Alex from GamersFTW writes:
“Essentially, Harvest Moon is the antithesis of COD culture, making it so punk rock it makes John Lydon look like a silly man in a butter commercial.”
When we think of the farming genre of video games, one title immediately comes to mind, Stardew Valley, a game that's won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of players worldwide. But there is another series that came before, and inspired what the game is today.
The Original Farming Simulation! Colin Checks Out the First Hour of Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town on the Game Boy Advance and Wii U!
There's a blast from the past coming to the Nintendo Wii U virtual console tomorrow in the form of the classic Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town.
Don't get me wrong, I really like shooters, but I completly agree that it's really nice to play other genre's in gaming. It's surprising how much fun many players have gotten out of franchises like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, proving that it's nice to just enjoy a more relaxing game every now and then.
Never heard Harvest Moon described in that way! Video games are all about escapism for me. Sometimes a cathartic release from blasting people and blowing up things is what you need; other times it's a pleasure to just unwind in a utopian world.
Variety is the spice of gaming after all...or however the expression goes.
This is exactly how I feel when watering my garden in Viva Pinata. Sometimes it's nice taking a break from the killing.
Its great to have a change of pace when playing games. I mean I enjoy shooting as much as the next person, but there is definitely something about just nurturing in a game rather than killing.
I guess, then, that makes me a punk rocker? I don't know. I don't like the assumption that every single "real" gamer is someone whose main source of enjoyment stems from putting bullets in the chest of virtual people. Personally, I hate it, and I veer away from games which include the same realistic violence that makes up some of the more horrific news we see on TV today. Granted, within the last eight to ten years that has been pretty tough outside of Nintendo... and it appears that the majority of gamers out there seem to be drinking Sony and Microsoft's Kool-Aid. So what do I know?