This is the great debate I see still quite often between the fandom on the net.
Do you think Harvest Moon has lost its touch over the years? If so, where at? A LOT of people are saying A New Beginning got them back into the series, or that it brought some faith back.
Is Harvest Moon losing its touch?
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copernicusmaximus
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This probably belongs in the All Other Harvest Moon section.
I don't think it is, though I didn't like HM:DS and IoH was kinda meh in my opinion. I never played Grand Bazaar but a lot of people didn't like that one either. If anything they're getting the touch back with ANB and SoS. A franchise is bound to have some installments that aren't quite as good.
I don't think it is, though I didn't like HM:DS and IoH was kinda meh in my opinion. I never played Grand Bazaar but a lot of people didn't like that one either. If anything they're getting the touch back with ANB and SoS. A franchise is bound to have some installments that aren't quite as good.
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Guest
- Anonymous Fish
Yep. The handheld games (for Nintendo handhelds) are pretty much all mediocre except for Island of Happiness. Pretty much the only really good Harvest Moon games have been for console or Sony handheld. I certainly haven't given up hope and I'll certainly keep playing, but there's just no soul in this game anymore.
(EDIT: This doesn't count RF. Every RF has been stellar -- I haven't played TOD though.)
(EDIT: This doesn't count RF. Every RF has been stellar -- I haven't played TOD though.)
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rachellion
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The console entries (MM, ToT, AP, etc) have always been a lot stronger than the handhelds, imo. I don't think HM is losing its touch per se, I just think my reasons for liking the game and what the game devs are going for have split some where along the line. Not drastically or disastrously, just a little different than what I wanted, but at the same time, I really enjoy the games they've put out and the ideas they've had.
I loved HM64, BTN, and the counterparts FoMT/MFoMT. I liked that universe, I liked the farm mechanics, and I liked the heart events and characters. I have a huge amount of nostalgia for those games and the time period I played them in. HM64 helped me calm down and relax, which I really needed at the time.
At the same time, I love the innovations that came with MM and ToT/AP. I like the customization options. I'm happy we finally get to choose to play as either boy or girl. I like that they keep trying new mechanics to keep things fresh, even if that doesn't always work out so well (IoH, SI, ToTT, GrB).
I liked ANB more than I like some of the older games and I like SoS's farming mechanics FAR more than HM64 or BTN, my nostalgia favs. The crops and conquest systems are fantastic, I love the concept of vendors - it's a nice blend of ANB and GrB imo. I loved the ideas in GrB, but hated the execution.
HM has always been a flawed series for me. HM64 is a WONDERFUL game but has a ton of glitches and is pretty simplistic. There's also a lot of guide dang it moments. AWL's aging MC and having a kid were GREAT ideas, but I never got to them because of how slow the game was getting to that point. IoH had some interesting ideas too, but the execution was pretty awful.
I definitely have nostalgia for the older games but am also enjoying the new installments. I think I'll try Natsume's next installment after TLV (I want to see a polished version of the terraforming stuff in an HM game) and I still really enjoy the BokuMono series. I don't think HM's lost its touch at all.
I loved HM64, BTN, and the counterparts FoMT/MFoMT. I liked that universe, I liked the farm mechanics, and I liked the heart events and characters. I have a huge amount of nostalgia for those games and the time period I played them in. HM64 helped me calm down and relax, which I really needed at the time.
At the same time, I love the innovations that came with MM and ToT/AP. I like the customization options. I'm happy we finally get to choose to play as either boy or girl. I like that they keep trying new mechanics to keep things fresh, even if that doesn't always work out so well (IoH, SI, ToTT, GrB).
I liked ANB more than I like some of the older games and I like SoS's farming mechanics FAR more than HM64 or BTN, my nostalgia favs. The crops and conquest systems are fantastic, I love the concept of vendors - it's a nice blend of ANB and GrB imo. I loved the ideas in GrB, but hated the execution.
HM has always been a flawed series for me. HM64 is a WONDERFUL game but has a ton of glitches and is pretty simplistic. There's also a lot of guide dang it moments. AWL's aging MC and having a kid were GREAT ideas, but I never got to them because of how slow the game was getting to that point. IoH had some interesting ideas too, but the execution was pretty awful.
I definitely have nostalgia for the older games but am also enjoying the new installments. I think I'll try Natsume's next installment after TLV (I want to see a polished version of the terraforming stuff in an HM game) and I still really enjoy the BokuMono series. I don't think HM's lost its touch at all.
To me - yes, definitely. I haven't been able to get into any of the newer HM games since like...DS (excluding the RF games). But I don't know if I'd describe it as 'losing their touch' - I think the game series is just kind of evolving and becoming different. The new games aren't games that appeal to me, but they're still really popular, so I guess maybe I'm just not the target audience any more.
I kind of get the impression that with each instalment in the series, they're adding in new features and essentially making the games more complex with more things to do. And that's like the OPPOSITE of what I'd want. I always prefer 'simple and perfected' to 'complex but with lots of areas for improvement'. They seem to release games in such quick succession as well - I wish they could take a little more time over them to make them seem more polished. But I guess that's the business world for you. :[
I kind of get the impression that with each instalment in the series, they're adding in new features and essentially making the games more complex with more things to do. And that's like the OPPOSITE of what I'd want. I always prefer 'simple and perfected' to 'complex but with lots of areas for improvement'. They seem to release games in such quick succession as well - I wish they could take a little more time over them to make them seem more polished. But I guess that's the business world for you. :[
Hmmm.. Losing its touch huh. I think the staff want a new start (because of the splitting with Natsume, correct me if I am wrong) when I played SoS, I encountered many new functions such as you can swim, the farming is being simplified, etc.. I think its a good innovation. Although I miss the whistle function which you can use to call your horse. And you (still) cant prolong your stamina with magic berries (?) Just like in HM More Friends of Mineral Town.
The prologue, also pretty much the same (where the protagonist bored with his life and want a new life as farmer). Though, for me it's really annoying when you want to build something, you need to acquire all of the materials.. Its just tiring. Maybe for some people its challenging but its meh for me. I can tolerate if its in ANB because in ANB you need to build the entire town too. But not in SoS.
Overall, it would be great if XSeed games can make another plot story (like in BTN). So we at least have a fanfiction materials to be used. Because we have story here. Not just focusing on farming, marrying, having a child and done.
The prologue, also pretty much the same (where the protagonist bored with his life and want a new life as farmer). Though, for me it's really annoying when you want to build something, you need to acquire all of the materials.. Its just tiring. Maybe for some people its challenging but its meh for me. I can tolerate if its in ANB because in ANB you need to build the entire town too. But not in SoS.
Overall, it would be great if XSeed games can make another plot story (like in BTN). So we at least have a fanfiction materials to be used. Because we have story here. Not just focusing on farming, marrying, having a child and done.
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color-freak1
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I'm not sure if it's "losing its touch", or if things are just different from how they used to be--and not necessarily in a bad way. Each HM game keeps changing/introducing new things in an effort to make it fresh, and I've enjoyed some of these mechanics more than others! I mean, of the games I've played, FoMT/MFoMT and ToT have been among my favourites, while I couldn't really get myself through ToTT. Meanwhile, I don't feel like SoS shares a lot of similarities with the older games (so there isn't much to "lose"), but I'm enjoying it a lot more than most of the HM games I've played in the recent years.
That, and everything is really just a personal experience! Since there are usually years between game releases, I find that my personal interests and preferences change over time. I may have had the patience to sit and play HM for a whole day before, but I really can't do that anymore. :'D It has nothing to do with the games themselves--I'm the same even if I want to replay my old favourites--but it's just...me.
That, and everything is really just a personal experience! Since there are usually years between game releases, I find that my personal interests and preferences change over time. I may have had the patience to sit and play HM for a whole day before, but I really can't do that anymore. :'D It has nothing to do with the games themselves--I'm the same even if I want to replay my old favourites--but it's just...me.
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FoolishGhoul
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Well a few things to keep in mind is that handheld games can't have as much in them as console games. And since basically all the new games for the past few years have been handhelds, it seems like that's all we have to go off of recently.
They also have put more effort into the mechanics of the game and focused less on dialogue and character development, which is mostly what people miss. I personally would rather wait a long time so they could include both in the game, but idt that'll be happening any time soon.
Everything else everyone else has pretty much already said
They also have put more effort into the mechanics of the game and focused less on dialogue and character development, which is mostly what people miss. I personally would rather wait a long time so they could include both in the game, but idt that'll be happening any time soon.
Everything else everyone else has pretty much already said
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Guest
- Anonymous Fish
I don't know about losing its touch but with the current games, I felt things are going forward and going backward. I know that ANB wasn't on everyone's favorite list, but I felt it was done better than SOS. While I'll agree that SOS was a step forward in terms of game mechanics like the Sewing Studio, but I felt it was a step back as well in terms of doing things and character development (a big thing for me).
Pretty much sums up how I feel. I look forward to seeing what Marvelous will be releasing but there's hardly any substance in Harvest Moon these days, and it worries me a lot :/ I'm waiting for a game with the same life as ToT/AP.Emurii wrote:Yep. The handheld games (for Nintendo handhelds) are pretty much all mediocre except for Island of Happiness. Pretty much the only really good Harvest Moon games have been for console or Sony handheld. I certainly haven't given up hope and I'll certainly keep playing, but there's just no soul in this game anymore.
(EDIT: This doesn't count RF. Every RF has been stellar -- I haven't played TOD though.)
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peachjuice
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Oh yes, or... they make a 3DS remake of AP. That'd be amazing.moonbox wrote:Pretty much sums up how I feel. I look forward to seeing what Marvelous will be releasing but there's hardly any substance in Harvest Moon these days, and it worries me a lot :/ I'm waiting for a game with the same life as ToT/AP.
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FoolishGhoul
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I would love that, but idt it's likely since there's a lot of stuff in that game and it might be too much for a handheld :T let's hope thoughpeachjuice wrote:Oh yes, or... they make a 3DS remake of AP. That'd be amazing.moonbox wrote:Pretty much sums up how I feel. I look forward to seeing what Marvelous will be releasing but there's hardly any substance in Harvest Moon these days, and it worries me a lot :/ I'm waiting for a game with the same life as ToT/AP.