ONM writes: "Harvest Moon first arrived in the UK ten years ago and although it has since been usurped by Animal Crossing, this series steadfastly continues to plough the same field. This time, our farming hero (or heroine) is shipwrecked on an island populated by one family but he seems to get over this trauma pretty quickly as, after about five minutes, he's already settled into a life of farming.
Other than some fiddly stylus controls and some Wi-Fi options (you can compare your farm's ranking with other players and chat with your friends) it really is the same old Harvest Moon and naturally it takes ages to get going. It doesn't really need to be this way either. There is no reason why your character should be exhausted after watering nine turnips. Nor should picking up a few weeds take all morning. Moving your character around with the stylus is fine but it becomes annoying when you have to carry out precise actions such as watering a plant or smashing a rock."
Josh from Controller Crusade writes "Anyone who has followed the Harvest Moon franchise since it burst on the scene in 1997 (1996 in Japan) knows the many ups and downs it has endured. The odd thing about Harvest Moon games is that even when they’re not that great they are still incredibly addicting. Depending on what aspect of the games you like to focus on, you’ll enjoy certain titles more than others. Personally I like to mix it up and do a little bit of everything, not pigeon hole myself into one type of task or chore. Here are my personal highs and lows for the Harvest Moon series."
Russ looks at the RPGs heading to North American retailers in November.
411mania talks about this week's game releases. Highlights include Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Cursed Mountain, and Harvest Moon: Magical Melody.
