Video: Digital Foundry Delivers Its Verdict On Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Inb4 a certain group of people get mad because it's not 60FPS.

I give exactly zero [redacted] what Digital Foundry says about any game, let alone a sim game.

Would've never picked up on it myself. Maybe if it was a game I was playing close-up on PC, but it just looks beautiful and smooth.

I hope they add a 60FPS option. Less detailed lighting can go a long way. Also, this game drains battery like none other I recall playing.

It is a beautiful game, I'm throughly enjoying this latest installment! Crazy to see how far Animal Crossing has come since the Gamecube/DS/Wii/3DS releases, a game that certainly is not for everyone but for those who appreciate it, it is such a great time.

@PanurgeJr Then why comment on a DF article? Are you gaining points for saying the typical "I don't like Digital Foundry."?

I didn't know if Animal Crossing City Folk Wii was 60 fps. 😮

@Bermanator I haven't had any battery draining problems, actually the opposite, it lasts quite a while for me. Airplane mode helps alot if you're not playing online.

I would be curious, just how good would a game have to be for Digital Foundry to have no complaints? What is "perfect" for these people who nitpick with a fine tooth comb like no one else I know of?

@PanurgeJr I think your on the wrong article buddy

New Horizons is a very complicated, action-oriented game - how will I be able to understand what is happening on the screen at just 30 fps?

I am not complaining about the game being 30FPS, but I just think a 60FPS mode would be nice to have, since it can be done, just remove Ambient Occlusion (Which heavily affects frame rate) and make the lighting a little less detailed, and the shadows less sharp.

GOTY, don't @ me.

@La-weejee "you're"

@MsJubilee My mother passed away eight years ago, and with her the admonition to say nothing if I had nothing nice to say.

Also the standard irony of commenting to suggest I shouldn't comment...

I think prioritizing graphical fidelity over smoother performance was the right call here. The game is flat-out beautiful, both docked and undocked, and the gameplay is relaxed enough that it wouldn't benefit tremendously from running at a higher framerate.

@Heavyarms55

They analize, and show the ups and downs. There is no perfect for them and there shouldn't be. Better res produces worse performance, better performance produces worse resolution, improved AA creates less sharpness, improved sharpness means less AA and so and so.

Digital Foundry is not a resource to say "this graphics suck" or "this graphics are the best". It is a resource to analyze all the little details, all the compromises, all the exchanges, etc.

Here is the best example, ACNH looks fantastic, the game looks great, and they say so at every chance in the video. But
some people seem miffed because they are mentioning (as they should since it is what the do) that the framerate is 30.

@Yomerodes DF go over things with a fine tooth comb digging for criticisms anywhere they can find. I understand that's what they do but it comes of as people nitpicking with unreasonably high standards. I feel this about their videos as a whole - they are never happy with anything. From their point of view - apparently a view you share - everything should be better than it is.

Off topic, 10 out of 10 this game for me but i dont have to share a Switch. It really does suck for people that do though with the 1 island per console.

30fps is perfectly fine for me in a game like this as reflexes are not required. Plus its art style looks awesome. I'm so glad i got this game as my Switch has been collecting dust for quite a while.

@nimnio Nope, @Heavyarms55 is not the one who sounds absurd right now. DF doesn't just point out if your tires are balding, they point out if your tires have three miles on them and new tires would be better.

@nimnio No that's different - your tires balding is a mechanical fault. A problem with the car and one that could lead to serious safety concerns. Unless a game is marketed at 60 FPS and doesn't deliver, a game running at 30 FPS isn't a problem, it's a design choice.

It's not that I don't think people should look at these details in games - I just think that DF and people like them dig for anything they can possibly call out that "should" be better. I want to know at what point they would have no issues with a game. If a game ran at a perfect unchanging 60FPS in 4K with no "jaggies" would that be enough? What standard are they judging by? What is the benchmark by which they are comparing?

Without a locked 60FPS how can I be expected to reliably pull off combos? How am I supposed to transition smoothly from a tree-shake straight into a triple fruit-pluck followed up the wood-chop twig-drop stream-hop wombo-combo?

Nintendo has been ignoring the competitive community for too long with this series. Entertaining the casuals is all well as good, but it’s time Nintendo started listening to the real fans.

@nimnio Okay bro. Sure. I'm the foolish one. Here's another digital cookie. Keep up the good work.

I watched the video and it's a great technical insight into how the series has evolved. As DF say, this is a great looking game with a lot more going on than initially appears with gorgeous lighting and some wonderful water effects, Nintendo really did a great job with this game

@Heavyarms55 There is no such thing as perfect in an analysis of a game's inner workings because there will always be room for improvement. If there weren't room for improvement, then there wouldn't be room for a next generation console. Even when the PS5 and XBX come out they'll still find something to be critical of because they're performing a deep dive on the graphics. It's not like a game review where it's strictly based on the writer's preference and experience with the end product.

@Heavyarms55

Everything could be or not be better than it is, there is never a "should be better".

But if you are insistent in looking for numbers, what is considered top of the line is common games is basically the combination of two elements: native resolution (720p for switch portable, 1080p for Switch docked/ps4/xbone and 4K for ps4pro/xbonex) and performance of 60 fps. But again, that would be an oversimplification of their job, there are many things that cannot be so easily quantified, like post effects, antialiasing, draw distance, loading times, input latency, texture and audio quality, and a very long etc. So no, there is no "gold standard" they seek, there will never be a "perfect" scenario...but many fantastic, incredible and great scenarios like the one in this video, games that do miracles with limited hardware, or fantastic showcases with the most advanced and recent hardware, or examples of incredible feats in the past with old hardware.

I've shunned my powerful PC gaming rig since getting a Switch. Like I'm going to care about raytracing, 4k, 60+fps, etc.. We start to lose sight of what makes games actually fun. Nintendo are masters of doing more with less.

@Heavyarms55 that is why their work has its vaule, if there is something to critize, then they do it...I have no problem with it.

What even would 60fps do to improve this game? The trees may sway in more detail... Games by default don't need to be 60fps

@Bermanator It does doesn't it?!

Worse than BOTW by a long shot!

Another great video by digital foundry

It's not 60fps?!?! Wha-wha-whaaaatttt?!?! I need a refund pronto

I give exactly zero [redacted] what @PanurgeJr says about my gramma, let alone in a gaming forum

It looks just slick enough that the frame rate doesn’t bother me at all. Had a little PTSD from links awakening

A very well balanced game.
To be fair, It's almost impossible to even notice a difference in a slow game like AC if its 30 or 60 fps, as long as the framerate is stable (wich it is). I can honestly see no reason to aim for 60fps in this kind of game, its pointless and I by far prefer the clearness this game has as its 1080p/720p without any upscaling.

@Maxz The sad thing is some people actually think like that. I mean it's hardly a high intensity reflex based competitive game, is it? It's like having a 60fps turn based RPG.

@BitLounger

I appreciate what Digital Foundry does. They provide technical analysis which is beyond the scope of most game reviews. However, there are times when normal reviews leave out obvious technical flaws so it is good to have a source that goes into that. What may seem like a small issue to some may be a big problem for someone else. In the case of Animal Crossing, it's just interesting to know what decisions Nintendo made to get the game running and looking the way they did. While it is the kind of game that may not need to perform the same as other types of games, it's good to have the performance info so that people can decide for themselves if something is a problem.

@electrolite77 I commented once and replied three--now four--times. Suggesting replying is weird is...well, weird.

But not nearly as weird as commenting to tell someone they shouldn't comment. Seriously, how can so many people not see how inherently contradictory that is?

It looks great on 92" screen. Frame rate is fine even at 30. They kept the running speed just show enough where it does not look bad on the big screen.

@Heavyarms55 It is for an interest in how games run and choices developers make. Also Digital foundry single handedly rescued the Switch from the same fate as Wii U. The Switch was on course for destruction until DF fixed Nintendo's stupid marketing and said this is the most powerful handheld on the market.

A majority of gamers find it really fascinating to see how a game runs. Also many of their investigations have resulted in developer's making patches. So it is a win win.

@PanurgeJr Digital foundry saved the Switch. That counts for something.

I always find Thomas at Digital Foundry's videos interesting. You can hear the enthusiasm for his subject matter in the tone of his voice. Just listen to him talking about atmospheric scattering and the way shadows are mapped from source.