I bought it because I've had the Harvest Moon series on the brain ever since I received a copy of The Lost Valley for Christmas. Specifically, I've been thinking about the trio of Harvest Moon titles I've wanted to play for some time now: the aforementioned original, Harvest Moon 64 and Harvest Moon: Magical Melody for GameCube.
I pulled the trigger on this long-running franchise's first game yesterday because, well, it was a lot easier to trade in $8 worth of "Wii Points" and then download the digital version of that title in a matter of seconds than hunt for physical copies of the Nintendo 64 or GameCube sequels on eBay and then wait a week or two for them to arrive on my doorstep.
(That's not to say I haven't also done some of the latter over the last few days, but let's save that discussion for another day.)
Sadly, but hardly shockingly, I've yet to put more than a few minutes into this delightful-looking farming sim. I'm planning to devote an adequate amount of time to it this weekend, though, so look for a few thoughts on it in the "Shall We Do It?" post that'll be published late next week.
In the meantime, do any of you have any experience with the SNES version of Harvest Moon--or Harvest Moon 64 or Magical Melody? If so, I'd love it if you'd share your opinions of them in the comments section below.
31 comments:
Is the Wii U-version only in Europe? Or maybe it's just that simple that you don't own a Wii U yet? :)
I've always wanted to other Harvest Moon games, but the only one I ever did play was "A Wonderful Life" for GameCube. I looooved it in middle school. Would have loved to check out any of the DS/GBA ones but I guess I just never got around to it?
I don't know, Linnea. Basically, it's like you thought--I went with the Wii version because I don't yet own a Wii U :)
Hmmm, I don't know much about the GC version of "A Wonderful Life." Granted, there are so many Harvest Moon games that it's often hard to remember which one is which!
BTW, I have heard good things about the GBA one known as Friends of Mineral Town (I think), which is supposed to be some sort of port/remake/revamp of Harvest Moon 64 (again, I think).
I haven't heard such great things about the DS-based Harvest Moon games, but I still want to try one or more of them someday...
It is the same game off course, so I hope you like it! :)
Yeah, Mineral Town was the one I always wanted to get because you could connect it to your GameCube to do a bunch of stuff/share crops that weren't in either game, etc. I really miss that gimmick of connecting your GBA to you GameCube, wish now that wireless connections are a thing that 3DS's would do that with Wii U's more often.
I don't remember if it's a remake, but I believe there was a 64 remake for the DS, "Harvest Moon DS".... but I'm not so sure myself. I think if you're gonna play the DS Harvest Moons, then Rune Factory would be a better bet. I heard it was a really wonderful combo of typical dungeon RPG and the farm sim of Harvest Moon. That's a series I've wanted to try out more than any other HM game, honestly.
Yep, that's the good thing, right? Anyway, thank you! I'm guessing you're a fan of the game? And have you played any other HM games over the years?
I did try the first one for a couple of (in game) days, but I have not tried another one since. Not because I didn't like it, I was just deep in some other games at the time.
But we usually have a similar taste in games, so I am curious to find out what you think!
Ah, that's interesting, Linnea! I've had similar experiences with certain games myself, of course--meaning, I've just barely started them before being distracted by something else, seemingly never to return to them :|
Anyway, I'll definitely share my thoughts on the game sooner rather than later. I have a feeling I'm going to like it, but who knows? I thought I would like Hometown Story (3DS), too, and that didn't turn out so well :|
By the way, Yvonne, I thought I should add here, in kind of a sly way, that I went ahead and bought a copy of Ni no Kuni DS yesterday! So I guess I'll have to cover it as part of this series at some point in 2015. Thanks for spurring me to pick it up :)
What you say here makes sense to me, Bodo, and I agree with most of it, too. As much as I love my 3DS system and games, I think DS games were, in general, more unique and more creative. I especially like DS games that have you hold the system like it's a book, for instance--something that's pretty much never going to happen in a 3DS game, for various reasons.
It's interesting that you've yet to play Chrono Trigger, as I'm basically in the same boat. My brother and I owned the game when we were younger, and I watched him play through a good portion of it, but I barely spent any time with it myself. So, I'm thinking of picking up the DS version, too, sometime soon.
I've also barely played my copy of Tingle DS, so I guess I'll have to throw that into the "Decade of DS" mix at some point. Ghost Trick, too, which I only recently added to my collection.
Finally, no worries at all about misspelling my name. I'm not that sensitive :)
I bought the Playstation version of Harvest Moon in a PSN sale. A good time was had by none. It's just not my kind of game, although the rendered graphics didn't exactly sweeten the deal. I'm exceedingly glad I only paid a dollar for it.
Hmmm, is the version you're talking about here the remake-ish of Harvest Moon 64 or is it another game altogether? I have a hard time remembering the different Harvest Moons, to tell you the truth. Anyway, here's hoping I have a better time with this game than you did with the PS1 iteration!
Aha, so you bought your copy! Great, I'll love to hear what you think by the time you are playing it. And I'm happy to spur you up 😜
Thanks, Yvonne! I'll definitely let you and others know what I think of the game once I finally get around to playing it. I have a feeling I'll be using some of the links you included in your review for the Japanese 3DS blog, but that's OK with me :)
Sounds like fun! It's nice to have projects/goals like this to keep you focused :) Have you any idea how many DS games are in your pile?
Thanks, Anne! And, yeah, between this and my GameBoy "series" and other ones, too--Great Gaymathon, Manual Stimulation, Shall We Do It?--I certainly shouldn't have trouble finding games to play and write about this year :)
As for how many DS games I have at the moment: I honestly have no idea, and I'm kind of scared to check! I'm going to guess around 50, but that could be off one way or another, really. Also, I've bought quite a few DS games in recent months, so...
I'll probably join you soon. I haven't even 'popped my cherry' as far as WiiWare/Virtual Console stuff is concerned yet, and there are a few titles I'd like :)
Grew up on the snes version. Loved it so much. Now i am older i struggle to enjoy the newer versions, but still love the series and its touch of hidden magical things in each game.
Are you specifically thinking of picking up Harvest Moon, Simon, or are you just saying you're planning to pick up a bunch of other VC games? Either way, I look forward to hearing about which games you buy and what you think of them!
Thanks for the comment, Clayton! Do you struggle to enjoy the newer versions because they've become too bloated with content, or for some other reason? Anyway, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the SNES original when you were younger. I honestly have no idea why I ignored the game when I was younger, although I'm guessing I thought it looked boring. Oh, how dumb I was back then. At least I've come around since then :)
I was thinking of getting most of the retro-flavoured titles such as Bubble Bobble, Gradius Rebirth, Alien Crush Returns, and yes, perhaps even Harvest Moon. Lord knows how long it'll take me to get around to it though :)
Ah, yes, that makes sense, Simon. If you ever need any recommendations--you know, once you actually get around to buying a Wii or Wii U--feel free to give me a tap on Facebook or Twitter!
Ah, I get that! I definitely am still riding off of my late middle-school/early high school interest in the Nintendo Power screenshots for the first game (the rest of them started to spiral into some bizarre territory), so clever/cute aesthetics were beyond me at that point. I, too, much prefer the chibi-esque style of the 64 version (and some subsequent games) now that my head is properly hooked on. The newer stuff just seems too... out there. Like, generic anime characters. Wonderful Life didn't have the best art direction, but at least it was all cohesive.
Yep, my main issue with the DS and 3DS HM games is that the characters just look too generic. I much prefer the "chibi" look of the original, HM64 and Magical Melody. Even the Wii games had a nice enough art style, if you ask me. That's why I was attracted to The Lost Valley, actually. Sure, that game's character models are kind of hideous (but also kind of cute), but at least they're not boring! Not to find out if the rest of the game is hideous...
Big heads _can_ be endearing! And that's one of the ones I've been the most up in the air about as at first it seemed to only be a response to the excitement around Minecraft-esque sandbox games? But I've heard that it's actually pretty good? You got it recently, didn't you? I hope you'll write about it soon!
Actually, I think word of mouth RE: The Lost Valley is pretty bad, I'm sad to say. That said, I just played a bit of it (maybe an hour or so?) and I liked what I played. I'll continue playing it and talk about it a bit in tomorrow's "Shall We Do It?" post and then again next week, I hope.
Well here's hoping for the best!
I feel the same way. Ha!
I look forward to seeing this plan in action this year!
Me, too, Justin! Ha ha :)
BTW, I'm already enjoying Okamiden. For the most part. There are a few niggles here and there, but overall I'm very much enjoying it.
More on that on Monday!
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