Alolan_Apples
“Assorted” Collector
So here's what we know about the update. Every item that Happy Home Designer had that ACNL didn't have (including the HHN items like the tea cup ride) were introduced to ACNL, as well as a couple of other items. It also gave us a new way to arrange furniture, the amiibo feature, and two mini-games like the GameCube Version did.
But how does that affect the gameplay of the spin-offs of Happy Home Designer and amiibo Festival? You may have already known this, but Animal Crossing is one of the few oddball video game franchises where each new entry invalidates the previous games. This is true, especially for New Leaf since it eliminated the need to play Wild World and City Folk. Wild World nearly eliminated the need to play the GameCube Version. Thanks to the amiibo update, the GameCube Version is right out of the picture, unless if you want to play a game that's more simplistic. A lot of the missing villagers and one of the best GameCube Version exclusive features have returned. But judging by the new update, has it already eliminated the need to play the spin-offs? We'll see.
One of them, amiibo Festival, was a real disappointment. The problem here is that it was too much like Mario Party 10, Mario Party at its worst. That, and it requires amiibo to play, one of the many things hated by retro Nintendo fans. However, there was only one good concept about it, and that would be Desert Island Escape. But that was one of the two mini-games included in ACNL. For that reason, the most recently-released Animal Crossing game has now been rendered unplayable.
Happy Home Designer is the better of the two Animal Crossing spin-offs, but even that was considered a disappointment. Some even say that it doesn't compare to City Folk, the worst main series Animal Crossing game. Even if it ranked higher, the highest it can go is below Wild World, assuming that Wild World is better than the GameCube Version. Chances are, it could be better than the first three games, but that's it. If you like it more than New Leaf, you must be a rare exception. How did New Leaf invalidate this game as well? Before the update, when Happy Home Designer was released, it was much better on the interior designing feature. You can move furniture with your stylus, you had more items, you can copy and redesign items while moving them, and you can even decorate restaurants and shops, along with others like hotels. You can also customize the plots, the doors, windows, curtains, and sound scenery. Basically, the interior design feature was extended very well, and animals never move out. However, you couldn't design a town, design your own house, or do many things you can do in the main series Animal Crossing games. Whatever Happy Home Designer is to Animal Crossing is what Pokemon Stadium is to Pokemon. They had a same core feature with some additional features, but it is not like the games of the main series.
The update to ACNL gave part of the features (including the items) from Happy Home Designer to ACNL. You now have the same items from ACHHD in ACNL, including the HHN items, the Nintendo store DLC, and several items that were added in ACHHD like the tacos, the wooden counter, and the watermelon. You can also re-arrange the furniture like in ACHHD. However, not all of the features from ACHHD were included. The duplication of items makes the catalog less necessary, so I wouldn't be surprised to not see it included. But some of the other stuff, such as doors, windows, curtains, and sound scenery were still not included. So even if the amiibo update did kinda invalidate it by adding some of the features, Happy Home Designer is still worth playing. If the update went exactly like how my Idea Book suggests it (including when alternative characters can run their own shops and restaurants), then Happy Home Designer is out of the picture.
To jump to conclusions, Happy Home Designer is still worth playing since not all of its features were included in the amiibo update. But amiibo Festival is out of the picture since its only good feature was included in ACNL's amiibo update. But here's the bottom line. Whether the spin-offs bring us something cool or something stupid, Animal Crossing is not really compatible with spin-offs. The only video game franchises that are compatible with spin-offs are Mario and Pokemon. Mario had more than just platformers with unusal gimmicks (like FLUDD and spin attack). It also came up with combat racing games (including the one with Animal Crossing DLC), RPGs, and party games. Plus, it had a game similar to Little Big Planet. Pokemon had a couple of spin-offs that are worth playing, especially on the N64. Other than those two games, spin-offs don't really work in gaming, unless if you really like the games.
But how does that affect the gameplay of the spin-offs of Happy Home Designer and amiibo Festival? You may have already known this, but Animal Crossing is one of the few oddball video game franchises where each new entry invalidates the previous games. This is true, especially for New Leaf since it eliminated the need to play Wild World and City Folk. Wild World nearly eliminated the need to play the GameCube Version. Thanks to the amiibo update, the GameCube Version is right out of the picture, unless if you want to play a game that's more simplistic. A lot of the missing villagers and one of the best GameCube Version exclusive features have returned. But judging by the new update, has it already eliminated the need to play the spin-offs? We'll see.
One of them, amiibo Festival, was a real disappointment. The problem here is that it was too much like Mario Party 10, Mario Party at its worst. That, and it requires amiibo to play, one of the many things hated by retro Nintendo fans. However, there was only one good concept about it, and that would be Desert Island Escape. But that was one of the two mini-games included in ACNL. For that reason, the most recently-released Animal Crossing game has now been rendered unplayable.
Happy Home Designer is the better of the two Animal Crossing spin-offs, but even that was considered a disappointment. Some even say that it doesn't compare to City Folk, the worst main series Animal Crossing game. Even if it ranked higher, the highest it can go is below Wild World, assuming that Wild World is better than the GameCube Version. Chances are, it could be better than the first three games, but that's it. If you like it more than New Leaf, you must be a rare exception. How did New Leaf invalidate this game as well? Before the update, when Happy Home Designer was released, it was much better on the interior designing feature. You can move furniture with your stylus, you had more items, you can copy and redesign items while moving them, and you can even decorate restaurants and shops, along with others like hotels. You can also customize the plots, the doors, windows, curtains, and sound scenery. Basically, the interior design feature was extended very well, and animals never move out. However, you couldn't design a town, design your own house, or do many things you can do in the main series Animal Crossing games. Whatever Happy Home Designer is to Animal Crossing is what Pokemon Stadium is to Pokemon. They had a same core feature with some additional features, but it is not like the games of the main series.
The update to ACNL gave part of the features (including the items) from Happy Home Designer to ACNL. You now have the same items from ACHHD in ACNL, including the HHN items, the Nintendo store DLC, and several items that were added in ACHHD like the tacos, the wooden counter, and the watermelon. You can also re-arrange the furniture like in ACHHD. However, not all of the features from ACHHD were included. The duplication of items makes the catalog less necessary, so I wouldn't be surprised to not see it included. But some of the other stuff, such as doors, windows, curtains, and sound scenery were still not included. So even if the amiibo update did kinda invalidate it by adding some of the features, Happy Home Designer is still worth playing. If the update went exactly like how my Idea Book suggests it (including when alternative characters can run their own shops and restaurants), then Happy Home Designer is out of the picture.
To jump to conclusions, Happy Home Designer is still worth playing since not all of its features were included in the amiibo update. But amiibo Festival is out of the picture since its only good feature was included in ACNL's amiibo update. But here's the bottom line. Whether the spin-offs bring us something cool or something stupid, Animal Crossing is not really compatible with spin-offs. The only video game franchises that are compatible with spin-offs are Mario and Pokemon. Mario had more than just platformers with unusal gimmicks (like FLUDD and spin attack). It also came up with combat racing games (including the one with Animal Crossing DLC), RPGs, and party games. Plus, it had a game similar to Little Big Planet. Pokemon had a couple of spin-offs that are worth playing, especially on the N64. Other than those two games, spin-offs don't really work in gaming, unless if you really like the games.
