Time to sit down for another YvoCaro Plays. As always, these blurbs are mostly about the video games I’m currently playing. Sometimes though, I look back at past gaming adventures. Unedited thoughts that spring up in my mind. And sometimes a random train of thoughts starting with the game and ending somewhere completely different!
If you like these bits of gaming thoughts you can find the previous ones here
Are you going to be a member of the Club?
Has it been two years already? Yes it has! Remember how we couldn’t wait to get our hands the first ever Animal Crossing game on mobile? Some of us even went to lengths to make an Australian account on Android or Apple, as that country got the game first!
Just this week, two years after the release of Pocket Camp on mobile, Nintendo changed things around: You can now join the Pocket Camp Club. This means a paid monthly subscription, for which you can choose the Happy Helper Plan and Cookie & Depot Plan. The price is $2.99 for the Happy Helper Plan and  $7.99 for the Cookie & Depot Plan.
What are your thoughts on this move? I’ve read on Twitter that a lot of people hate this, and I understand it’s not fun to have a game you’ve played a lot suddenly cost money. Of course, you don’t have to pay, but I wonder how this will work. Other players go much quicker then the people that don’t pay, and how much fun will it be to give one another festival bugs and such?
But as a business move, I think it’s a smart one. A lot of gamers have put zero bucks into the game. That’s everyone’s personal choice, as a matter of fact, I haven’t either. But that’s not why Nintendo made the game, just to please fans. No, they want to earn money from it!
Plus, how much life do you think Pocket Camp has in it from now? New Horizons will be here in four months time, and I’m pretty sure the fans will move over as soon as they can!
A feeling of entitlement
So, like I said, it’s not long now before we can finally play a new Animal Crossing game. And I’m sure Animal Crossing on the Switch will bring an entirely new demographic to buy the console. People who are waiting for AC specifically to get a Switch, as this is their favourite title of all time. Maybe even the only video game they ever play!
At the beginning of November Nintendo reported on the success of the Switch Lite, that is doing well and seems to be adding to the regular sales of the original Switch. Nintendo is seeing a “higher percentage of female users” than it had for Switch in the past, “signaling further expansion of the female consumer base.” Well duh!
I know gamers who aren’t into the series think: How could living in a village filled with talking animals while at the same time paying off a home loan and harvesting fruit possibly be fun? But it is, and Animal Crossing has a very enthusiastic and creative fan base. Plus, the game is so powerful that it turns people who never looked at games before into loyal and faithful gamers. People who will buy any console the game appears on, just to play Animal Crossing.
I’ve made this speech before (when I was sorely disappointed at the Nintendo E3 presentation being ALL about Smash Bros!). A reader accused me of entitlement at that time but I still believe Nintendo made a mistake when they took their sweet time bringer us a new AC title! But then, maybe they are okay with keeping the consumers flocking to the Switch, keep the interest high!
I’m with you – I cannot wait for New Horizons! I was playing New Leaf today (as I do most days for my AC fix) and thought how great it will be to leap over streams! I was going to wait until Horizons came out to get a Switch, but Pokémon Sword made me purchase a bit early. Playing that, loving it, trying to learn more about fighting as I’m a relative novice to the series.
So, it’s your first Switch? I’m curious to hear your thoughts about it, and did you buy the standard or light version. Being a novice to the PK series is great, I never forgot my first adventure in the series. All is fresh and new, an amazing feeling!
It is my first Switch – it’s the latest model (updated) standard. I play it both docked (75%) and handheld (25%) – what pleasantly surprises me is that I don’t have any difficulty holding the unit or controllers. I was afraid it would be too small for my hands, as it seems that was a common complaint early on. I find it more comfortable to hold than my Vita.
I also have a Xbox One and a PS4, and I’m finding my enjoyment playing is the same on each one. I’m not a graphics snob, to me it’s about the game I’m playing – is it fun? I do love getting “that Nintendo feeling” on the TV screen, with the option to just pick the console up and move to a different section of the house, or take on the road with me. I can’t wait to see my Animal Crossing buddies on the TV – I hope they bring Blathers, Walker, and Daisy to my island!