There are many things the original Animal Crossing did better than Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The original Animal Crossing started in a random open town with new animal friends, and didn't really have a kind of logic to it, while New Horizons features a getaway island where everything is explained and everything can be customized. New Horizons marked the most comprehensive installment in the series yet, boasting more features than ever before, but it's also possible that some aspects of the series were better when they were more simple.
Released in 2002 on the Nintendo GameCube, Animal Crossing was simple yet effective. The open-ended game allowed players to live the life they wanted without mandatory tasks. Making friends with animals that lived in their town with no rules helped add to a feeling of freedom. Playing in real-time with real-life holidays to celebrate, including the player's new Animal Crossing villager friends, also gave fans a reason to come back and play Animal Crossing continuously. Things have changed massively in the nearly two decades since the first game's release, though, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons boasting all kinds of systems and mechanics not seen in the original title.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the most successful Animal Crossing release yet, and provided some much-needed wholesome content at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. New Horizons saved many people from boredom through multiple lockdowns, and the amount of stuff to do ensured it was highly replayable. The ability to decorate an entire island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is impressive too. However, with Animal Crossing, sometimes simple is better, and there are several things the original game did better than New Horizons.
ACNH's Villager AI Isn't As Vibrant As The Original Animal Crossing's
One thing the original Animal Crossing had that New Horizons doesn't is better villager AI. The villager AI in New Horizons feels bland, as some of the villagers will say the same things repeatedly on the same day, making their conversations boring. In Animal Crossing on GameCube, the villagers felt more personal. They would even give the player random gifts of appreciation or send them on an errand - as is the case with New Horizons - but there are other elements that made their interactions more personal. There are even instances seen where the villagers can have a crush on the player, but villagers in Animal Crossing can also be savage. On the GameCube, if villagers didn't like the player's outfit, they would be sure to talk about it, calling the player "ugly" and assuming that the player is low on bells. That may not make for as pleasant an experience for some players, but there's a humorous element to being insulted by Animal Crossing's anthropomorphic characters.
Animal Crossing NES Consoles are Missing in New Horizons
One big thing that Animal Crossing: New Horizons doesn't have is the NES consoles. In Animal Crossing, players could collect playable NES consoles. Each NES console was a different game that allowed players to play full versions of Nintendo's classic games. The player could obtain NES consoles in many ways like in trees, at the Dump, or even at Animal Crossing villager Tom Nook's raffle. Some of the NES consoles included games like Super Mario Bros. and Excitebike.
Little things like the aforementioned features gave the original Animal Crossing its charm, but such elements are missing from the series' latest entry. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is undoubtedly the most innovative game in the series, but it's possible that the series has lost some of its charm the more it has developed. The original Animal Crossing, although nowhere near as detailed, still has plenty of nostalgia value, and may be worth playing now that Animal Crossing: New Horizons won't be receiving further updates.