One of my top 2 on gamecube. So good, great memories with this one.
its OG animal crossing no complaints here.
I personally think this is still easily the second best animal crossing. This to me is exactly what ac as a series should be. While i would rate Dōbutsu no Mori e+ probably 4.5 as it is just the definitive version of this game, adding onto whats already an amazing experience (a shame it was never translated over), this easily deserves its rating. The villagers have a certain sass and realism to them that you just cant find in the newer games, they interact with you as if you're actually THERE living in the town. Obviously its gameplay loop is outclassed, kinda clunky and outdated compared to the future entries but it still has that nostalgic and enjoyable vibe to it that just gives off Animal Crossing to me. I LOVE this game, even if it is outdated.
While completely outclassed by its sequels nowadays, this is still a landmark title, both in the GameCubes' library and Nintendo's history. The premise of this game is simple, you have bought a house and moved to a village of animals. Pay off your debts and live your life.
It is such a simple premise, but incredibly addictive. The freedom that it allows the player was quite unheard of for its time. Of course, you had games like Harvest Moon that gave you farming simulators, but this felt much more simplistic and stripped down. You could collect fossils, grow flowers, make friends with the neighbours, decorate your house, and buy new clothes for your character.
All of this and more was at your own pace, but that is where I found the biggest flaw of this game. This game is based around a clock, so it felt like after a certain amount of playtime I was forcing myself to keep finding things to do. This is steeped into the design as well, since if you buy out the shop, then that's it for the day, or once you find all the fossils in the ground for the day then you can't find any more. Unlike future titles, which have more content to supplement this, its lack of content causes burnout to happen much quicker.
This is still a great game, but it's hard to come back to given how much each sequel has improved upon it. Give it a shot if you have the chance to play it, but you would be better off playing New Horizons or New Leaf if those are available to you.
It is such a simple premise, but incredibly addictive. The freedom that it allows the player was quite unheard of for its time. Of course, you had games like Harvest Moon that gave you farming simulators, but this felt much more simplistic and stripped down. You could collect fossils, grow flowers, make friends with the neighbours, decorate your house, and buy new clothes for your character.
All of this and more was at your own pace, but that is where I found the biggest flaw of this game. This game is based around a clock, so it felt like after a certain amount of playtime I was forcing myself to keep finding things to do. This is steeped into the design as well, since if you buy out the shop, then that's it for the day, or once you find all the fossils in the ground for the day then you can't find any more. Unlike future titles, which have more content to supplement this, its lack of content causes burnout to happen much quicker.
This is still a great game, but it's hard to come back to given how much each sequel has improved upon it. Give it a shot if you have the chance to play it, but you would be better off playing New Horizons or New Leaf if those are available to you.
K.K. Slider himself delivers Animal Crossing's thesis at the beginning of the game when you first boot it up. If you haven't given this entry in the series a shot, I'd recommend you try the game first before reading this review. This isn't a case where there's spoilers or anything like that, but I do think it's best to read this after experiencing the game for a while. This written from a retrospective lens rather than as a recommendation.
Animal Crossing is the strongest champion of virtual interactivity in video games.
This video game provides a world you live in for as long as you take care of it. It's like a bonsai tree that you maintain and cultivate, which gives it something akin to a life. Animal Crossing uses that life-medium hybrid to converse with players about living as an individual in a social world similar to our own. It makes lighthearted satirical fun of the world that made it in its friendly assholes and utopian capitalism. It's a fun world made to encapsulate and interact with reality.
Animal Crossing gracefully manifests what other mediums could only dream of doing; it creates a world for the player to necessarily immerse themselves in. The game achieves its immersion through participation with only brief, unassertive guidance. Unlike popular media outside of video games where their fictional worlds are statically and directly communicated, the towns of Animal Crossing and their meaning to the player change in ways not limited to the player's interpretation. The purposes within Animal Crossing shift to what players make of it through options in interactivity. Beyond the few tutorial tasks in the introduction, the game gladly welcomes its players ignoring any and all of the intent in its creation.
Animal Crossing encourages communication within its own community and beyond. The game tells you to share your town with your real friends outside of the game. It doesn't want to replace; it wants to support. The game constantly seeks to reflect you in your written letters, your brief friendships, and your impression on the town's nature, and it urges players right from the introduction to share your sandcastle town with others. Villagers from your town can move to the towns of other players you have interacted with. You can visit those other towns from other players by putting their memory card in the second slot. Animal Crossing can be a medium for connection.
There's something tragically idealistic here in what I see as this Animal Crossing's most unfortunate flaw. Animal Crossing has high hopes in this social dream that is a dated and ignored burden to fulfill in the present. However, I do find that this flaw does give towns some neat physicality. I can remember myself as a kid imagining the miniature towns being stored inside of blocks in those tiny memory cards where all my villagers continued to live out their lives, while the GameCube and the CRT it was hooked up to were a magnifying glass and an avatar. This flaw also did not exist in the series for long, as Animal Crossing's unfairly disregarded sequel introduced a much easier way to share your town with others.
Like the villagers in its towns, Animal Crossing itself won't last forever. It only has seven years left. After 11:59pm on December 31st, 2030, the in-game calendar will break and reset to January 1st, 2030. The game will still be playable, but it will no longer function as intended. Animal Crossing discs in their unmodifiable state on their GameCubes will succumb to this as their discs rot, memory cards corrupt, and consoles break. Future Animal Crossing games have been made, but none of them with the sass or the abstract zaniness that came in the first entry. The sequel I previously mentioned traded the sass for a pensive melancholy vibe. That sequel's banal follow-up completely eroded even that new identity away.
The series has recently built itself a new identity as something closer to a dollhouse in its bestselling, joyous, resortlike entry (read my review here). New Horizons captures what the world wanted as an escape from a pandemic at the time of its release. Compared to the original, New Horizons is more likely to go down in any history of video games for its popularity and the social impact it had. New Horizons serves as an artifact of its time. In contrast, Animal Crossing brings forth a far less idealized (but still very fun) reflection of reality. As the experimental origin of the series, it does less to interpret desires of the masses, and does more to capture a sentiment about modern lifestyles. Animal Crossing is artistic ethnography embedded in a toy with indifference towards being seen as an art. It's not a film, not a painting, not a sculpture, not a song, not a dance, not a book. It doesn't strive to be anything like them.
Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube could only want (and deserve) to be recognized and respected as itself; a video game through and through.
Animal Crossing is the strongest champion of virtual interactivity in video games.
This video game provides a world you live in for as long as you take care of it. It's like a bonsai tree that you maintain and cultivate, which gives it something akin to a life. Animal Crossing uses that life-medium hybrid to converse with players about living as an individual in a social world similar to our own. It makes lighthearted satirical fun of the world that made it in its friendly assholes and utopian capitalism. It's a fun world made to encapsulate and interact with reality.
Animal Crossing gracefully manifests what other mediums could only dream of doing; it creates a world for the player to necessarily immerse themselves in. The game achieves its immersion through participation with only brief, unassertive guidance. Unlike popular media outside of video games where their fictional worlds are statically and directly communicated, the towns of Animal Crossing and their meaning to the player change in ways not limited to the player's interpretation. The purposes within Animal Crossing shift to what players make of it through options in interactivity. Beyond the few tutorial tasks in the introduction, the game gladly welcomes its players ignoring any and all of the intent in its creation.
Animal Crossing encourages communication within its own community and beyond. The game tells you to share your town with your real friends outside of the game. It doesn't want to replace; it wants to support. The game constantly seeks to reflect you in your written letters, your brief friendships, and your impression on the town's nature, and it urges players right from the introduction to share your sandcastle town with others. Villagers from your town can move to the towns of other players you have interacted with. You can visit those other towns from other players by putting their memory card in the second slot. Animal Crossing can be a medium for connection.
There's something tragically idealistic here in what I see as this Animal Crossing's most unfortunate flaw. Animal Crossing has high hopes in this social dream that is a dated and ignored burden to fulfill in the present. However, I do find that this flaw does give towns some neat physicality. I can remember myself as a kid imagining the miniature towns being stored inside of blocks in those tiny memory cards where all my villagers continued to live out their lives, while the GameCube and the CRT it was hooked up to were a magnifying glass and an avatar. This flaw also did not exist in the series for long, as Animal Crossing's unfairly disregarded sequel introduced a much easier way to share your town with others.
Like the villagers in its towns, Animal Crossing itself won't last forever. It only has seven years left. After 11:59pm on December 31st, 2030, the in-game calendar will break and reset to January 1st, 2030. The game will still be playable, but it will no longer function as intended. Animal Crossing discs in their unmodifiable state on their GameCubes will succumb to this as their discs rot, memory cards corrupt, and consoles break. Future Animal Crossing games have been made, but none of them with the sass or the abstract zaniness that came in the first entry. The sequel I previously mentioned traded the sass for a pensive melancholy vibe. That sequel's banal follow-up completely eroded even that new identity away.
The series has recently built itself a new identity as something closer to a dollhouse in its bestselling, joyous, resortlike entry (read my review here). New Horizons captures what the world wanted as an escape from a pandemic at the time of its release. Compared to the original, New Horizons is more likely to go down in any history of video games for its popularity and the social impact it had. New Horizons serves as an artifact of its time. In contrast, Animal Crossing brings forth a far less idealized (but still very fun) reflection of reality. As the experimental origin of the series, it does less to interpret desires of the masses, and does more to capture a sentiment about modern lifestyles. Animal Crossing is artistic ethnography embedded in a toy with indifference towards being seen as an art. It's not a film, not a painting, not a sculpture, not a song, not a dance, not a book. It doesn't strive to be anything like them.
Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube could only want (and deserve) to be recognized and respected as itself; a video game through and through.
Everyday I looked forward to getting home from school and seeing what new things would happen. I had no idea games like this could even be real but every tiny detail had my brain in a tail spin. The first time I found a money tree, I think I screamed.
Fantastic life sim game, only complaints is there really isn't anything left to do after about a month besides the holidays I guess
childhood
Very cozy.
Heart used to break when my favorite villagers left, though.
Heart used to break when my favorite villagers left, though.
love being 5 years-old and getting called a stupid ugly idiot by a pink cunty hippo
I've been playing this game for two decades now and I just found out you can highlight multiple items in menus by using the X button. My entire life is a lie
The original. Doesn't hold up as well today next to the sequels, but it will always have a special place in my heart.
The term may seem played out nowadays but no single word better encompasses this release than "cozy". Everything about its simpler artstyle, more mellow sound design, and smaller scope is just so warm. I absolutely adore the soundtrack in this game. The suite of music here would comprise multiple spots of a "most relaxing BGM" list, were I to make one.
Another big point in this game's favor is how unrestrained the villagers are and how quaint it feels. Sometimes that "first entry in a longstanding series" vibe can be clunky and jank, but in this case, it's very charming! With that said, this game is much much lighter on things to do and whenever I start towns in this one, I've never found myself staying attached too long. I would still recommend anyone check this out at least for a week or so. Bask in its classic feel.
Another big point in this game's favor is how unrestrained the villagers are and how quaint it feels. Sometimes that "first entry in a longstanding series" vibe can be clunky and jank, but in this case, it's very charming! With that said, this game is much much lighter on things to do and whenever I start towns in this one, I've never found myself staying attached too long. I would still recommend anyone check this out at least for a week or so. Bask in its classic feel.
honestly I just need these sound effects back
good primer for capitalism as a kid
I've been playing a lot of the first/early installations of the many Nintendo franchises recently, and what strikes me about Animal Crossing in particular is that they clearly hit the nail on the head first try.
The fact that this game has almost all the classic Animal Crossing mechanics and quirks that make it so loveable and recognisable is very impressive. I think even the most casual New Horizons player could pick up Animal Crossing and not feel like 'wow this is old and clunky' etc.
There obviously are some big differences that differ this from the rest of the series, like the grid map system that's tied in with the camera, as opposed to a 'globe' sort of view - but to be honest I don't mind it so much, it even feels like a nice twist from playing the modern versions.
My main issue with the game is that the gameplay becomes quickly repetitive and there isn't a whole lot to do apart from make money. There are almost daily random events, but they're usually over in a minute or so. If I played this in 2001 I'm sure I would have been hooked and could have played this almost daily for a whole year, but I'm 30 hours in and without changing the season manually, I've ran out of stuff to keep me interested (there's really not much to do in winter).
The villagers, art style, music, museum, furniture/interior design aspect - it's all genius and stuck the landing so well that it's mostly unchanged 20+ years later. While I would still just recommend people to play the latest game, of if they're looking for something more retro I'd still just recommend Wild World - however I'm glad I got some solid hours in.
The fact that this game has almost all the classic Animal Crossing mechanics and quirks that make it so loveable and recognisable is very impressive. I think even the most casual New Horizons player could pick up Animal Crossing and not feel like 'wow this is old and clunky' etc.
There obviously are some big differences that differ this from the rest of the series, like the grid map system that's tied in with the camera, as opposed to a 'globe' sort of view - but to be honest I don't mind it so much, it even feels like a nice twist from playing the modern versions.
My main issue with the game is that the gameplay becomes quickly repetitive and there isn't a whole lot to do apart from make money. There are almost daily random events, but they're usually over in a minute or so. If I played this in 2001 I'm sure I would have been hooked and could have played this almost daily for a whole year, but I'm 30 hours in and without changing the season manually, I've ran out of stuff to keep me interested (there's really not much to do in winter).
The villagers, art style, music, museum, furniture/interior design aspect - it's all genius and stuck the landing so well that it's mostly unchanged 20+ years later. While I would still just recommend people to play the latest game, of if they're looking for something more retro I'd still just recommend Wild World - however I'm glad I got some solid hours in.
may not be the most deep or intricate entry, but there's something so special about the first animal crossing. cozying up at a CRT with this game on is unmatched
bring back mean villagers
i actually genuinely disliked some villagers because they were assholes. i still have beef with that guy wolfgang or whatever his name is. bring that back, let cranky villagers be cranky and rude so i have a reason to hit them with my net.
didn't understand the game bc when i played i wasnt speaking english still one of my fav game
fun as hell, amazing atmosphere, fun characters
toplam 1-1.5 ay oynadım keyifli ama ilk oyun olmasından mütevellit yapılan şeyler kısıtlı. Ama eğer bunu 2000lerin başlarında oynasaydım muhtemelen aşık olurdum. Ben New Leaf'e geçiyorum hadi alla emaned.
This review contains spoilers
What a great start to the series. at the time it was full of things to sink your entire day into, however as the years have progressed and more sequels have come out, the game has been outdone by its successor's. There is still merit to this game however! the gba island and card reader elements are underrated. If you started with this one you'll always have a soft spot for it.
The first game in this Nintendo franchise to be localized, where your player avatar lives in an idyllic little town full of charming animal residents with distinct personalities. Though the main objective is to pay off your house, the game is all about managing and improving your virtual life, collecting items through activities like fishing and fossil-digging, and interacting with the townsfolk for seasonal events and prizes. Considered one of the best entries in the franchise for its art direction and world. The series continues on NDS and 3DS. The original Animal Crossing (Animal Forest / Doubutsu no Mori) came out for the N64 and received a translation patch later on, but is inferior in every way to the Gamecube port.
This was an enjoyable childhood rental.
The OG still goes hard
One of the coziest games I ever played. I miss when the neighbors were assholes to you, and there were like 20 holidays a year instead of just 5-6. Nu AC feels stripped down somewhat, despite all the new features.
I’m currently playing through all the mainline Animal Crossing games and thought it would be best to start with the first entry in the franchise: the original Animal Crossing for the Gamecube.
Having played New Horizons religiously at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and playing bits and pieces of City Folk and New Leaf, Animal Crossing is where the roots start to enrich and implant themselves, the nutrients and progressions that have allowed the series to bear fruit through testing out new activities. Examples include taking away holidays in Wild World and becoming the mayor, the focal piece of the narrative in New Leaf. Furthermore, that goes without saying that Animal Crossing is the least developed and polished game of the mainline franchise, and it makes sense since it is the first game and it serves as a testing ground on whether the game would sell well with the activities provided for us.
Animal Crossing oozes with personality; villagers are a lot more brute and honest yet distinct from the other entries. Many people cite that they miss that Animal Crossing villagers had personalities akin to their personalities in the original Animal Crossing. Yet, these personalities felt organic and interesting to invest yourself into. You’re a new person coming into town, and some villagers will frown on you while others are very kind. Although the dialogues starts to become more repetitive over time, I still wish that the villagers' personalities in the original Animal Crossing were carried over to its successors.
The bug and fish collection in this game is rather small, with only 40 fish and insects to catch in the game. There are only five ocean fish in the entirety of the game, making ocean fishing pretty fruitless and cumbersome. Once you catch the bugs and fish that are in season (which is not very many), it becomes tedious over time. With the museum, instead of having Blathers assess your fossils, Blathers has you send off your fossils to a museum and research facility. After you send your fossils, it takes one day for the facility to return your fossil in its analyzed form. This can be cumbersome since it takes time for you to find out what fossils you find, especially if you only need a few more fossils.
Yet with the lack of variety and activities that Animal Crossing provides, it somehow feels comforting. It feels like a game that I can turn on after work for 30-45 minutes and feel fulfilled by the end. It feels as though I don’t have to overwork myself to achieve my goals. Animal Crossing, to me, encourages you to go at your own pace. Go at your own pace with collecting your bugs and fish, paying off your home loan, upgrading Nooks Cranny, etc. That is a feeling that continues to permeate future Animal Crossing games, but somehow it still resonates with me with Animal Crossing, although it is not as fleshed out as its future successors.
Having played New Horizons religiously at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and playing bits and pieces of City Folk and New Leaf, Animal Crossing is where the roots start to enrich and implant themselves, the nutrients and progressions that have allowed the series to bear fruit through testing out new activities. Examples include taking away holidays in Wild World and becoming the mayor, the focal piece of the narrative in New Leaf. Furthermore, that goes without saying that Animal Crossing is the least developed and polished game of the mainline franchise, and it makes sense since it is the first game and it serves as a testing ground on whether the game would sell well with the activities provided for us.
Animal Crossing oozes with personality; villagers are a lot more brute and honest yet distinct from the other entries. Many people cite that they miss that Animal Crossing villagers had personalities akin to their personalities in the original Animal Crossing. Yet, these personalities felt organic and interesting to invest yourself into. You’re a new person coming into town, and some villagers will frown on you while others are very kind. Although the dialogues starts to become more repetitive over time, I still wish that the villagers' personalities in the original Animal Crossing were carried over to its successors.
The bug and fish collection in this game is rather small, with only 40 fish and insects to catch in the game. There are only five ocean fish in the entirety of the game, making ocean fishing pretty fruitless and cumbersome. Once you catch the bugs and fish that are in season (which is not very many), it becomes tedious over time. With the museum, instead of having Blathers assess your fossils, Blathers has you send off your fossils to a museum and research facility. After you send your fossils, it takes one day for the facility to return your fossil in its analyzed form. This can be cumbersome since it takes time for you to find out what fossils you find, especially if you only need a few more fossils.
Yet with the lack of variety and activities that Animal Crossing provides, it somehow feels comforting. It feels like a game that I can turn on after work for 30-45 minutes and feel fulfilled by the end. It feels as though I don’t have to overwork myself to achieve my goals. Animal Crossing, to me, encourages you to go at your own pace. Go at your own pace with collecting your bugs and fish, paying off your home loan, upgrading Nooks Cranny, etc. That is a feeling that continues to permeate future Animal Crossing games, but somehow it still resonates with me with Animal Crossing, although it is not as fleshed out as its future successors.
felt very real playing this
still holds up, and has the best villagers in the series. they are just so joyously and frustratingly unpredictable. outside of the menu being a nightmare to use (handhelds have really spoilt me) and the graphics not being that great this game is still one of the best in the series. it has so many little quirks and charms not seen in any of the others, and feels like the one the devs had the most fun making. they are experimenting, and inviting you into that experimentation with a cosy warm hug. i love it.