I had the opportunity to check out Natsume’s impressive line up of Harvest Moon titles that will be hitting stores soon.  I’ve been a Harvest Moon fan since I discovered it on the PS2 with Harvest Moon Save the Homeland.  I looked high and low for some of the older versions like the N64 and GameBoy versions but only found them at high prices.  Glad I waited since Harvest Moon 64 ended up on the Virtual Console for the Wii early last year.  Sadly, I’ve not had the opportunity to play some of the new Harvest Moon titles that have hit the Wii and the DS but after checking out Natsume’s booth at this year’s E3, I realize that I am going to have to make the time for this whimsical and fun strategy sim farming series.

Harvest Moon: Sunshine Island DS – Nintendo DS

What’s great about all of the new Harvest Moon series it that Natsume finally stopped releasing the Harvest Moon Boy or Harvest Moon Girl and has left the choice up to the gamer when they start up the game.  One thing that this game offers that the last DS version did not was the ability to choose between using the D-Pad or the stylus on the touch screen to control the character.  Of course, no Harvest Moon game would be complete without a pet and in this game you can have a dog, a cat, a pig, and a horse!  Your pets can enter festivals and you can practice with them which in turn will raise their affection towards you.  You can win prizes like tool upgrades, which will help you greatly in your farming endeavors.

You can unlock more islands when you find Sun Stones and each island holds a different purpose like places to mine or the ability to grow special crops like rice, trees, and mushrooms.  There is even an animal island where you can find and capture 6 animals that will make you more productive such as the duck who aids you in fishing and mice that aid you in mining.

There are three new characters and the Harvest Sprites are back to help you – each sprite will help you in a different way.

Sunshine Island will be available in July.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop – Wii Ware

Coming to the Wii via Wii Ware is Harvest Moon: My Little Shop which brings to you a lighter version of the game with more focus on the retail aspect of the Harvest Moon games.  There will still be some farming as well as some mini games so it looks to be a different Harvest Moon experience without completely changing the game.  One of the biggest differences in the game is the art style.  It’s presented in a flat, paper cut style and it looks really cute and fits the game perfectly.  In My Little Shop, you run a shop like a juice bar or an ice cream parlor.  What’s really great about this game is that characters from 10 years of Harvest Moon games will make appearances in this game.

The customer will come in and ask for something specific like a fruit drink and will give you a list of ingredients that they want in it.  You then enter a shooting gallery type of mini game where you have to shoot all the ingredients that have been asked for.  Be careful, if you shoot the wrong item, you’ll piss your customer off and if you have had any real retail experience, you know that that is a bad thing!

Then you enter your kitchen where you must prepare the item.  In my demo, I had to make a blended vegetable drink and had to use the blender.  You use the Wii remotes motion capabilities and shake the Wii remote to operate the blender.  You must keep the meter in the green or it won’t be fast enough or you’ll burn it out so you will have to shake it accordingly.  Once you are done, the customer will rate and score you.

You are also able to choose to play either a boy or a girl and looks like it will be a fun addition to the Harvest Moon library.  You can check out this game only on the Nintendo Wii via Wii Ware later this year for only $12.00.

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade – Nintendo Wii

Later this fall, you can get Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, the next version for the Nintendo Wii.  This game really focuses on the Harvest Moon pet and offers a more dynamic pet system than what has been featured in any of the previous Harvest Moon games.  There are A LOT of pets to choose from: dog, cat, panda, snake, bear, turtle, raccoon, and weasel – just to name a few!  Here you will be able to teach your pets a variety of tricks.  You can still do some farming in this game and you can purchase accessories and clothes for your character.  You are even able to ride the animals – like the cow, horse, goat, sheep, and even an ostrich!

There is a circus that comes to town only once a season and it features the Mayor from the Harvest Moon: Magical Melody game that came out on the Game Cube.  You will find missing animals that you can then bring back to the circus.

You can also take pictures of your pets and the camera even has a timer feature so that your character can be in the photo with their pet!  You can send pics to your friends via Wii Connect 24.

There is a storyline in the game as well – five bells have been lost and can’t be rung until they are found.  Once they are found they will unlock the Harvest King from his spell.  You even have the help of a sprite named Finn.

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming – Nintendo DS

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming is a puzzle game using the characters from other Harvest Moon games and contains many mini games and puzzles using farming.  This series takes over for Puzzle de Harvest Moon, which came out a few years ago to horrible reviews.  The game has been changed as well as the name to further it from the previous puzzle endeavor.  The game is similar to the puzzle game Bejeweled but uses the elements that make up the Harvest Moon series.  There is a story mode where you can choose from a variety of characters – each with a different story and a different ability.  There is even a Mission Mode and a Logic Mode for even more Harvest Moon puzzle fun!

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming is due out this July for the Nintendo DS.  A simpler version of this game will also be coming out for the iPhone and the iTouch later this year.

One of the biggest things I did notice about the series is that the ability to drink alcohol and get drunk has been removed from the games.  As an adult that LOVES the series, I’m a little sad that that has been removed, however, since this game appeals to a much younger audience, I can understand why it was removed.  I can still be a little disappointed though.  But it does seem that Natsume is listening to what the gamers want – especially with the controls for the DS to include the D-Pad as well as the Touch Screen/Stylus.

2009 looks like it will be a great year for Harvest Moon fans everywhere – with so many games coming out for several systems, old fans will be busy and happy and hopefully more people will enjoy the Harvest Moon phenomenon that has kept gamers farming for over ten years!

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