IoH versus SI

Nintendo DS [ Game Guide ]
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harvesting_sprite
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Okay so, I really just want to voice my opinion on Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness BEFORE asking my question at the end. I own and have thoroughly played almost every Harvest Moon game for all consoles (I have not tried any on a Sony/Play Station system minus Back to Nature and Save the Homeland). Therefore, I feel I have a pretty good sense of Harvest Moon and their games, but please don't take my thoughts and opinions to be the law or anything, and feel free to express/challenge my views and your own too if you'd like.

Out of all the HM games I've played, this is the WORST. At first, HMDS was at the top because I found all the tasks overbearing and the finding of the 101 Sprites too daunting when all I wanted was a rockin farm and a family. However, I purchased IoH when it came out and now that I'm out of school for the summer I picked it up and MAN it is just...not what I was hoping for.

The fact I HAVE to use the stylus for 90% of everything hurts my arms and hands, and when I want to chop wood or smash a rock I end up picking it up and having to put it down and destroy it. Sooo time consuming. Also, unless I'm legit garbage at life, it is so hard to make money in this game and everything is overpriced. Sure, I could have 200,000G in my game if I never upgraded a thing but then I'd be where I am now, Winter 04 Year 01 with 200,000G and nothing to show for my hard work. It's insane, the mine eats up all my stamina and by the time I get to the 50th levels to get Orachle for accessories I run out of all the food I spent all of Fall making to prepare for ONE journey into the mine -_- Bleh. Also, I'm a speed demon when I'm talking to character who are NOT my potential spouse so I often miss the weather for Taro and I have to reload if it's raining and my animals were outside (plus it's a pain in the butt to move my cow, as the bell doesn't work very well). Lastly, of the big things that bug me is all the requirements for the islanders and then keeping them and the sub-villagers are all over the place, unlike HM:MM I never had a villager leave my town, EVER. In any of the 30000 files I've played of that game. In this one, none of my 62 villagers are absent YET but that's because I wrote a list of what they need to stay. Anyways, enough of my rant, but hopefully all this helps you answer my actual question :P

Should I invest in Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands? As a University student I don't have the funds to buy another Island of Happiness, and while I loved the idea OF an island and I actually like each romantic prospect for the guy and most for the girl so for IoH I intended to try marrying them all...Now, after I marry Lanna that's it. This game is going bye-bye for a longggg time. So if anyone has played both, is it really beneficial if I have them both? Will SI satisfy my needs and expectations I had for IoH?

P.S Thanks if you actually took the time to read my rant. :)
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Alyx
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Post  Posted:

SI is like an improved version of IoH. For example, you can use the d-pad or the stylus for controls. You can see more differences between the game on the SI fogu guide (main page) and by searching the forum.

I enjoyed SI a lot more than IoH. Its a better game, but still difficult. You've got to collect sun stones and raise islands instead of unlocking villagers (sprites was HM:DS(C) ). They kept the water/sun point system. Oh and they made it so you can't ride your horse. Also, the degree system makes it really hard to do some things, like get down in the mine early in the game. It also makes it almost impossible to cheat wonderfuls (using the save/reload trick).

I had the game, but got tired of it after a while. Now I'd like to pick it up again. So its a good game, but can get frustrating.
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harvesting_sprite
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Post  Posted:

Hm, yeah I read most of the differences off of Cher's page for it. Still, off what you told me it sounds just as annoying in its own way lol. I never ride my horse so that isn't really that big of a deal for me, but the sun stones and unlocking islands and such doesn't sound very thrilling, but as a HM fanatic I will probably pick up the game anyway. It's a shame, I really like all the marriage prospects in these games so it sucks they aren't as amazing as they could be.
basketshooter10
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Post  Posted:

SI is even harder and complicated than IoH. IoH was a pretty easy game for me. I'm not sure how you had so much trouble with it. For mining, just take like 100 puddings, and there are so many mining guides you can check.
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harvesting_sprite
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I brought like 50 Egg Soups and 50 Hot Milk because they only require one egg and one milk to make, puddings require one of each so to make 100 I would need 100 days because I only have one cow and two chickens. I suppose if I planned it out more carefully I could have had more animals at this point but even that seems tough with the fact I'm usually fairly low on cash.
Maybe because it's new and different and it's my first play-through I'm not enjoying it as much. I just might have to revisit it one day.

*Edit* Reading up on SI doesn't make it seem any more fun/easier. Collecting musical notes in MM and Sprites in HMDS was enough, maybe I've gotten lazier as a game player :P Or maybe I need to swing of playing games after being away at school.
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Zeodyte
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Post  Posted:

I think the thing to remember with Sunshine Islands is patience. If you try to do everything all at once without being properly prepared, it won't be as fun and you'll eventually get burned out a lot quicker. I will always vote SI over IoH simply for one reason; because trying to do everything with the stylus is a major pain!
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Googaboga
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Post  Posted:

I honestly like IoH more than SI. The stylus thing was a pain but I'd put up with that over the issues I have with SI.

The Sunstone plot is not fun (not to mentioned over used) and it takes 70 of them to unlock Mark/Chelsea and the Mineral Town people. I like that you get to raise island but they should have done it in a better way.

My number one issue is the ridiculous farm degree system. Having to collect thousands of points just to do certain things is terrible. I spent seasons doing nothing but fishing to try and earn enough fishing points to catch Pirate Treasure.

I replayed IoH recently and had a really fun time. I have no interest in ever replaying SI. Maybe I'll try to pick it up years from now, who knows :/.
HMluver1299
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Post  Posted:

I TOTALLY agree with you harvesting_sprite! I had IoH before SI, and now that I have SI I can't imgiane EVER picking up that game again! Thank you game creators for seriouly improving IoH!
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harvesting_sprite
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Post  Posted:

I have come to terms with the idea that IoH may be a good game if I go back and take my time. For now, I have made the conscious decision to return to Friends of Mineral Town, and work my way up the timeline :P
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Princess-of-Dragons
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Post  Posted:

I agree with Googaboga. I thought IoH was better than SI. I played Phantom Hourglass before playing IoH so the stylus never bothered me. I even think it works better than the D-pad. (except when pushing animals >:C) I like the sun/water point system and I don't mind growing crops outside. I like working my way up from nothing but a house and stable to a beautiful farm and working to meet those sometimes outrageous prices. I like "collecting" villages to expand and enhance the island community rather than raise islands.
Of course, this is just me. :P
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notyet
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Post  Posted:

SI the BEST :heart:
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ILoveFodder
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Post  Posted:

After HMDS (which I actually quite enjoy) I thought this would be improvment, but I just really disliked alot of it. In HMDS you could make alot of money very quickly and preparing for mining didn't take that long. In this game your stamina bar can run out in one pitfall.

I also hate the dual bars of stamina and fullness. I preferred the HMDS way with fatigue as a back up for stamina.

Unfortunally SI won't solve any of these problems and make mining harder with the points system. Also doesn't get rid of the stupid crop system, but I do understand it better now. (and save each day)

It does however get rid of having to keep the villagers on the island (most of mine are absent in IoH) and that stylus system which I hated. I either missed what I was aiming for, like the shipping bin, or had to use the slower tap here, then tap there method.


You might want to consider waiting until you have a bit more money spare before buying SI or just ignoring it. If the main thing that bugs you is the mining and weather system, I wouldn't go for it. If it was the stylus and you think you can get good guidance on mining and such, then maybe you should consider it.
Last edited by ILoveFodder on May 11, 2011 2:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
wangfarm
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Post  Posted:

Wait for twin village and try that game out. I've played both Sunshine Island and Island of Happiness. I found them both relatively easy since they have their own pace you can go by. Don't quote me or think I'm bragging but I have seen someone get their entire island unlocked with the teleport stone and have enough money and wonderful to just enjoy the game. Plus they're still in the first year someone where from Spring to Summer. To top it off and it's somewhat absurd, they didn't cheat to make it happen either. This is for Island of Happiness.

On the other hand, Sunshine Island. It's way harder to get all your wonderful stone in a short time and well, you have to be pretty lucky in getting the wonderful stones you want. Basically I just took it easy and farmed, ignoring the need to rush the game quickly to get all the things I wanted.
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harvestmoongirl333
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Post  Posted:

Actually, I rather liked IoH (vs SI, the two however aren't nearly my favorites)
The characters had more depth, and, despite the bland storyline, there was much more to do and was over-all a better game.

However in SI, I'll admit that the controls are easier, and there's a better storyline. Unfortunately, the characters are less charming and whatnot than they were in IoH, so I'll still say that IoH was better.
Hebi
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Post  Posted:

Hard to earn? You must be talking about another game :p
I'm at Year winter 17. I have 3041099g on me, 7 cows (1 is gonna give birth any moment now), 2 sheeps, 10 chickens. I have the biggest greenhouse... and so on.
As for the stylus - sure it can be hard to get used to - but generaly it isn't hard. On the contrary - I find it alot more intresting.
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