Animal Crossing:I just don't get it... (1 Viewer)

[Chris Bardon]

So I finally got a chance to play around with Animal Crossing over the break, and I was looking forward to seing what the big deal was. I'd heard that it was supposed to be one of the best and most addictive games around, but I logged a couple hours on it, and really didn't understand what the point of it all was. Being able to get NES games is cool and all, but I have my NES if I want to play those. Should I really care about furnishing a virtual house? What is it about this game that everyone thinks is so great?

 

[GlenHaag]

Chris,
The game isn't for everyone. I got into the game after playing a while, and just enjoyed collecting all of the fish, bugs, and fruits. The NES games were just a bonus in my opinion.
I'm about to start the game over, as I got an e-reader before Xmas and bought some of the cards for the game. I'm sure I'll enjoy it just as much.
Glen

 

[DonRoeber]

Chris,
My fiancee and I just got hooked on this game. We rented it for a week from Blockbuster, and then raced out to buy it. For us, we really enjoy finding different items (we're working to complete the museum, we've got a ways to go), making our house cool, and interacting with all of the other animals. It's also fun to see new animals move into your town, because you did a good job at making it better (planting trees, pulling weeds, etc...). We could never get into The Sims, but somehow, we're hooked on this.

 

[JoshF]

This game appeals to certain people and not to others, just like any other game.

I've had the game for a couple weeks now and I'm on the fence. I like it and I find myself wanting to check in for an hour every day or so, but I'm not sure how long it will last. My girlfriend finds it "stupid" so there's no chance of getting her into it.

 

[EdR]

I ignored this game for months, looking at screenshots, and reading reviews, I figured I wouldn't like it. I'm usually into instant-gratification kinds of games (racing, shooters, etc). I finally gave in to checking it out after seeing endless threads about it all over the web (even in supposedly 'hard-core' gaming forums like Arstechnica).

AC is about as far from instant gratification as you can get, and still have a game. But it has grown on me, I find myself looking forward to getting home and seeing what has happened.

It's hard to pin down what's so great about it though, part of it is a relization that there's a good deal of subtlety in the game...every so often I notice something 'new' that I had ignored before, or just not noticed. Then there are the characters, which have been given life by some very clever writing. I often laugh out loud at what the other villagers say, it's that funny.

In the short time I've had the game, there ahve been some really cool moments, like on Saturday evening when you get serenaded by a dog with a guitar...sounds cheesy, but it's really well done. I actually went back this past saturday to check out his next performance. Then there was the time when I saw that another character was wearing clothes that I had designed! Again, it sounds silly, but it was cool.

At times, the game can feel like a chore...but you want to do them because you will be rewarded, with new items, bells (money) or even just satisfaction (like when you complete a skeleton in the museum).

The one bothersome thing that I'm not sure about is about the main interaction you have with others in your village. There is a pattern of asking them if you can do a favor, and they send you off to get an item they loaned someone else and return it. You get a reward for returning the item, but I'm wondering if this continues forever, or whether you eventually move on to other ways of doing favors and getting rewards.

This isn't a serious gripe, just a slight annoyance.

I'm enjoying the game enough to keep playing, which is more than I can say for many other games I've had (and played every day) for 3 weeks. I definitely plan on seeing how the game changes as the seasons change. I also want to see how the village evolves, how big my house can get, who moves into my village and who moves away, and what other surprises are in store.

I guess in the end the best thing is just how different A.C. is. It's a completely different experience compared to other games, it's rewarding in a very different way, and that's refreshing. Will it last? I don't know, but it's fun for now.

 

[Dave Bennett]

I rented it and it wasn't my kind of game. All you do is run errands for people and get things like rugs etc. On top of it, since it was a rented copy, it didn't come with the memory card so I had no NES games to play. I know some people really dig AC but it just wasn't my kind of game.
Edit-forgot to mention the copy I rented was scratched and would only load every 1 in 10 tries so I wasn't able to play it quite as much as I may have wanted to.

 

[EdR]

I know some people really dig AC but it just wasn't my kind of game.

This reminds me of a thought I've had several times since I started playing AC; I'm surprised that it's as popular as it seems to be (anyone got sales figures?). Because it does seem to be more of a niche kind of game, not something most gamers would get into.

 

[GlenHaag]

Through November 218,220 copies had been sold.

I can't wait for the next one, I only hope they have online play involved... if only for trading of items.

Glen

 

[Rob Varto]

planting trees, pulling weeds, etc

I haven't played the game so take my comments with a grain of salt, but...

I don't want to plant trees or pull weeds in my real life, what joy can one get doing it virtually? I tried to get into the Sims, but having to make my character use the bathroom and do other annoying things that take away from character development just dont do it for me.

 

[dave_brogli]

I had it.. played it non stop for a month... then I had to sell my GC.......:frowning:
Great Game! I used to write dirty notes to the other characters, then one of them would let my wifes character read it.. haha funny

 

[Dave Falasco]

I don't want to plant trees or pull weeds in my real life, what joy can one get doing it virtually?

Off-topic, but I just saw a Simpson's rerun where Marge was desperately trying (to no avail) to get Bart and Lisa to do some yardwork, when Homer comes in with news that the carnival is in town and they all race down there and the kids clamor to use...the yardwork simulator. Pretty funny, they had kids with VR helmets on and electronic rakes and hedge clippers.
Anyway, uh, back to AC...

 

[John Chow]

Methinks you guys need to read this article:
http://www.toastyfrog.com/2d/feature...takeover.shtml
to understand the true evilness of AC.

 

[EdR]

I don't want to plant trees or pull weeds in my real life, what joy can one get doing it virtually? I tried to get into the Sims, but having to make my character use the bathroom and do other annoying things that take away from character development just dont do it for me.

Well, I haven't played the Sims, but A.C. isn't a simulator by any stretch, you don't have to eat, and you don't have to use the bathroom. The game focuses on interaction with others, and goals such as paying off your house, or improvements to it, collecting fossils, insects, fish and art to complete your musem collection. Forming relationships with other characters by helping them, or not. Weed-pulling is a very minor part of the game, I usually just happen upon them every so often on my way somewhere else, press the "b" button and it's gone.

 

[EdR]

The much-vaunted "communication" aspect of AC is, in the end, little more than a pretty face for a Pokémon-like promotion of rampant materialism.

It's not much different from watching a movie, and then wanting to buy toys and posters marketed to promote the movie. Except that a movie is a purely one-way street, there's no interaction of any kind, artificial or not.

So while I agree with the basic points in the article, I think it unfairly singles out these games as particularly heinous, when in fact this kind of 'viral marketing' is present in nearly every form of entertainment in the modern world.

 

[Chris Bardon]

Well, I finally decided to grab a copy of the game and spend some time with it, and even though I don't know why, I want to keep playing. I just finished paying off the first loan last night, and I'm sitting at work right now wondering whether the renovations I asked to have made are done yet, and whether I have anything interesting waiting in the mail. This is not normal.

I think that a friend of mine summed it up when he said "You have no idea why, but you get excited when you get a toilet in your house."

 

[Scott Wong]

I bought the game mid-October last year. I played very consistently... practically non-stop at first. I actually "finished" the game to the best of my ability approx. two weeks ago. I caught every fish that I could seasonally. I upgraded my house and paid off every mortgage. I caught each insect I could seasonally. I found every dinosaur bone and gave to the Museum. The game has lost it's purpose with me. I mean, there really is no "end" to the game, per se. You could go on forever. I suppose I could keep going until mid-October *this* year and catch every single fish. Catch every single insect. But... its all become so tedious.
I know AC2 comes out this Fall (?) but I'm not sure what benefit it could possibly bring? I figure, if you've played one Animal Crossing... then you've played them all. *shrug*
It is a great game but I'm moving on, nonetheless.
Scott.

 

[PerryD]

Scott, just create a new game on the same memory card, and move in next door! That's what my daughter did when her first house was finished to her satisfaction.