ACNH is number one, but what about other AC games?

[Monokuma73]

Dear Members,

I must admit, couple weeks ago I had a really limited knowledge about Animal Crossing games. I had AC City Folk in my Wii collection, but never tried this one and been forgotten for years. I was looking online some gift ideas for my girlfriend and must admit I was considered to buy new version of Tamagotchi or something similar. I found one advert for AC and I became interested. Couple weeks ago I had quite nice collection of Nintendo consoles (GB, GBA, GBA SP, NDS, 3DS, Wii, WiiU) but I wasn't tempted by Switch. I decided to buy first AC: New Leaf for 3DS and AC: Wild World for Wii U. Including old AC: City Folk I owned three different games from AC series.
I wasn't really sure if my girlfriend will be tempted by any of those... but she was (so am I).
I played a bit each of above and in my opinion - 3DS is so small and for example insects in ACNL are barely visible. ACCF - fishing is a nightmare (please take into consideration I haven't played each games more than couple hours each title).
Finally, I bought two Switch consoles - one for my girlfriend, one for me with two ACNH which is the best for me... however, still owning older AC mentioned above and I want to ask you, without spoilers, if there is something interesting, unique in older versions I already have?

I noticed some differences:
1. ACNL - I can visit someone or hosting another villager on specific time. I never seen this / similar options in ACNH. Is it possible / can it be expected in fall update?
2. ACCF - I read about some UFO encounters - not asking about details, but can I expect something similar in ACNH?

Neither me nor my girlfriend planning to stop playing ACNH - but my question still stands: will it be worthy one day come back to older versions? Please, share your opinions.

 

[Nunnafinga]

In response to your questions:

Question 1: In New Horizons,the villagers no longer set up a specific time for you to visit them or for them to come visit you.It's possible that this feature will return in the Fall update but as far as I know,none of the NH dataminers have mentioned seeing this in the game's code.

Question 2: In Wild World and City Folk,there are UFO encounters involving Gulliver but I doubt they will return in New Horizons.

As far as going back to the older AC games,I think New Leaf and Population Growing(the original North American version)are probably the ones with the most replay value.Population Growing is Animal Crossing in its most pure form.It has all the base elements for future AC games and after all this time I still go back and play it occasionally.New Leaf is my favorite AC game because it sticks to the original concept of Animal Crossing but added a lot of new features and it has more villagers to choose from than any other AC game(unless Nintendo decides to bring back the Sanrio and crossover villagers for new Horizons).

 

[Corrie]

I'm going to go with New Leaf too. I think it's worth going back to. Its PWP system is really bad though especially compared to NH allowing you to decorate outside but it does have a lot more furniture which makes interior designing more fun to me than NH. Plus the other NPCs NH is lacking right now.
Wild World I have the fondest memories with but looking back, the other titles have improved since then so it lacks in content to do. I do miss the Flea Markets, creating your own constellations and Cornimer though.

I haven't played that much of City Folk for Population Growing to comment on them.

 

[nammie]

To answer your questions first,

1. Yes, villagers used to schedule you visiting their house at random times. You could also buy their furniture when you visited! Villagers would also randomly pop into your house when you were home as well and just chill with you for a bit.

I think ACNL had a lot of features that were great and not in ACNH (yet?). For example, sometimes villagers would also ask you to go to a diff town to get signatures for petitions, which was really cute.

ACNL also had a lot of cute and unique furniture that are not in ACNH

2. As the above user mentioned, this is how gulliver appeared in ACWW and ACCF. You'd hear this weird sound, and then you had to look for him and shoot him down with a slingshot. I think I sucked bc I never actually managed it lmao.

This probably wont be in ACNH since hes just washing up on the beach like he did in ACNL and ACGC.

Personally, my fav iterations are ACNL and ACGC. If you dont have a gamecube, I highly recommend trying it out on a emulator or something because the gamecube games dialogue is amazing. Some of the activities in it are really something else as well lol, like washing Gracies car and Sports Day

 

[mayortiffany]

For me, New Horizons isn't my favourite iteration of the franchise. New Leaf is. I think New Leaf has the highest replay value out of all of the games, and I think it still holds up well today despite the worse graphics.

It has a lot of features that aren't available in New Horizons, features that I think significantly improve the play experience. While some people have speculated that these features will eventually migrate to New Horizons, the truth is, no one really knows for sure if any, or all of these features are coming back. I think the game offers a little something for everyone, whereas New Horizons is best suited to players who enjoy decorating their town.

The portability of New Leaf is also quite nice - though I suppose not as useful given our current pandemic situation!

 

[Watchingthetreetops]

I'm very nostalgic for the original because the animals personalities were so fleshed out, but nostalgia can only take me so far.

New Leaf was king for a good bit. I'm still debating on how I feel about acnh, but new leaf just had so much that I loved. It's my favorite thus far. I don't feel like acnh is finished with all the updates and downloadable stuff

 

[Serabee]

1. It's not currently possible, but I do think there's a solid chance it will be added in a future update! You can occasionally find villagers visiting each other, though (my avatar is Merry visiting Julian!)
2. UFOs, no. But! The character who visited in UFOs will still sometimes visit and ask for a similar favor, and will mail you gifts in return. I won't give you any more details unless you ask, I don't want to spoil anything

And I always like going back to previous games occasionally! I mainly do it with Pokemon, but occasionally with AC. Still, as someone who's played AC since the GC version, ACNH is BY FAR my favorite (even if I haven't experienced Halloween yet- which is really saying something!). The biggest thing for me is the ability to decorate outside. I ADORE decorating my island, to the point where my house interiors are a tad neglected. ACNL was the first to introduce putting things outside, but the PWPs were so limited. The ability to place furniture wherever is literally game-changing! I also love the crafting aspect. I feel like older games would feel super empty without it. But, again, I may still go back to old ones from time to time. Here's my personal preference list for AC games-

Animal Crossing New Horizons
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Animal Crossing City Folk
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing Wild World

It's... basically in order of newness, with the exception of WW. I have a lot of fond memories in WW, but it lacked a lot of the features of the GC version, and therefore I didn't find it QUITE as fun (and by features, I mostly mean holidays- I LOVE holidays and WW had none, with the exception of the acorn thing)

 

[Bilaz]

To players of New Horizons I'd recommend New Leaf, for all the furniture and buildings and features and such, it's just absolutely packed with content and you can create the most amazing things, and I recommend the original because it's... very unique? It has a ton of events and things that never returned and lots of weird quirks that just make the game feel special. I'm personally currently done with New Leaf as I've completed my house and museum and unlocked everything on mainstreet. But I'm still playing the original along with New Horizons. If not only to chat to villagers and do some quests for them, which is severely lacking in New Horizons

Wild World was great because it was portable, and I personally still love playing it because the villagers are slightly better than the original even. But it feels emptier and I'm afraid a new player would get bored quickly. But if you really love villager interactions it's worth a shot. City Folk I loved at the time because it had holidays and really made the wild world experience feel fuller, but it also completely ruined the villager interactions for the rest of the series, and all it's new features made it into New Leaf. So yeah, tbh Gamecube and New Leaf is most replayable

 

[LambdaDelta]

gulliver actually makes a reference to his wild world ufo escapades, as one of his new horizons dialogues

"NO! Don't make me go back to space! It's cold and dark andーhuh?" (said right after he awakens and stands up)

 

[Feraligator]

As far as going back to the older AC games,I think New Leaf and Population Growing(the original North American version)are probably the ones with the most replay value.Population Growing is Animal Crossing in its most pure form.It has all the base elements for future AC games and after all this time I still go back and play it occasionally.New Leaf is my favorite AC game because it sticks to the original concept of Animal Crossing but added a lot of new features and it has more villagers to choose from than any other AC game(unless Nintendo decides to bring back the Sanrio and crossover villagers for new Horizons).

100% agree with this, these are both games I come back to the most. I did play ACCF just to relax to the music as well but as a game, there isn't really that much to bring me back and play everyday.

 

[Etown20]

I've been wondering the same thing. I've been enjoying NH so much I even started playing Pocket Camp. I wondered if it would be worth it to try to find a DS XL and play NL for the first time.

 

[Monokuma73]

Thank you for all of your replies.

1. My biggest concern currently is the size of 3DS (first one) top screen of this console is really tiny. As I mentioned before, bug are really small and it's quite hard to spot them on the trees. I know, I may help myself trying to hear "sounds of nature" - but playing ACNH on the big screen is more comfortable for me than using screen of Switch. Of course screen of Switch is much bigger than 3DS's.
I never played ACWW on NDS, just on the screen of WiiU, so comparing to size of 3DS its much better IMHO.
I'm not complaining about content of ACNL at all, just about size of the screen.

2. As ACNH became the best iteration for me, and me and my girlfriend can play together any other AC games will have to wait. I noticed, when I tried to play a bit of each game, I became confused really fast, as to many NPC's to many locations and placements of same class buildings - so, I thing one AC each time - not trying to play them all.

 

[mayortiffany]

Personally, I played on a 3DS XL - and before that, I played Wild World on a DS Lite, so size was never really a concern for me. In fact, the 3DS XL was bigger than what I was used to, so I really enjoyed it! Though I personally think it takes some getting used to, the size of the screen is definitely a valid reason to give the game a skip if you think it will significantly worsen you or your girlfriend's game play. I believe there are emulators that allow you to play 3DS on a computer, but I've never tried them myself and so can't vouch for their quality.

Playing one game at a time probably makes it easier to keep everything straight! I also tend to play one game at a time - maybe another AC iteration would be right if you and your girlfriend ever do get bored of New Horizons or want to switch it up.

 

[AlexSilverpen]

honestly? I enjoy the older games a lot (mainly Wild World, as it was my first AC game and I love it for nostalgic reasons). I bought myself a copy of the GameCube version, which I've been playing a bit, and I have a copy of City Folk I almost never touch. In my opinion, City Folk is one of the weakest titles in the series. Like, the music is just an up-scaled version of Wild World's music, and all in all it isn't much different from Wild World.
One thing to point out is villager personalities are more pronounced in older games. New Leaf and New Horizons have weaker personalities than Wild World or GameCube AC. Cranky villagers will be more rude in Wild World (though I still love them) whereas New Horizons has them be less cranky and more... boring, I guess. I've seen footage from JVGSJeff (I believe that's the channel) where a cranky villager calls his character "Raging Fathead" in Wild World.

 

[Monokuma73]

honestly? I enjoy the older games a lot (mainly Wild World, as it was my first AC game and I love it for nostalgic reasons). I bought myself a copy of the GameCube version, which I've been playing a bit, and I have a copy of City Folk I almost never touch. In my opinion, City Folk is one of the weakest titles in the series. Like, the music is just an up-scaled version of Wild World's music, and all in all it isn't much different from Wild World.
One thing to point out is villager personalities are more pronounced in older games. New Leaf and New Horizons have weaker personalities than Wild World or GameCube AC. Cranky villagers will be more rude in Wild World (though I still love them) whereas New Horizons has them be less cranky and more... boring, I guess. I've seen footage from JVGSJeff (I believe that's the channel) where a cranky villager calls his character "Raging Fathead" in Wild World.

As I have roughly two weeks of experience for all AC games, I can't really say which one is better, which one is worse. Obviously I was most tempted (so as my girlfriend too) by ACNH. I personally didn't say I'm planning completely abandon older ones, but at least I can say I cannot play more than one AC game same time. Once I finish ACNH or if I will fell I have enough it's possible I will be trying other ones... but which one will be better / worse for me, it's to early to say yet.

I understand every single AC has something special, something I need to discover myself.

 

[AlexSilverpen]

As I have roughly two weeks of experience for all AC games, I can't really say which one is better, which one is worse. Obviously I was most tempted (so as my girlfriend too) by ACNH. I personally didn't say I'm planning completely abandon older ones, but at least I can say I cannot play more than one AC game same time. Once I finish ACNH or if I will fell I have enough it's possible I will be trying other ones... but which one will be better / worse for me, it's to early to say yet.

I understand every single AC has something special, something I need to discover myself.

Every game is someone's favorite. Personally, villager personality is important to me. I've said it in the past, and I'll say it again: I want cranky villagers to be cranky again! While New Horizons has a lot more creative freedom, the villagers kinda suffer at the expense of that. However, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day be able to make my own cliffs, rivers, and even have a heart pond that wasn't accidentally generated by the game. Yet, here we are.
I still stand by City Folk basically being a weaker Wild World, but you're right in saying that every game has something special to discover. Some entries are better than others, but what makes one better than another is dependant on who you ask.

 

[WalceDony]

City Folk is for sure my favourite. I played Wild World first but my reading was not the best so I cold not get invested in any of the villagers. I think I have repressed memories of some of the villagers being really mean too haha. Wouldn't mind that happening again in ACNH to be fair.

Anyway, I liked City Folk because of... well, the city. All of these new places that I never saw in Wild World, with much better graphics too. I could read when I got City Folk as well, which was a huge plus. I'm pretty sure I broke the disk though because I was really not careful enough as a child .

 

[samsquared]

Thank you for all of your replies.

1. My biggest concern currently is the size of 3DS (first one) top screen of this console is really tiny. As I mentioned before, bug are really small and it's quite hard to spot them on the trees. I know, I may help myself trying to hear "sounds of nature" - but playing ACNH on the big screen is more comfortable for me than using screen of Switch. Of course screen of Switch is much bigger than 3DS's.
I never played ACWW on NDS, just on the screen of WiiU, so comparing to size of 3DS its much better IMHO.
I'm not complaining about content of ACNL at all, just about size of the screen.

2. As ACNH became the best iteration for me, and me and my girlfriend can play together any other AC games will have to wait. I noticed, when I tried to play a bit of each game, I became confused really fast, as to many NPC's to many locations and placements of same class buildings - so, I thing one AC each time - not trying to play them all.

I agree with mayortiffany underneath you- if the screen on your regular 3DS is too small, try a 3DS or a 2DS XL. If even that screen seems too small for you, you might consider playing on an emulator.

ACNL is the definitive Animal Crossing experience. It's brimming with content and has something to offer for every Animal Crossing fan (even if it isn't as pretty and polished as ACNH). I'd suggest playing ACGC if you're interested in the series' roots. Wild World continues to have the best villager interactions of any Animal Crossing game, but I hesitate to recommend it because the graphics have aged poorly. & I didn't play City Folk lol
Overall, the Animal Crossing experience that best fits you will be unique to you. It's great that you and your gf are enjoying New Horizons.
Online multiplayer on the DS/3DS ACs can be finicky and DC a lot. If you want to play together, I'd recommend getting your own DSes and cartridges and playing local multiplayer.

 

[Louise_]

my first Animal crossing game was new leaf it's still a good game I still play it, pocket camp is also really good

 

[Monokuma73]

Every game is someone's favorite. Personally, villager personality is important to me. I've said it in the past, and I'll say it again: I want cranky villagers to be cranky again! While New Horizons has a lot more creative freedom, the villagers kinda suffer at the expense of that. However, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would one day be able to make my own cliffs, rivers, and even have a heart pond that wasn't accidentally generated by the game. Yet, here we are.
I still stand by City Folk basically being a weaker Wild World, but you're right in saying that every game has something special to discover. Some entries are better than others, but what makes one better than another is dependant on who you ask.

It looks, like every single one has something, something worthty to come back once newest one will bo completed. I haven't played New Leaf long enough to be able find out how "cranky villagers" could affect my game play... could be interesting.

City Folk is for sure my favourite. I played Wild World first but my reading was not the best so I cold not get invested in any of the villagers. I think I have repressed memories of some of the villagers being really mean too haha. Wouldn't mind that happening again in ACNH to be fair.

Anyway, I liked City Folk because of... well, the city. All of these new places that I never saw in Wild World, with much better graphics too. I could read when I got City Folk as well, which was a huge plus. I'm pretty sure I broke the disk though because I was really not careful enough as a child .

I think, I will come back one day to either City Folk or Wild World - both are playable on big screen, CF on Wii, WW on Wii U.

I agree with mayortiffany underneath you- if the screen on your regular 3DS is too small, try a 3DS or a 2DS XL. If even that screen seems too small for you, you might consider playing on an emulator.

ACNL is the definitive Animal Crossing experience. It's brimming with content and has something to offer for every Animal Crossing fan (even if it isn't as pretty and polished as ACNH). I'd suggest playing ACGC if you're interested in the series' roots. Wild World continues to have the best villager interactions of any Animal Crossing game, but I hesitate to recommend it because the graphics have aged poorly. & I didn't play City Folk lol
Overall, the Animal Crossing experience that best fits you will be unique to you. It's great that you and your gf are enjoying New Horizons.
Online multiplayer on the DS/3DS ACs can be finicky and DC a lot. If you want to play together, I'd recommend getting your own DSes and cartridges and playing local multiplayer.

I must admit playing ACNH on Switch Screen is not enough for me and I do really prefer to play on big screen. Is much better experience (IMHO). Playing on emulator is not perfect solution - first of all, I would have to download from some "shady" website and I will be not comfortable with that, despite the fact I paid for every single original AC (except CF because it has been given for me). Emulation of 3DS is not perfest as far as I have been told... best solution for me would be possibility to connect 3DS to big screen. I can give up "3D" - just to have a upper screen displayed on something big... but never heard of anyone providing solution for modding 3DS this way.