Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons

Animal Parade won me over with it's wide variety of animals. I mean seriously..penguins?! That's just...<3

What's the best game to get for a newbie in the series, or alternatively, what's the definitive Harvest Moon game?

And yes, I have most systems available.

Either Friends of Mineral Town or Tree of Tranquillity, in my opinion. Easy to get into, and likeable characters, especially Fo MT. Tree of Tranquillity gives you a bit more of a goal to accomplish, however, so it feels less like a Quicksand Box.

Of the games that I haven't played myself, I hear many good things about HM 64.

edited 10th Feb '11 11:55:08 AM by Kayeka

I recently acquired Animal Parade. Haven't played it much yet, but I liked what I saw.

Strangely enough, the thing I like the most about it is that it's possible to have a cat as pet, after many other (fortunately not all) HM games force you to have a dog (at least if you want a pet).

The first game I ever had was the first GBC game, which is great but has a strange save system...

The definitive one, in my mind, is Harvest Moon 64, but getting a copy might be difficult. As for a good one to start on, I'd suggest one of the Wii ones, but be warned that Tree of Tranquility (the only Wii HM I've played personally) has issues with Loads and Loads of Loading, so it can be irritating.

Friends of Mineral Town or More Friends are the best starting points, if you ask me.

I love the variety of pets in Animal Parade. I have a baby boar, a frog (named Naveen, of course), a penguin, and a monkey. I might release the boar in favor of a different pet, but I don't know what... I do love that turtle, though. And the boar was my first pet; it wouldn't be fair to her.

Hm... I might want to start with 64.

Animal Parade is my current favorite. I really love the bachelor selection in Animal Parade and Tree of Tranquility...I think the only one I really don't like aesthetically is Owen.

Yeah, Animal Parade is pretty much the definitive Harvest Moon, imo. Or if you want everything about Harvest Moon(farming, mining, fishing, cooking, romancing, having a kid), PLUS the ability to make accessories, level up, become an alchemist, and fight monsters and explore dungeons, then get Rune Factory Frontier.

Oh for fucks sake, the original game is over 100 bucks on ebay!

I think RFF is a little too different from a traditional Harvest Moon game to recommend it to newbies. One should probably have some experience under their belt before having the Runey system shoved in their face.

I agree that Animal Parade would be a great starting point. The slow pace makes it easier to learn the game and enjoy it more. Honestly, the 1 RL second = 1 in-game minute should have been a series staple from the beginning!

edited 10th Feb '11 8:21:05 PM by Acrylic

: Or 8 bucks on the Wii. Virtual Console FTW!

I think the days are a little too long in Animal Parade, and I wish the fields were bigger and there wasn't that 1:1 seed/crop ratio. I much prefer the 1:9, even if it does mean each individual crop sells for less—it also means I can save several for cooking without having to worry quite so much about profits. Also, the fact that you have to individually grind everything you put in the waterwheel is a real... er, grind.

But after years, years of having your family be The Load, a spouse and children who actually do chores? I've died and gone to Chapter 7!

^ oh, hehe

Wait, it's on VC? I totally missed that! Better get some points right now!

Although personally, the first HM isn't my favorite. Ironically, I just don't think there's enough... farming. There's only like two crops, in only two seasons!

is the 64 version on VC?

No. Apparently, the ROM is far too daunting to go about preparing for the service.

I know it burns a lot of fans up, but it doesn't bother me too much. Sure, 64 is a good game, but I think the way it gets held up as the Harvest Moon to end all Harvest Moon games is very Nostalgia Filter-driven. Not saying it's wrong to like it, and definitely not saying it's wrong to miss it, but ultimately, I think there are better choices in the series.

I've played 64 on an emulator. Never saw what's so special about it.

Yeah, I just got a chance to play it a few days ago. I honestly found it frustrating. Maybe I'm stupid, but I couldn't tell what time it was at all on that clock due to it's fuzziness on my TV. Even when I could, it goes by so fast I felt I had hardly any time to do anything. Perhaps I need to pay better attention on the tutorial so I can see where everything is.

I might give it a try again sometime later, after Rune Factory Frontier stops being so god damn addicting!

HM64 has a pretty significant Seinfeld Is Unfunny problem. It was basically an improved remake of the original — had all of its charm and few of its flaws. For the people who played it when it first came out, it was pretty damned awesome — but later games in the franchise improve upon it even more, so in comparison it can feel rather flat. I fully admit that the reason I keep going back to it (rather than playing the variety of newer HM games that I've bought but never quite got around to finishing) is mostly Nostalgia Filter, but I still think it's worth it for an HM fan to play it, if they can manage it — for the same reason I'd recomment, say, FFIV to a Final Fantasy fan. Sure, it's old and outdated and there's newer stuff that's better, but it's nice to see the ancestor of it all.

The same could be said about the original HM, of course, but I started the series with HM64 so it doesn't have that Nostalgia Filter on it. :P

Personally, I still think FoMT/MFoMT is where it's at. :P The only thing they're really missing is a child that actually grows up.

Wasn't FoMT essentially a GBA port of Back to Nature? I seem to remember reading that somewhere, though I've never actually played either game.

edited 11th Feb '11 10:10:52 AM by NativeJovian

I think I know what you mean, regarding the Nostalgia Filter. Hell, I'd probably buy a remake or even re-release of the first GBC game.

But I still think that it should have a better save system...

edited 11th Feb '11 2:32:43 PM by Nyarly

I've been replaying Fo MT and I love it now. What I did was follow a guide for the first season to help me be financially independent. It's Spring 2nd year and I've already acquired 215,551 gold. Plus all necessary upgrades. When I'm bored with that I'll start my copy of DS Cute.

So yeah, I suggest Fo MT now. The characters are pretty entertaining. Although I wish there was a Gay Option. xD I'm aware of M Fo MT.

Question though, I have Karen at orange heart, Elli at purple heart, and Popuri at blue heart. Which girl do you guys think I should choose? I'm not sure...I have no interest in Ann or Mary, by the way.

Pick whicever you like best, since there's no gameplay differences from choosing one or the other. If you can't choose which you like best, eh, flip a coin.