In my opinion, no. I didn’t like the new business model they were going for and what appears to be a graphics > quality content mindset. I felt betrayed and spat on for trying to be patient and wait through all the spin offs only to get New Horizons in the end. I would rather have a game with Wild World quality(without all the pixelation that the DS screen causes of course) graphics if it meant it was an enjoyable, complete experience.
People are going to say that the game has improved since all the updates. I won’t deny that. What I will say is that I wish this didn’t happen in the first place. I would’ve been willing to wait until 2023 for a finished, polished version of this game, because as painful as a wait that would be, at least it would be a great game in the end, and it wouldn’t have tarnished my view entirely on modern Animal Crossing in the way the version we got did.
I feel like if we keep excusing this method of finishing games through updates, it will become the new normal, and I don’t want that to happen. If an update happens, it should be an actual extra addition(like Welcome amiibo was to New Leaf) and not something that should’ve been in the game in the first place. Games that are finished and ready to be shipped to store shelves should be... FINISHED.
Also, back at E3 2019, Nintendo claimed they were not rushing their developers, but is that really true? Was the idea to update the game the way that it does a decision from the ACNH development team, or did something else happen behind the scenes? We’ll obviously never find out and it was likely just a decision from the developers to keep things going smoothly, but it’s something to think about.
I’ve seen this same song and dance pulled with Kirby: Star Allies, and it was just plain sad. Unlike ACNH, though, I don’t think it made the game much better.... it’s still a boring, zero difficulty mess.
But I’ve noticed a pattern with the Switch. I don’t think the console has great first/second party games. The only games I truly loved were Mario Odyssey and Smash Ultimate. I also think the online subscription is garbage like everyone else and has hardly improved, the menu and a lot of its games lack personality(poor Super Mario Maker 2...), and is generally NOT an enjoyable console. I’ve had the console since the very first day, and I have not played it much at all. I’ve kind of given up on it becoming more fun to play with the years passing by.
The pattern I noticed is that despite a lot of the first/second party Switch games appearing to be rushed or inferior to their predecessors, they often become the best selling or one of the best selling games in their series.
Kirby: Star Allies
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is fine, but it’s a Wii U port that ended up becoming the Switch’s best selling game?
And somehow ACNH could potentially beat ACWW’s and ACNL’s insanely high numbers in record time.
The impression I get from this is that Nintendo used the initial Switch advertising to make it seem like they’ve learned from their mistakes with the Wii U. And the Wii U ports were likely initially just a thing to keep things going since things are always slow at the start of a console’s life. But then the Switch started making loads of money. And slowly, over time, they learned they can get away with things. They KNOW they can get away with joy-con drift. They KNOW they can get away with not improving their online service they’re now charging for. They KNOW they can get away with releasing unfinished games and finishing them via updates over time.
You want to know why?
Because they’re at a high point in terms of success. Their sales are rivaling the DS/Wii era. That’s crazy.
If it’s successful and makes lots of money, there is no reason to improve. That’s the reason why many things suck. And it’s also the reason why the Switch is what it is.
If things like this keep going, then it might become the new normal, and that scares me.
I am unhappy with how the Switch turned out, and more unhappy with how it is the biggest success since the DS/Wii, but that’s just me.
As for if you should get ACNH... I’d normally say go for it if you feel like it, but judging by how you worded your original post, it seems that you do not own a Switch. In that case, I say it isn’t worth it. I haven’t played much on mine outside of Smash, and often it goes weeks or even months without use. Plus with the world being in bad shape, it’s more difficult to make money and afford expensive things at the moment, so it’s best you only buy a Switch if you can afford it and really want to.
i personally can’t see how you could buy a switch and regret it.
