Harvest Moon

true Game: Harvest Moon Platform: Super Nintendo Year Released: 1997 <img src="/contributed/1203015671gDXksg8AMF.jpg"> There is absolutely no reason why any Harvest Moon game should be fun. The basics are as thus: you inherit a farm, raise crops, make some money, raise livestock, make more money, and hope that you will be able to find a suitable mate over a given period of time. You’ll spend a lot of time, especially in the early hours of the game, broke and desperately trying to harvest enough turnips and potatoes to bring in some cash. Your tools suck when you first start out, so you need to individual hoe and water each square of soil that seeds are planted on. What the hell? Sounds more like doing chores to me.   And yet, somehow, it works. It always has, dating back to eleven years ago when the first installment in the long-running series made its way onto U.S. soil. Arriving late in the SNES console’s life, it has some of the best graphics of the 16-bit generation, and the gameplay was just as addictive back then as it is now. <img src="/contributed/1203015640puP67sy3wk.jpg" width="440" height="385"> I’ve played a couple of games in the Harvest Moon series, but I’ve only recently played the SNES version for the first time. It should be noted that I’m taking advantage of the Wii’s <a href="/gamer/sarah/blog/article/virtual_console_releases_2_11_08">Virtual Console</a> to play this game. Sadly, the controls don’t translate well over to a Gamecube controller, but as I’m too cheap to buy a $20 Classic Controller for an $8 game, I just got used to it. After a little while, it feels almost natural. The first Harvest Moon has some noteworthy differences from the later titles in the series. The biggest one is that you now have a time span in which to complete the game. More recent Harvest Moon titles allowed the game to go on forever, no matter how many years passed by. In this one, you only have two and a half years to do what you’re going to do before your parents get back to the farm and judge your performance. Each year consists of four thirty-day seasons, and each day is two and a half minutes of real time. Better get to work. <img src="/contributed/1203015653Lt1N8ed0YJ.jpg"> Luckily, once the sun goes down, the night goes on as long as you want it to. Use your time wisely; you can get some farming done, permitted your farmer doesn’t become exhausted, or go to the local bar, which is the only thing open at night. After a few days of game time, you learn to manage your time well, prioritizing crops, livestock, and girls. There are a handful of young ladies in town that could end up being your significant other, provided you treat them right. This means talking to them, bringing them gifts specific to each character, and generally being in the right place at the right time. Also, once you’ve really started raking in the dough, you’ll want to think about expanding your house. Hey, if you’re going to be taking a wife and making babies, you’ve got to have enough room. While this Harvest Moon is a lot harder than the future installments, it’s every bit as addictive. In fact, I’ve barely managed to pull myself away to write this review. Say what you want, make fun of it, I totally understand. It doesn’t make any sense that this game is so enjoyable, but it is. And at 800 Wii points ($8) for this super rare game, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better deal out there. review

2008-02-14T14:03:16-05:00

Game: Harvest Moon Platform: Super Nintendo Year Released: 1997 <img src="/contributed/1203015671gDXksg8AMF.jpg" /> There is absolutely no reason why any Harvest Moon game should be fun. The basics are as thus: you inherit a farm, raise crops, make some money, raise livestock, make more money, and hope that you will be able to find a suitable mate over a given period of time. You’ll spend a lot of time, especially in the early hours of the game, broke and desperately trying to harvest enough turnips and potatoes to bring in some cash. Your tools suck when you first start out, so you need to individual hoe and water each square of soil that seeds are planted on. What the hell? Sounds more like doing chores to me.

681

2335

2008-02-15T22:10:56-05:00

2008-02-14T14:03:16-05:00

8.0

throwback_thursday_harvest_moon published I'd Rather Be Farming Right Now Harvest Moon - SNES

2009-03-02T12:16:32-05:00

763