I think it’s plain to see that cozy games are something of a soft spot for me. There’s nothing I love more than relaxing with friends,?? real or in-game, to escape the pressures of the real world and the stress I encounter every day. 

What better way to unwind than relaxing in bed, or in the bath, or simply away from the computer, with a Switch in hand. Cozy isn’t restricted to big consoles and PCs, you can take the entire exp??erience on th?e go. 

I’ve played a lot of games which could? be considered ‘cozyâ€?in my time, and here’s 10 of the best that I’ve found. The good news? All of them can be purchased through the Nintendo eShop, so thereâ€??™s nothing stopping you from starting a play through right now.

A Little to the Left

The concept of A Little to the Left is simple; organise household items into small spaces in order to make them fit, with the occasional interruption of a chaos causing cat. If you get a kick out of a good spring clean, or enjoy organizing the space around you, then you’ll love A Little to the Left. Some ?of the puzzles can be a lit?tle challenging at first, but there's a huge sense of satisfaction when you figure out where everything goes.

Unpacking

If you want a deeper look at Unpacking, check out our in-depth look at it, but here’s the TLDR:

Unpacking is about, a?s you might expect, unpacking. You’ve got to unpack boxes and place items in a variety of rooms in a way which makes sense. What might surprise you is the depth of the story, and the strong connection that you’ll end up having with the person whose belongings have been entrusted to you. Although you never m?eet them, you get to know them and their story through their household items. 

Donut County

I think it’s safe to say that I’m a fan of Raccoons, so I might be a little biassed here. However, Donut County is a hole.io style game with added stories and characters to fall in love with. Although the gameplay is pretty linear, there’s a weird sense of satisfaction that comes from swallowing the items of the world in a big dark hole, and that leads to replayabilit??y. 

Stardew Valley

I think this one goes without saying, but Stardew Valley is definitely a cozy game t?hat you need on th??e Switch. Wherever you are, you can take the farm with you and progress your story. Farm on the go, or connect to the TV and form connections with the villagers in Pelican Town on the big screen. 

New Pokémon Snap

There are no battles in New Pokémon Snap, which already puts?? this right up there on my own personal list of cozy Switch titles. It’s essentially a Pokémon where you take photos of the Pokémon in order to document them, and get to the bottom of wei??rd phenomena in the area. You don’t even have to move, as you move along a sort of track that takes you where you need to go, so you can just get snap happy.

Dorfromantik

Dorfromantik is like a puzzle with no pre-determined result. All you need to do is place down individual hexagonal pieces in order to create a landscape. Connecting similar tiles together will cross off goals and unlock new tiles, allowing you to create endlessly changing worlds. This one is really good for getti???ng mildly creative and allowing yourself to forget about the real world.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing is one of the OG cozy games, and you’re never going to be short of things to do if you start a new game. Meeting new villagers is only part of t?he fun, and creating and designing your island is endlessly satisfying. There’s a whole community of people willing to share their items, open their island for visits, and even allow you to come shopping. 

Tavern Talk

Tavern Talk is what happens when a game makes you the NPC. As the bartender of a fantasy tavern, you don’t move or go anywhere, but you still get to see the world change around you through the peopl?e who come to drink at the bar. Your tasks are simple - make drinks and create quests for patrons to complete, then listen to their stories. 

Spirittea

Spirittea is adorable, and although it can be hard to get to grips?? with the enormous map to begin with, the characters you meet in your new countryside life are fun and memorable. You leave the city and begin a new life in the countryside, but things aren’t all as they seem and there are spirits in the town, which often scare the residents. 

Things get more complicated as you progress, and eventually you'll need to run your own bath house for the spirits. Spirittea is like Spirited Away if it were a pixel sim, and it's one?? of my favo??rites.

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Imagine taking Animal Crossing and replacing all of the villagers with beloved Disney characters, and you’ll end up with Dreamlight Valley. To begin with, the Valley is fairly empty and overtaken by darkness. You unlock new characters as you progress, unlock new biomes, place their homes, and become closer to them to get rewards. Fishing, mining, and farming still play their role in Dreamlight Valley, and you’ll never run out of things to do.

The post 10 Best Cozy Switch Games appeared first on Destructoid.

I don't know about you, but I get stressed easily. Life's hard sometimes, and my go-to relief is gaming (and hitting the gym). There are very few things I enjoy more th??an spending my nights playing chill games ?for a couple of hours before hitting the hay.

This got me thinking: how do you define a relaxing game? I have several friends who think games like Stardew Valley and Minecraft are relaxing, while I ??experience a mix of chill times and occasional stress. Instead, these will be ones tha?t I can reliably hop on, knowing I will always feel much calmer and happier after.

With my exposition out of the way, here are 12 games I can confidently say are some of the most re??laxing I've ever playe??d, in no particular order.

12. PowerWash Simulator

• Price: $24.99
• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Meta Quest

I'm sure plenty of people w??ill see this one and ask how a power-washing game can be relaxing or how I don't get stressed from seeing 99 percent in the top left corner. I totally ge??t it. This one might seem a little odd at first, especially since its main (and only) premise is power-washing things.

There's just something about hopping into games like PowerWash Simulator, cleaning a bunch of buildings, and seeing everything go from filthy to beautiful that is oddly satisfying. As someone who focuses on small sections of an area at a time, I find it very relaxing to sit back, power wash part of a? level for a few hours, and watch as whatever I'm cleaning sparkles. This is one of t?hose games you don't expect to be fun until you go in and experience it yourself.

11. Minami Lane

• Price: $4.99
• Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch

If PowerWash Simulator is a game I can sink hundreds of hours into, Minami Lane is the cute, cozy game I spend one night playing in-between sessions. Although it's technically a store management game, its more casual pacing makes it almost impossible to feel any stress, even in la??ter levels when you have more features to play around with.

To sum it up quickly, Minami Lane is a casual management game where you run shops ranging from convenience stores to flower shops. The price, beauty, and shop diversity on your street determine your customers' satisfaction levels, which vary as you unlock more character types. It sounds like a lot?, but learning its mechanics is surprisingly easy.

If you're looking for a cute, shorter game to play for a few hours that has you strategizing but not stressing, Minami Lane is a great one to pick up.

10. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

• Price: $59.99
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Animal Crossing is a game where you, as a human character, pay off your house mortgage while befriending anthropom?orphic animals. This sounds like a recipe for? stress and anxiety, but the lack of time limits, real-time progression, and events sprinkled throughout make it one of the most relaxing games ever created.

As an Animal Crossing: New Leaf fan, I was initially hesitant to get into New Horizons. I loved the chill vibes of New Leaf and its content, and I wasn't confident the sequel coul??d match that. Considering ACNH came out in 2020, it was either pick this up or be more bored at home than I already was.

I don't regret it at all. Animal Crossing has always mastered the art of balancing relaxation and enjoyable gameplay, and New Horizons continues to carry that torch well. While I haven't forgotten about New Leaf, I fully accept ACNH as a worthwhile successor.

9. Dorfromantik

• Price: $13.99
• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch

At first, Dorfromantik looks like a simple tile-placing game where you collect points and build cute little plots of land. Honestly, that's exactly what it is, which is what makes it so relaxing. It's one of those games that you can play for 20 minute??s on a lunch break or for five hours st??raight if you're on a roll.

Dorfromantik also has multiple modes that determine your level of relaxation. The creative mode gives you limitless tiles, and the monthly mode lets you compete against others. It has the same vibes as Townscaper, which I'd also recommend as a nice chill game.

As a bonus, if you're not necessarily an avid video game fan, Dorfromantik has a board game, too. Although it's best played with four to six people, it's also a solid option for couples or even solo.

8. Spirit City: Lofi Sessions

• Price: $11.99
• Platforms: PC

Some would say Spirit City: Lofi Sessions isn't a video game at all. Honestly, I somewhat agree, but I'm adding it?? anyway.

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a focus tool-video game hybrid that lets you relax to lo-fi music while collecting cute animals. It comes with a customizable character and room, focus tools like a to-do list and timer, and options for adding your own music if you get sick of lo-fi and want something different. I have this open daily while I'm working, and I've come to appreciate its ability to calm me down when? I'm stressed.

The animals are also cute. While this might not be a selling point for everyone, it definitely was for me and a few friends I recommended this game to. Having a tiny hedgehog sit next to me as my character plays next to a fireplace is something I didn't think I'd care much a??bout, but we all learn new things every day.

7. Terra Nil

• Price: $24.99
• Platforms: PC, Mac, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch

Terra Nil has a lot going on in and outside the game itself. Within the game, you tackle ecological conservation by turning ??barren, empty wastelands into? beautiful ecosystems full of forests, animals, and vast oceans. It sou?nds daunting at first, and you'll use numerous tools to do this, but it's a relaxing experience that positively impacts the game's environment.

Getting Terra Nil also helps support the Endangered Wildlife Trust, allowing you to have a positive, real-world impact outside of the game. I already recommend the game just because it's fun, bu?t this is a nice added bonus if you want to help a good? cause.

6. Garden Galaxy

• Price: $9.99
• Platforms: PC

Here's another one for the infinite playtime pile. Garden Galaxy is one of the most relaxing and simple games I've ever played, and I mean that in the best way possible. By collecting coins?? and tossing them into a little bowl in?? the center of your screen, you'll unlock a ton of land tiles and furniture for building and decorating.

And that's it. There's no complex story or overly complicated mechanics that create stress. Whether you want something to kill time or pour hours into building beautifully decorated landscapes, Garden Galaxy will have w??hat you need. This is another one that I usually only play during my lunch breaks or right before I go to bed, but it never fails to calm me down after a stressful day.

5. Unpacking

• Price: $19.99
• Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch

Unpacking is another one that I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. I spent extra time making the rooms look cute, letting me clock in just under five hours overall. I loved every bit of i?t.

The game's style, idea, and storyline make for an overall relaxing experience that I enjoyed way more than I expected. Although it isn't a lengthy game, it's another great option for something you can play and finish in a few days or fly through?? in one night if you immerse yourself in unpacking and tidying up your house.

Learning about our character was also interesting, even if my focus was initially on the cute pig and tiny chicken plushies. It's a surprisingly emotional story that can make you smile and tug at your heartstrings. At the same time, it's oddly tranquil and makes? you ?feel at peace, especially as you realize what you're experiencing as you play.

4. Sticky Business

• Price: $9.99
• Platforms: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch

I'll admit it: I have a whole lot of memories and experiences involving games where you own a business, and I can count on one hand how many of them didn't stress me out. Nonetheless, I was optimistic about Sticky Business since it struck me as a more casual and coz?y game. I can happily say I wasn't disappointed.

Although you do run a sticker business, there's surprisingly little stress when it comes to actually running it. You mainly focus on actually creating the stickers, which, as someone who loves expressing creativity in games, is always a fun time for me. I've made all kinds of wacky creations in this, from a goblin making potions to floral and mushroom arrangements. The characters in it also have in-depth stories, and seeing?? their happiness w??ith my sticker creations was more gratifying than I thought it'd be.

3. Summerhouse

• Price: $4.99
• Platforms: PC, Mac

We're on a roll with relaxing sandbox games here. Like a few others on this list, Summerhouse is all about creatively expressing yourself by building houses, stores, or any other building you wish to make. There's also a ton of secrets, whic??h is a surefire way to get me interested in a game.

Although I haven't invested quite as much time into this one as I have in the othe?r games on this list, I still consider the little bit I played to be one of the most relaxing experiences I've had this year with games. I enjoy booting it up to sh?ow friends, especially when I get the urge to build something cool or cute.

2. Slime Rancher

• Price: $19.99
• Platforms: PC, Android, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch

Slime Rancher is one of the most adorable games I've?? ever played. You begin your journey as Beatrix LeBeau, and as you explore the Far, Far Range??, you meet a host of adorable slimes. Sometime later, you gradually build a slime ranch, make money, and unlock additional areas to explore, allowing you to meet new characters and learn more about the world around you.

I've considered Slime Rancher one of my favorite games for years, and that still holds true to this day. I've played both Slime Rancher and Slime Rancher 2, and although I'd recommend the second?? game for its quality, it's worth trying out the first to get the full story and experience.

If I'm ever in a bad mood, I look at the slimes' little faces for a quick smile. Otherwise, I'm always happy to hop back into Slime Rancher for a relaxing replay.

1. Rusty's Retirement

• Price: $6.99
• Platforms: PC, Mac

Ending this list is Rusty's Retirement, another ?peculiar entry considering its purpose. At first, it may look like a regular farming simulator, but there's an interesting twist: it takes up only a third of your screen.

Much like Spirit City, Rusty's Retirement is a game designe??d to sit at the bottom of your screen as you do other things. You can watch videos, work, or even play other g?ames as you have this idle in the background. Occasionally, you can check back, replant your crops, and see what's new, but it's not the type of game you actively play for hours on end.

One of the most relaxing aspects of a game to me is how little I need to focus on it, an??d this is a perfect example of something I can briefly play before moving on to something else. I don't need to crunch numbers or plan out my in-game time in any way. I can just hop on, check up on it every half hour or so, and let it sit as I do other things. It's calming yet fun, peaceful yet interesting, a?nd I'm all for it.

The post 12 Best relaxing video games to play when you’re stressed appeared first on Destructoid.

Nintendo has announced three upcoming Nintendo Switch bundles f??eaturing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. All three are set to go on sale on October 6 from select retailers. 

The first bundle is a Nintendo Switch console with bl?ue and red Joy-Cons, a digital d??ownload of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and a three-month subscription to N?intendo Switch Online. The MSRP for this bundle is $299.99, the price of a Switch on its own. The bundle does? not include the Booster Course Pass DLC.

[caption id="attachment_402143" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

The other two ?bundles are handheld-only Nintendo Switch Lite consoles paired with a digital download of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. These new Switch Lites feature the classic turquoise and pink colors with a special leaf design on the back. The turquoise version (Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition) will be sold exclusively at Walmart while the pink (Isabelle’s ??Aloha Edition) will be found at Target.

Both h?ave an MSRP of $199.99, the same as a Switch Lite console by itself?. These bundles do not include the Happy Home Paradise DLC or Nintendo Switch Online, which you ??will need to purchase separately in order to enjoy online features.

[caption id="attachment_402141" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Images via Nintendo[/caption]

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle is a yearly tradition at this point. Var?iations of this bundle have gone on sale practically every holiday season since the game’s debut on the Switch. Still, Mario Kart is a classic, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is arguably the best entry in the series. The Booster Course Pa?ss DLC adds 40 new tracks to the game, as well as a handful of exclusive characters. The DLC can be purchased separately for $24.99 or included with a?? Nint?endo Switch Online + Expansion Pass subscription for $49.99/year. Note that this is the higher subscription ti??er for Nintendo Switch Online, not the base tier included in the bundle.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons took the world by storm during the COVID-19 pandemic, and still has a dedicated player base. If you’d like to try escaping to your very own island town with cute animal neighbors, maybe this is the game for you. The Happy Home Paradise DLC can be purchased for an additional ?$24.99 if you want access to additional furniture options.

Switch vs. Switch Lite

The Switch Lite ?is compatible with the vast majority of the Switch library with very few exceptions. Opting for the cheaper, handheld-only Switch Lite won’t significantly limit the other games you can play. It just means you won’t be able to connect to a TV and certain motion controls might not work.

The post N??ew Switch hardware bundles are on the way ahead o?f the holiday season appeared first on Destructoid.

Without a patch, that is

After discovering a very interesting Animal Crossing 2061 wrinkle via Redditor AdTrue4863: I have bad news for your great grandkids.

While fiddling with time traveling (changing your internal Switch clock by setting it forward or backward in time), they encountered an interesting message: "Please close the game from the HOME Menu and restart after setting a date between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2060. Meaning, if you're in the year 2061 (whether through internal clock shenanigans or in nearly 40 years), Animal Crossing: New Horizons refuses to boot up.

Obviously this is something that will probably be patched by Nintendo (or, if you're actually reading this in 2061, you can just set your clock back), but it has really interesting and ente??rtaining implications. I mean, where will we be in roughly 40 years? Will the Switch still be as reliable? What happens if by and large, most Switch units drift? Nintendo will likely cease repairs sometime in 2030, so folks will have to seek repairs elsewhere, or hope that the "next Switch" supports backward compatibility.

It's a fun thought exercise for something that won't matter for four decades or so. But in the context of game preser?vation, with so many projects becoming live service-oriented or veering toward soft or hard online requirements: i??t's always worth pondering.

The post It looks like Animal Crossing: New Horizons won’t work in the year 2061 appeared first on Destructoid.

Yet another reason why Animal Crossing has been a bright spot in the pandemic

We've heard it our whole lives: "Video games rot your brain, they're not productive, they're a waste of time..." I could go on, but you get the idea. In a lot of cases, though, playing games can be an enriching experience, especially when we're stuck inside during a global pandemic. I came across a post on Reddit today that kind of blew my mind �a parent posted a heartfelt "thank you" to Animal Crossing, because t??he game taught their seven-year-old daughter what a museum is.

They share that their child was five when the pandemic started, and hasn't been to a museum since then. When they asked her if she remembered going at all, she answered, "Yes, in Animal Crossing." Oh my god, I think my heart j?ust melted �it's both adorable and depressing.

As a childless person, I don't much think about how the pandemic is affecting kids these days, but this was a stark reminder. It's sad that we adults can't go to our concerts or craft breweries or whatever, but kids are missing out on fundamental life experiences. If Animal Crossing is the only way kids know what museums are today, ?I'm glad that Blather??s and his virtual exhibits have been able to serve as a surrogate for the time being.

//www.re?ddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/scwptk/dear_animal_crossing_thank_you_for_teaching_our/

If you need a little bump of optimism, the comments on the post are full of other players recounting how AC has taught their young kids how loans work, or how to identify different types of bugs and fish. I never considered Animal Crossing: New Horizons to be an educational kind of game, but that's what makes it the perfect learning tool: families are having so much fun playing together, so kids aren't not thinking about all of the things they're lea??rning when they play.

Games have been helpful tools for learning, community, and connection over the course of the pandemic, and Animal Crossing has been one of the most prominent titles we've played during the pandemic on each of those fronts. There's a reason why the game sold over 32 million copies during lockdown.

[Featured Image Source: CBR]

The post Animal Crossing?? is teaching pandemic babies?? what museums are appeared first on Destructoid.

That was a close one

As we spend yet another holiday in quarantine, especially one that usually means celebrating with a big group of people like New Year's Eve, video games are a good solution for helping things feel a bit more normal. Sure, you can't get together with a big group of your friends, but you can gather your entire Animal Crossing town, throw on a festive hat, gra?b a glowstick, and count down w?ith your favorite virtual neighbors.

Players from New Zealand and Australia have already started sharing clips of their celebrations online, complete with fireworks, and we'll only be seeing more of them as the rest of the world crosses over into 2022. While most of the pictures or videos chronicle the adorable, but mostly normal festivities of various gamers' towns, one vid??eo in particular showcases a hilarious coi??ncidence.

At about fifteen minutes to midnight, Reddit user u/CP1919- was hanging out in the town square, waiting for the countdown, when they suddenly noticed a tarantula had wandered its way into the crowd. The residents all freeze in horror as CP1919- slowly approaches with their bug net, and then release a c??ollective sigh of relief as the intruder is caught.

//www.reddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/rswvm2/j??ust_saved_the_new_years_eve/

This player not only got to enjoy an Animal Crossing New Year's Eve celebration on their island, but become the hero of it, and I think that's a really fun moment of emergent storytelling you can only get in a video game. Every once in a while, Reddit actually does something good for humanity, and in ?this case, it's to make a community where players can share these funny, unique, and sometimes unbelievable moments in the games ??we love.

I personally haven't visited my Animal Crossing island in months, but of all the holiday celebrations I've seen from New Horizons, the New Year's one has got to be one of the most fun, in my opinion. Even just seeing other people post their videos makes me feel a little bit more in the spirit of things when I can't celebrate in the way I usually would. So please, keep sharing your own special moments from your favorite games, especially whe??n you suddenly become an action hero.?? Those are my favorites.

The post This Animal Crossing player saved their New Year’s celebration from a tarantula attack appeared first on Destructoid.

A not-so-sneaky addition in update 2.0.4

In classic Nintendo fashion, this week's update 2.0.4 for Animal Crossing: New Horizons stamps out some nitty-gritty issues that aren't affecting most players, and it also implements unnamed fixes for t?he sake of "more enjoyable gameplay." Wait, what?

While I heard people talking about their naked animal villagers �an "issue" that has now been "fixed" �there's also buzz about Gyroid fragments showing up on players' beaches, which is a pleasant surprise. As someone who found the energetic little fellas to be one of the best parts of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2.0 update, I'm pretty stoked.

//www.r??eddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/rhgb1y/you_can_find_gyroid_fragments_on_the_beach_now/

I don't do beach crawls like I used to back in my fishing days, but it's nice to know that there's more than just shells, Manila clams, and messages in bottles to look out for. And considering that not everyone has access to Kapp'n (who can whisk you away to islan??ds containing Gyroid fragments), this extra source is helpful. No need to wait for a rainy day.

There's still some speculation that this is all working as intended, though it sure seems to line up wit??h the notion of "more enjoyable gameplay," as Nintendo puts it.

Other fixes in the 2.0.4 update include a glitch with the ladder set-up kit disappearing on the third tier of a cliff, certain DIY Seasonal Recipes not displaying when they should, a problem with the DLC's showroom after visiting another player's facilities, and the aforementioned "hide your shame" bug, which players made the most of on Reddit.

For those of you who enjoy seeing Nintendo's specific wording when it comes to off-brand scenarios, per the patch not??es, the developers "fixed an issue whe?re facility members wearing clothing that uses Custom Designs appear to not be wearing any clothing."

Too late�the Gyroids saw everything. (How's your collection coming along, anyway?)

The post Gyroid fragmen?ts can wash up on your beach in Animal Crossing: New Horizons appeared first on Destructoid.

Island in the Sun (or snow or rain)

The arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be considered a perfect example of a product hitting at the right place, right time. Making its debut right as the pandemic upheaved the lives and livelihoods of people around the world, it became an anchor point for millions as somet??hing that could help us get through the uncertainty of COVID-19 and keep us connected with those we loved.

There was much fervor for the title in its early days, and Nintendo did well to keep players interested with updates that added some new-but-mostly-returning features to the title over its inaugural year. But by the time it started to celebrate its first anniversary, the updates became less frequent and note-worthy. For a while, New Horizons players were left in a holding pattern as Nintendo remained quiet on what was next for the 30 million+ selling title. After several months, our patience was rewarded with the announcement of Version 2.0 and the Happy Home Paradise paid DLC.

Both provided ample reasons for players to return to their islands. Version 2.0’s introduction of Brewster’s cafe, the gyroids, and original villagers like Ace and Zoe was enough to get me back to caring for my island, but it’s the Happy Home Paradise DLC that’ll keep me playing for weeks to come.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons �Happy Home Paradise (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: November 5, 2021
MSRP: $24.99 or part of Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack ($50/year)

Of course, not everybody is going to see this DLC the same way I do. People played and continue to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons for very different reasons. When Version 2.0 dropped, I chuckled when our own Eric Van Allen admitted he didn’t develop his island enough to have access to some of the new content. As he explained to me on Twitter, he spent most of his time visiting friends�islands and playing the stalk market. In?? comparison, I rarely did either of those activities as I focused on trying to design an island as amazing as those I found plastered all over social media last year. Spoiler alert: it didn’t happen.

Ultimately, I spent most of my time doing what I always do in Animal Crossing games: fidgeting around my house. There are days where I’d log in only to redecorate my bedroom, not bothering to step outside and say hello to my neighbors. There is just something about home renovations and decorating that scratches an itch for me, which is why Happy Home Paradise �and its predecessor, Happy Home Designer �feels like it’s custom-made for me.

When you purchase and download the Happy Home Paradise DLC, you’ll be introduced to Lottie at your island’s airport. Lottie, who made her debut in Happy Home Designer, has a new business venture that she’d like you to be a part of. It’s called "Paradise Planning", where you’ll design fabulous vacation homes for the Animal Crossing one-percenters while getting paid in scrip you c??an only use at the company store. Each customer will have a rough idea of what it is they’re looking for (a lot of wood in a house, be surrounded by riches) as well as a small handful of items that must be included. Those specific items will be shipped to whatever house location you pick for them, and as long as you don’t delete them, you really can’t mess up with your design.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

Don’t come into Happy Home Paradise thinking there are going to be some stringent requirements or actual knowledge of design concepts like feng shui required to succeed here. Much like Animal Crossing proper, the point of this DLC is not to challenge you, but to give you a pleasant and relaxed outlet for your creativity. With each vacation home request you get, you’ll be given access to a growing number of objects you can place inside and o?utside the house. Some of these objects are suggested for the task as hand, but you can choose to ignore those items if they don’t fit into the design you have in mind. In fact, you can have nothing in mind and just do the bare minimum of unwrapping those required items and still get a satisfied customer.

Having such a low barrier to success means you’re only to get out of Happy Home Paradise what you put into it. There are no scores or grades to push you here. This is a supply-your-own-motivation type of experience. If you’re excited about the prospect of designing a house that’s a garden sanctuary or a place to host an elegant tea party, there is a lot of fun to be had. If that doesn’t sound the slightest bit interesting to you, then this DLC is not worth t?he money.

For those who do find pleasure in fine-tuning their interior decorating skills, know there is more to this DLC than just vacation homes. Much like with Happy Home Designer, Lottie will ask for your assistance in fixing up old facilities on the island, such as a school, a restaurant, and a hospital. Doing so will unlock further design capabilities, like when Lief comes and gives a lecture at your redesigned school and gives you access to hybrid flowers. Some of the skills and objects you gain in Happy Home Paradise can be transferred back to your home islan?d, such as polishing objects with different effects or setting up partition walls in your house. Disappointingly, these partition walls are o?nly for show as you can't hang anything on them.

You’ll also be able to buy exclusive new furniture pieces that you can take back home. Each vacation house you design will reward you with Poki you can spend at the Paradise Planning store. Only a handful of items are made available each day, which is actually a good enough reason to take your time with this DLC. When New Horizons first dropped, you had people playing the game for hours at a time, which was never how Animal Crossing was intended to be played. While it is possible to speed run through Happy Home Paradise, doing so will u?lti??mately result in a situation where you’ll need to log back in and fly out to the island day after day just to spend all the Poki you’ve earned.

I enjoyed my time with Happy Home Designer on the Nintendo 3DS, but having that gameplay attached as DLC to a mainline Animal Crossing entry �rather than as its own thing �is ultimately a better use of the concept. Because Happy Home Paradise compliments New Horizons quite well. The two experiences feed into one another. The DLC unlocks new skills and objects you can use on your home island, and in turn, New Horizons provides your island neighbors as potential new customers for Paradise Planning. You can also ?invite villagers using amiibo and amiibo cards, and this is really the only point of contention I have with this DLC.

Nintendo, despite its origins as a playing card company, cannot be relied upon these days to produce amiibo cards in large enough quantities to reach all of its potential customers. Happy Home Paradise is compatible with every Animal Crossing amiibo card released so far, but the first four series of those cards that were produced initially for Happy Home Designer, Animal Crossing amiibo Festival, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf �Welcome amiibo are out of print. Series 5, which was announced the same day as the DLC, has been nearly impossible to get your hands on if you rely on online shopping. I know a large part of this has to do with the current collector's climate that Nintendo has no control over, but that didn't spring up in the past few weeks. It's been going on for months and it's disappointing that the production of these cards wasn't adjusted to combat a marketplace made hostile by aggressive resellers. I'm lucky to still have about 30 - 40 cards from the Happy Home Designer sets, so when I run out of customers to help in Happy Home Paradise, I can keep the fun going a little bit longer.

And I do intend to keep the fun going for as long as I can because I truly enjoy what it is I'm doing as an employee of Paradise Planning. As I said above, there is nothing I like more in Animal Crossing than fidgeting around my house and changing the layout on a whim. That's all you're going to do in Happy Home Paradise, and for me, that's more than e??nough to keep me logging in every single day.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the DLC purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: Animal Crossing: Ne????w Horizons �Happy Home Paradise appeared first on Destructoid.

You can keep those airports open again

Animal Crossing players have been at it, designing homes, farming, and opening coffee shops. Meanwhile, Nintendo has confirmed it's squashed one pesky Animal Crossing: New Horizons bug it had previously warned players to avoid.

On Nov. 5, Nintendo tweeted out that players who owned the Happy Home Paradise DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons might ex?perience gameplay bugs if they ask to remodel a r?esident's home while their airport gate is open.

As long as the gates were closed, remodeling should have been fine. And today, Nintendo released Ver. 2.0.1 of Animal Crossing: New Horizons to fix the gameplay bugs mentioned.

//twitte?r.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1459219285016866816

So, if you're looking forward to having some company?? over, you don't have to worry about remodeling ??or not while the gates are open.

I imagine the discovery happened quick, as it seemed like everyone was logging on last week to play Animal Crossing when the 2.0 update dropped early. I've since been steadily working my way through the DLC, and it's pretty much exactly what I wanted. Because I missed out on the Happy Home Designer standalone, it's been cool to see firsthand why that particular Animal Crossing game garnered a fervent following.

But really, it's been fun just logging back on each day. No need to stress about speeding through anything, because I can just enjoy what seems like it'll be the last major update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. At least now I know I can safely leave my airport gate open when my turnip prices are popping, and not worry abou??t any bugs putting a stop to my remodeling.

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The Pro Camera is a godsend for ACNH creators

There's a creative side to Animal Crossing: New Horizons that I still can't fully wrap my head around, and whenever I see a TV show's opening recreated in the game to an eerily accurate degree, I have to admire this passionate community that keeps reaching new heights. After featuring their take on the classic Simpsons intro, Great-Bit Arcade has another video that I have to highlight �it's the Full House intro in Animal Crossing.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSuOWND82XY

There's something so specifically funny about seeing Dave Coulier's name pop up next to an Animal Crossing player wit?h that goofy f??acial expression. It got me good.

On a technical level, I'm still trying to figure out how some of these shots were achieved in-game, and it's clear that New Horizons has given content creators a lot to work with in the coming months, if not years. I mean, we're not even a week out from the launch of the game's 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC. There's so much untapped potential for fan creations with (technically) thousands of new items and the crucial new Pro Camera opening up?? more possibilities �you just know that players will wring out every last drop.

Circling back to this silly '90s sitcom, I didn't think I had such a soft spot for Full House (or is it just the weirdly emotional theme song?)??, but this video cheered me up.

Great-Bit Arcade has been very prevalent since we last covered the channel, so if you've got time to fill with some good-natured fluff, check out the ACNH intros for The Addams Family, Cowboy Bebop, The Amazing World of Gumball, and The Fairly OddParents.

Don't mind me. I'll be over here logging on, unearthing a new Gyroid, and logging off.

The post The Full House intro weirdly fits Animal ??Crossing: New Horizons appeared first on Destructoid.

The island moves at your pace

So we've had a weekend with the new update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its accompanying DLC, Happy Home Paradise. Some people, myself included, probably spent their weekend happily des??igning some new homes and gathering up all the new content.

Some parts, I feel like I'm only scratching the surface. Others, I've barely even started on, or have yet to even see. At first, I was seeing social media posts from people assembling new, fantastic islands and quickly unlocking a??ll the new additions. I was worried I'd fall behind.

Then I realized, why bother? Animal Crossing is a game about taking ??life at your own pace. And with this most recent, and last, batch of ?updates, why should that change now?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

Granted, this is not a wholly original take on how to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The name of the game has always been to, first and foremost, enjoy yourself. Even in the face of beautiful, resplendent islands that seem impossibly dense and involved, the best way to play Animal Crossing has always been at your own pace.

And this isn't necessarily shunning the time-travellers and content-bingers of Animal Crossing, either. Your own pace might be to speedily unlock everything, so you can spend more time basking in the aesthetic. The appeal might be designing those lavish landscapes you see on social med?ia, and speeding your way there to get ??the assets you need is part of the appeal. That's all good!

There's no wrong way to play, but there's no anxiety you need to feel about playing differently from anyone else too. Not just because Animal Crossing is supposed to be relaxing, but because this is the last big batch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons we're going to get.

It's been confirmed that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has received its final major free and paid content updates. Essentially, this is the last big DLC or content dump we're going to see for Animal Crossing.

And it's a big one, at that. I'm still barely grazing the surface of what Ver. 2.0 holds. I'm still building up towards opening up all the shops on Harv's Island, so I can start to fill out my catalog and museum. I've yet to enact any Ordinance with Isabelle. Heck, farming? I've got some wheat starters just sitting in my storage right now. I don't even know what to do with them, much less cook anything or turn them into something appetizing.

Because while I'm doing all the free updates, I'm al?so venturing over to Paradise Planning every day to work my job as a vacation home planner. There are adorabl?e animal villagers who need their perfect escape made, and I'm the one to do it. Which means plotting out their little piece of paradise, filling it with decorations, and specifying it to their exact wants and needs.

For some characters, this is easy. For others,? you get to h??ave a little fun with it. But it takes time. It all takes time. So why take it at anyone else's pace?

I was stressing for a few days that other people were surging ahead of me. But now, sitting here on Monday morning, I'm just happy to log in and see what's new. I stop by Nook's Cranny to see if anythi?ng new is in, and then I jet on over to Paradise Planning to see what's in their shop. I de-weed my island and tend my flower garden, then go arrange a house for a new client.

And through it all, I'm doing my own real-life work stuff. Like, oddly enough, writing this blog about taking your time. Because at the end of the day, it's a vacation. It's a game about doing what ?you want to, not what you have to.

So yes, I'm grinding for some things, and trying to plan out a big Turnip buy so I can finance more shop purchases and re-arranging my town. But that's a project I'm content to take some time with, because in the here and now, I want to just design some homes. I want to take cool pictures of me and my friends with the new camera options. I'd like to just p??oke away at this for days, even weeks on end.

Yes, the major content updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons are seemingly done. But the nice part is, knowing that means knowing I won't have to rush to finish anything before another big content drop. This is the Animal Crossing I'll be playing from now on. The seasons may change and villagers might come and go, but my island isn't going anywhere. So I'm free to take m?y run to th??e end at any pace I'd like.

The post It’s okay to take your own pace with the Animal Crossing: New Horizons update appeared first on Destructoid.

A heartwarming sight to see

It's Friday, and we're about to head into another weekend. As the news machine winds on down and many of us settle in for a cozy weekend of Happy Home planning in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I wanted to share this sweet little thread that I've been following on the ACNH subreddit all day long, where users have been gifting each other the Animal Crossing DLC.

It all started with user MoopDaDoop, who had picked up the Happy Home Paradise DLC and was ?enjoying it. They had an extra $35 card for the Nintendo eShop, and decided to gift it to someone ??who wasn't able to pick the DLC up yet for money reasons.

Another user chimed in to say they weren't able to afford it, and MoopDaDoop sent it on over. It was ?a nice little donation, with lots of users commenting about what a sweet thing? it was to do for someone else.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

And soon, others were following MoopDaDoop's lead. Throughout the day, other users have been offering to buy the Animal Crossing DLC for anyone who can't afford it. To be clear, it's not for anyone who's on the ??fence, or just wants a free copy; just folks who have had tough times, maybe some extra bills or they've been squeezed for rent.

It's been a neat thread to follow throughout the day. As so many Animal Crossing fans have been sharing what they've been doing with the new camera options and cool, sometimes spooky décor, other users are contributing some of their good fortune for others down on theirs. (Also, if you see this and think about sliding in when you know darn well you can afford the DLC: don't screw this up, you din??guses.)

Anyways, that's the energy I'll send y'all out on the weekend with. Put good back out there into the world, and have fun planning out all those houses for vacation-seeking v?illagers.

The post Animal Cro?ssing subredd?it users start thread of gifting others the DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

The time of purification is at hand

After a couple of nights with Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0, I've figured out my new obsession: Gyroids. My house doesn?'t need to look lavish, my island doesn't need to be a? stunner, and I don't mind that I'm missing a few deep-sea creatures in the log. What I absolutely do need, however, is to collect as many Gyroid varieties as I can manage.

After getting my first Gyroid as part of the quest to recruit Brewster (and subsequently construct The Roost), I was already starting to feel the collection urge coming on. And the more I played, the more that feeling grew. Now that I've made the mistake of seeing what other players have been up to with their Gyroids in New Horizons, I'm smitten.

Of course, Gyroids aren't brand new as of Animal Crossing: New Horizons �I'm just feeling their liveliness more than eve??r. Take this entrancing K.K. Metal Gyroid setup, for starters.

//www.reddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/qn2ove/gyroids_do??in_kk_metal?_featuring_an_oblivious_old/

Or this Bubblegum bop from Reddit user r4nd0x.

//www.reddit.co??m/r/AnimalCrossing/comment??s/qn1xsa/bubblegum_and_the_bois/

More than just hypnotically dancing to tunes, the Gyroids can seamlessly and pretty ??creatively blend into their surroundings under th??e right conditions.

//www.r??eddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/qndfr3/i_hung_an_aluminoid_lower_on_the_wall_and_it/

Some of these funky furniture friendos look strangely famil??iar.

//www.reddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/qmskl0/i_just_got??_my_first_gyriod_and_it_reminded_me_of/

And saving the best for last, there's this ingenious scene from ragepowder12 that can only be described as a Gyroid dark ritual using the M?agic-Circle Flooring and Candles Wall.

//w??ww.reddit.com/r/AnimalCrossi?ng/comments/qnep1h/bruh_i_have_no_words/

So much? of the game is about self-expression. That said, I really want a Gyroid cult, too!

The urge to try and collect 'em all is one I'll have to fight, which is honestly business as usual for Animal Crossing �it's hard not to want to burn through all of the 2.0 content as quickly as possible. I can't let that completionist tendency take the fun out of the Gyroids in New Horizons, though. I won't do it. I mean, I totally will, but I'll feel guilty about it!

The post That sea??ls it, Gyroids are my one tr?ue obsession in Animal Crossing: New Horizons appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a whole new world

Both Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ver. 2.0 and the Happy Home Paradise DLC are live now. There's a veritable smorgasbord of new content to get through, from designing homes for other villagers to sprucing up my own. But one of my favorite updates isn't necessarily part of the content itself, but a new way of seeing Animal Crossing through the new Pro Camera.

The Pro Camera upgrade, which you can pick up at the Nook Miles machine in the Town Center, adds a few new options to your phone's Came?ra app. Most notably, it lets you zip down to a first-person perspective, through the handheld mode. By its?elf, this is already a pretty interesting perspective shift: rather than top-down angles, you can see directly what your avatar sees.

But the Animal Crossing Pro Camera really excels when you realize you can move around. While it's a little limited in some ways, being able to move through your island in first-per??son is a game-changer, in a way that only visuals can rea??lly get across.

I mean, just look at this image I took from the night the Animal Crossing update suddenly went live. We were on a friend's island, looking around and marveling at how different the game looks in first-person view, when we went into one of the houses. Turns out, it was Pietro's house. And suddenly, our cheerful island adventure turned into scrapped Resident Evil Village DLC.

On your main island, it suddenly a?lters the way you look at everything. I was already a huge fan of Blathers and his museum, to the point of not skipping any explanations he offers. Especially as the COVID-19 pandemic kicked up, being able to visit a virtual museum has been a joy. And now, you can walk through it all in first-person mode.

//twitter.com/SaffronIsle/status/14?56103204081455106

//twitter.com/carefreejules15/status/145642867??6363415559

And in Happy Home Paradise, I can snap close-up photos of my clients. Here's the super-s??ick gamer room I made for Claude, complete with streamer desk, head-to-head fighting cab set-up, and neon lights behind the monitors. Being able to explore a space I had just meticulously laid ou??t and see what it looked like in first-person is phenomenal.

Everything has changed with this update. Even forced-perspective islands, a popular aesthetic among the more creative Animal Crossing players, have become even cooler with ?a new outlook on island life.

And the tripod option adds even more use, as it's so much easier now to take group shots and selfies, or even set up some really bizarre angles. From island entrances to brand-new angles for appreciating art, the addition of Pro Camera to Animal Crossing has really opened up new ways of lo??oking at my island.

Now, I'll be re-designing with first-person potential in mind. A hedge maze just became that much cooler, and I can't wait to see what the Animal Crossing: New Horizons community does with all of this. Will I probably just end up taking a lot of fisheye photos of random villagers? Yes, most definitely. But over the last year, I've also seen just how creative the community for Animal Crossing can get, and I'm loo?king forward to whatever they do with this new angle on island living.

The post The Animal Cro?ssing: New Horizons 2.0 update has completely changed the way I see every island appeared first on Destructoid.

Plant those flowers

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ver. 2.0 update is out today, with a ?whole host of new features and content to check out. But to access some features, like a boat tour with Kapp'n or coffee with Brewster, it seems like you'll need to have your island up to code.

I noticed last night, after downloading the surprise-dropped Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ver. 2.0 update, that I had a few of the new features but not all of them. A boombox in my town square could start up a round of group stretching, and the Nook Miles machine had new options like the Pro Camera ready and waiting. But on my own Animal Crossing island, Kapp'n was nowhere?? to be found, and Blathers wasn't giving me any info on?? my missing coffee-brewing pal Brewster.

It was then I remembered that, while I'd spent most of my Animal Crossing: New Horizons playtime hanging out on other peoples' islands and trading turnips, I never got around to sp??rucing my own island up to a three-star rating. I speculated this might be why the new content wasn't showing up for me, and soon, I found others with the same story.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ3QC8e1_yg

Reddit users indicate the need for a three-star island, as well as enough museum donations, to have Kapp'n start showing up. Others have backed up the three-star island requirement, and I can anecdotally confi?rm that I have a two-star island as of this writing and don't have Kapp'n at my dock.

Over at Animal Crossing World, they seem to lay out a pretty solid list of to-do's for unlocking Animal Crossing coffee brewer Brewster, and by extension, Kapp'n. It looks like you will need to unlock K.K. Slider via the island stars, as well as bulk up your museum a bit. It also looks like you need to be the Island Representative, a.k.a. the primary player on the account, something Jordan backs up as well. We've also reached out to? Ni??ntendo to clarify the exact requirements.

Why's this important? Well, for slackers like me who let their island fall into disrepair in search of the great? tur?nip haul, we've got some work ahead of us if we want to spend all those Bells on Harvey's Island.

Also, for anyone who decided to start a new island with the update, that's a hurdle you'll have to overcome to start accessing some of the new features. Luckily, there are plenty of guides out there for fast-tracking your way up through the stars. My recommendation? Flowers. Pl?ant them,? water them, nurture them. If you think you might have too many, you haven't got nearly enough.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has its Ver. 2.0 update live right now, with the Happy Home Paradise DLC soon to follow.

The post PSA: Unlocking Brewster and other Animal Cros??sing 2.0 features has some requirements appeared first on Destructoid.

It turns out that 'life needs a reset button' after all

Fans are wasting no time cracking into the 2.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and it's been a pleasure to feel invested in this game again after? taking a long break. Different aspects of the update are going to speak to different players, but my favorite discovery so far has got to be Mr. Resetti's new outlook on life �and resetting.

With New Horizons 2.0, it's possible to hang out with certain older Animal Crossing series characters at The Roost, aka Brewster's café in the museum, including Resetti. And after fearing his fiery wrath for so long, it's nice to know that he's cooled down a bit. A bit.

//twitter.com/symbolscram??ble/status/1456110615580135426

The best part, as captured by Reddit user discomll: Resetti has a new outlook on resetting in New Horizons 2.0. Here's what he says if you ??sit and chat with him:

"My old enemy the reset button... Didja know they're basically obsolete? Ha! Looks like I won! But now that I'm a little older, I get to thinkin' ...what if res?et buttons are actually...good? Like, if you mess something' up real bad...wouldn't it be good to get a do-over? I mean... LIFE NEEDS A RESET BUTTON!"

//www.redd?it.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/qmjlr2/resseti_has_had_a_change_of_heart/

I feel like I'm witnessing a rare candid moment from Majima in Yakuza here.

Resetti has long served as a scary wake-up call in older Animal Crossing titles whenever you left the game without saving, whether it was an intentional reset or an accidental shut-off. No really, it can happen. Honest! I was revisiting Animal Crossing earlier this year and my girlfriend accidentally fl??ipped a light switch that th?e GameCube just happened to be connected to at the time. Resetti was not thrilled with this transgression.

Does his moment of clarity in New Horizons 2.0 make me any less intimidated? No, absolutely not. I'm still emotionally scarred after years of his hooting and? hollering.

//twitter.com/seriouslyc?lara/status/1243583860585062400

If you've got some clutch amiibo cards or figures, and you've built up The Roost (after chatting with Blathers and taking a trip to an island with Kapp'n to recruit Brewster), then there's fun to be had at The Roost and Harv's Island �you can use amiibo ?to invite old friends that were (essentially) MIA before the 2.0 update. Even Don Resetti is back.

//www.reddit.com/r/AnimalCrossing/comments/qmad3y/npc_amiibo_c??ards_who_didnt_previously_work_on/

It's believed that Mr. Resetti and other special characters aren't actually amiibo-locked at The Roost (??they're just rare), but I haven't been able to independently confirm that ??yet.

The urge to try and do everything as soon as possible in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update ?is pretty strong, I won't lie �but we should probably pace ourselves.

This big-yet-still-very-finite content dump has to last us until the next game!

["Take it too far" image credit: @pluto_crossing]

The post Mr. Resetti has a new outlook on resetting in Animal Crossing: New Ho??rizons 2.0 appeared first on Destructoid.

I hope you didn't have any other plans

The time has come for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update and, wouldn't you know it, I'm not really ready. The free update just went live ahead of schedule �we were expecting it to appear on November 4 �and you can download it now, as shown by @ACWorldBlog. You may need to manually trigger it by pressing the + button on New Horizons' icon on your home screen and choosing Software Update via the intern??et.

//twitter.com/ACWorld??Blog/statu?s/1456071439199653894

Once you've downloaded the necessary files and fired up Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you'll kn??ow you're good to g??o if you see "Ver 2.0.0" at the top right of the title screen. Isabelle should chat with you about ordinances, and then you're off to explore.

To list off some highlights for New Horizons 2.0, there's Kapp'n Boat Tours, The Roost with Brewster, 16 new villagers to charm, crops to plant, meals to cook, and Gyroids to collect, along with many small but impactful features for Animal Crossing fans to obsess over.

Where should you start? Aside from seeing Blathers at the museum, you may want to pop into Nook's Cranny and also check out the Nook Stop term??inal inside Resident Services.

I hope you've ?been hoarding bells this whole time, because you're going to need them.

As for the Happy Home Paradise DLC, it sounds like it's not fully accessib?le yet. The official release date for the $25 expansion is November 5 (aka Thursday night for many of us).

Well, shoot. But also, yay. There's still cleaning to do around town. Residents to eject to make room for new faces like Shino and Cephalobot. Sins to atone for after ignoring my island for months on end. I wasn't re??ady to play this content tonight �who needs sleep?

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I'm almost wishing for an eject button

Over the last week or so, I have started the process of cleaning up my Animal Crossing: New Horizons island. It's a step I imagine many others have taken as? well, to prepare for the impending Nov. 5 update. But as I clean up my island, it's not the weeds or debris that cause the most headaches. It is, oddly enough, the villagers.

By the time I'd booted Animal Crossing: New Horizons back up, it had been ages since ??I'd last checked in on th??e island. And walking around my little town of Zanarkand, I certainly recognized one or two faces. But so many more were strangers; characters I'd barely spent any time with, much less developed an attachment to.

The next update for New Horizons doesn't just bring new features and decorations, after all. It also brings some new villagers into the fold. Some fresh faces to brighten up the island and join in on your never-ending summer? vaca??tion.

Look, I don't want to sound heartless. But I really, sincerely wish there was an? easier way to give some of my villagers? the boot.

It's one thing that getting villagers was already a little fiddly. If you just built houses, it was a random roll. The other options were to take well-timed excursions to islands using N??ook Miles, stake out the Campsite, or us??e some Amiibo or cards to bring a specific character in.

But ousting a villager feels like even more of a die roll. Most of the guides I've found online suggest simply time-traveling and resetting until? the villager you want to leave decides it's time to go. The one way around it is using the Amiibo cards, completing quests, and then eventually being able to pick a villager to leave—and that also requires having the card for the villager you want. Otherwise, you'r?e stuck waiting or time-looping.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBP5Xl2AUNM

And through all of it, they're smiling and cheering and giving me gifts. I am trying to kick them off my island. And?? I am at the mercy of their whims until I can finally lock into the right timeline where they decide, "it's time."

So many of these options involve manipulating random chance and rolls to get something to happen. With the addition of Ordinances, I'd love to see some sort of option to just start ousting Animal Crossing villagers?. Heck, even a "clean slate" option that, of course, has several confirmation checks.

With so much new content on the way, it's almost tempting to just restart my island. But that would mean losing all the items and DIY recipes I've accumulated so far; that means rebuilding all those bridges and ramps, too. And my Bell fortune! I know some folks who have reset their islands by moving all their belongings to another pla??yer's island and then moving back, but that soun??ds incredibly time-consuming.

It's nice that my villagers won't just leave in my absence, like they've done for previous Animal Crossing games. But with so many cool villagers on the way, I almost wish some of my less favorite villager??s had up and moved while I was gone. Now that I'm back, it's just an awkward passive-aggressive stand-off.

If you've got some tips for evicting your Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers, feel free to leave them below. Otherwise, I'll be bonking them on the head with a butterfly net all the way up to Nov. 5, when the Ver. 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC drop for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The post My Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers really just don’t want to leave appeared first on Destructoid.

It's time to reunite with our villagers and clean up before Happy Home Paradise and the 2.0 update

Like many of us who enjoyed Animal Crossing: New Horizons but eventually drifted away once we ran out of things to do, I abandoned my island, Otala, and its residents, whose names I have kinda sorta completely forgotten. But each day, we're a little closer to the 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC, which means it's probably time to go back.

I wouldn't say I'm dreading it �I'm no stranger to letting Animal Crossing towns go to waste and ??returning months (if not years) later to assess the damage. Some pa?rt of me even enjoys the monotonous but ultimately satisfying weed-whacking cleanup process.

Above all, I want to nail the timing. I don't want to pick this game back up too early and fade out again. On the flip side, I want to make sure everything's in place for the 2.0 update and I guess Happy Home Paradise as well since I doubt I'll be able to resist it.

While these thoughts were bubbling up in my head, I mentioned the update and DLC to my girlfriend, who played just as much, if not more, New Horizons on our shared island. She took the first step this week. She scoped out the place for the first time in a long time, got a taste of that classic Animal Crossing "where were you?" guilt from the villagers, and snapped a few pics of the weed �and co??ckroach �infestation. It's my turn tonight.

One thing is for certain: I can't let Cephalobot see this mess.

I have no recollection of this "Raccoon figurine" being here. And looking at the mini-map, I remember the layout �the specific routes I would take across specific bridges �but I can't for the life of me remember who lives in any of these houses. We swapped out a lot of villagers before dropping New Horizons. Now I feel like a stranger on my own island!

I wondered how everyon??e else felt coming back after an extended break, so I asked.

"I hadn't been to my island since this past March when they were giving away the St. Patrick's Day items. As I predicted, my island is now overrun with weeds and trees that have messed up a lot of the landscaping I did. A lot of my island projects remain half-finished and several of the ideas I thought I liked initially I can see are pretty underwhelming being away from the game for so long. But worst of all, all of my residents are still here. With past Animal Crossing games, several of my animal neighbors would have moved on with that long of an absence. In fact, probably the thing I like least about New Horizons is how much of a task it is to get people to move. I miss the days where people would only stick around for one or two months unless you begged them to stay. At the very least, those three original residents who never update their houses. Either way, I guess I should start cleaning up this pigsty before Brewster arrives. Maybe I can toss out a few residents along with the rubbish." �strong>CJ Andriessen

"I picked my island back up the day all the updates got announced, mostly just to kick out the dust and cobwebs. It was surprisingly easy to de-weed and de-roach the place, though I'm surprised no one had left. This is my first time playing an Animal Crossing game, but I would've assumed my residents skedaddled after months of nobody dropping by. I'm mostly just checking in now and then to get some new items and reacquaint myself with New Horizons before the updates hit, but I think I had forgotten just how esoteric some parts of Animal Crossing can feel to newcomers. I feel like I need to hang a calendar on the wall so I can track what days the art dealer and others might arrive. Also, I might need to give some denizens of Zanarkand (my island) the boot, just to add some new faces to the mix." �strong>Eric Van Allen

??I'm curious where your head is at with the DLC and 2.0 upd??ate incoming.

Are you returning to New Horizons? Did you never really leave? How rough is your abandoned island, and what's left on your to-do list before November 5?

The post How neglected is your Animal Crossing: N??ew Hori??zons island? appeared first on Destructoid.

You'll lose archipelago access but still retain certain things on your main island

Nintendo had a flurry of news for Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans this morning with the Animal Crossing Direct. In the hustle and bustle of the game's huge free update that fans are stoked about, the $25 Happy Home Paradise DLC that's reminiscent of a certain 3DS game, and the head-turning Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack $50-per-year pricing bombshell, it was easy to miss a detail about what happens when you buy the DLC compared to what happens whe?n you get the DLC via the Expansion Pack plan and then unsubscribe. Do you lose access? The answer might sway ??you one way or the other.

As Nintendo explained in a statement to Eurogamer, if you access New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC using a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription and eventually decide you want to go back to the cheaper $20-per-year Nintend?o Switch Online base plan �or you no longer want ?to pay Nintendo an ongoing fee at all and fully unsubscribe �then you'll lose functionality in the game, but not quite everything.

"Players can still continue to access certain things they have unlocked in Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise on their main island, including adding counters, partition walls, as well as adding ambient lighting and soundscapes, even if their access to Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise is suspended. However, it will not be poss??ible to visit the archipelago if pl?ayers lose access to the DLC."

"To be able to visit the archipelago and take on requests of designing vacation homes again, you will need to purchase the DLC separately or renew the Nintendo Switch Online?? + Expansion Pack membership," according to Nintendo.

I keep seeing confused comments about the Animal Crossing DLC seemingly requiring a subscription, so this is worth reiterating �it doesn't; the DLC is not exclusive to the Expansion Pack plan. You can buy it on its own. Bl?ame the messaging!

This whole scheme is more confusing than it probably needs to be, and it's almost more of a what-if situation, but I can see this information being useful for folks with a household of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players who intend to spring for the $80-per-year "family plan" version of NSO + Expansion Pack that covers up to eight users. Hence ??t?his post.

Taking on villager requests for the Paradise Planning team is going to be the main draw for this DLC, but it's good to know that you won't lose everything if you drop out of the subscription rat race. That said, I feel like the majority of New Horizons players will want to �and arguably should �just go for the $25 keep-it-for-good separate purchase of the Happy Home Paradise DLC and s?kip the pricier online service tier altoge??ther.

Unless Nintendo is going to feature more first-party game DLC in the Expansion Pack down the road �or truly nail it with the N64 games and t??he relea?se schedule �then paying $50 per year as an individual (or $80 per year as a family) is going to be ridiculous. For many people, this notion already is. These perks can't feel "static" or it'll bleed subs.

Even as someone who digs New Horizons, I wish I could get the Expansion Pack for the Nintendo 64 games and avoid the DLC in exchange for a more-expensive-but-not-that-expen?sive new tier. I'm curious (and not that hope??ful) to see how this all shakes out.

The post If you get Animal Crossing’s Happy Home Paradise DLC via the Switch Online + Expansion Pack plan and then unsubscribe, it won’t be a total loss appeared first on Destructoid.

Individual sub comes out to $49.99 a year, and family plan at $79.99

Nintendo has set the date and price for its Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack update. The new addition to the Switch Onl??ine offering wi??ll go live on Oct. 25, 2021.

For pricing, Nintendo confirmed that a 12-month individual membership for the Expansion Pack wi??ll run $49.99, while a family membership sits at $79.99. That's a step up from $19.99 for the standard individual and $34.99 for standard family membership.

Those who already have an active Switch Online subscription will be able to upgrade to Expansion Pack at a prorated discounted rate, depending o??n how much time is left on your plan.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNsGXJ6Cl00

As for what you get in the Expansion Pack? It will include all the benefits of a base subscription, as well as the Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis libraries for Switch Online. The Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC announced today, Happy Home Paradise, is available with the Expansion Pack, too. (It can be purchased separately as well.) Nintendo told Eurogamer that you'll lose access to the archipelago and home requests if your subscription lapses, but some content unlocked while playing Happy Home Paradise—like counters, partition walls, and ambient lighting—will still? be available.

The previously confirmed list of games will be on the N64 and Genesis libraries, and Nintendo says there will be mo?re to come in the future.

The Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online goes live on Oct. 2??5, 2021.

This story has been updated with additional details about Happy Home Paradise content access.

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Animal Crossing gets one last free major update in November

The October Animal Crossing Direct arrived this morning, and it was stuffed with new content coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Alongside a paid expansion DLC in Happy Home Paradise, a free update arrives on Nov. 5 with a wealt?h ??of new things to do for villagers on their island getaways.

The first part, which was teased during the recent Nintendo Direct, is that Brewster's coffee shop is coming to the island. You'll be able to order a nice cup of coffee at The Roost, and even share it too, with either your online friends or Animal Crossing friends you can invite using an amiibo phone.

This Ver. 2.0 update has much more than coffee in store, though. Kapp'n Boat Tours will become available, and Harv's island will al??so open up, with different donation spots for vendors to start selling their wa??res there. Katrina's fortune shop also makes an appearance.

Back on the home island, there are a lot of quality-of-life changes and new features in store too. Stretch with your villagers using motion controls in the town square, or learn to cook dishes from a wealth of new DIY+ recipes. Isabelle can enact ordinances to determine when villagers head out and about, with options like "Early Bird" and "Night Owl" determining when everyone is up and active. Oh, and villagers can now invite you to their homes and surp??rise you at yours too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ3QC8e1_yg

A bunch of new items are coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the free update as well, including the beloved froggy chair. Storage sheds can let you access your home storage on other parts of the island, and an ATM-style kiosk will let you pull more Bells from your account. Gyroids also return, and things like max storage and max number of bridges are g??etting bumped up.

For the home designers, a wealth of new features are coming in the paid DLC update also announced today and also going live on Nov. 5, called Happy Home Paradise. But even in the free Ver. 2.0 update, there are some really nice designing additions. There are more exterior options for homes, the ability to set an accent wall, and lighting and ceiling dec?or.

My favorite addition might be the new camera options, which let you go into either a first-person vie??w or set up a "tripod" for snapping selfies. It's going to add a whole new view to players' islands, and I'm really excited about the potential for incredible island walkth?roughs and new snapshots.

Today was an absolutely, surprisingly massive flood of news for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Between both the free update and Happy Home Paradise, there's a lot on the way for the island life sim. Importantly, Nintendo specifies that this is the last major free content update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But I can't help but feel like this is the Animal Crossing team going out on a bang. It al?l hits the islands on Nov. 5, 2021.

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Brewing some coffee has never been so fitting

Today's the day for Animal Crossing players to hear about what's coming for the village life sim. Nintendo is airing its October 2021 Animal Crossing Direct, to showcase the content arriving in Animal Crossing's future.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct will start at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET. According to Nintendo, it'll feature about 20 minutes of information on what's coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in November.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6LdBAbT1Xw

As for what's on the way? Currently, all signs point to Brewster, which makes sense given the early morning start time. It'??ll be nice to check out what the bird has been up to while enjoying a morning cup of coffee.

As for what else, well, that's up in the air. It's a 20-minute Direct, so the new content could range from seasonal updates to even larger additions or quality-of-life tu??ne-ups.

Seeing how Nintendo has supported Animal Crossing: New Horizon in the time since launch has been interesting to watch, as its rampant popularity pretty soon gave way to calls for more. To be fair, Animal Crossing provides a really good forum for social gatherings and hanging out online, in a time where ??there's a great need for exactly that.

And still, even as people clamor for more content, just seeing what players are still doing with their islands is absolutely fascinating. Whether I dive back down the Animal Crossing: New Horizons rabbit hole again is largely going to be decided on whether my friends do t??he same. But for folks who are still happily checking in on their isl?and every day, here's hoping you get what you want out of today's Direct.

The post Good morning villagers, let’s watch the October Animal Crossing Direct appeared first on Destructoid.

We're getting a latte new content in November

[Update: As should be the case, the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct featuring Brewster's Roost is scheduled for a time when people should be enjoying their morning cup of joe. Nintendo confirmed this morning the 20-minute showcase will air?? at 7:00 am PT/10:00 am ET on October 15.]

Looks like the beloved barista Brewster is finally coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, as was teased during today's Nintendo Direct. Unfortunately, we didn't get much new information, other than seeing a sign in the museum hinting about ?this new addition.

However, we're getting another Direct in October that's entirely focused on Animal Crossing, so we don't have to wait long to get the lowdown. What? we do know is that the Brewster addition is coming in November, and that it wil??l be a free add-on to the game.

One of the biggest complaints about New Horizons since it came out is that it doesn't have enough content, so we're glad to see that Nintendo is finally including this series staple. We can't wait to see what Brewster (and the rest of The Roost) has in store for us!

After many incremental updates, it's time for a more substantial, longer-lasting expansion to th??is hugely popular game. For reference, it ?has sold nearly 34 million copies.

Beyond the planned November update, for Animal Crossing fans who are in way too deep, Nintendo also announced that the Animal Crossing Series 5 amiibo cards a??re "coming soon." Just like the vague Brewster?? news, more details will follow "at a later time."

The post (Update) Animal Cros??sing: New Horizons Direct coming Octobe?r 15 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's not personal, I promise

Animal Crossing is right up my alley â€?there are adorable animals walking around, the music is sweet and relaxing, and a large part of the gameplay i?tself is making your town a more beautiful place to live. On paper?, it's everything I want from a game.

At the start of quarantine in 2020, I was on the New Horizons bandwagon?? with everyone else. I was grinding for those Nook Miles tickets, and my friends and I would often get together and plan events in-game because we couldn't see each other in real life. I was having a blast, but when I started visiting my friends' is??lands for the first time, I started feeling a little bit insecure.

[caption id="attachment_285809" align="alignnone" width="780"] [Image Source: Twitter user @MfsbT6210][/caption]This might be a bit hard to believe, but I was in a sorority in college. I know, I know, but I promise it was a much more wholesome experience than media has led you to believe. Anyway, when you're in a sorority, you have to part?icipate in all kinds of events, like fundraisers and social events with your sisters. Now, I had a vague idea of what sororities were all about going in, but what I was not aware of was the importance of being able to make things look nice.

We're talking party decorations, we're talking calligraphy, and cake decorating, and painting canvases to hang up on your wall. It's one of the metrics by which you can tell how good of a sorority girl someone is going to be, and by all counts, I was terrible. Not only did I skip events to stay home and play Overwatch with my friends, but any attempt on my part to? make anything look remotely cute was a complete fail. I was really self-conscious about it at the time, but thankfully life after college hasn't really called for those skills again.

[caption id="attachment_285810" align="alignnone" width="1280"] [Image Source: Twitter user @lilstarfragment][/caption]Or so I thought. I stepped onto my friends' Animal Crossing is?lands, and it was like I was back. They had like full cafes and little libraries and flower gardens and I... didn't have much of anything at all. At one point I was trying to do a little homage to the Santa Monica Pier, but I soon gave up on that because I couldn't figure out how to make it look good.

Part of the problem is that I go online and see the most incredible things that other people have created. Whether it's a cozy-looking bookshop, or a full recreation of Hogwarts, or just the most stylish, Pinterest-worthy five-star island I've ever seen, I find it all so intimidating. I want more than anything to look ??at these builds, admire them, and take inspiration for my own island, but instead all I feel is thi??s overwhelming jealousy that I couldn't do that myself. I see how creative people are with this stuff, and I want to be creative in the same way.

[caption id="attachment_285812" align="alignnone" width="960"] [Image Source: Reddit user u/PM_ME_A_COLOR][/caption]Thus, my island sat, sad and abandoned, a monument to my own insecurity. Is my mindset silly, petty, and probably a little bit immature? Yeah, but unfortunately it's put me off from playing the game altogether. The same can be said for games like Minecraft, The Sims, or anything else where you might h?ave to build. I know I'm being ridiculous, because the whole point of games like this is to just have fun and be creative but, instead I'm paralyzed by my self-doubt. Now that I think about it, this may say a lot about how I live the rest of my life...

I will own the fact that this is entirely a "me" problem, I thought it was so strange to have those feelings from my very traditional Southern college experience bubble up to the surface over a game like Animal Crossing, of all things. To be honest, I've never reflected on this feeling like this before, and now I'm thinking throwing myself back in could be a way to work on myself, so to speak. With the new Brewster update coming in the?? next few months, I might just have to give it another goo?d 'ol college try.

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Nintendo says there's more free content in store later this year

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting a new update this week, and it's looking like there's more to c????ome after it, too. Today, Nintendo confirmed a free update will go live on July 29.

This free update will add some upcoming weekly Fireworks shows, as well as new seasonal items. What those are haven't been detailed as of yet, though hopefully they include s???ome fun summer-themed stuff for the island.

Nintendo also addressed calls for more Animal Crossing content, saying? that more free content is currently in development for later this year. The company says more information will be s?hared in the future about what that entails.

//twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/??status/1420006067375906817

There's no real denying that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was one of the biggest games of 2020. Beyond just being a new Animal Crossing, it arrived at a point in time where a lot of people were craving the sort of social gathering and interaction this kind of game could provide. It's still one of the top games on Nintendo's Switch sales charts.

It's been just over a year since launch now, and fans are starting to wonder when the updates are coming. There have been some seasonal updates, like the one for Halloween last year, as well as additions like swimming and deep-sea diving. But a quick tour of ??replies on social media will show there are still some waiting for more activities to arrive.

We'll have to see what the future holds for Nintendo's island life sim as it treks forward into its second year. Health and safety precautions are still a factor for many studios, and so hopefully the Animal Crossing team is managing as best they can. With some more free updates, it might be time to revisit my own island and see what's been happening there since I last visited, sometime last year. Hopefully it hasn't been overrun by weeds ?yet.

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Don't sell up your island paradise just yet

While many of Nintendo's biggest and most beloved franchises saw representation during Tuesday's Nintendo Direct presentation, Animal Crossing fans were left overwhelmingly disappointed by a total lack of news and updates at E3 pertaining to mega-selling Switch release Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Speaking to The Verge, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser addressed the social sim's absence at E3, noting that the publisher still has new plans in the works for the ever-growing army of Animal Crossing island-dwelling villagers �and that players will just need to hold on a little lo??nger to receive further updates.

"While we didn’t talk about [Animal Crossing: New Horizons], we absolutely have plans going forward to ensure the 33 million people who have islands out there have new and fun acti??vities to engage w?ith," said Bowser "Look for more to come."

In the same interview, Bowser also noted how Animal Crossing: New Horizons had been responsible for a major increase in the use of Nintendo's online service, and has somewhat a??ltered?? the demographic for the Nintendo Switch platform.

Having been a consistent seller since its release in March of 2020 (It is yet to leave the UK Top Ten since its initial launch) AC:NH was considered the game to play during the first pandemic-ridden year �with many players caught in lockdown finding solace, joy, and companionship in the bu??ilding, sharing of and visiting of other players' custom islands.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons brought a lot of friendship and happiness, to a lot of people, during a partic?ularly unhappy year. Here's hoping that Nintendo makes good on its statement, as there are arguably few franchises more deserving of long-term support.

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Twice fans felt special, but gamers said "cry for me."

It will come as a?? surprise to no one that trouble is brewing on Twitter again, and two of its most easily riled-up groups o?f users, gamers and K-pop stans, found themselves at odds over an ambiguously worded trending topic. If you were scratching your head at the "TWICE FOR NINTENDO SWITCH" hashtag yesterday, you certainly weren't alone, but don't worry, I'm here to walk you through it.

For those who don't know, Twice is a nine-member girl group from South Korea, including members Nayeon, Momo, Tzuyu, Sana, Mina, Dahyun, Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung, and while their music hasn't yet reached the same international recognition of other K-pop groups like BTS or Blackpink, they are certainly on their way. Twice was formed from a survival competition show called Sixteen, and they debuted to respectable success in 2015. They exploded to superstardom status in 2016, when their sugary-sweet song "Cheer Up" became a sensation overnight. 

The group's fame has only grown from there, as they've released hit album after hit album over the years, and they've become one of the most popular K-pop groups of all time. If that wasn't enough? for you, they were also officially named the national girl group of South Korea in 2017. Basically, they're a really big deal.

So when March of 2021 rolled around, Twice fans were delighted to see the girls featured in some ads fo??r the Nintendo Switch. While the previous commercials featured games like Ring Fit Adventure and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the new ads that dropped this week focus on Miitopia, including content of the ??members all making their own Miis. No issues yet, just some wholesome videos of my favorite? girl group playing video games.

The trouble began when Twice's official Twitte?r account posted one of the videos with the phrase "TWICE ?& NINTENDO" included. Naturally, Twice fans (known as Once) got it trending almost immediately. From this side of things, it looked like the stans were just happy to see the girls doing some fun promo.

[Image Source: Twitter user SubjectKpop]

Because gamers started seeing that phrase without context, though, they believed that this could either be a new title announced for the Switch, or more excitedly, that it could be the official announcement for the Switch Pro console.

The thing is, gamers have already been a??nxiously awaiting any news on the second generation Switch, to the point that frustration is really starting to build. It didn't help that the news was supposedly going to drop this week. Fans voiced their disappointment as anyone would, in the form of memes, which only got it trending?? more, and the cycle continues.

Things have calmed down by now, but considering how vague the wording of trending topics tends to be, I don't blame people for getting confused �it just happens at a time when expectations are high a??nd tempers are starting to be tested.

All things considered, the ads are really cute, and if Nintendo was going to collab with any group it would be Twice. Member Mina is a huge gamer �she has often been seen at airports and behind the scenes with her Switch, and she's even posted a Minecraft Let's Play to Twice's YouTube account. This is why she's one of my four biases in the group. Momo got in on the action too, posting a video of her playing New Horizons last summer.

It makes sense that I'm in love with these ads, as gaming and K-pop are like my two favorite things, but I hope for any other gamers' sake out there that they'll still give Twice a chance, despite the animosity. They're basically the human and musical embodiments of how Animal Crossing makes me? feel, and that's something I think anyone could love, if they tried.

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Creeps into the top of the UK Charts

Capcom's latest jaunt into the world of survival horror, Resident Evil Village, has had a successful start, debuting at number one in the UK Charts. The creepy sequel saw the second-biggest physical launch of 2021 so far, behind Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. In regards to UK physical sales, Village saw both ?the third biggest launch on the?? PS5 platform, and the second-largest launch on Xbox Series X/S.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Resident Evil Village did not hit the same UK launch numbers of Capcom's 2019 remake Resident Evil 2, nor did it hit the same launch numbers of 2017's Resident Evil VII. It should be noted that with each passing year, sales lean further toward digital sales, so Village's true impact is yet to be ascertained. Assuredly, h?owever, it has definitely? been a hit.

Elsewhere in the charts Housemarque's PS5 release Returnal has already dropped out of the Top Ten, now sitting at number 15. Nintendo's snap-happy New Pokemon Snap shifts from number one to number two, while the remainder of the Top Ten is mostly rounded out with other Switch releases, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ring Fit Adventure, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: May 8, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Resident Evil Village - Capcom
2. New Pokémon Snap - Nintendo
3. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
6. Minecraft - Nintendo
7. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
8. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
9. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Say Cheese

This week saw not one, but two major releases hit the market in the form of two shoot-'em-ups... kinda. Shutterbugs took shots in Nintendo's latest Switch release, New Pokémon Snap, while interstellar explorers focused on a whole different kind of shooting in Housemarque's fantastic Returnal, incidentally the PS5's first e??xclusive release ?in months.

In regards to the U.K.'s physical sales, it was New Pokémon Snap that debuted comfortably in the number one spot, edging out Selene's hardcore space-shooting action. This was somewhat inevitable given the popularity of the Pokémon brand, the family-friendly nature of the camera-snapping adventure, and the ongoing shortage of PS5 hardware in the UK scene. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, this new entry in the photogenic series sold four times as many launch copies as 2000 Nintendo 64 release, Pokémon Snap.

New Pokémon Snap leads a seemingly indelible slew of Switch releases, which includes Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Ring Fit Adventure, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Minecraft. Last week's number one, Square Enix' NieR Replicant, has dropped out of the Top Ten entirely and now resides at number 22. This is business as usual for the JRPG market, at least in regards to physical sales. However, with the launch of Resident Evil Village on May 7, New Pokémon Snap's reign a??s monarch of the UK Charts looks set to be a sho??rt one.

Something Wicked This Way Comes.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: May 1, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. New Pokémon Snap - Nintendo
2. Returnal - Sony Interactive Entertainment
3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
6. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
7. Minecraft - Nintendo
8. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
9. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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