It was over 10 years ago that the first Harvest Moon game came out on the SNES, and in keeping with the series' sports-game-like longevity, Natsume is releasing two new Harvest Moon games this month, Island of Happiness for the DS and Tree of Tranquility for the Wii. On the DS, you get classic Harvest Moon gameplay on the go--and controls so slippery, it feels like you've replaced the stylus with a stick of butter. Rest assured, the same dependable farming sim is here, but the awful controls make it hard to enjoy.
The Good:
* Same old dependable Harvest Moon gameplay
* Plenty of chores to keep you busy for hours.
The Bad:
* Touch-screen-only controls ruin the fun
* Stiff character animation.
Josh from Controller Crusade writes "Anyone who has followed the Harvest Moon franchise since it burst on the scene in 1997 (1996 in Japan) knows the many ups and downs it has endured. The odd thing about Harvest Moon games is that even when they’re not that great they are still incredibly addicting. Depending on what aspect of the games you like to focus on, you’ll enjoy certain titles more than others. Personally I like to mix it up and do a little bit of everything, not pigeon hole myself into one type of task or chore. Here are my personal highs and lows for the Harvest Moon series."
Russ looks at the RPGs heading to North American retailers in November.
411mania talks about this week's game releases. Highlights include Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Cursed Mountain, and Harvest Moon: Magical Melody.
Ahh thats disheartening...I'm a closet Harvest Moon fan. Fun and addictive.
Lol, I don't care, it's a buy for me anyways, unless I can't do anything at all with the stylus.