I Don't Understand

Why is this game so popular? Like, what's the appeal? Every time I hear someone talk about it I think of Farmville and grinding and MMOs and not fun, but everyone's treating it like it's the holy grail of the 3DS. Could someone explain this to me? I'd like to get in on the action, but I'm not sure there's any action to be had.

Action? The most intense gaming moment I've had this year was watching a shark shadow homing in on my fishing bobber as a bloody mosquito was flying around my head.

It's a time sync with the tiniest drip of progress to keep making people want to come back time and time again. I think it looks boring as all hell, but I get the gameplay reason people get hooked on it.

It's a completionist wet dream. So much to do.

if you're looking for action i don't think Animal Crossing is the game for you. it's more a game one plays to relax and i'm getting the feeling those might not be the kinds of games you're into. personally i liked playing it while listening to the E3 nightly video casts.

That's what I did too. It's just a goofy game that's relaxing and really, really charming.

It's one of those games you come into not getting it. It's when you start trying to just get lost in the game and attempting to get a bridge built and stuff you get sucked in.

I was asking the same question myself, so I had picked up the old DS one for cheap to explore.

In all honesty, sometimes it's nice to just have a relaxing game versus intense action and story all of the time. Helps avoid over stimulation.

@crusader8463: But that's what I don't get. What IS the gameplay reason people keep coming back?

It's like a zen garden.

It's a very simple and relaxing game based around the sense of progression. When you play you're usually achieving something towards some goal, whether that be house payments, building objects in your town, or catching bugs/fishing in order to make money/fill up your museum. Plus shaping a town to what you want it to be is always fun.

If you're the kind of player who NEEDS instant satisfaction when they play games, then you'd probably hate Animal Crossing.

@nonused: I can only really describe the hook as 'progress'.

It is a difficult thing to describe to someone that hasn't played, or can't see the attraction in it. It's like Lego in that respect - the enjoyment from it comes with what you build, and the satisfaction of having done so. But if someone to was to ask you what is the point of building something in Lego, that is a much harder thing to define.

You want to see what all the fish, insect art kinds are. You want to build your house. You want to decorate, plant flowers, grow trees etc. That's all there is to it. You are playing in real time, and these things take time. This isn't a game where you sit down for a marathon session. It's a game where you take 15 minutes here and there to see if that fruit tree you planted has grown, to see what fish are swimming around the beach and what visitors are in town today.

In real life I have a stressful job, a crap house on a noisy busy road and a bunch of neighbours that make you want to cry out in anguish. Animal Crossing is like my little release valve where I can take a little break in a nice place where the folks are happy to see you, where the sunset is always pretty and the fish are always biting before closing the lid and getting back to reality a little bit less stressed out.

Why does anyone like anything?

Animal Crossing is one of the most relaxing games I've played. Just kicking back and fishing is a chill way to spend a nice afternoon. Filling up the museum, decorating my house, checking the shops each day for new items, it's just a fun little virtual town to do with what you please.

It's relaxing, peaceful and calming. And it has tons of stuff to do and collect. That's what makes it fun.

You just have to play it, dude. It looks really lame, but it's not. It's just... gaming paradise. I've been playing the Gamecube version for 10 years on and off. I never grow tired of it. It's a great stress reliever. It's really fun and interesting. It's a lot deeper than it looks on the surface. I have played Animal Crossing now more than any other game I've played in my life. I think most of the people here nailed it on the head. It's peaceful, charming, and a nice change of pace. It allows for a bit of role playing too, which makes it more fun. In the original, I decided to create a second character to capitalize on everything in my town. I ended up making him a strange guy named Bob that wore prison clothes and only went out at night and never talked to anyone. I'd write creepy letters to villagers and leave encouraging posts of revolution against the Nook regime on the town bulletin board. With the addition of online interaction in New Leaf, it opens up all kinds of fun new possibilities.

The reason the FarmVille or MMO comparison falls flat is because there's nothing stressful about Animal Crossing. It's a persistent experience, and there's plenty of reasons to play and keep playing, but there's nothing about it that says "you're fucked if you don't put your time in."

It's a go-at-your-own-pace kind of game, and that's why I can stand playing it. Like everyone's saying, it's just peaceful and goddamn charming.

Hard to say who it's for, though. Since it's kind of its own genre, it's hard to say "well, if you like "X" then Animal Crossing's for you". It seems to have a ludicrously wide appeal, but I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. The lego comparison might be the most apt. Basically, you're building stuff. Customizing and personalizing your world, which is facilitated by the basic gameplay mechanics. Those mechanics being "dicking around".

And cutting a Bonzi tree, while doing one of those sand garden things. (Not sarcasm)

I tried to get into Animal Crossing twice now . I can't . I don't get it either .

This was the first Animal Crossing game I played. Hearing everyone gush over it got my interest this time (I usually ignore this stuff when it comes to Nintendo games), and I even liked how it looked in the Quick Look. I got it and played for about 4 days, haven't turned it on since. The fact there is no real story to follow is probably what prevents me from wanting to keep playing. I don't care about just getting new stuff or better stuff, bigger houses or whatever, I thought there would be some crazy story shit going on. Hearing Jeff and Ryan talk about Tom Nook all the time made me think there was something like that. There's none of it! I have no interest in getting stuff in real life, nevermind games, so once I realized that's all it had to offer I lost interest pretty fast. I learned my lesson, no more Nintendo games.

Yep, that's pretty much it. It's the kind of thing you tinker around with for thirty minutes or an hour a day.

@cale: it helps to have an imagination. I don't see how anyone can't see Tom Nook for the shady mother fucker that he is.

@hunkulese said:

I thought he was a nice guy to be honest, just loaning me a ton of money without any reservations.

This just reminded me that I need to do my daily fossil checks.

I almost feel like they were too overt about it this time around. The way he seems to cackle and smile every time he hands you another huge bill. Not that I blame them for wanting to play into his reputation a bit.

Think I'm in agreement that Lyle's probably the worst though. And now they're under the same roof. God. Damn.

I was in exactly the same position as you a few days ago, in fact I even googled a similar question. After playing the game for a few days the most enjoyable thing is making progress - it may be something extremely simple like a new shop opening or building a bridge but it's fun to see what will come next. Plus there is the customisation of your character and house which is cool, and all the collecting is nice to see your stuff growing. I feel like you just need to try the game before deciding if you like it.

@cale: don't forget that he doesn't even mention shells until you're already locked in for 48 large.

I need to check the price of turnips today and check with my 3DS friends to see what they're selling for in their towns...

I think the personality is a big part of it too.. The progress is meaningful beyond just "completing" stuff because I really want to see what will happen in my town next, see all the ways characters I've come to know in the game will interact with each other. For a really bad comparison, I think of it a bit like Persona 4. Probably the only thing the games have in common is that the sense of satisfaction I get just watching the Investigation Team hang out in the food court is similar to the one I get meeting up with my townsfolk to watch K.K play a set. Both games make the most of the time investment they require by building a really strong emotional bond with the places and characters in the game.

It's like popping bubble wrap. It has no point but somehow it raises those serotonin levels.

I like the way it's a world that takes place in real time and does stuff without the player. Villagers are friends with each other and designs spread between towns. Also, the random map aspect was always a big thing for me, but it seems to be lacking this time around.

I have always sneered at the series without ever playing one and I got it as my free game in the UK offer. I can't stop checking my little town and collecting things. It is incredibly charming, funny and relaxing. I totally get the appeal now. It's up there in my top three games of the year.

No other game this year has consistently put a smile on my face, even when I'm having a shitty day.

WHY YOU BE HATIN' MOSQUITO!

I agree with this. I played TLOU and New Leaf in turns. New Leaf is incredibly relaxing. It is a fantastic way to relieve stress, even stress from other games, but also real life stress. Everyone who feels stuck in some part of their life, or is physically stuck some where for hours at a time could get a great deal out of a game like this. It is like aloe on a burn. Soothing.

I Don't Understand

the point of these threads

@nonused: I can see why you don't get it. One of the big appeals is other people can visit each other's towns online. If you don't play it with someone else, it can get boring fast. New Leaf is really similar to all the other iterations, and I got tired of the game a lot faster than City Folk, which was my first Animal Crossing game.

You ever watch a really depressing/violent/intense movie and then feel the need to watch a comedy afterwards? Basically, it's that.

I have never played this series before and decided to get it and I also now get the appeal of the game. It is a relaxing game which gives you a sense of freedom in a very small townspace.