Rank Up - Animal Crossing (Ranking the Series' Entries)

Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of when Animal Crossing debuted on the Nintendo GameCube in North America. Commemorating the occasion is this all-new edition of Rank Up, where SuperPhillip Centrals ranks the Animal Crossing series' six games from worst to first.

The 2002 release was based off the Japan-only Nintendo 64 game, Animal Forest. That game would see a port to the GameCube in Japan, and this version would be the rest of the gaming world's first taste of the series. Believe you me that one taste was all most players needed to get seriously enraptured with the franchise.

Doing otherwise mundane chores in real life doesn't sound like much fun in a video game, but when the package is surrounded by humorously written characters, an abundance of charm, and so much content that you could play for two years and still not see everything, one can't help but be enticed. As the games are mostly set to the internal clock of each system they're on, everything happens in real time, such as holidays and meetups with other characters.

However, while mentioning the traditional gameplay of the Animal Crossing series, this ranking of Animal Crossing games also includes the two recent 2015 spin-off titles which play quite differently. Additionally, small applications like those seen on the Nintendo 3DS eShop will not be included in this Rank Up.

Before we begin, these are the games I'll be ranking:

Animal Crossing (GCN) - 2002
Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS) - 2005
Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) - 2008
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS) - 2013
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (3DS) - 2015
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Wii U) - 2015

After you check out my order of games, which Animal Crossing entry is your favorite -- that is, if you're partial to the series at all!

6) Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Wii U)

We begin SuperPhillip Central's ranking of the Animal Crossing series with a spin-off title that was insulting to say the least. Made to throw a bone (albeit an extremely bitter one) for starved Wii U gamers looking for something to play during the final major holiday season of the console, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival was ND Cube's attempt at bringing the world of furry and friendly villagers into the realm of board games. Sounds like a fun premise at first, almost Mario Party-ish, but then you get to the realization that the game practically played itself with little-to-no interaction from players. Worse off, was the overabundance of Animal Crossing-related amiibo that still haunt store shelves to day -- many of which are sold buy-one-get-one or even buy-one-get-two!

5) Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (3DS)

While this particular game in the Animal Crossing series was indeed a spin-off like the Wii U's amiibo Festival, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer offered a lot more for players to enjoy. Of course, this wasn't your typical Animal Crossing game as it merely took one of the most loved aspects of the AC experience, home decoration, and made an entire game out of it. Unfortunately, if you weren't serious about making beautiful designs, you could just cheese through the game as there was no grade system to determine if you succeeded or failed a customer's design. For those that love the customization experience in the Animal Crossing series, Happy Home Designer extended upon that aspect to grant players amazing possibilities with their imaginations.

4) Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii)

The Wii was a really good time for Nintendo, but many fans and gamers at the time thought that the company was seeking out the casual market more than those who are more involved in gaming as a hobby. This got to a breaking point at E3 2008 where the whole Wii Music showing occurred, and the scraps given to Nintendo fans was the announcement that a new Animal Crossing would be the major "hardcore" game for Wii owners for that holiday season. With that background info, Animal Crossing: City Folk wasn't a poor experience at all. However, in comparison to the entries released before it, City Folk did little to innovative or feel like a wholly new experience. If anything, Animal Crossing: City Folk would basically be a console version of the Nintendo DS's Wild World if not for the new city section implemented into the Wii game.

3) Animal Crossing (GCN)

As stated earlier, this was the game that started a new franchise for Nintendo and a new addiction for countless players, Animal Crossing, and this edition of Rank Up was made to celebrate the series' 15th anniversary. A remade version of the Nintendo 64 Japan-only original, Animal Crossing on the GameCube is a game that brings me great nostalgia. This was the first time I took care of tasks for villagers, paid off my loan to Tom Nook, found fossils for the museum, caught bugs and fish to add to my collection, added new trinkets and pieces of furniture for my humble abode, and participated in the special holidays that could be found each and every month. Giving gifts on Toy Day, playing pranks on villagers on Halloween, counting down the New Year with my virtual friends, and just sinking hundreds upon hundreds of hours into Animal Crossing all year round are some of countless memories I attach to the original Animal Crossing.

2) Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)

Twas the holiday season of 2005 here in North America when Animal Crossing moved from a console experience to a portable one with Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. The game blew many people's minds to see the vast gaming experience of daily activities and happenings throughout their village that occurred on a big piece of gaming hardware like the GameCube and now see it shrunk down to fit the Nintendo DS. The largest innovation to Wild World was the addition of online play, allowing players to wirelessly connect over the Internet, visit one another's towns, trade items, chat together (in text form only), and just have a wondrous time playing together. A lot of great friendships were made playing this game online -- building our collections of furniture, clothing, and gear -- but now that the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection no longer is functional, these memories of playing Nintendo DS with some faraway friends are impossible to recreate in Wild World.

1) Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

...But they weren't impossible for them to return in what I consider the greatest Animal Crossing game, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, the most recent traditional entry in the series. This time around, online is taken care of by the Nintendo Network, offering a more robust lineup of options than ever before. However, the neatest change is when the first player on a given copy of New Leaf enters into the town and finds themselves the mayor. This opens up a whole slew of avenues, such as building public works projects like adding new monuments and areas of interest to your town (like benches, fountains, statues, and even windmills) and ordinances to help out in presenting helpful laws for your town such as things to make your village wealthier or ways from keeping weeds out of the town's grassy fields. Animal Crossing: New Leaf opened up so much to the player, and it wasn't quite done, as last year, a special "Welcome Amiibo" batch of content offered even more addicting activities to do in the happy go lucky world of Animal Crossing. There are plenty of reasons why the SuperPhillip Central household played this game for over 500 hours combined (and I might be underestimating that), but the main reason is that Animal Crossing: New Leaf is just a special package full of fun and charm.

Top Ten Star Fox Series Boss Battles

Star Fox Zero released several weeks ago. (Check out SuperPhillip Central's in-depth review on the game here.) After digesting all that game had to offer, I felt the need to take a look back at other games in the Star Fox series. This is where the idea for this top ten list today came from. It's dedicated to the best showdowns, aerial or land-based, in the Star Fox series's illustrious two decade plus history. Since there are spoilers of Star Fox Zero included, take a look at the list after the break.

10 PlayStation Franchises I'd Like to See Revisited

The PlayStation is home to a great many awesome franchises, and since the very first PlayStation, the brand has accumulated a wealth of exclusive first-party series. Sony as a publisher is not afraid by any stretch of the imagination to take a risk on new IP, and while that is no doubt incredible and worthy of praise, there are a lot of classic franchises in the PlayStation's past that need attending to, as well. From platformer classics to arcade racers, this list of ten PlayStation franchises is full of the ones that I'd love to see Sony return to. Note: The franchises on this list are ones that Sony (for all I know) has rights to, so no Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon, for instance.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

The idea of a PlayStation crossover akin to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. seemed like a brilliant way to receive millions upon millions of sales. After all, if any publisher outside of Nintendo has enough big franchises to put into an all-star fighter it's Sony. However, the execution of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale left a lot to be desired from most players. The need to perform all-star moves on opponents to score points made the actual fighting seem lacking in comparison. The PlayStation brand also has a sizable amount of characters and franchises to draw from, so the character selection in the finished product didn't excite too much. With a sequel, I'd love to see a new developer at the helm, trying to better understand what makes Super Smash Bros. so successful, even if it's a blatant copy or something more akin to Power Stone, a 3D brawler.

Jak and Daxter

With this next franchise, I don't really mind if Naughty Dog doesn't have a hand in this. After all, the studio turned a lighthearted 3D platforming series into a gritty, tryhard platforming series, so I don't really have as much trust in them as other fans do. In a perfect world, Jak and Daxter would receive the same type of reboot treatment as Ratchet & Clank's upcoming film and game releasing in April. The PlayStation brand already has a third-person shooter/platformer hybrid, so why follow the Jak II route? Instead, a new developer could put their spin on the 3D platformer with colorful worlds, characters who aren't eye-rolling-ly extreme and gritty like Jak II and on, the same humor the series is known for, and huge worlds to explore. Less like Jak II, Jak III, and The Lost Frontier, and more like the original Jak and Daxter.

Wipeout

Nintendo's F-Zero is on indefinite hiatus, and has been for over a decade now. Now, Sony's Wipeout has also careened off course and is in hibernation as well. While there have been similar futuristic racing games from indie developers, nothing comes close for the PlayStation brand than the lightning fast, weapons-filled fun of the Wipeout series. The original developer of the series is no more, but hopefully that doesn't mean that no other developer is able to take control of this blistering fast racing franchise. Just imagine how astonishing a PlayStation 4 Wipeout title would look. The series was already amazing to look at and play on the PS3 and Vita, but can you possibly fathom how the upgrade to the PS4 would be? Make it so, Sony!

Sly Cooper

The last time we visited the world of Sly Cooper it was on the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita with Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. That game ended on a cliffhanger, and I'd definitely like to see the conclusion to it. Much like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper and his merry band of thieves are receiving their own full feature film, though with a much altered art style. Whether the cliffhanger from Thieves in Time will be resolved or not is unknown. It does make sense for a game tie-in to release around the time of the movie, again like Ratchet & Clank. Whatever happens, Sly Cooper deserves another chance to shine, and the PlayStation 4 can never have too many 3D platformers, a genre sorely lacking in gaming these days.

Ape Escape

Ape Escape was a cult classic series on the original PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PSP. On the PS3 it received a PS Move-enabled title that was more of tease of what could have been than a real game that fans of the franchise wanted. Ape Escape as a series generally has players roaming around levels, searching for monkeys, and using a variety of tactics to catch them, whether stealthily sneaking up behind them or chasing them down and nabbing them with a net. After a decade of waiting for a successor to the series, Ape Escape fans like myself are chomping at the bit for a new sequel that plays like the traditional games. Until then, I guess we can just catch monkeys in gorgeous HD in our dreams.

MediEvil

Like some franchises on this list, Sony hasn't completely forgotten about these games, as Sir Daniel Fortesque, leading skeleton in the MediEvil franchise, had an appearance in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. However, since his last starring role in 2005 in the re-imagining of the original game for the PSP, MediEvil: Resurrection, Sir Daniel hasn't had much to get excited about, nor his fans. MediEvil might have been resurrected on the PSP, but since then, the series has stayed dead and buried. The series was known for its quirky humor, ghastly enemies, clever puzzles, and hack-and-slash combat. It'd be quite the treat to see Sony revive this classic PlayStation series, as it was one of the first that allowed the PlayStation brand to make its mark on gaming.

ModNation Racers

Essentially combining the intense arcade racing action of the Mario Kart series with the customization and creation aspects of the LittleBigPlanet series, ModNation Racers allowed players to craft their own racers, vehicles, and tracks. While the tools aren't as sophisticated or as convoluted as LittleBigPlanet's, ModNation Racers did offer a multitude of creative tools to let players make some truly wondrous creations. The actual racing was top notch and balanced, not having the same item spam that more recent Mario Karts have been known for. Sony's great selling console is in desperate need of an excellent cartoon-y mascot racer, and ModNation Racers is the perfect series to take the checkered flag.

Resistance

I'm one of those outsiders who considers Resistance to be Sony's superior first-person shooter, over Killzone. While journalists and bloggers were quick to label Killzone as the Halo-killer and whatnot, Insomniac's Resistance series gave me more enjoyment than before, something I'm obviously in the minority on. Regardless, the lore of the Resistance series, its level design, and even its multiplayer enthused me more with each entry, save for the Vita versions of both Resistance and Killzone, which was the only time I thought Killzone was easily the better of the two games at the time (to be fair, Killzone: Mercenary IS one of my favorite FPS of all time). I'd love for either Insomniac or another developer in Sony's control to give Resistance another chance. This might be a fool's wish, however, as both Resistance 3 and the Vita's Burning Skies did little sales-wise to give much in the way of encouragement.

Puppeteer 

This PS3 game had the misfortune of releasing during the same time period as the PS4's launch, making it grossly overlooked by pretty much everyone but a small few. Those of us who got to play Puppeteer found a charming, spirited platforming adventure that played out like a theatre production. Sure, the story oftentimes got in the way of the gameplay, but that's always something that could be fixed with a sequel. Heck, I'd even be satisfied with a remaster, giving this under-appreciated PS3 game a second chance in the sun. Whatever the case may be as to how Puppeteer is once again put on PlayStation, I hope it's given some attention this time around.

Wild Arms

This final PlayStation franchise pick that hasn't seen the light of day in a while is a science-fiction RPG series that takes place in the Wild West, Wild Arms. The signature ARMs are powerful weapons that carry a stigma to them, reminding the people of Filgaia of mysterious and ancient technology of war. Wild Arms has since seen six entries since its debut in 1996. The most recent entry is the PlayStation Portable Wild Arms XF, which was an atypical game in the series, being a tactical RPG rather than a turn-based one. It would be wonderful to see Wild Arms return to the PlayStation with a new title. The combination of sci-fi and the Wild West is a clever one, and it would further boost the PS4's increasing lineup of JRPGs.

Top Five Most Underrated Nintendo Franchises

For a company that's been in gaming for several decades now, Nintendo has amassed an insanely robust repertoire of franchises that have mostly withstood the test of time. However, for every Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and Pokemon, there are franchises that are overlooked and don't receive the same kind of pomp and circumstance. These five Nintendo franchises I have selected qualify as those. While such a category of game franchises is certainly subjective, I've tried to pick the ones from Nintendo that don't get their due diligence. Once you've read my choices and reasoning for each, I'd love to hear from you your thoughts on series that you'd love to see Nintendo and fans give more attention to.

5) 1080° Snowboarding 

1080° Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)

On the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, the genre of extreme sports in gaming was made massively popular by the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise. While that series continues on (albeit in seemingly somewhat disappointing form with Robomodo's THPS 5), 1080° Snowboarding basically fell victim of an avalanche of obscurity. The developer, NST, a Western Nintendo studio, has since been relegated to smaller downloadable titles and less core-demographic games. This is a major shame, as the duo of 1080° games, Snowboarding on the N64 and Avalanche on the GameCube, had an extreme sports taste with a Nintendo touch to them.

1080° Avalanche (GameCube)

Shredding snow as you guided your snowboarder down a luxurious and insane amount of courses against opponents, tricking your way to the top of the leaderboards, or running away from avalanches as seen in the GameCube entry delivered thrills, chills, and for bad players like me, various spills.

4) Chibi-Robo

Nintendo doesn't seem to have settled on a particular gameplay style for their Chibi-Robo franchise. While this series is actually still quite alive and relevant in the regard that Nintendo is still making games for the little household robot, Chibi-Robo is far from a household name or well regarded series by most owners of Nintendo systems. Again, another shame, as Chibi-Robo delivers abundant charm and a huge array of wackiness to players.

Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash (Nintendo 3DS)

The first game, available for the GameCube, followed the titular robot's adventures in a bizarre Japanese family's home (what else can you say when the daughter of the family dresses and ribbits like a frog?), during tasks to earn energy. Two Nintendo DS games were released, one arriving in the West, but in North America it was a Walmart exclusive, and the other stayed in Japan. A Nintendo 3DS Photo Finder downloadable game released a year or so ago, and now a full retail title is hitting the system with an accompanying amiibo figure with Chibo-Robo: Zip Lash. Will this 2D platformer finally give some deserved attention to Mr. Robo?

3) Style Savvy

I hope none of you reading this article did a spit-take reading this entry. While the three games are indeed popular in Japan, known as Girls Mode over there, Style Savvy is actually an incredibly in-depth and fulfilling game for those of us who love customization. Two games have released out West, the DS original and Style Savvy: Trendsetters on the Nintendo 3DS. The latter offered the ability to run your own clothing shop, ordering clothes from various brands, picking out the perfect combination of clothing to create satisfying outfits for your clientele, and making contacts to further your career in fashion.

Style Savvy: Trendsetters (Nintendo 3DS)

Themed fashion contests brought ways to not only spread your fashion sense to the world, but also test your abilities in coming up with a compelling and competent outfit for your model to be showcased in. As a male without a vested interest in the fashion scene, I didn't think Style Savvy would interest me whatsoever, but I was impressively addicted to the plethora of customization options, gameplay mechanics, and content both Style Savvy games released out West offer. Feel free to call it casual gamer drivel, but you'd be the one that's mistaken with that kind of statement.

2) Advance Wars

My first run-in with this extremely capable and joyful (well, as much joy as a game about war can bring) Advance Wars series was the first on the Game Boy Advance that launched a few months after the system launched in North America in 2001. Now, the series didn't start there, as many fans probably know-- it has roots all the way to the Famicom, as the series is known as Famicom Wars in Japan.

Advance Wars (Game Boy Advance)

Regardless, assuming the role of one of a colorful batch of commanding officers, each with their own special in-battle ability known as a CO Power, you use funds to build various enemy units, from base-capturing infantry to powerful tanks, all with strengths and weaknesses, to try to defeat all opposing units, capture the enemy base, or complete a miscellaneous objective. Advance Wars did well enough to see a sequel on the GBA, Black Hole Rising, and two released on the Nintendo DS, Dual Strike and the darker Days of Ruin / Dark Conflict. The latter's poor sales have put the long-running series on an indefinite hiatus with only Virtual Console releases to hold fans over. Despite fan support, the series actually doesn't have anything as close to a steady and strong fan base as something like Fire Emblem, making Advance Wars a series that is definitely overlooked, if not by Nintendo itself.

1) Wario Land

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy)

With so many underrated and overlooked Nintendo franchises to choose from-- heck, there are plenty that could make a list of more than five like Wave Race, Ice Climber, Custom Robo, and Steel Diver, for instance-- I select Wario Land as the one most deserving of praise and a new entry. Wario Land started as but a sequel to Super Mario Land 2, where Wario as a character debuted as the game's main antagonist. Not content with just taking over Mario's castle in that game, in Super Mario Land 3, Wario went ahead, shot for the stars, and took over Mario's role as the protagonist! Future games would implement a lack of death via conventional means, but still offering challenge in its puzzle design, level design, and timed exits from levels.

Wario Land: Shake It! / The Shake Dimension (Nintendo Wii)

My personal favorite of the bunch is the Wii's Wario Land: Shake It! (known as Wario Land: The Shake Dimension for my PAL pals). This game introduced traditional health to the series (as opposed to Wario getting hit and reverting to small Wario like Super Mario Bros' health system), brought awesome hand-drawn art, engagingly fun and superbly designed levels, great music, and a challenge that hadn't been seen in the series for a long while. Sadly, the game was mostly overlooked, despite being on the platformer fan's system of choice. Now, with the WarioWare series, that style of Wario is the one popularized and loved by many and not the Wario Land franchise.