role-playing

Being a big fan of the Harvest Moon series, I was looking forward to an updated version for my Playstation 2. I figured it would have a more elaborate story line with even more interaction with the characters in the game (which to me was always the best part of the game). I was happy at first that you have a smaller barn and a smaller field (because sometimes milking and feeding 20 animals in Back to Nature could become very tedious). The problem is that there really isn't all that much to do in the game. You have to establish good relationships with other characters to win the game but it really isn't much of a challenge. There are 9 different endings to the game but as long as you read the instruction book, it really isn't very tricky to get any of them. All you really have to do is "butter up" the right people and the ending is yours but you'll end up with a lot of time on your hands waiting for those people to show up at your farm. You get to start over each time you get an ending and keep all of your improvements (except for your sickle for some odd reason) and animals but then there is really no challenge at all. I stopped farming all together by the second time through because I had so much money, there wasn't much of a point. All you have to do each time is to make friends with everyone again and be careful that you don't talk to the wrong people because you might accidentally trigger a different ending than you want (and you'll have to watch the cinemas each time you trigger them which can be pretty dull). I did like that your dog can help you herd your cattle in and that you can ride your horse all over the village but there were a lot of things that could have made this a great game. I really was disappointed that you couldn't date and get married which was one of the best parts of other Harvest Moon games. I also missed the festivals and other special events like they had in Back to Nature. There were also only four crops to choose from and cooking is very limited. It just seems this game is really short and very repetitive. I really would have liked to see more interesting endings and more interaction with the townspeople. If you are looking for a Harvest Moon game, I would suggest trying Back to Nature (for Playstation 1) instead of this game.

The graphics are the only good thing about this game. The plot sounded really cool (just like the other harvest moon games but this was disapointing) i wanted to cook! But I couldn't even figure out how too!

If you want to get an HM game, get Back to Nature or A Wonderful Life. This has best or second best graphics, but not much else. The girls are pretty interesting, but you can't marry or date them. It doesn't have holidays, it only has 4 crops, few animals, and it's just not nearly as good as any of the other games. Rent it if you feel you must try it.