My Homage to Harvest Moon
Many years ago when the Internet was still a baby, I was a subscriber to Nintendo Power magazine. Where did that go? To hell apparently… but I digress.
Well, another issue came in the mail and I was excited to open it up, smell the pages, get disappointed that it doesn’t have the same effect as glue (not that I condone such behaviour) and read it cover to cover. This issue would play a special role in my gaming life; they did a feature on a game called Harvest Moon for the Super Nintendo. At first I thought - a farming game? Are they kidding me? They were not.
The premise seemed too simplistic. You grow crops, raise livestock, make money and try to woo the ladies in the town. However, the more I read, the more I really wanted to play. You see, I’m one of those players who love the economic aspect of any game. Back in my MMORPG days… okay okay, it was Everquest. Happy? Back on point… I became more obsessed with earning platinum and controlling the economy rather than levelling my bard (and I was a damn good bard too). This obsession for economic power worked its way into every game that I played. My lineage is Roman to the core – I can’t help but be obsessed with world domination and power. Oddly enough, however, I never pick the Romans for Civilization games. Back on point… again… Harvest Moon seemed like a game that would feed the need in my quest for power.
I finally picked up a copy of the game and holy shit was I surprised. This game was fun! I found myself planning out how and when I should grow each type of crops, when I should buy livestock, strategies for which woman I wanted to marry and many other choices. As a big RPG and Adventure fan, it didn’t bother me this game only had 4 areas to explore. In all honesty, it would be ridiculous to add anymore.
The game caught on and eventually became a series across many platforms. The core of the game still remains the same: you are given a farm and are charged with the task of doing something with it and living a happy life. Whether a happy life is earning a jillion dollars or finding romance and stability, you will have fun along the way. I have played this series across many platforms including the Game Boy Advance, Playstation, Gamecube and the Nintendo DS. I eagerly wait for Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the DS and know I’ll get much enjoyment out of it as I did the others.
To quote the young, attractive saleswoman who sold me Harvest Moon DS,
“Harvest Moon is fucking awesome!”
[v2 edit: You didn’t ask her out, why? You’re a loser.]
Rune Factory is pretty cool. Still have yet to beat it.
I still have yet to try it out, but it is certainly on the list.
Aren’t these games for kids?
Although kids can play these games (and they are designed for a wide market), it requires the dedication of someone with a much larger attention span.