Bilaz
Local Eurovision Fan DA-3870-3754-4899
As a longterm fan of the series who has played all games, this is a topic I've been thinking about for a while. No matter what there are always comparisons between entries in the series, and nobody can really agree which game is the best. After giving this a lot of thought I've come to the conclusion that most games can be the best for you, if you're a certain kind of player! I'd like to compile and share these thoughts with you guys, let me know if you agree and what you think!
Play Animal Crossing Gamecube if:
You play for the atmosphere.
This game was developed to express feelings of loneliness after moving to a new place. No game brings this atmosphere across better than the original game. Your situation is a strange one, you're an outsider, a human in a strange and sometimes even hostile world of animals. You're lost, you're in debt, but you're free. Even the soundtrack compliments this strange and wonderful atmosphere beautifully. This game has details and discoveries for years of gameplay. From animal villagers participating in sports events, to strange quests where you go all over town trying to retrieve a gameboy to even helping Tortimer out as lighthouse keeper for a week.
Play Animal Crossing Wild World if:
You play for dialogue, storytelling and lore.
Wild World is the most simple game in the series, at first glance it might seem barebones. Yet, give it some time. You might find yourself in a friendly fishing rivalry with Rocco who you originally didn't like, you might get invested in whatever is going on between Pete, Pelly and Phyllis. You might laugh at a silly message on the bulletin board and wonder what NPC posted it. Wild World is simple yes, but it took this opportunity to really expand on the writing. Each villager in town will have their own hobbies, and hobbies can change, trends can spread over town. NPCs have elaborate backstories that they'll slowly reveal to you as you keep playing, and who can forget the 'message of the week' bulletin board notices.
We take this all for granted in this day and age where NPC lore can be found explained in a youtube video or written on a wiki page. But if you personally want to get to know these characters, Wild World is the game for you.
Also recommended if you want a classic Animal Crossing experience, but prefer a portable console.
Play Animal Crossing New Leaf if:
You play for the gameplay.
New Leaf is the peak of everything that makes the Animal Crossing series a *game*. There is more to do than in any other game in the series. Events have never been this fleshed out and fun to play. Main Street offers wonderful progression and lots to visit and do. There is more furniture than ever before. There's a great balance between life in town and personal customisation, for the first time in the series you can customise furniture and fund public work projects to decorate your town. Diving, Tortimer's island, is there any gameplay feature that wasn't expanded on in this game? It's easy to see why this game is the favourite for so many.
Play Animal Crossing New Horizons if:
You play for self expression and designing.
This one actually goes without saying but I felt it was important to mention it. As a longterm fan of the series I find it difficult NOT to recommend all the old entries to the series. But after recommending New Leaf, Gamecube and Wild World to friends I realised that... For some people, that kind of gameplay is just not for them.
And this is fine too! New Horizons is a wonderful game and if you're looking for complete freedom to express yourself on a fun little island paradise full of animals. Enjoy yourself and don't let others make you feel like you're missing out! (Also personally I like the villager dialogue better in this game than New Leaf xD)
But what about City Folk?
You'll notice I didn't include City Folk on this list. This isn't because I think it's a bad game. On the contrary, I loved it when it came out and I've played it a long time. It's just that I don't think it has anything unique to offer that other games don't offer more of. It's gameplay and events are better than Wild World, but New Leaf expanded on everything it had to offer. It has more lore still in the game than New Leaf, but Wild World truly shines when it comes to writing. The dialogue tree system also made it difficult to interact with villagers a lot, as they'd soon become repetitive. Overall it's the game I least recommend to revisit.
Play Animal Crossing Gamecube if:
You play for the atmosphere.
This game was developed to express feelings of loneliness after moving to a new place. No game brings this atmosphere across better than the original game. Your situation is a strange one, you're an outsider, a human in a strange and sometimes even hostile world of animals. You're lost, you're in debt, but you're free. Even the soundtrack compliments this strange and wonderful atmosphere beautifully. This game has details and discoveries for years of gameplay. From animal villagers participating in sports events, to strange quests where you go all over town trying to retrieve a gameboy to even helping Tortimer out as lighthouse keeper for a week.
Play Animal Crossing Wild World if:
You play for dialogue, storytelling and lore.
Wild World is the most simple game in the series, at first glance it might seem barebones. Yet, give it some time. You might find yourself in a friendly fishing rivalry with Rocco who you originally didn't like, you might get invested in whatever is going on between Pete, Pelly and Phyllis. You might laugh at a silly message on the bulletin board and wonder what NPC posted it. Wild World is simple yes, but it took this opportunity to really expand on the writing. Each villager in town will have their own hobbies, and hobbies can change, trends can spread over town. NPCs have elaborate backstories that they'll slowly reveal to you as you keep playing, and who can forget the 'message of the week' bulletin board notices.
We take this all for granted in this day and age where NPC lore can be found explained in a youtube video or written on a wiki page. But if you personally want to get to know these characters, Wild World is the game for you.
Also recommended if you want a classic Animal Crossing experience, but prefer a portable console.
Play Animal Crossing New Leaf if:
You play for the gameplay.
New Leaf is the peak of everything that makes the Animal Crossing series a *game*. There is more to do than in any other game in the series. Events have never been this fleshed out and fun to play. Main Street offers wonderful progression and lots to visit and do. There is more furniture than ever before. There's a great balance between life in town and personal customisation, for the first time in the series you can customise furniture and fund public work projects to decorate your town. Diving, Tortimer's island, is there any gameplay feature that wasn't expanded on in this game? It's easy to see why this game is the favourite for so many.
Play Animal Crossing New Horizons if:
You play for self expression and designing.
This one actually goes without saying but I felt it was important to mention it. As a longterm fan of the series I find it difficult NOT to recommend all the old entries to the series. But after recommending New Leaf, Gamecube and Wild World to friends I realised that... For some people, that kind of gameplay is just not for them.
And this is fine too! New Horizons is a wonderful game and if you're looking for complete freedom to express yourself on a fun little island paradise full of animals. Enjoy yourself and don't let others make you feel like you're missing out! (Also personally I like the villager dialogue better in this game than New Leaf xD)
But what about City Folk?
You'll notice I didn't include City Folk on this list. This isn't because I think it's a bad game. On the contrary, I loved it when it came out and I've played it a long time. It's just that I don't think it has anything unique to offer that other games don't offer more of. It's gameplay and events are better than Wild World, but New Leaf expanded on everything it had to offer. It has more lore still in the game than New Leaf, but Wild World truly shines when it comes to writing. The dialogue tree system also made it difficult to interact with villagers a lot, as they'd soon become repetitive. Overall it's the game I least recommend to revisit.
