NWR writes: "Natsume brings Harvest Moon back to the handheld puzzle game market with a new release, Frantic Farming. I personally did not play Puzzle de Harvest Moon only because I read the reviews and decided I would be better off. Therefore, I'm unfortunately unable to let you all know if this is a vast improvement of its predecessor or not. Frantic Farming takes Island of Happyness as a source of inspiration, but this time there are far too many crops for the poor island to handle. As the story progresses, twelve characters get unlocked who not only further the story, but are also playable characters."
Natsume's biggest showing was for Harvest Moon, but they had plenty of their digital offerings to show off as well as some sneaky reveals for eShop Game Boy Color games.
Rising Star Games has today announced that two new Harvest Moon games are set to hit the market, with Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming for the Nintendo DS and Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Both titles are confirmed for release in PAL territories prior to the end of 2010.
Seriously, I love me some Harvest Moon... but there's no point playing anything later than the SNES version, they've added so little to the formula.
Rune Factory is a better alternative if you want "more", but other than that.
ive been told this is one of the most relaxing games there is. so im getting em all! :D
The other week Examiner got some insight straight from CEO Hiro Maekawa on how Natsume has managed to ride out these tough times. With no interest in spending big budgets on mainstream genre IPs and rewarding their loyal fanbase with a steady stream of niche titles, the company has certainly held their own in a time where other publishers are laying off employees by the hundreds, sometimes thousands. In fact, Natsume has not laid off a single employee in the past 13 years. Admittedly, it helps that they keep things small, with a staff of 6. Vice President of Operations Graham Markay chimed in with his own perspective on what is it has been like to work for this company for over 12 years, starting out as a humble translator but learning quickly the benefits of taking on other responsibilities.