With the news of the new updates how do you feel about NH?

[Fey]

I think the main place we differ is I'm excited about the DLC. But I was one of those people who really enjoyed HHD. To have HHD integrated into a mainline AC game sounds way too good, and the price for this DLC is cheaper than HHD was when it was new.

Oh I’m excited about the paid DLC’s content too—what irked me was that they announced it right after the free content. I know it makes sense to do them together (since they’re also releasing on the same day), but it seemed very “Here, you’re finally getting your money’s worth of update content. Oh, also, we want more money from you now” lol

I similarly agree with your whole post, down to the time I started losing interest (and hope in it improving) and when I think updates should have happened ideally.

 

[coldpotato]

The animal crossing games I've played are New leaf, Pocket camp, and New Horizons so I only really have 2 previous games I'll be comparing it to. I feel that each of the games has a different sort of charm to it and special things that another one doesn't but New Horizons felt incomplete for such a long time that it felt weird to even compare it. I do think that after the 2.0 update New Horizons will finally feel like a complete game and yes, judging from the direct I will most likely think it is better than the other animal crossing games I've played overall.

 

[Ace Marvel]

Oh I’m excited about the paid DLC’s content too—what irked me was that they announced it right after the free content. I know it makes sense to do them together (since they’re also releasing on the same day), but it seemed very “Here, you’re finally getting your money’s worth of update content. Oh, also, we want more money from you now” lol

I similarly agree with your whole post, down to the time I started losing interest (and hope in it improving) and when I think updates should have happened ideally.

I agree 100%, but Im happy this adds to the main game and is not a stand alone game like the previous one.

 

[StarlitGlitch]

Before 2.0 it was one of my lowest, if not the lowest, ranked AC games. At this point, I'd say it's on par with the other games and but definitely still doesn't beat New Leaf, so I'd say it's #2.

Like others had said maybe it would've been different if a lot of 2.0 content had been in from the start. One thing as a whole I think NL does better is game progression. You had to slowly work up to everything which took months to do. NH only has you put in minimal effort, including most badges, and just handed us things through updates. I prefer feeling rewarded for my actions.

(also I think NL's holidays and events are stronger as well as having more character)

 

[LambdaDelta]

I can't meme "unfinished game" anymore

 

[Croconaw]

I’m still holding onto hope that Copper and Booker will return. We need our police dogs. Plus, Booker is super adorable. However, I still think New Horizons itself is a great game. Not having certain characters isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker. I think it’s definitely on par with New Leaf, which was also a great game in my opinion.

 

[BluebearL]

I was someone who has been incredibly disappointed with New Horizons so this direct was a breath of fresh air for me! I will absolutely be picking up the game again to play properly after many, many months (6?? More??). As for the title question, I voted 'about the same' but will re-asses this when the content actually comes out (including the dlc which I plan to get). It was certainly a heck of a lot more than what I was expecting and came with things that I didn't even know that I wanted. Like the stretching- harkening back to the older games and the interior design updates. Gyroids and Brewster were huge for me but this doesn't mean that it will surpass New Leaf for me. But I am still a bit on the fence about this judgment.

I am going to reiterate what has already been said- I think that the biggest reason this wasn't a no brainer, not a definitive yes this is the best ac game is because it has already been over a year. I lost interest in the game. I was disappointed. I have played through the base/original content. Had the game launched like this then I don't know what I would have thought but it would have been sooo much better. Perhaps a smaller and not yet confirmed reason I voted this way was because (and I hate to sound like a complainer) there is still stuff missing. I think it is perfectly fair to argue that the big new and different things in the game (such as terraforming- though it is tedious and already experienced) make up for this. Not all ac games are meant to have the same things, but idk I feel like there is still going to be a bit of a gap for me. I miss working towards the biggest nooks upgrade etc... there was more to earn. I was also never into the whole island thing, I live on an island in a coastal/rural area (I moved from the city a couple years back) so it's not that enthralling to me. If anything, the game has this sad undertone of isolation for me lol. Anyway maybe I am being far too nit-picky. I will re-asses my view entirely once the content officially drops.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

I think this new update will officially put it above the older games! At least for me, anyway. I think I secretly felt like New Leaf was always a tiny bit better but didn't want to admit it. But now, the Roost is here, Kapp'n is here, Katrina is here, even Harriet is here. And it looks like a bunch of the missing furniture is returning so that's cool

 

[DJStarstryker]

I think this new update will officially put it above the older games! At least for me, anyway. I think I secretly felt like New Leaf was always a tiny bit better but didn't want to admit it. But now, the Roost is here, Kapp'n is here, Katrina is here, even Harriet is here. And it looks like a bunch of the missing furniture is returning so that's cool

I like that Reese and Cyrus are here now too with a better role. Just having them present for the June wedding event felt weird when they played such a major role in NL.

 

[Airysuit]

Before this update I would have probably said above, but I still missed a lot of things to do.

So with this update, yes definitely this the best game!!! I mean my god I feel like I don't even have enough time to play AC now with all the new things going on
But it's a great feeling to have new content that'll have me playing for months discovering things and collecting things!
I finished all catalogs, flowers and museum etc thingies besides the art, so having waaaay more furniture, gyriods, villagers, merchant stands to collect/unlock is the best. Sure I miss a few things here or there, especially multiplayer things to do, but in NL I would miss So. MUCH. More.

NL is great! But NH is better and fits me as a person way better.

 

[Violet Witch]

New Horizons is my first Animal Crossing game so I can't comment on past games other than their clearly regarded as great games that to some are better than New Horizons. However over the last 12 hours or so I've come to realise that before this big update New Horizons really did feel like a base game that was missing a lot of content and I can understand fans frustration as well as those who just gave up on the game early on in it's release. Now that all this new content is coming alongside Happy Home's Paradise I can easily see New Horizons becoming one of the best games in the franchise.

 

[Faux]

Yeah, I meant like another paid one for mini games later. That's what I am hoping.

Unfortunately, they confirmed no further paid DLC either.

 

[KazooSquirrel]

Unfortunately, they confirmed no further paid DLC either.

Yeah I saw.

 

[Loreley]

I still think Wild World had the best villager dialogue and thus was the game I was able to connect with the most. Neither New Leaf nor New Horizons were able to live up to that.

With the added content, I feel New Horizons manages to finally shape out an identity for itself and I feel better about the game because of that. It doesn't feel like something unfinished or something that strayed too far away from what we loved anymore. It may not have *all* the content previous titles had (looking at you, Nook expansions) but it feels fresh and like a new main line title by now.

 

[littlewing]

i voted "about the same" as i'm kind of on the fence still.

with the recently announced update i'd say that feature-wise it's set to be one of the best games. i look forward to the new content and will almost certainly enjoy it. however, my overall experience with NH has been tainted by frequent bouts of frustration and confusion. when i look back on this game in the future i think i'll always remember how underwhelmed i felt for the first two years of its lifespan. as other people in the thread have already stated, NH has felt very much like an "early access" experience, which is not what i went into it expecting.

don't get me wrong, i'm not against the release format itself. i'm currently playing an early access game on steam and loving every second of it, but the key difference there is that that game was advertised as such, and was made by a small indie team. the developers also released a roadmap of planned updates quite early on. some of those updates have had to be postponed, but at least i know that they're still coming. that keeps my excitement alive and helps me set expectations.

if nintendo had been more transparent with their plans, i think NH could have been my favorite.

 

[Orius]

I can't speak from experience since I've only played NL for a couple of days (never even getting to the ordinances), but NH seems like a consolidation of many previous game features, but with upgraded graphics, so I'd say... slightly above, maybe, and largely edging over NL only because of the graphics upgrade. The things I read about NL, how nuanced your villager interactions can be, it just seems like NH hasn't promised anything of that depth yet.

 

[skarmoury]

I honestly rarely benefitted from the multiplayer aspect of ACNL (didn't have friends playing back then :c) so I think the update is perfect for me in every other aspect! I'm really thrilled about all the additions, especially the ones I was familiar with in ACNL. I'm getting the DLC since I super loved HHD as well. So many familiar faces are back, so many new furniture and plants, so many QoL stuff is just. It's absolutely exciting!

I have pretty low standards as someone who's busy so while ACNH became stale for me the past months, I can't deny that having spent over 600+ hours wasn't fun in itself. Sure, perhaps more of these features could have been introduced earlier on, but personally I don't mind, I enjoyed a lot from the base game itself since I was more into innovating and building using what was given to me. Being creative with the given items was really fun to me! So more than anything, all these updates are "quality-of-life boosters" than they are "lacking features that were just added now" to me.

I try not to hyperfixate on one thing and I always thought each consumed material would eventually lose its charm once you've finished your goal or finished the material itself, so I thought ACNH for me was something that would soon pass like every other game I've played. I'm really happy to have a reason to come back and play again, the update + DLC will probably keep me occupied for another year or so. c:

 

[Mokuren]

Tbh I played every aninal crossing so far and I am really fond of the Gamecube version and new leaf (not so much ww and lgtc) but honestly ACNH was always the best for me.

I always loved the designing aspect and completing the catalogue. I really don't care if I can get a coffee or cook because it gets boring fast. I also don't interact so much with villagers because they are really boring. Sooo ACNH was always the best for me just because we can place furniture outside. We got hundreds of hours of fun - most other games can't do that much

 

[Bluebellie]

I thought I was almost done decorating my island, but now I’m reevaluating the whole thing. Each and every part of my town now needs a makeover.

 

[LunarMako]

I’m so excited! It opens up so many more ideas. And it’s a nice way to get in the game again and redecorate. Sure there is still some missing stuff from New Leaf I would like to have seen. But were also getting some new stuff we didn’t have in New Leaf or Happy Home Designer. I just wish we could get a bigger island. I don’t know how I can fit everything. I guess it gives a good excuse to keep changing the island around since I can’t fit it all at once.