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DS

Two New Harvest Moon Games Commemorate the Series' 10th Anniversary

by Neal Ronaghan - July 8, 2008, 12:13 pm EDT
Total comments: 13 Source: Press Release

Natsume President Hiro Maekawa "couldn't be happier that the series has caught on with so many fans." Both the DS and Wii titles will hit stores later this summer.

Natsume announced the upcoming release of two new Harvest Moon games that mark the ten year anniversary of Harvest Moon. Both games are scheduled for summer and will come out alongside an exclusive 10th anniversary Harvest Moon DS Lite Kit that comes with a protective cover, stylus, and more.

The DS will receive Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, which has been dubbed as the largest portable Harvest Moon experience. In the game, the player is shipwrecked on an island and must build up a prosperous society. It will also feature competition over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility will be the first in the series to come out on the Wii. This game's story revolves around the disappearance of the mystical Mother Tree and the Harvest Goddess. The player must build up the society's connection with nature so the two return.

The Harvest Moon series began on Super Nintendo and has appeared on almost every home and handheld console since. It has sold millions of units in North America with twenty incarnations over the course of its storied ten year history.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility will be showcased at E3 and come out later this summer.

NATSUME CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF ITS POPULAR HARVEST MOON SERIES WITH TWO NEW TITLES FOR NINTENDO DSTM AND NINTENDO WIITM THIS SUMMER

Special Anniversary Packaging, Plush Toys, Strategy Guides and an Exclusive DS Lite Kit Just Some of the Specialty Items that will Commemorate the Beloved Series

Burlingame, Calif., July 7, 2008 – Natsume, a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that the company is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of its popular Harvest Moon franchise this summer. In commemoration of the anniversary, Natsume is launching two new Harvest Moon titles later this quarter and offering a host of retail promotions surrounding the launches.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii will both be available at retail later this summer, and will be branded with special packaging marking the 10th anniversary. In addition, a line of collectible plush toys featuring the cute and friendly animal characters from the games will also be available as a pre-order bonus/gift with purchase at select retailers.

Other special promotions surrounding the anniversary include an exclusive 10th anniversary Harvest Moon DS Lite Kit (with protective cover, stylus, screen wipe and more) and two new strategy guides from BradyGames.

The Harvest Moon series began ten years ago when it launched on the Super Nintendo. Since then, the RPG/Simulation series has garnered a large and loyal fan base, and has appeared on most every home and handheld console available, including GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation2, PSP and soon the Nintendo Wii.

The series has sold millions of units in North America, with 20 incarnations over the course of 10 years. The games are usually set in rural towns packed with interesting and friendly characters where the player is tasked with running a successful farm, creating a family by getting married, having children, and befriending the people in the town to help build up their land. The games are great for players of all ages because they provide wholesome, non-violent entertainment anyone in the family can enjoy.

"The concept of Harvest Moon games is simple: hard-working people should get rewarded for what they have done. We want players to take this concept they get in the game, and apply it to their real life, too," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. "We couldn't be happier that the series has caught on with so many fans. It's their tremendous enthusiasm and support that has kept the series growing and evolving over these past ten years."

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS)

In the largest portable Harvest Moon experience ever, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS tasks players with building their own paradise as they find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island.

Starting off with an abandoned farm, a handful of seeds, and the determination to start a new life, it's up to the player to attract settlers by making their farm robust and the island prosper, By harvesting crops, raising animals, and mining for precious gems, gamers will help the island grow into a vibrant town filled with people, businesses, and eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. Players can take on the role of a boy or a girl while falling in love and starting a family. For a competitive feel, gamers can also play against other ranchers via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii)

In Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii, you find yourself in a troubled island town which once prospered with life and energy, but is now in serious trouble. The mystical Mother Tree that once watched over the island has disappeared, and the Harvest Goddess is nowhere to be found! The island has lost its connection with nature and the inhabitants don’t know what to do – it’s up to you to save the island!

You must help to rebuild the island by tending to the earth, befriending and raising animals, nurturing friendships, and creating a family. When the giant Mother Tree is reborn, the Harvest Goddess will return and bring prosperity to the island once again. Long-time Harvest Moon fans as well as new players will find an exciting, involving storyline and plenty of activities including cultivating crops, caring for animals, and participating in festivals. All-new controls for the Nintendo Wii Remote give players the chance to feel like they're really farming!

Both Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility will be on display at this month’s E3 trade show in the Los Angeles area and will be available at retail later this summer.

For more information on either of the new Harvest Moon titles, please visit www.natsume.com.

Talkback

KDR_11kJuly 08, 2008

But the REAL question is: Does it allow gay marriage?

DAaaMan64July 08, 2008

For the 10th anniversary? U BET IT DOES.

They also added a new town! GLORYHOLIA

But ya this is great. But I think we were getting these tenth anniversary or not ;)

Dan_FlyhightJuly 08, 2008

Oh man *rubs hands together* two new harvest moon games. I can't wait!!!

MorariJuly 08, 2008

Man... I want the plush chicken that comes with a preorder of the DS game. :(

SmakianJuly 08, 2008

This actually annoys me quite a bit. I used to love Harvest Moon, but I haven't really kept up with it since Harvest Moon 64. I hate this tendancy of some publishers, particularly Japanese publishers, to saturate the market with iteration after iteration of a single series in a short time span. It makes it too hard to keep track of, and eventually I just don't, no matter how much of a fan of the series I am. Happened to Mega Man, happened to Harvest Moon, and now it's happening to the Tales series. I know it's all about the money and they're making them because we keep buying them, but I'd much rather have one, well-made, definitive game in a series every couple of years. As it stands, I find it hard to justify buying a game if I can be reasonably sure that they'll come out with another one in nine or ten months that offers a margionally better version of the same experience.

So yeah. I'll wait and see what the reviews are like, then decide if this is the Harvest Moon game to get, whether or not another one comes out before I even get bored with it.

Quote from: Smakian

This actually annoys me quite a bit. I used to love Harvest Moon, but I haven't really kept up with it since Harvest Moon 64. I hate this tendancy of some publishers, particularly Japanese publishers, to saturate the market with iteration after iteration of a single series in a short time span. It makes it too hard to keep track of, and eventually I just don't, no matter how much of a fan of the series I am. Happened to Mega Man, happened to Harvest Moon, and now it's happening to the Tales series. I know it's all about the money and they're making them because we keep buying them, but I'd much rather have one, well-made, definitive game in a series every couple of years. As it stands, I find it hard to justify buying a game if I can be reasonably sure that they'll come out with another one in nine or ten months that offers a margionally better version of the same experience.

So yeah. I'll wait and see what the reviews are like, then decide if this is the Harvest Moon game to get, whether or not another one comes out before I even get bored with it.

I completely agree and am in the same situation. Next to Animal Crossing GC, the next game to own a piece of my soul is Harvest Moon 64. But I just can't get into any Harvest Moons after that. They've all turned me off in some way or another, and I've been desensitized to boot. Additionally, Natsume missed the boat: The Wii should have received a Harvest Moon game MUCH earlier in its lifecycle, and we should be hearing about the improved sequels now.

As it stands, I've pretty much decided that though I love the series, I'm not getting either of these HM games which somehow took AGES to localize.

EnnerJuly 09, 2008

Well, it gets easier if you only track the series on one or two systems. The GBA has 2 (counting More Friends), the GCN has 3 (counting Another Wonderful), the DS has 1 out, and the Wii has none (well, one if you count the Magical Melody port)!

uhh... Okay. Point taken considering the PS2 and PSP titles.

The N64 had ONE Harvest Moon game and that was all it needed. It was perfect.

DAaaMan64July 10, 2008

I agree it was perfect.

If it were perfect it would have had a lot of things from Friends of Mineral Town and one or two from other games in the series. HM64 was the first game in the series that I owned and I loved it and I still do, but it's not perfect.

SmakianJuly 10, 2008

Quote from: Kairon

The N64 had ONE Harvest Moon game and that was all it needed. It was perfect.

cept for the broken TV channel and translation errors. And the horse racing glitch.

I <3 Natusme.

EnnerJuly 10, 2008

We love it so much that we wouldn't have it any other way that Natsume is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the series 2 years late. :D

Happy 12th anniversary!

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