Animal Crossing: An Addictive Gift to the Cube... Wrapped in Bland Paper
Written: Oct 03 '02
Product Rating:
Pros: Hours or YEARS of fun, real-time clock, so much to do, NES games
Cons: Fuzzy N64-ish graphics, can't last forever, and also a little gimmicky
The Bottom Line: This isn't The Sims, folks, it's way better. If you aren't so shallow that you can't go beyond the game's looks, then you will love it for a long time.
hiphop2407's Full Review: Animal Crossing for GameCube
The first time I saw video clips of Animal Crossing, then known as the N64's Animal Forest, I thought, "...What is this?" Honestly, who wouldn't? A main character with horns and a weird outfit, walking talking multi-colored animals, these totem pole things in your house that wiggle and bounce and make any noise you could possibly imagine, and multiple other bizarre oddities. Considering all the other great games coming out the fall of 2002, I figured that this one would be sent out to pasture, and how. And once again, my pre-judgement proved me wrong. And how.
After some good reviews popped in and the thought of a Harvest Moon style game for the Cube tickled my fancy, I decided to give Animal Crossing a go. The game's opening bit is no treasure, mind you. No raunchy opening sequence or intense music. Just some passive clips from the game and then a talking dog with a guitar welcomes you to the game and gives little tidbits of info. Afterwards, you are on a train in first person, and this walking cat with a big head comes and sits across from you to ask you an assortment of questions. Here, of course, is where you establish your name, where you will live, your gender, and, secretly, a little change in your character's appearance (no spoilers here... go to gamefaqs.com). When the train stops and reveals the new you, it's kind of hard to believe that this is what you're gonna look like for the rest of the game. Don't worry, any negative thoughts about it wear away quickly.
The second you step off the station, you will find yourself buying a house (for now, compared in size to a prison cell), then, when you don't have the dough to pay for it (duh, it's a house), you'll end doing odd jobs for a little while to pay some of it off, then after you've done all the raccoon's tasks (yes, raccoon), you will be out of work, and it'll be time to find your own way to pay the rest.
Here's just about where the game really gets going. Now that you're not working at the shop anymore, you can buy stuff from it, like clothes, furniture, an umbrella, and many, many important tools. Tools are probably the most important part of the game, so buy them fast. Just so you understand their importance, here's a quick overview of them, from least to most important:
Umbrella - Actually not really a tool. You can hold it and spin it if you feel like it, or pretend it actually helps you stay dry in the rain. You can also put a special pattern on the umbrella. Details later.
Axe - Cuts down trees, duh. However, this is something you will, for the most part, want to avoid doing for a while. Keepin' it green, man. Also breaks after a while.
Net - Catches bugs, plain and simple. Though bugs are rarely worth much, you should make it a goal to catch all 40 types of bugs and donate them to the local museum.
Fishing Rod - Umm... catches fish? THIS is your most important source of cash. Fish can go anywhere from 120 to 15,000 Bells, so fish wisely and you will be rolling in dough. Like bugs, there are also 40 fish that you should donate to the museum.
Shovel - VERY important, but also probably the first tool you can buy. It can dig up items or bury them again. This is how you get fossils to give to the museum. I also dug up a painting once. And, probably coolest of all... gyroids. Wanna know what they are? Get the game ;). The shovel is also necessary for planting trees. If you want to truly be successful in this game, I'd recommend it.
So there you go, the tools of the trade. But don't worry, if grunt work ain't your bag, there's ever so much more. You can get more money just by shaking trees, but watch out for bees! Wanna be a good neighbor? Go around and ask the friendly woodland animals if they need anything. They might ask you to deliver something, or write something, or catch something, but it always come with a reward :). Or you could just talk to them. This too often has its surprise benefits...
Got a Game Boy Advance? Well then link that boy up to the Cube and you can gain access to your own tropical island with coconuts and the local islander. After you leave the island, you can play a little game on your GBA which, amazingly, transfers everything currently on the island to a smaller version on the Boy. No cartridge necessary! The game may seem boring at first, but there's more to it than meets the eye. Let's just say it involves some of those handy dandy tools...
Tired of your old town? Well then, make a new one! With another memory cartridge (free with the game!), you can make another town that will look totally different from your old one, with a different fruit and different neighbors! Don't want to give up on your old town? Just use this new one as a vacation spot! By vacationing to this town with your old character, you can get new fruit, go to another fully stocked shop, and dig up new items. Guaranteed you won't go home empty-handed.
Here's what'll really get ya... free NES games! I've heard that there are over 15 different NES games hidden in this one Gamecube game, just waiting to be found! Right now, all I have is Excitebike and Balloon Fight, received via my mailbox after first signing in. One drawback is that the NES games aren't coming very fast, but then again, I could always tweak things a little...
You see, the great thing about Animal Crossing is that you can do what you want, when you want. It's not like the Sims, where your only mission is to be the best, like getting the best job or the most expensive computer. In Animal Crossing, how you play is up to you! There's absolutely no pressure whatsoever, because there's no game over, or, like in Harvest Moon, a constantly rushed state of being, where you have to cram every ounce of this and that into a 20-minute day.
People have complained about how the real-time clock has ruined their enjoyment of the game because they cannot always be there on, say, Saturday nights to receive a new song from the guitar-playing dog, or the last day of the month to use hard-earned raffle tickets at Nook's shop and hopefully win something special. Well folks, with a little thinking, this can easily be fixed. Just change the darn clock! If you missed out, his is like hitting the rewind button on your VCR. Go back to Saturdays or the last day of the month and get what you missed. It's that simple. I, for one, LOVE the real-time clock. It makes everything so relaxed and interesting. It's spring in spring, Christmas on Christmas, and the shop restocks every day for all your shopping needs.
But back to what you want, when you want. The great part about this game is that you can truly make it your own! You can wear your favorite clothes and own your favorite umbrella, put your favorite rug and wallpaper in your house, and don't forget the thousands of crazy furniture options! Don't like the look of any of these? Go down to the Able Sisters' sewing place by the beach and make your own signature pattern! This can go on your clothes, umbrella, wall, floor, and even your door! Make this game your own, folks, the possibilities are endless.
Don't forget all the interactivity. Another family member or friend can move into another of the four houses in one town, and there you can send them mail, sell items to them, and do various little quirky things, like write jokes on the billboard or post your signature pattern here and there, claiming your "turf" ;). It's amazing what Animal Crossing can do without being an online game.
As much as I enjoy Animal Crossing, it is hard for anyone to overlook the fact that in many areas, the game is, well... ugly. The developers made no changes to graphics when bringing the game to the Cube from the N64, and the characters are so pixelated that were the game not 3-D, you might expect to see it on the SNES. As little as this hinders the game, I feel like the makers could have put a little extra effort into making the game at least presentable. I imagine that the graphics might lower many peoples' expectations of the game.
As for sound, the music is fun and, though somewhat repetitive, constantly changing by every few hours of the day. It is great fun to collect different musical scores and put your favorite on in your house. And oh, who can resist the guitar-playing dog's goofy song sessions?
My final complaint, one that may not be widely shared, is that the game comes off almost as a gimmick. There are endless references to Nintendo, Mario, Zelda, and other such famed logo names. one might even call decorations like the Master sword or the N64 symbol "product placement". It's almost as if Animal Crossing was made to be a Nintendo product instead of a game.
Nevertheless, my enjoyment of Animal Crossing remains strong, and the addiction level remains high. This is a Harvest Moon for the new generation, people. That is, until Harvest Moon comes out for the Cube...
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