Original Animal Crossing (Gamecube) Worth it in 2022?

[Holla]

So I am a fan of retro gaming and was a kid during the GBA/Gamecube into the DS/Wii era. I never actually owned a Gamecube though until recently. I have also loved and played all the mainline Animal Crossing Games since Wild World on the DS. So, naturally I missed out on the original Animal Crossing on Gamecube.

Unfortunately, Gamecube games are steadily increasing in price as of late but thankfully Animal Crossing isn't too crazy at the moment. It's about $50-$70 CAD ($40-$60 US) depending on if it's just the disc or includes the box and whatnot. To put into perspective I recently bought Mario Kart Double Dash for $90 CAD (~$72 USD) and two years ago I bought Fire Emblem Path of Radiance for $200 CAD (~$160 USD). Animal Crossing is by no means cheap but it's not nearly as crazy as other titles.

Also does the Gamecube clock run on a built in battery? I'm pretty sure the one in mine would be toast if that is the case. I also have a backwards compatible Wii though so if the in game clock can just run off of the Wii's time instead then I could just play it on there.

TLDR/Conculsion: For those that have played the original Animal Crossing on Gamecube, while putting your nostalgia glasses aside would you recommend someone like me to track down a copy or should I pass and save my money or other retro games I might want in the future instead?

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

I think you should definitely try it. It sure is an experience. I enjoyed it but I never played it for more than a week just because my villagers hurt my feelings so much. They are TRULY AGGRESSIVE. If you are fine with the villagers being mean though the game is fantastic and has many exclusive things and details. I could easily play that game FOREVER if only the villagers didnt hurt me inside

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Also side note: I would only buy GCN games for under 60 dollars. I really think that 60 is expensive for a 20 year old game but if you can find it for cheap definitely try it. The only game I splurged on was Double dash for $55. What I am trying to say is that GCN games are expensive so maybe wait a few years and they will be cheaper!!

 

[Holla]

I think you should definitely try it. It sure is an experience. I enjoyed it but I never played it for more than a week just because my villagers hurt my feelings so much. They are TRULY AGGRESSIVE. If you are fine with the villagers being mean though the game is fantastic and has many exclusive things and details. I could easily play that game FOREVER if only the villagers didnt hurt me inside

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Also side note: I would only buy GCN games for under 60 dollars. I really think that 60 is expensive for a 20 year old game but if you can find it for cheap definitely try it. The only game I splurged on was Double dash for $55. What I am trying to say is that GCN games are expensive so maybe wait a few years and they will be cheaper!!

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately GC games are at the age where they are only going to get even more expensive. Just look at how N64 stuff has gone or even some games for GBA.

The Fire Emblem on GameCube I bought 2 years ago for example I got for $200 and most copies went for around that to $250. Today - only two years later it's easily $300-350.

I'm at the point where I either buy a copy now before it increases even more to the point that I probably won't bother. I am a huge Fire Emblem fan otherwise I never would have bought such an expensive game. I like Animal Crossing but not enough to pay more than it is right now if I'm being honest. I want to experience the OG AC but not for an arm and leg.

 

[Introspective Onlooker]

So I am a fan of retro gaming and was a kid during the GBA/Gamecube into the DS/Wii era. I never actually owned a Gamecube though until recently.

I also bought an old Silver GC back in July 2019, just so I can play Metroid: Prime.

Unfortunately, Gamecube games are steadily increasing in price as of late but thankfully Animal Crossing isn't too crazy at the moment. It's about $50-$70 CAD ($40-$60 US) depending on if it's just the disc or includes the box and whatnot. To put into perspective I recently bought Mario Kart Double Dash for $90 CAD (~$72 USD) and two years ago I bought Fire Emblem Path of Radiance for $200 CAD (~$160 USD). Animal Crossing is by no means cheap but it's not nearly as crazy as other titles.

You must have a disposal income! Seriously, though, those prices are insane. You're right that the sales are getting more and more expensive. Metroid: Prime goes for roughly $50/$60 now; I paid around $25 for my CiB copy. It doesn't help that the game was released with different versions during its run. Same case in Echoes, where I paid around half what the game goes for now, which is almost roughly the same as the first game.

I think I heard that AC came with a special large memory card so does that mean a standard one won't work? If I need the special one is it hard to find?

It will. The memory card that came with the game isn't any larger than the standard model, so the game will take up 57 blocks, and OEM cards can only hold 59. You might want to get a card that's more than that, such as one that can hold 251 blocks of data.

Also does the Gamecube clock run on a built in battery?

Yes. You could always swap out the battery with a new one.

TLDR/Conculsion: For those that have played the original Animal Crossing on Gamecube, while putting your nostalgia glasses aside would you recommend someone like me to track down a copy or should I pass and save my money or other retro games I might want in the future instead?

Please don't use the term "nostalgia glasses". It just... doesn't sound good.

Anyway, your money would probably be best spent somewhere else. Paying $60 for any Animal Crossing game (or just any game in general) is a bit much, and it's one of the reasons why it took me a while to buy New Horizons. Paying $70 for the first game in a video game series that has greatly expanded its formula just doesn't seem worth it, honestly.

A lot of the content in the game is already in later installments in the series in some form, and while I do find the hostility to be somewhat exaggerated, @Mr_Keroppi isn't exactly wrong when he says that villagers often act harshly and insult the player for no reason. I never understood what was funny about this dialogue; it's just mindless, irritating, and soaked in that early '00s tone. Sure, it helps make the personalities more distinguished, with Snooties actually be snobbish, and Crankies being grumpy, which I don't mind too much, but I seriously don't understand why Peppies are prone to snapping at the player and stealing things from them, and while Jocks are mostly okay, they still have their moments where their meatheadness make them come off as jerks when they're supposed to be lovable by design. Normals and Lazies are the only two personalities that haven't changed much throughout the years; it's probably why they're my favorite. What's even more frustrating is that "befriending" them, just as in every other Animal Crossing, doesn't change what they say to you, since it's randomly-generated — so they'll treat you the same, no matter how much you "bond" with these villagers. Since the game doesn't even have villagers pics, there's no reason to interact with the ones who constantly berate you. This naturally bridges into my next point:

I think you should buy the JPN-exclusive Doubutsu No Mori e+ because the Japanese villagers aren't quite as rude, and they'll even give you a live recording of their favorite K.K. song for you to play in your house. There's some content only present in this game, and the game is cheaper, overall, and it comes with an E-Reader and six E-Reader cards. The only problems are the language barrier, as well the region lock, so it kinda makes it hard for me to recommend the game. At the very least, if you have a very basic level of Japanese, and already have an understanding of the game, you don't really need to learn the language.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately GC games are at the age where they are only going to get even more expensive. Just look at how N64 stuff has gone or even some games for GBA.

The Fire Emblem on GameCube I bought 2 years ago for example I got for $200 and most copies went for around that to $250. Today - only two years later it's easily $300-350.

I'm at the point where I either buy a copy now before it increases even more to the point that I probably won't bother. I am a huge Fire Emblem fan otherwise I never would have bought such an expensive game. I like Animal Crossing but not enough to pay more than it is right now if I'm being honest. I want to experience the OG AC but not for an arm and leg.

I understand! Its your money and your income I was just giving an opinion! If you do get it I hope you enjoy it. I bought a Gamecube around 2 years ago and it was free from one of my relatives. I only bought Double Dash and AC GCN for it. I thought they were extremely expensive at 60 but if you can afford them they go right away and buy them! I have been looking and Paper Mario Thousand Year Door and Double Dash for many many years but only got DD because it was atleast affordable albeit expensive. PMTTYD is now insanely priced and I will never buy it but I know it will go down eventually. I just search for deals. I will never spend over 60 dollars on a game unless its brand new for me! HAH THAT WAS A LIE I SPENT LIKE 70 DOLLARS ON MARIO AND SONIC RIO 2016 A FEW MONTHS AGO. It was worth it but I will never do it again! Again you do you friend!!

 

[xSuperMario64x]

I would def recommend it, even without considering a nostalgia point-of-view it's still once of my favorite games of all time (and my favorite AC game along with New Leaf)

 

[~Kilza~]

So I have played the original Animal Crossing. It was years since I last played it, but I did end up briefly playing it for around an hour this past October on a whim. And it was really strange coming back to it, but it did give me a bit of insight to how the game feels these days.

I think the big thing that really hurts the game now from a more objective standpoint is that it is the same core gameplay as the later titles, it's just in its infancy stages. Like, if you look at something like Mario Kart: Double Dash, it's a Mario Kart game, yeah, but it's got its own racing mechanics that differ slightly from the other games, in addition to a very unique mechanic with the double racers and its own unique race courses. It is a game that does stand out even with the Mario Kart releases that came after it and it is still worth picking up today. This is...really just another Animal Crossing game. It's still a good game for its time, and while it does have a few things unique to it that future games don't have, its just become very outdated as the future games in the series have built on that core gameplay and expanded it much further and given it much more depth than the original game. Like its hard to really go back to it and recommend it when a newer release like New Leaf or New Horizons gives you the same experience as the original, only better.

While I don't necessarily think its a bad idea to buy it if you feel you can afford it and either want it for collection purposes or think you'll play it enough to justify buying it, it's definitely something you can give a pass on if you're unsure about really wanting it. From the sounds of things in your last sentence, you'd be better off looking for another retro game you might be interested in rather than buying AC. though calling GameCube games "retro" makes me feel old