J. Hunter
08-18-2006, 09:26 AM
I originally posted this review on a different site, but for easy access here it is, quoted directly to you!
Okay, so AC:WW has been out for a while now. Many of us say it is a great game, myself included. But who here has played the original? The game before the game? I bought Animal Crossing for GameCube a few years ago. I think that it's time I show everyone the dark days of gaming.
Animal Crossing, much like its DS sequel, is a game where you control a character in a town and try to live the character's life to its fullest. I would like to tell you a small story about how I came upon the game. I was reading a Nintendo Gamer magazine when I stumbled across a four page Inside Look. Seeing as all four pages contained unnecessary amounts of the colour pink (and I didn't really want to be seen reading through a pink magazine) I promptly skipped the pages and did not swallow my pride to read them until a few months later. After about five minutes of reading, I knew that I had to get this game.
I have always been drawn by life simulators. I don't know why, but I have always loved The Sims, Harvest Moon and the like. So naturally, when I learnt of a game coming out for my system, I jumped for joy and set about finding out as much as I could about Animal Crossing. Sadly, in every place I looked, articles glared at me with the words: "Animal Crossing will not be released in Australia." I got over my grief and continued with life, knowing that this was one game I had to go without. But then, by some glorious chance, I called Target for one last look. They said: "Yes, we have one copy of the game without the Memory Card." I was ecstatic. I bought Animal Crossing with a happy smile on my face.
When I arrived home and began to play, however, I noticed that I needed a Memory Card if I was going to enjoy the game. So after another long and boring search, I finally found a GameCube Memory Card and began to live in my town, Johtö. I quickly realised that the happy idea I had owned in my head was never to be.
You see, Animal Crossing is not like Wild World. For one, the graphical quality is actually worse. That's right, a GCN game with N64 graphics that look worse than a DS games graphics. Also, there is so little to do. The Inside Look I had read had said that Animal Crossing was deep. I talked to one villager, then another, and realised that they had exactly the same personalities. The developers actually REUSED personalities for different characters. The events in town are always the same, and eventually I lost all incentive to look upon my town every day. Although there were two memorable events where I was asked where the best place to build a bridge was and if I could light the lighthouse for a while, these were the only two interesting things that happened.
I faithfully played Animal Crossing regularly for a year. I didn't, and still don't, know anyone else who owns it and lives near me. Therefore I could not visit another town, but I doubt it would be too enjoyable anyway. There is not enough to do. Sorry Nintendo, you did try. And although Animal Crossing was a flop and could even be called a disaster, AC:WW is a polished off version that shines like a star.
Scores
GRAPHICS: 56% Not good. Below average, cheesy and ugly. Very simple style that does not work.
SOUND: 70% As cheesy and ugly as the graphics, but there are some memorable tunes in there.
LIFESPAN: 100% Seeing as it never ends, I guess you can play it for as long as you like, but you won't. I have to give it 100% for this, though.
GAMEPLAY: 48% Boring and uninteresting. You will only play to check the mail, if even that.
OVERALL:51% An unpolished, seemingly unfinished game. Should have been more like Wild World.
I know that this review did not include some of the features of Animal Crossing, such as the e-reader, but I didn't include them because it would not make any difference. All they can do is give you items which are just as boring as the game. And I also excluded the NES games, simply because they have no right to be in a game like this and it would be an insult to such games as Donkey Kong and Balloon Fight to include them in a review of a game so different from them. But yes, they are in the game and they are playable. And yes, they are awesome.
Feedback of any kind is appreciated. Thank you.
Conversion of Score:
GRAPHICS: 2 Stars/5 Stars= /As above/
SOUND: 3 Stars/5 Stars= /As above/
REPLAY VALUE: 1.5 Stars/5 Stars= Seeing as it never ends, you can't really replay it. But in terms of redoing events and "challenges", doing them once is too much.
VALUE: 2 Stars/5 Stars= /See OVERALL/
Comments are welcomed. Please tell me what you think.
This review has been edited slightly in order to improve quality. To see the original review, visit http://www.friendcodes.com/forums/reviews/10178-animal-crossing-gcn.html J_Hunter accepts no responsibility for other users comments. May contain traces of peanuts and other nuts.
Okay, so AC:WW has been out for a while now. Many of us say it is a great game, myself included. But who here has played the original? The game before the game? I bought Animal Crossing for GameCube a few years ago. I think that it's time I show everyone the dark days of gaming.
Animal Crossing, much like its DS sequel, is a game where you control a character in a town and try to live the character's life to its fullest. I would like to tell you a small story about how I came upon the game. I was reading a Nintendo Gamer magazine when I stumbled across a four page Inside Look. Seeing as all four pages contained unnecessary amounts of the colour pink (and I didn't really want to be seen reading through a pink magazine) I promptly skipped the pages and did not swallow my pride to read them until a few months later. After about five minutes of reading, I knew that I had to get this game.
I have always been drawn by life simulators. I don't know why, but I have always loved The Sims, Harvest Moon and the like. So naturally, when I learnt of a game coming out for my system, I jumped for joy and set about finding out as much as I could about Animal Crossing. Sadly, in every place I looked, articles glared at me with the words: "Animal Crossing will not be released in Australia." I got over my grief and continued with life, knowing that this was one game I had to go without. But then, by some glorious chance, I called Target for one last look. They said: "Yes, we have one copy of the game without the Memory Card." I was ecstatic. I bought Animal Crossing with a happy smile on my face.
When I arrived home and began to play, however, I noticed that I needed a Memory Card if I was going to enjoy the game. So after another long and boring search, I finally found a GameCube Memory Card and began to live in my town, Johtö. I quickly realised that the happy idea I had owned in my head was never to be.
You see, Animal Crossing is not like Wild World. For one, the graphical quality is actually worse. That's right, a GCN game with N64 graphics that look worse than a DS games graphics. Also, there is so little to do. The Inside Look I had read had said that Animal Crossing was deep. I talked to one villager, then another, and realised that they had exactly the same personalities. The developers actually REUSED personalities for different characters. The events in town are always the same, and eventually I lost all incentive to look upon my town every day. Although there were two memorable events where I was asked where the best place to build a bridge was and if I could light the lighthouse for a while, these were the only two interesting things that happened.
I faithfully played Animal Crossing regularly for a year. I didn't, and still don't, know anyone else who owns it and lives near me. Therefore I could not visit another town, but I doubt it would be too enjoyable anyway. There is not enough to do. Sorry Nintendo, you did try. And although Animal Crossing was a flop and could even be called a disaster, AC:WW is a polished off version that shines like a star.
Scores
GRAPHICS: 56% Not good. Below average, cheesy and ugly. Very simple style that does not work.
SOUND: 70% As cheesy and ugly as the graphics, but there are some memorable tunes in there.
LIFESPAN: 100% Seeing as it never ends, I guess you can play it for as long as you like, but you won't. I have to give it 100% for this, though.
GAMEPLAY: 48% Boring and uninteresting. You will only play to check the mail, if even that.
OVERALL:51% An unpolished, seemingly unfinished game. Should have been more like Wild World.
I know that this review did not include some of the features of Animal Crossing, such as the e-reader, but I didn't include them because it would not make any difference. All they can do is give you items which are just as boring as the game. And I also excluded the NES games, simply because they have no right to be in a game like this and it would be an insult to such games as Donkey Kong and Balloon Fight to include them in a review of a game so different from them. But yes, they are in the game and they are playable. And yes, they are awesome.
Feedback of any kind is appreciated. Thank you.
Conversion of Score:
GRAPHICS: 2 Stars/5 Stars= /As above/
SOUND: 3 Stars/5 Stars= /As above/
REPLAY VALUE: 1.5 Stars/5 Stars= Seeing as it never ends, you can't really replay it. But in terms of redoing events and "challenges", doing them once is too much.
VALUE: 2 Stars/5 Stars= /See OVERALL/
Comments are welcomed. Please tell me what you think.
This review has been edited slightly in order to improve quality. To see the original review, visit http://www.friendcodes.com/forums/reviews/10178-animal-crossing-gcn.html J_Hunter accepts no responsibility for other users comments. May contain traces of peanuts and other nuts.