because the only crop we have is pumpkins...

small details matter just as much, especially when said small details replicate what was featured in a previous game (thus giving people something to compare it to).

 

[-Blue-]

I mean I think the small and big both matter. I don't think either should be sacrificed for the other.

 

[Michelangelo]

I don't want a whopping huge department store on this previously abandoned island of mine. A cozy, small shop that reminds me of Re-Tail and actually decorates for nearly every holiday, big and small?? That's personality and charm to me. Less daily furniture stock isn't much of a problem either with crafting.

I agree. It feels kinda strange to have this sleek department store building in the middle of the forest, now that I think about it. Haha

Let's look at Nook's Cranny, which by its name alone seems to be an homage to the games of old. Not "Nookling's Cranny" as in New Leaf, but a straight up reference to the Tanooki himself. But once again, NH fails here. How will those desperate to convince those of us with modest expectations of the game that we are wrong defend this point? I anticipate your response... The GCN game (and if I'm not wrong, every other game) had 3 upgrades - NH has one.

While the shop upgrades are nice, the item inventory is so much better in NH. Once the store is built, you have access to more wallpaper and flooring, you can buy as many saplings and flowers as you like, medicine is always available, and there's more furniture to buy right off the bat. When the shop expands, you're guaranteed a luxury item, the wallpaper and flooring inventory doubles, and more flowers become available, as well as tools.

The previous games may have had more shop upgrades, but the amount of things you can buy is greatly enhanced. Only large furniture items sell out, and you can buy as many things as you need. With that being said, maybe there isn't need for a store upgrade. The expansion of Nook's Cranny in NH sells more items than Nook 'n' Go ever will.

 

[Rosch]

Datamine indicates another shop upgrade for Nook's Cranny though. When will it happen, we don't know yet.

Generally speaking, NH as it is, is still incomplete. So judgment and criticism from both sides right now may change when future updates come.

 

[RoxasFan25]

Okay I will just say this because I know there has been so many divided opinions on which Animal Crossing game is better. Lets be honest. The people who played New Horizons the first time probably never played the original so they have no idea how that game was the reason it got its appeal in the first place. While the people who played all the AC games that played New Horizons didn't like the game at all. Its understandable that the game itself has issues and it may not have all the elements that made past AC games had but each game is different in its own way.

The original Animal Crossing and Wild World was you trying to fit in sure everyone seems to hate you at first but as time goes on they warm up to you and don't really insult you as much. You feel like you're actually getting closer with your villagers. City Folk that game is underrated but its just basically hanging out and going to the City which felt refreshing since you wanted to see different villagers who are visiting and there was so much variety of shops. New Leaf you were the Mayor and your job was to build the community the way you want it to be since you're in charge, everyone is always supporting you, and you feel so good about yourself that it makes you keep going. Now we get to New Horizons. The game is pretty much terraforming your island the way you want and there is alot more freedom to customization then ever before., however that so called "building the community" is no longer here and thats the problem there.

I will agree that every AC game is different in their own way but lets just appreciate how far New Horizons has improved on the gameplay elements. Pocket Space has 40 slots, You can store a lot of items in your storage more than ever before, Rocks have more usefulness to them, and You can terraform your island (Move buildings wherever you want to your liking) the way you want too. With that said it is true that most of the important elements from past AC games are not in New Horizons hence the reason why so many people didn't like how the villagers were done and how you don't feel as "connected" as you did in past AC games. Everyone has different opinions how they feel about each AC game so they should not be compared to each other. A new AC game can change things for the better but its the problem that the game came out during a difficult time so most of the stuff that they wanted to do was held back so in the future it will become alot better as things improve. Those are just my thoughts.

 

[skogkyst]

Datamine indicates another shop upgrade for Nook's Cranny though. When will it happen, we don't know yet.

Generally speaking, NH as it is, is still incomplete. So judgment and criticism from both sides right now may change when future updates come.

I think it's appropriate to criticize the fact that the game was released incomplete from the start. A lot of New Leaf's features came post-launch via Welcome Amiibo, sure, but the original release was more full-featured than New Horizons seems at this point.

 

[Rosch]

I think it's appropriate to criticize the fact that the game was released incomplete from the start. A lot of New Leaf's features came post-launch via Welcome Amiibo, sure, but the original release was more full-featured than New Horizons seems at this point.

Ah. That. That had been debated recently.

Festivale Update!

I don't think I've seen anyone post it yet, so I'd just like to share it here! :D edit: There seems to be more to the update besides the trailer! Thank you to @TheKryptoKnight for sharing the link. https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/article/703cc041-e5ff-4399-b70b-33fe7e4f49d9

www.belltreeforums.com

Anyway, my point is that there's a probable future Nook's Cranny upgrade.

 

[Michelangelo]

Lets be honest. The people who played New Horizons the first time probably never played the original so they have no idea how that game was the reason it got its appeal in the first place. While the people who played all the AC games that played New Horizons didn't like the game at all.

From my viewpoint, I have played every mainline Animal Crossing game, and I like NH a lot. It's loads better than City Folk, which had IMO the worst repeating villager dialogue and the horrible grass wear, which was what made me shelve the game. It also had the exact same soundtrack from WW, which honestly wasn't all that thrilling, except for a few hourly tunes. The city music was nice though!

NH did fix some things that were a hassle in NL (no grass wear, no random plots destroying your garden, etc.) and at the same time it took away some nice things about NL (villagers visiting you, your character reacting to the cold or heat, etc).

Like you described in your post, each AC game has a theme. Depending on its theme, it will determine which is a better fit for each player.

AC GCN: Move into a new town as the only human and fit in with animals.
AC WW: Move into a small community and build relationships with villagers and the working NPCs.
AC CF: Move into a town and have a city to shop in.
AC NL: Become a mayor and build up the small town with PWPs to make an attractive residence.
AC NH: Move to a completely deserted island and build it up with residents, shops, and furnishings with complete creative control.