Harvest Moon on the Wii / Harvest Moon: Work a Hoe with your Wii-mote

[NoName]

There are many games you expect to see on a Nintendo console, one of which is Harvest Moon. Over at Eurogamer they have an article (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=66612) about how the newest game of Harvest Moon will play on the Wii, as well as talking about the (two!) Havest Moon games that will be coming to the DS.
You'll swing the Wii's remote like a hoe to plough fields, or tilt it towards the ground to use the watering can. You'll also wave the remote about to fish and to look after your animals. The d-pad will be used to switch tools, and by pressing down you can deactivate them - to avoid any risk of flooding your farm or hacking it to bits.
Well, I like the Harvest Moon series at least, though I'm not sure what the general opinion of it is around here. It can be a nice change sometimes.

[WhiteyT]

How many Harvest Moon games are there? It seems like a new one is released every 6 months.

[DarkEternal]

Yeah, I played and enjoyed the 64 version of Harvest Moon. Very relaxing and a nice change of pace after playing through Goldeneye and Perfect Dark.

[Xaerin]

I first played it on the GBA and it is strangely addictive. mMost people think "Farming? That's too much like the real-life hard work!" but the fun is there to be had.

On the other hand having to physically hoe your fields COULD be alot like hard work or maybe it's just the exercise lazy gamers need!

[zyzyx]

Just give me the DS version next week. That stylus is just made for milking the cows. Though apparently it doesn't feature assisted insemination.

[Rirath]

Loved it on the SNES, haven't really cared about it since though.

[jacktion]

It is interesting to see real functional Wii screens. This helps give an idea of what we will be looking at. You can see what Nintendo is going for here. The graphics look sharp and functional but they don't really blow you away like the 360. That is not what Nintendo is going for though. They want nice models and little shadows and depth-of-field effects and a good particle system. This game is also one that is not particularly conducive towards amazing graphics. I think to the average shmoe these type of graphics are going to look good enough. Once you get past a certain threshold of graphics the average user does not notice or require more. Us hardcore fans will nitpick over the details but I think Nintendo's strategy will move their cheap systems. I am going to get one.
I mean think of Chronicles of Riddick on Xbox. It looked really amazing with great models and normal mapping and sharp textures and it ran in 480p. So the Wii will definitely be able to do more than that. And that is all I really need right now. If you compare certain Chronicles screen shots to Resistance PS3 screenshots, some people are not going to notice a difference.

Edit: I just realized there aren't pics in that first link. I saw these last night so I thought that's what this was about. Check these out.
http://tinyurl.com/g28ob

[Kamalot]

I've never tried Harvest moon before. It always sounded dull. Based on what people say here, it may be the same kind of chill that Animal Crossing induces.

I'll give it a try :D

[Heretic Machine]

I own many versions of Harvest Moon... I even owned the rare N64 version, but I traded it. Seems like the game hasn't evolved too much since the original though.

[Zaro]

I've never tried Harvest moon before. It always sounded dull. Based on what people say here, it may be the same kind of chill that Animal Crossing induces.

I'll give it a try :D

I like Harvest Moon more that Animal Crossing.
There's more challenge in Harvest Moon.
Animal Crossing is relaxe, Harvest Moon is stressing cause you
don't have all the time you want.
But you need an another good game between each session.

But i've not finish the last one, and i don't think i'll rush to take
it for the Wii. I'll wait for a price drop or the second version of the
game for the Wii cause like says WhiteyT "...It seems like a new one is released every 6 months."

[Syl]

Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (the recently released gamecube version) was a step back in the right direction. (A Wonderful Life sucked)

I'm eagerly awaiting Harvest Moon DS (Both of them, Rune Factory has some very unique ideas for a harvest moon) and i'm curious how the Wii version will work out. Though in all honesty, i think that it would be far too tiring in actual use.

Harvest Moon games are some of my favorite, simply because it's such a diversion from fast paced games, or even strategy paced games. You can kind of lay back, do what you want (although it does get hectic if you have too many fields, a lady to woo, and a few friends to impress on the same day as well as grabbing some extra stuff to sell) and loose an entire night or weekend to it.

[askheaves]

Just give me the DS version next week. That stylus is just made for milking the cows. Though apparently it doesn't feature assisted insemination.

I've never played Harvest Moon before, but I saw that it was EVENTUALLY coming out for the DS back in February or so, so I skipped out on the PS2 version and any others. Eagerly awaiting the DS version myself, although I saw on EB Games' site that it was pushed back... I think into September. I'm curious what the actual release date is now.

Edit: release date is Sept 12. However, now that I'm looking at the screenshots, comparing it to gamecube/PS2 versions... why is this a sprite based game? That's lame. Maybe I wait for Wii.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I have Wonderful Life on the Cube - it's alright, but I liked the SNES one more. I wish I still had that version. :( I think that's the version I had anyway...damn now I can't remember.

[Kamalot]

I have Wonderful Life on the Cube - it's alright, but I liked the SNES one more. I wish I still had that version. :( I think that's the version I had anyway...damn now I can't remember.
Maybe you can get the SNES version on Wii's Virtual Console?

[bean19]

Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com) reveals details (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6155657.html) on an upcoming Harvest Moon title for the Nintendo Wii.

A handful of screenshots in the magazine demonstrated the Wii-mote's capabilities, including swinging the controller like a hoe to till soil, tilting it like a watering can to water crops, and swinging it like a scythe to mow down weeds. In game, icons appear on the screen's right side to cue players when to move the controller, but otherwise the series' mechanics seem unchanged: Players must still tend to their fields and animals if they want their farms to flourish. Bokujo Monogatari Wii's release date and price have not been announced.
I bet Marvelous jumped at the chance to get their hands on new controls so they could mangle them - like a 10-year old with bubble wrap.

[Draft]

best title ever? I think so.

[The Continental]

best title ever? I think so.

Seconded.

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 10 characters.

[Blade]

Is it just me or does this application of the Wii-mote sound really tedious?

[jeffool]

Without seeing the game in motion it's hard to discern if anything done with the Wiimote will be 'tedious', really. Though I'm sure nearly every game will have an alternate control scheme that doesn't involve much movement.

[Xaerin]

best title ever? I think so.

Second only to "Koch to distribute Wii all over UK"

With fitty's "Mario's Union out to Pull the Plug on EA" coming in a close third.

[Borys]

There is one extra letter in the title!

[Kamalot]

I wasn't interested at ALL in Harvest Moon until someone in another recent thread equated it to a kind of chill game, like Animal Crossing. I can see the appeal of chilling and farming in the evening after a stressful day at work. The use of the Wiimote sounds unique and interesting too.

This is the first time I'm actually excited to try Harvest Moon.

[Savok]

Is it just me or does this application of the Wii-mote sound really tedious?
Does watering your crops and brushing cows sound really tedious?

That's the thing about Harvest Moon, it's sounds awful, it always does, but once you sit down and start playing, you get into this zone, something akin to what happens when you play Civilization only without the "one more turn" which will keep you up to 6am rather then HM's 4am.

Time is a lost cause to your brain, it's instead filled with your plans for when the next harvest is due and how the hell you're gonna have time to get enough wood for your next extension AND get into that girl's pants.

That said, once you get a ton of cows, brushing, milking and talking to every single one will start to gnaw at you.

[Camel]

Previous discussion here (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16108) (sort of) and here (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16131).

[fitbabits]

Previous discussion here (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16108) (sort of) and here (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16131).
Merged both posts and kept both titles! I know, I'm awesome! :)

[Camel]

Merged both posts and kept both titles! I know, I'm awesome! :)
Is there anything this man can't do?! Is this a hypothetical question?! :)

[fitbabits]

Is there anything this man can't do?! Is this a hypothetical question?! :)
For these answers, and more, tune in to next week's episode of Soap (http://www.tv.com/soap/show/605/summary.html).

Last episode: Episode 85
Mary is drinking heavily. Jodie is stuck in a past life as an old Jewish man. A suicidal Chester finds Danny and Annie in bed and decides to kill them first. Sheriff Burt is ambushed. Jessica faces a firing squad.

[NoName]

Merged both posts and kept both titles! I know, I'm awesome! :)
Bah, dirtying my new post, I see how it goes :P.

[fitbabits]

Bah, dirtying my new post, I see how it goes :P.
Dirty hobbitsessss.

[bean19]

Noname - Come on. You had a chance for a hoe pun and didn't take it. . . that probably why I hadn't seen/read this on the day it was news. ;)

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I wasn't interested at ALL in Harvest Moon until someone in another recent thread equated it to a kind of chill game, like Animal Crossing. I can see the appeal of chilling and farming in the evening after a stressful day at work. The use of the Wiimote sounds unique and interesting too.

This is the first time I'm actually excited to try Harvest Moon.


They are definitely chill, but they can be hectic as hell too at certain times.

My big gripe with the series is the pace. It.............goes...............so............sl ow for so long since you start with very little money and few resources. You till tiny fields for ages trying to save up a little money to expand. This part lasts forever - but I could just suck. Anyway, you reach a point where suddenly the slow pace plateaus and you have all kinds of money and a huge farm and then the game speeds way up as you try to stay on top of everything. It just takes forever to get anywhere near that point.

[bean19]

My problem with the Harvest Moon series is that though they have made sequels they have never fixed the things that I didn't like in all the games:

1. Getting to know people can be really obnoxious as you have to literally give them tons of presents to get them to like you - which isn't really true to real life and making friends. Presents are nice, but they aren't everything. Also, the only point of being friends is to fill up a friendship meter or find a wife. I'd like them to make more interesting stories and plot points for the village.

2. Farming was simple, easy fun in the original game, but in later games they put in all these absurd obstacles like making you use a tiny plot and focus on either just raising animals or growing food.

3. The changes have all been extremely minor. It is the same game over and over again - but not as good.

I'll definitley check out the Wii version and I hope it is better. . . but this company has a franchise that, much like the Monster Rancher and Pokemon series, never abandons are really enhances the basic formula much, and unlike these other two series, the Harvest Moon franchise's sequels actually mess up the formula with their sequels with their tiny changes and they never really change the incredibly basic narrative.