Gamertell

Oh snap. Amazon is offering an adorable, red stuffed squirrel preorder for Rune Factory 2. Technically, it isn’t a “squirrel.“ It’s a Chipp - a type of monster present in the first Rune Factory and most likely in Rune Factory 2 as well. Chipps were one of the first monsters you’d encounter. Not very menacing, but easily one of the cutest in the game.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise though, as Amazon also offered a stuffed chicken preorder for Natsume’s other recent release, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness. What is surprising, is that this deal is an Amazon exclusive. Typically, Natsume preorder bonus items are available at most major game retailers, but only Amazon’s offering the extra incentive this time around…

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I’m so excited! The one game I wanted this month, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, is finally out. Well, technically its been shipped out. Natsume’s latest portable farming adventure has been shipped to stores and should be available in a store near you soon. Its a farming/life simulation rated Everyone that costs $29.99. It also happens to be the first DS Harvest Moon that allows players to choose their gender in the beginning.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness finds your avatar shipwrecked on an island. Instead of panicking, your character and the other new inhabitants who ended up there in this twist of fate decide to make it their new home. You’re in charge of the farm (of course), and as you reach certain milestones, new villagers will move in…

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In Fall 2008, Natsume and Marvelous Entertainment will welcome us back to the charming setting of the Kingdom of Norad in Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon to the DS.

Similar to its Harvest Moon namesake franchise, the Rune Factory series separates itself by incorporating role-playing type elements into its gameplay. The main character’s actions are bound to meters which increase as he gains more experience through combat and farming. Players must battle with monsters in order to progress the storyline and improve their statistics for…

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Natsume released some surprising information at E3 concerning an interesting PSP game - the company will be localizing the Umihara Kawase Portable as Yumi’s Odd Odyssey. Umihara Kawase Portable, by Rocket Studios and Marvelous, was a complete overhaul of Umihara Kawase, an SNES game from TNN released in 1994. Now Natsume will be bringing the to North America for the first time as Yumi’s Odd Odyssey

Yumi’s Odd Odyssey stars Yumi, a nineteen year old who’s awesome at casting. She’s armed with a fishing pole and not afraid to use it against the mutated fish roaming through the levels. The goal is to safely guide Yumi to one of the doors in each level and help her escape. The fishing pole acts as both a grappling hook and a weapon, so she can latch on to walls and ceilings, or capture the giant fish and store them in her backpack.

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Today (July 14, 2008) is the first day of E3, and Natsume is bringing it. It had previously announced that, in honor of the Harvest Moon‘s 10th anniversary, it would be releasing Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS), Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii), accessory kits, strategy guides and toys. Now, at E3, it has released more information on both games, plus character art, screenshots and a new trailer  for the DS entry.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness is due out August 26, 2008. The character designs are similar to Animal Crossing for the DS, and the story starts out familiar. Players choose to be a boy or girl, and are then shipwrecked on an island. They, along with other shipwreck survivors, decide to stay there and make the island their home. Every action is executed with the touch screen, crops now each have specific care and weather needs and a better farm means more island inhabitants.

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I’m so glad to hear that Natsume is localizing Princess Debut rather than Ubisoft. I know Natsume will do a great job with it. Princess Debut, also known as Ohimesama Debut, is a dancing game in which players step in for a princess to enter a dance competition with one of six elligible princes. The bottom screen offers patterns to follow to make the princess substitute dance.

The game is also a bit of a simulation. You have to practice and learn dances to succeed. You also have to meet princes and build a relationship in order to find a suitable dancing partner. There’s only one month before the ball and dance competition, so players have to work fast to become fabulous ballroom dancers once the game is released in Fall 2008.

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Title: Ohimesama Debut
Price: $48.90 (Wait a while, it it’s coming to North America)
System(s): DS
Release Date: May 29, 2008
Publisher (Developer): Cave (Cave)
ESRB Rating: N/A; Cero A (All Ages)
Pros: Touchscreen dancing is fun, the story is charming and there’s a nice simulation/dating sim aspect following the six princes.
Cons: Most of the girl’s costumes aren’t cute. The 3D versions of the characters are hideous. Dances are only challenging initially, until you learn the patterns.
Overall Score: 7.5/10
As many are aware, I am fortunate enough to have some friends who also import video games from Japan. This means I get to sample games I normally wouldn’t play, and, in the case of Ohimesama Debut, be pleasantly surprised.

Yes, an Ouendan-loving friend of mine bought Ohimesama Debut. Since it has multiple save slots, she was gracious enough to let me claim one. Of course when Natsume releases it in the US, I totally intend on buying a copy.

Ohimesama Debut is a surprisingly fun game, though I don’t think we’ll see many boys or men running to stores to pick it up. Even though there are some less than pleasant visuals, the gameplay and entertaining concept make up for it. If Natsume hadn’t localized it as Princess Debut, I’d have bet money that Ubisoft would have brought it over as Imagine: Ballroom Dancer.

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Remember Harvest Moon on the Super NES? The adorable little farm simulator/RPG that came at the very end of the system’s life cycle and spawned it’s own franchise? Well, it’s ten years old now, and publisher Natsume is celebrating by releasing two new titles this summer: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii. On top of the new games, a host of HM-themed goodies (like plushies!) will be released to…

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Yes! Thank you Natsume! Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, for the Nintendo DS, has officially been confirmed for a North American release. Natsume has announced that the NA version will be appearing at E3 2008 and the finished game will be released sometime in Fall 2008.

The Rune Factory games are a hybrid of the farming simulation of Harvest Moon and first person RPG dungeon crawling found in games like Legend of Zelda. Rune Factory 2 is set after the original Rune Factory and has the player start as a brand new farmer - Kyle. The highlight of the game is the fact that it is multi-generational. Players first play as Kyle, and then go on to play as Kyle’s son or daughter.

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Title: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness
Price: TBA
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: TBA 2008
Publisher (Developer): Natsume (Marvelous Interactive Inc.)
ESRB Rating: TBA
Pros: Tons of villagers, rice is once again a crop, farming gets more in-depth and players have the option to play as a boy or girl.
Cons: The music grates on the ears. Some notes only dogs can hear.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness will be the best portable Harvest Moon. It not only revisits all of the Harvest Moon gameplay aspects fans have come to love, but finds a way to add even more down-home goodness. Kudos to Marvelous Interactive and Natsume for making such a quality game. I am glad to have had the pleasure of playing the Japanese version.

HM: Island of Happiness for the DS doesn’t begin in the traditional manner. The player, who can choose to be a boy or girl, is on a ship taking a trip when a storm destroys it. The player ends up on a deserted island with a family of four and a merchant and his son. They decide to make the island their home, and the player is charged with being the food/revenue producing farmer.

Farming is totally different in HM: Island of Happiness. There are different weather conditions each day, and certain crops do better in certain conditions. Also you don’t have to water every day, as some only need water every two days. Rice also is available as a crop (you plant it in spring and harvest in fall) and once again mushrooms and orchards can be grown.

The village life is revitalized as well. The town starts with only six villagers. As you reach certain farming milestones, more people come to live there. While there are a set number of characters with portraits and actual parts in the ‘story’, the island can grow to be home to 100 people.

The method of acquiring animals is tweaked as well. You aren’t just ‘given’ a dog and horse. First you need to befriend certain townspeople, then they will bring you the animals or the event will occur. Also the dog and horse must be fed. The touch screen petting game from Harvest Moon DS has been retooled as well, and now when the animal feels like it you can pet it for a love boost.

Probably the most drastic change is in the control system. All movement, menu selections and rucksack sorting is controlled with the stylus. The directional pad (or action buttons if you’re left-handed) serve to activate and use one of the four tools or items assigned to it. Initially this may seem complicated, but after 15 minutes becomes more comfortable than previous control schemes. Don’t worry if you’re left-handed, there is an option to adjust the controls to make them more comfortable for you.

HM: Island of Happiness also looks amazing. Instead of looking like a GBA title (ahem: Harvest Moon DS), it is perfectly tailored for the DS. It reminds me a bit of an Animal Crossing-Harvest Moon hybrid. Plus there is such attention to detail, like in summer you can even see cicadas on some trees.

But don’t all go placing preorders for Harvest Moon 2 at GameStop. The Harvest Moon 2 in their systems is most likely Harvest Moon DS: Cute, the girl’s version of Harvest Moon DS. Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness probably won’t be out until Fall, 2008.

Read [IGN] Site [Bokujou Monogatari: Kimi to Sodatsu Shima]

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