I've recently decided to get back into AC Wii and it's left me thinking. Personally I don't feel like we've had a proper great AC console game since the GC/N64. I feel the console ac market is lacking and here's why I think that (i'll try and be as fair as possible).
Every AC game has had something distinctive about it.
The GC AC had:
- 15 Max Villagers
- Different camera perspective
- Good gameplay with helping villagers
- Great introduction to the series for most of us.
- Great Events
- Great Music
The DS AC had:
- More house space (mansion)
- First online ac and did it well! 4 players in one town at once.
- Changed perspective, new rolling map, worked well.
- New characters and functionality.
- Was very online orientated imo at the time.
- New Music
The 3DS AC had:
- Play as the Mayor, allows you to decorate your town with projects.
- New events and new animals.
- Main Street, new localized shopping district for all shops.
- Characters can now buy shoes, socks/tights, more accessories and masks. Long/short sleeve clothes. Great character customization.
- Great QR functions, it's so easy to town pattern now with the sharing of QR codes.
- New Music
This is just to name a few. Now for my main point of this debate. I feel the wii animal crossing is the most lacking ac. This doesn't mean I didn't like it, I loved it like any ac before/after it and have great memories playing online with people but I feel it could of been so much better.
The AC Wii had:
- New City area with localized shops, great new features like the auction house and Gracie's store.
- Wii Speak, first time players can 'speak' to eachother.
- Improved graphics upon the ds version.
- New Events (unless i'm mistaken)
- Better online functionality (villagers will walk about whilst you're playing online).
Now the problems I have with the wii version:
- The animals repeat themselves after a few sentences leaving you with nothing to do with them unless you go into a loading screen and back. Lack of asking for help or any games with them (like mindless animals).
- Has the same music as the DS. First AC game to reuse music and imo it's good music but my least favorite of all of them.
- Besides the city and better online features it feels more like a port of the DS. A graphical update with a few extra features but imo a step backwards due to lack of animal personlity and things to do.
- THE GRASS VANISHING, need I say more.
Notice how I haven't mentioned nintendo wfc shutting down yet? I felt it was unfair to base the game based off no online features anymore, as this is a comparison of features at the time it had everything. However, despite being lacking at the time due to just being a rehash of the ds version, now the online features are gone I feel like a massive part of the game has left it feeling like half a game now. The wasn't as much to do single player this time around so online was a big part of it. Now it's gone, no longer can you play with others but the auction house is no longer useable either. You can't mail people either. That's a point, that was something I loved, being able to send letters to another town without being it it, wonder why they toke it out with the 3ds?
I leave myself with a good game stripped back, I actually feel like playing the GC version and making a new town instead of making a new town in ac wii as it had better gameplay, animal personalities, the ability to ask for help and play games with them more. I think it's about time we had a proper console AC game with great features like the GC & 3DS and the DS' online capability (which it albeit had).
In an interview they've kind of hinted that the future of AC lies on the NX. They said the next mainstream AC game (not a spinoff) will depend on the hardware at the time. I think it's pretty obvious they're saving Zelda & AC for the next console to kickstart it well with it's third party support (which they actually have this time). This will be the first time the series has skipped a console (ignoring spin offs).
What do you guys think? Do you agree that we haven't had a "great" standalone console AC game since the GC? I feel now that for handhelds the turn to AC is New Leaf & for consoles it's still AC GC.
Every AC game has had something distinctive about it.
The GC AC had:
- 15 Max Villagers
- Different camera perspective
- Good gameplay with helping villagers
- Great introduction to the series for most of us.
- Great Events
- Great Music
The DS AC had:
- More house space (mansion)
- First online ac and did it well! 4 players in one town at once.
- Changed perspective, new rolling map, worked well.
- New characters and functionality.
- Was very online orientated imo at the time.
- New Music
The 3DS AC had:
- Play as the Mayor, allows you to decorate your town with projects.
- New events and new animals.
- Main Street, new localized shopping district for all shops.
- Characters can now buy shoes, socks/tights, more accessories and masks. Long/short sleeve clothes. Great character customization.
- Great QR functions, it's so easy to town pattern now with the sharing of QR codes.
- New Music
This is just to name a few. Now for my main point of this debate. I feel the wii animal crossing is the most lacking ac. This doesn't mean I didn't like it, I loved it like any ac before/after it and have great memories playing online with people but I feel it could of been so much better.
The AC Wii had:
- New City area with localized shops, great new features like the auction house and Gracie's store.
- Wii Speak, first time players can 'speak' to eachother.
- Improved graphics upon the ds version.
- New Events (unless i'm mistaken)
- Better online functionality (villagers will walk about whilst you're playing online).
Now the problems I have with the wii version:
- The animals repeat themselves after a few sentences leaving you with nothing to do with them unless you go into a loading screen and back. Lack of asking for help or any games with them (like mindless animals).
- Has the same music as the DS. First AC game to reuse music and imo it's good music but my least favorite of all of them.
- Besides the city and better online features it feels more like a port of the DS. A graphical update with a few extra features but imo a step backwards due to lack of animal personlity and things to do.
- THE GRASS VANISHING, need I say more.
Notice how I haven't mentioned nintendo wfc shutting down yet? I felt it was unfair to base the game based off no online features anymore, as this is a comparison of features at the time it had everything. However, despite being lacking at the time due to just being a rehash of the ds version, now the online features are gone I feel like a massive part of the game has left it feeling like half a game now. The wasn't as much to do single player this time around so online was a big part of it. Now it's gone, no longer can you play with others but the auction house is no longer useable either. You can't mail people either. That's a point, that was something I loved, being able to send letters to another town without being it it, wonder why they toke it out with the 3ds?
I leave myself with a good game stripped back, I actually feel like playing the GC version and making a new town instead of making a new town in ac wii as it had better gameplay, animal personalities, the ability to ask for help and play games with them more. I think it's about time we had a proper console AC game with great features like the GC & 3DS and the DS' online capability (which it albeit had).
In an interview they've kind of hinted that the future of AC lies on the NX. They said the next mainstream AC game (not a spinoff) will depend on the hardware at the time. I think it's pretty obvious they're saving Zelda & AC for the next console to kickstart it well with it's third party support (which they actually have this time). This will be the first time the series has skipped a console (ignoring spin offs).
What do you guys think? Do you agree that we haven't had a "great" standalone console AC game since the GC? I feel now that for handhelds the turn to AC is New Leaf & for consoles it's still AC GC.
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