Animal Forest: An Introduction

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Animal Forest: An Introduction; Doubutsu no Mori
Topic Started: Oct 26 2008, 06:14 PM (173 Views)
alxbly	Oct 26 2008, 06:14 PM Post #1
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Animal Forest Doubutsu no Mori In April 2001 Nintendo released a new game, and a new franchise, for the Nintendo 64. Doubutsu no Mori (which translates as 'Animal Forest') was never released outside Japan and became an instant collectable. It's quirky, cute and undeniably Japanese; Animal Forest took what made the Sims good and added that Nintendo magic. The cover of the Animal Forest instruction manual has excellent artwork For anyone who has played the more widely available Animal Crossing on Gamecube, the most striking thing about Animal Forest will be just how similar the two games are. It’s clear that Animal Crossing is really just a slightly updated version of Animal Forest and any differences between them are minor. Graphically they are almost identical (see the screens of Animal Forest at the bottom of this post); the most noticeable difference is the sharper textures of the Gamecube version. Gameplay is also exactly the same, and even the intro scenes (where you meet Rover on the train) are unchanged between the two games. Just like the Gamecube version of the game, time passes as it does in real life, complete with day, night and different seasons of the year. The clock is adjustable when loading the game. There are some differences between the games, although they are mainly things that were added to Animal Crossing, for example; Animal Crossing has more items (and some of the items were given a graphical reworking), more NES games and a wider range of characters. The Mayor of Animal Crossing does not feature in Animal Forest, which means that although there are festivals and events, you do get presented with special items for attending them. Animal Forest came in two versions; bundled with and without a controller pak. The packaging differs slightly, with the controller pak displayed on the box only if it was packaged with the game. Apart from that there appears to be no difference at all. The exclusive controller pak stickers that come with the 'controller pak' version of the game Both Animal Forest and Animal Crossing are text heavy, and a large percentage of the gameplay includes conversations with the in-game characters. Unless you can read Japanese you will have difficulty in understanding these conversations and this can prove to be a hindrance to your enjoyment of the game. Because of this, and the other similarities between them, it’s difficult to recommend Animal Forest over Animal Crossing for any reason other than as a collectors piece. And you should be aware that this game has held it’s value, mainly due to it’s desirability and relative rarity. Most copies that appear on ebay are being sold by specialist sellers located in Japan, so shipping may also cost more than normal. Prices vary, but it’s rare to see a boxed version for less than about $70 US (Ł35). That said, prices seem to be coming down as more Japanese sellers offer games worldwide and unboxed copies can be found for about $50 US (Ł25). For most western gamers Animal Forest's sequel on Gamecube will be much cheaper, much easier to find and much easier to enjoy. Animal Forest isn't without it’s own charm, though. It’s one of the more difficult to find Japanese N64 titles, so it has a bit of rarity value. The packaging and instruction manual are filled with gorgeous artwork, some of which has been reproduced here for you to see. The controller pak version of the game also comes with unique stickers for the controller pak. All of this adds to the appeal of the game, especially for collectors. Below are screens taken from Animal Forest, which you can contrast with the screens of Animal Crossing, linked to here. It should be noted that most of the Animal Forest screens were taken at night time within the game, which accounts for the slight blue tint to them. Click the thumbnails for larger images: You should now be armed with all the information you need to decide whether Animal Forest is a game you'd be interested in buying.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Sep 19 2009, 03:02 PM Post #2
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	See video footage of Animal Forest below:
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


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