Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)

This game fell off, honestly.

Seriously though this game was really fun and addictive for like 3 months. Not exactly a hot take but this game came out basically unfinished. The game slowly got main staple features that are in past games over time, which should have been in the game in the first place. Like why did I have to wait a year to get my fucking fortune? The game came packaged with burn out from the get go and I really wish Nintendo would retire their finish the game later tactic.

Either way though the game was still a lot of fun when I did play it, and I feel it is one of the strongest games in the series, especially graphics wise, not frame rate wise.

Only 4 star because the customization interior and exterior wise was peak.

Instead of on TV, we just watched the New Year’s countdown in Animal Crossing—a fitting way to close out the year, since we’ve been all about virtual celebrations this year. Not to mention the fact that the game accompanied the start of the COVID stay-at-home era.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend and a 2021 that we can enjoy in the moment and look back on fondly.

I have to just copy and paste this marketing email I got today for this game. I don't even understand how this is possible?

You’re invited… to Ally Island! Digital financial services company Ally Financial is launching a new effort that levels up the enjoyment of learning about finances, starting with a unique activation in “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.”

Only a third of Americans can answer four out of five basic financial questions, down from 42% a decade ago, with the biggest drop among young people ages 18-34.* Through a series of initiatives, Ally will bring lessons about money to where this generation spends its time: gaming.

The first of these kicks off tonight with the opening of Ally Island inside “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” Concepts such as currency, interest rates and real estate are all part of the game, and Ally Island will give players the opportunity to not only improve their in-game financial positions, but also gain a deeper understanding of important money concepts.

Streamer and gamer KangGaming will officially unveil Ally Island tonight, 10/23, at 7:00 PM ET via his Twitch stream. Then, players can visit the island and take advantage of its Stalk Exchange, which will feature a record-breaking, game-shattering exchange rate of 1,000 bells per turnip. The island also provides a photo opp overlooking “Little Detroit,” hosts the game’s first golf tournament, and shows players what their savings can buy at Bucket List Beach. More info and a schedule of events can be found below. The island dream code is DA-9350-9609-6289.

More details on Ally Island are at Ally.com/allyisland and below. Would you like images to share with your readers?

Thanks! Glenn Mandel Tier One Partners

Ally Island Overview Between increasing players’ wealth and getting them back on their feet, Ally draws players to Ally Island with a number of in-game activities and surprises. At the Jimmie Johnson race track, players race for a chance to win the NASCAR driver’s coveted fire suit and merch. The island also provides a photo opp overlooking “Little Detroit”, hosts the game’s first golf tournament, and shows players what their savings can buy at Bucket List Beach. Of course players can also imagine their dream home at Ally’s Dream Home Emporium, a museum filled with the game’s most highly valued items. Grand piano? Crescent moon? Yes and yes. They thought of everything. Gamers can visit Ally Island through 11/6.

Ally’s Stalk Exchange: From 10/23 - 10/27, players will line up to sell their turnips on Ally Island and realize never-seen-before profits. Every turnip = 1,000 bells. Visit Ally Island through Turnip.Exchange at turnip.exchange/ and take advantage of some of the best turnip prices in the game!

Twitch Stream: 10/23: 7:00 - 9:00 pm ET Twitch.tv/kanggaming

Turnip Exchange on Ally Island: 10/23: 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm ET 10/24: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET 10/25: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET 10/26: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm ET 10/27: 5:00 pm - 11:00 pm ET

*FINRA Investor Education Foundation. “The State of U.S. Financial Capability: The 2018 National Financial Capability Study. (June 2019)

I'm excited for the second Summer update's inclusion of a data backup feature... I lost years of New Leaf progress to a corrupted Micro SD a couple of years ago and the wounds are still fresh. But after months of fun, I fell off this game far more abruptly than past entries.

If I could snap my fingers and revise one aspect of New Horizons, it would be the villager interactions. The collectibles are awesome and the immediate draw for me, but it's always been the villager interactions that kept me returning for years to come. Now that I've paid off my loans, furnished my house, terraformed the island to my liking, built as many inclines and bridges as the game will allow, and collected all there is to collect until the season changes, there isn't much incentive for me to check back in for the same handful of shallow conversations that repeat ad nauseum.

Don't get me wrong, if Nintendo keeps things as-is, I more than got my money's worth out of this game already. Feature for feature, I'd argue almost every aspect of the experience is an improvement. There's just some crucial little spark that's missing from the game's day-to-day for me.

I'd never really seen the appeal of the Animal Crossing series. I played City Folk for a while back in the day and found it, well, boring. It was a whole lot of nothing with no goals or objectives. Not enough gameplay to call it a game, not enough story to be a walking simulator and not artsy enough for "an experience".

This edition seems a lot more gamified than it's predecessors, which has vastly improved the experience for me, but possibly damaged the experience for long term fans. I gather the appeal always used to reside in the very fact that there was no pressure to do anything.

In ACNH, you start off on a untamed island with only a tent to your name and 2 other villagers living alongside you. The main objectives (if you can call them that) are to shape the island to your liking, expand the number of houses available for villagers, beautify it to a point where a famous musician is willing to hold a concert there, and pay off all your loans to Tom Nook so you can own the largest possible house. And this does take some considerable time. But once that's over...

Congratulations! You've completed the game.

Except not really. Because there's still a museum to fill, more items to buy, more DIY recipes to unlock and Nook Miles Rewards to achieve such as earning 10 million Bells on the stalk market or catching 10 000 fish or whatever. And odds are that's going to take you at least 6 months to do, because the game progresses in real time and some things are seasonal.

The problem is, once you've held the concert and paid off your loans, every day becomes a bit repetitive. Dig up 4 fossils, talk to everyone, chop down your money tree, plant a new one, etc, etc. I just wish there was a bit more variety, y' know? Like hey, maybe that piano I dropped 200k could play an actual tune, instead of a random note whenever I press it, that would make the endless cycle of buying items worth it. Maybe there could be more events instead of that annoying seagull that washes up on my shore once a week.

Basically, if you're artsy, enjoy designing or drawing and are the type of person who derives genuine pleasure from an hour of calm, quiet organisation of a bookshelf, you'll love this game.

If that doesn't sound like you... actually, you may still enjoy it. Returning to your island day after day to see what's new, chatting to your neighbors and edging slowly closer to achieving all those Nook Miles Rewards. 'cause, the truth is, this game has become popular because it provides stability and innocent joy during very uncertain times. It's escapism. I have friends that play and we talk about which villagers they hate and which ones they want on their island. I've even started watching Becca Scott's Twitch streams because of it and found a lovely community full of very sweet people, and I hate streaming.

What's the takeaway? I don't know, man. It's a massive waste of time, but it's cute and harmless and how do you define something's worth anyway? Go ask a professional art critic.

PROS

• Adorable art style and character designs
• Top-notch script full of charm and wit
• Offers tons of opportunities for customization and self-expression
• Exciting sense of progression for the first month or so
• Nook mile system is a satisfying way of assigning player tasks
• Discovering and crafting new furniture and item recipes is consistently rewarding
• Fish, bug, and fossil collecting are all addictive as can be
• Full of small touches and considerations that give the game huge personality
• The real-time gimmick gives the game plenty of mileage
• Encourages collaboration with friends in interesting ways
• Playing the turnip market can be quite the roller coaster
• K.K. Slider has some serious jams, the regular score is great as well

CONS

• Desperately needs some mini-games, especially for multiplayer. C'mon, Nintendo!
• Could use some quality of life improvements such as crafting multiple items at once
• On-line multiplayer is a bit wonky and needs polish
• The experience becomes a bit rote after the initial set of daily surprises runs dry