Topic: Where to start with Animal Crossing

Hi Guys.

I consider myself a big Nintendo fan, for nearly 30 years now.
However i have never played an Animal Crossing game.

Not sure if its because by the time the series came over to the UK i was probably about 19 or 20 and the cutesy asthetics were something i passed on.

The more time has gone on though, and now in my mid 30s i dont care about how a game isn't supposed to be aimed at me, i just want to play them. I picked up New Leaf for the 3DS, and want to start playing it this weekend.
With the Switch game coming out soon, i thought i best get some time in with this version first which i hear is one of the best in the series.

How is it best to approach the game as a newcomer to the series?
Any advice will be appreciated.

Animal Crossing is a series that very much evolves with every instalment. Usually when the latest games comes out, there is little reason to play the old ones.

With that in mind, I would go with New Leaf.

You could wait for the Switch release, but that would cost a lot more and we know nothing about it so far.

Yeah every Animal Crossing game basically just adds new features on top of what was in the previous ones. There are a few features exclusive to the older games, like the city in the Wii game, but unless you're a die-hard AC fan you're better off just playing the newest main-series game, which is New Leaf. Of course, there's a new game coming to the Switch this year, but you don't have to buy it as soon as it comes out if you want to stick with New Leaf for a while longer (it will keep you busy for a very long time if you get really into it).

Rated "E" means "Everyone", not "Eleven and under" to quote a signature I saw somewhere

You've probably found your way around AC by now but in case others look into this thread... New Leaf's a good pick, indeed. As you're likely aware AC's a life sim that doesn't give you any explicit goals so it's all about what you want to do there.

General advice: Get basic tools as soon as possible (fishing rod, net, shovel, slingshot, maybe watering can if you'd like to take care of your flowers). Early on your main income options are selling fruit, fossils you dug up and bugs and fish you caught; there's also seashells on the beach. Your town will start with a bunch of native fruit trees and you'll soon get a different fruit - don't sell it, plant it. Every fruit that isn't your starting fruit sells for more. Once you got a perfect [respective native fruit] plant that as well, they sell for even more than any regular ones. Growing an entire orchard of them can't hurt.

How to make easy money: Once a day there's a "fake" rock in your town which looks ordinary but if you hit it with your shovel, it'll drop ore which you can keep or sell. Also once a day one of your regular rocks will drop some money when hit with a shovel (pro tip: Dig a few holes between you and the rock before hitting it, the money drop window's a bit small and that way you have better chances of getting the max amount).

Once you're able to visit the island you can catch bugs that sit on palm trees in the evening. You have to sneak very carefully since they spook easily (hold A with your net equipped and move slowly) - that's the easiest way to make ridiculous amounts of money which can be done daily and by yourself. A longer game's the stalk market (turnips) which requires you to play daily but can net a massive profit if you're lucky and if you have invested a lot. I can go into detail here but I don't want to go too overboard with info in one post.

Money and multiplayer: If you have people you can play with you can check for good turnip selling prices or just sell your native perfect fruit in other towns where they'll fetch thrice as much as in your hometown.

Completionist things: There's a museum where you can donate bugs, fish, and other stuff. Critters are tied to location, season/month, time, and sometimes even weather, so that'll keep you busy for about one rl year if you stick to it thus it's good to start sooner than later. If you care about catalogue completion (having all items in your catalogue) you can check shops daily and buy whatever they have - personally I recommend making a list to keep track of your progress with either, but it isn't mandatory, of course.

Well, that's how to get started regarding money, the rest is basically doing whatever things whenever you feel like it. Expand your home, befriend townspeople, do some landscaping, play minigames, make a room full of golden toilets... the sky's the limit! ... or at least furniture restrictions are.