I know W101 is out of my Vanillability, but from what I've read from you guys it is a must-buy for Foolz.

Thanks for listening AC. I dropped a Belgium reference for you.

aspro said:

And the thing about people who talk shit about other people (which seems like the default fo Australians) is that... don't they realize that shit comes back on them? My work is full of misanthropes who are incapable of saying a nice thing about another human, so of course you have to wonder what they say about oneself when not around.

And then one day you stop wondering because such little people and what they have to say (especially behind one's back) matters naught at all.  "Sticks and stones ... "

Guys, you have to watch this:

http://thehedgehog-shortfilm.com/#watch-the-film

sorry if "old"

bugsonglass said:

Has anyone, anywhere said whether they are working on an Animal Crossing U?  I sort of feel like playing one, and the masochist in me would like to add a fifth version to the four near identical ones I have already

They said at E3 they are doing these 2 spin offs first and then they would start on the next proper AC game, they also said they have no idea what the next Animal Crossing will be like. Which probably means it's an NX game - regardless of what kind of system it is, portable or home console. But seriously check out the video I linked, Happy Home Designer looks cool. As someone who upgraded 4 different houses and maxed out the rooms, this allows me to more easily design room after room and schools, cafes, hospitals etc too. They've totally overhauled the way it works too, which the main series was crying out for.

aspro said:

I know W101 is out of my Vanillability, but from what I've read from you guys it is a must-buy for Foolz.

That Foolz does not own W101 is destined to become one of the most widely-believed urban myths of our time.

I've grown out of Animal Crossing.  My wife and I played the original GC version every day for six months, but now, it's just more of the same.

Nintendolife  Getting Cosy With Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer:

The first thing that becomes apparent when starting up Happy Home Designer is that this really is a true "spin-off", and besides the presentation and aesthetic style this is drastically different to the experience we've grown to know and love from the main series of games. Gone is the single village where you make your residency and in its place is a "hub" - similar to the City found from the Animal Crossing: City Folk. This is where your office and all of the action takes place. Public facilities like restaurants, shops and hospitals can also be built over time, managed by your ever-helpful assistant - Isabel - with the hub expanding as you progress.

Being a spin-off, Happy Home Designer does indeed remove many of the past-times one would expect from the usual life sim experience. You can't decide to just "go fishing" or grab a shovel and go "digging up fossils". Instead, you have a job, and your job is what you do.

The customisation is done in far greater depth and with a lot more freedom than you ever had when styling your own home in past Animal Crossing titles, which feels incredibly refreshing, and its in this ability to pick an almost endless selection of furniture in which Happy Home Designer's greatest appeal lies. Once a client's request has been fulfilled and the critter in question is satisfied, they move into their new home and your job is complete until you decide to take on the next request

Certain animals can be chosen to teach in the nearby school, or work behind the counter in the café. Happy Home Designer really lets you play God, tailoring every minute detail to your personal preference. The most enjoyable feature, and certainly most valid "purpose" for Happy Home Designer, is to arrange these many homes and public buildings into miniature diorama like scenes. In this sense, Happy Home Designer is like a little dolls house simulator, allowing you to position the items, animals and various other features however you see fit, before utilising the many camera angles to snap the perfect shot and show off your creations to the world.

When designing a home, there is virtually no limit to what you can do. Furniture doesn't need to be bought, bells don't need to be spent, and your only worry is running out of floor space. As wonderful as this feels to boot up the game and have a hoard of furniture and decorations to choose from, working to a budget could only have made the experience more challenging and certainly more enjoyable. With an allowance of what could have been spent, and the possibility of not meeting the animal's expectations, players would have had more of a motive to really stop and think about just what they want to buy. Instead, almost anything can be bought and placed into a room, with the only real prohibition being your own sense of taste.

Despite the doubts, Happy Home Designer certainly is a welcome divergence for the series. The title could easily have been its own IP, giving players the ability to try their own hand at some interior design. Instead, Nintendo wisely chose to associate it with the Animal Crossing franchise, a series renowned for its charm and customisation. This choice undoubtedly makes Happy Home Designer a more appealing title, and is sure to also boost sales. However, tying the experience into such a hugely loved franchise is the sole reason for the criticism it's bound to face. It's certainly advisable to come into Happy Home Designer with a fresh perspective, dropping any preconceptions about what the game should offer, as hard as that is to do.

Ultimately, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer is destined to be compared to the previous Animal Crossing offerings, and in that respect it's never likely to be fully appreciated. Looking at Happy Home Designer as a standalone title, however, it's clear to see that there's a quality experience on offer here. It's far from perfect, and some odd design choices, such as the undiscerning animals and lack of constraints, result in an experience that's weaker and less rewarding than it undoubtedly could have been. With an abundance of endlessly creative possibilities, though, and impressively strong amiibo functionality, Happy Home Designer is looking very promising; we can't wait to give it a home in our 3DS collections.

travo said:

I've played the GC, DS and Wii version.  Nothing beats the fun of discovery from the original.  Plus, I unlocked a ton of eight bit games on the original...I had the VC way before the VC.

Sitting on the big tree with Bugs. it initiates a special credit sequence and town diary

Check it.

bugsonglass said:

That's going to make me tear-up now.  Was that before we did our gay marriage under the pink-lit heart?  (We were so ahead of the times).

Can't remember.

It's like a treasure trove of memories.