Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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JaySevenZero
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Animal Crossing: New Horizons for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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DaMonth
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Re: 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by DaMonth »

This game sits oddly in a spot where it just happened to come out at the best time and worst time: Best considering it was a nice pleasantry to distract the apparent end of the world, but the worst in terms of Switch complacency. The console doing so well that they don't have to try so hard to impress. That's the only reason that I can see as to why its content is so half-baked considering previous entries. And I didn't even play those previous entries.

The game emphasizes god-like customization but lacks immersion. Ten houses but only eight personalities with very limited dialogue, so you end up getting a couple villagers that feel like reskinned clones. On top of sugarcoating their friendliness to the point where even the grumpy ones love you and they stop feeling like people and more just dolls designed to milk your smiles.

I imagine the crafting pains and lack of QOL and the little to do and all that will appear ad nauseam, so I'll just say this game is what put me on playing Stardew Valley instead.
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Alex79
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Re: 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Alex79 »

Animal Crossing was my lockdown game. Animal Crossing was everyone's lockdown game. The nature of my work meant that I was still actually able to leave the house most days, but if anything, that just made it hit home even more just how weird things were at the time. Every evening I'd retire to my sofa and play Animal Crossing whilst watching old Wrestlemania's on the TV. It became my thing. The game was a perfect way to escape and the gentle nature of the gameplay and the characters that inhabited that world was just an incredible antidote to the mayhem happening around the world. It's not the first Animal Crossing game I've played, but it's the first one I got really in to, and every little milestone in the game, each time something new unlocked or a new villager came to stay, it was those things that kept me coming back, night after night. I spent hours with the terrain editor building a really cool dinosaur island with fossils, flowers, and walkways. I only stopped playing because my children eventually wanted to play the game and totally decimated my island. Honestly, I felt really disappointed, logging on and seeing my creation destroyed, rubbish everywhere and random objects all over the place, but I got what I needed out of it at the time and for that it'll always be a little bit special.

Oh - and I've not even mentioned the amount of time I spent in the art editor, making t-shirts for my characters to wear. And the brilliant website I found that converted and imported custom art, meaning I could hang Nick Cave and Faith No More album covers on the walls on my pretend house. Or my The Shining themed bedroom, complete with life size "Heeeere's Johnnnny" 6 piece wall art! Amazing!

The Shining: https://twitter.com/Alex79uk/status/126 ... 0TfPA&s=19

Nick Cave: https://twitter.com/Alex79uk/status/125 ... Krp_A&s=19

Dino-Land: https://twitter.com/Alex79uk/status/127 ... 6ne_A&s=19
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Buskalilly
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Re: 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Buskalilly »

Ever since the Gamecube original first showed up in magazines, I've had an obsession with Animal Crossing that I can't even explain. I imported that one and played with a freeloader. I played a decent amount on the DS and an obscene amount on 3DS.

When New Horizons was finally announced for Switch, I was wildly excited. The Switch was a console which everyone I knew owned and I couldn't wait to have a new AC experience with a big social element.

I played a decent amount, and still dip in monthly or so, but because I live in Japan I never had the mad 2020 experience a lot of people reported. On top of that, the game was slightly disappointing to me. The degree of player customisation and quality of life has stripped the game of an unruliness that made it feel truly alive.

My villagers all like me no matter what I do, they never come or go without my permission and they reiterate the same phrases across a pretty basic set of personalities. The Youtuber Tama did a good video essay on the way the Villagers have gone from feeling alive on the Gamecube to steadily transforming into dolls by the time we get to the Switch.

It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode like The Chaser, in which the young man makes the woman his at the cost of her individuality and personality. The villagers will do as their told and dress how their told, but at this point I may as well play with Sylvanian families.

That Tama video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxQHRHGqbYc
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Iain[Ian]Ianson
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Re: 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Iain[Ian]Ianson »

An amazingly well-made game no doubt. But they definitely ramped up the busy-work since the original and Wild World (the last ones I played). while seemingly removing a lot of dialogue options from the previous game. Or at least it feels that way.

Also speaking personally, there’s something a little bit soul-less about how it just lets you remake the town and adorn it with tatt so freely. It almost makes the game into a doll-house simulator, and you can sometimes come across like the evil little kid in The Twilight Zone movie, who’s family bends to his will at every turn.

The original games I played had a definite vibe of you being a part of a quirky, believably inflexible virtual community, rather than just being a slightly bored god-king.

My kids loved this game for many hours though. It’s base level of charm is through the roof.


EDIT: Woah, just read the post above. Oddly identical observations. Different Twilight Zone reference it looks like though!
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Rhaegyr
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Rhaegyr »

Not much to say other than I absolutely adore Rodney and was shocked to find out about the hate he receives online.

I love the little guy!
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Wuqinglong »

This was the third animal crossing title that hit at the right time for me to pick it up. I expected around 40-80 hours of relaxed fun and that's more or less what I got. I don't know if it's just playing it as a busy adult but it left much less of an impression than the Gamecube and DS iterations. Maybe I just miss being able to collect NES roms and design my house around showcasing them. Maybe I'm just getting old.
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Will Marley
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Will Marley »

I loved the sound design and the HD Rumble for the basic actions. The feel of chopping wood, swishing the net and yanking the fishing rod was so satisfying. I think that mechanical tactility, along with the music, is what got me through to the credits. I'm not interested in the customisation or landscaping but I enjoyed acquiring stuff and I have fond memories of walking round the museum admiring my discoveries with that wonderful, relaxing soundtrack. I've never properly played one before and I may never again but for the thirty hours I spent with New Horizons, it brought me distracting peace.
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DrBazler
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by DrBazler »

I've never played any Animal Crossing New Horizons, but my wife, Jane, has, oh, just a couple of hours... so when I saw the game was coming up for the podcast I asked if she wanted to share her thoughts. Over to Jane:

"I'm not a gamer at all but, at the start of the pandemic, my husband gave me a copy of 'Animal Crossing, New Horizons'. I had never even heard of Animal Crossing before, so it was all new to me. But the gentle, colourful, happy world of Tom Nook and co quickly sucked me in and I've now sunk well over 1,200 hours into this brilliant and delightful game.

From choosing my islanders (I heart Ken the chicken) to constantly redesigning my village, it was a brilliant escape from the depressing world outside. When Gaston the rabbit told me he was proud of me, it nearly broke my heart.

But the online functionality really brought this game into its own. Being able to swap items with strangers in Facebook groups, or to play with friends you couldn't see due to the pandemic, was really magical. I even made friends with a guy in the US via a Twitter thread and we're still friends now.

While I don't play often anymore, my ACNH island is always a warm and welcoming space to return to and I have great fondness for Penbury and its inhabitants. Apart from Isabelle - she's a dead-behind-the-eyes robot.

Jane (from 'Penbury')"
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Tolkientaters
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Tolkientaters »

I've always been a little put off by this game for a weird reason that I haven't seen expressed by anyone else. Every human villager I've seen just looks weirdly creepy. I like the look of the animal villagers, but the human villagers just look unsettling.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by Tleprie »

I've only ever played Animal Crossing on the Gamecube, and while I enjoyed it quite a bit, I never felt the urge to jump into another one.

I did love all of the stories people shared for the first few months of lockdown of their adventures on their islands. A true bright spot in the world among a whole lot of uncertainty and hardship.
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psychohype
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Re: Our next podcast recording (11.2.23) - 556: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Post by psychohype »

I picked this game up around November and finally got around to playing it last week. I’m now nine days in and starting to wonder what I’ve gotten myself into here. For the first few days, I became terribly addicted to the dopamine rush that comes from collecting those sweet, sweet Nook Miles on my in-game smart phone. I’ve already banked about 70,000. I have no idea why I’m hoarding this made-up currency, or how I’m going to spend it. I just found it so easy to keep doing those dumb repetitive tasks over and over and over. Collect three snowflakes? Sure. Plant another fruit tree? Let’s find a good spot. Done. Pay me, Tom Nook!

We’ll see how long this compulsion plays out. It’s been fun starting to see the island features slowly expand outward, as new residents begin to trickle in. I can’t say it’s not compelling, and I certainly don’t want to miss out on any important developments by failing to log in for a day. But I’ve also got a real life and a family to attend to, as well as … well, other games I’d also like to play. I played New Leaf before this installment, and so far this game feels like more of the same, but with new mechanics to keep you even busier for longer.

Lastly, I do feel like it needs to be said that the way Nintendo treats its customers with this series is incredibly stingy. There really should be no reason, as far as I’m concerned, to limit a customer to one Animal Crossing town per Nintendo Switch. It’s a very anti-consumer move, and it negatively impacts families or couples when there are multiple people in the household with a shared interest in the game. It feels unfair to have only one person allowed to enjoy the full experience of the game, with everyone else relegated to feeling like a second-class citizen.
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