10 Rare Versions Of Video Games You Didn't Know Exist

Animal Crossing may be preparing for its Switch debut with New Horizons next month but the franchise has a long history across Nintendo consoles. First releasing in 2001, most credit the life simulation series with starting on Gamecube, which slowly saw Western localisation across North America, Europe and Australia between 2002-04.

But what often gets forgotten is the original N64 version, an understandable fact considering it only ever released in Japan. Launched as Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Forest), it was initially designed for the Nintendo 64 add-on, the 64DD, planning to utilise a real-time clock and 64MB floppy disk.

After the long delays that faced the ill-fated add-on, Nintendo eventually released this on the standard Game Pak in April 2001, becoming the only N64 title to feature this real-time clock. Realising the limited audience it faced, it was then ported to Gamecube only eight months later with additional features.

It relegated the N64 version to a footnote in Animal Crossing's history but brought us one of Nintendo’s greatest franchises and has since become a bit of a collectors item.