Harvest Moon

m1lesteg

m1lesteg

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I played the original HM on the SNES years and years ago, but at the age of 11 or 12 it simply felt too tedious for me to go through the field and clear away all the rubble and all that good stuff.

I recently picked up Wonderful Life for the GBA, and I'm having a really good time. I'm a pretty busy guy, so it's hard for me to play a game like, oh, Kingdom Hearts:CoM (if you take out the quick saving) simply because I don't have the time to get from one save point to another all the time. So I appreciate games I can pick up and play for a few minutes and then slip back into my pocket.

Are the console Harvest Moon games worth owning? I looked at info on the various GCN/PS2 games, and they seem a little deeper than the handheld ones. Of course, one could argue the same about Castlevania, but look how those stack up. I'm not entirely sure what dynamic changes in between each Harvest Moon games, so I was hoping someone could tell me about any noteworthy features the console games have over my handheld version.
 
The one for GBA is Friends of Mineral Town unless, you know... you play the girl version. :whistle2:k

There was a thread long ago with someone asking the same exact question as you, and the general consensus is that they're good, but they play differently from the classic versions you're used to. For example, in the console versions, your land is already plotted for you and that's where you plant your crops. And to plant crops, you plant them one seed at a time, each seed taking a square. You don't need to plant grass either, because that's provided too.

The console games are much more NPC-oriented than the classic versions. A new nifty feature I liked is that you could set up shop in town. You whistle over passing-by NPCs and you can sell some stuff that way instead of "shipping boxes". And if I remember correctly, there are no shipping boxes either except for dairy products.

If you don't think you'll like it, you could pick up HM64 or Back to Nature for N64 and PSX respectively, but they can cost even more than the current generation installments.
 
That seems interesting enough for me to take a stab at it. Now the real question is, are there any good deals for them...
 
I think you can also find the PS2 Harvest Moon for real cheap at TRU now. I remember picking it up for $10 some time ago.
 
Sure, if you want to marry a minor (Lumina in this case).

As Harvest Moon as progressed, it has become increasingly more based on social activity. It really started doing this around the N64 game, continuing up until today. If you're more into that, I'd definitely check out the later on the series.

But if you're at all like me and really dig the farming tedium of the SNES/GBC days, I'd step back in time for these. I simply prefer them because they're less convulted with the various other things you have to do ontop of the base farming that's offered these days.
 
The SNES, N64, and GBA versions are the bests. The rest of them range from decent to crappy. The PSX one would have been good if it wasn't for the annoying load times.
 
I'd say that the N64 version is the best one so far. If you like the GBA one, you'll definitely like the N64 on. The GC version is decent, really nice graphics and some good additions, but doesn't quite have the feel of the old ones. There's another one coming out for GC this spring that looks like it's going back to the more classic style of Harvest Moon, it's still a few months off, but I think that it is going to be really good.
 
I've played the GB color version (same or very similar to the SNES version, I think), Harvest Moon 64, and A Wonderful Life. AWL was a little too social based for me and not enough on the gameplay, but it was an okay game. My favorite version is probably HM64 though, but that can run pretty expensive now (even for cart only).
 
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature for the PSX is definitely the best Harvest Moon game out there, but Harvest Moon 64 is still definitely worth playing.

The PS2 Harvest Moon game, 'Save the Homeland', is not very deep at all. In fact, its the worst Harvest Moon game I've played. Theres just nothing to really do in it, and unlike the other HM games, feels more like work than fun. The graphics are very nice, but the gameplay leaves much to be desired. I also didnt like Harvest Moon GBC 3 that much.

So, in conclusion, go out and buy Harvest Moon: Back to Nature and Harvest Moon 64. You'll be glad you did. But you might want to buy them a few months apart from each other. You will appreciate them more if you do it that way.
 
i just was able to pick up the n64 version. freakin hard to find.

one of my best friends is a HM buff he's so jealous i have the n64 version now :)
 
Just bought HM for GBA based on your recommendations. I don't enjoy this type of game usually, but THIS IS AWESOME. What a great pickup and play game. We really need more like it.

If you only have 15-20 minute spurts to play your GBA, and you enjoy strategy and good wholesome fun, you owe it to yourself to buy this.
 
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