Thoughts on ANB so far

[Simfarmguru]

This is not a review so much as a discussion/ranting.  I've reached a point in ANB where I WANT to play and therefore decided to talk about the game a bit.

First, whatever MORON thought it was a great idea for the first 3 1/2 weeks or so of Spring to be DULL AS DIRT deserves to be double-slapped across the face!  3 1/2 weeks in a HM game is an ETERNITY.  Especially when there is nothing to do but plant crops, care for your cow, forage, and talk to a hand full of villagers each day.  I seriously put this game down so many times because I couldn't stand another boring day.  THEN, at the last week of Spring, everything fun and useful gets dumped on you!  They even have two festivals IN A ROW.  This whole thing just pisses me off about the game.

Now, onto things I've liked.  The Blueprints and Edit feature is awesome!  It makes the idea that you have to build your farm believable.  And it's not from scratch like HM:DS, you start with a barn and some small fields.  This gives me the impression of an old run down farm that hasn't seen care in a while.  Some small amenities and tons of space, but not a lot to start with.  Rebuilding the town from scratch and building how YOU want it is fun.  You want the shipper next to you, the general store within easy reach?  Maybe you're friends with someone and want them nearby for easy conversation?  You can do all that and more!  You get to design your farm the same way, with everything to suit YOUR needs.  The game feels like a meeting between Dark Cloud and Harvest Moon, but the combo fits beautifully. 

The 3D effect is OK...  I'm not a big fan of 3D really, I bought the 3DS more for the games, and not really for the effects.  Still, to get my money's worth, I gave it a shot.  It's not bad, it makes the stuff blowing across the screen pop out...  It's just not a real factor, I turned it off and don't feel any difference.  Except the lack of headache

I think that's all I have for now.  What do you guys think?

[Butterscotch]

Ugh, yeah, the beginning is awful. I started a second file as a boy a while back, but I just couldn't bring myself to go through the first few weeks again.

I really like the idea of customizing, but the actual mechanics need improvement. It WAS nice having Soseki's house so close by. (And being able to banish a certain haur dresser to the outskirts of town

[Simfarmguru]

Like the fences? >D Yeah, spent 20 minutes last night rebuilding the barn lot fence after I added a chicken coop. 15 minutes spent trying to make corner pieces do their thing...

[Simfarmguru]

I forgot to mention, as you befriend people, they start to have a wide variety of response depending on friendship, time of day, weather, and season. Finally, HM64 variety!