There are a lot of game sites that cover classic games. With virtual console et al making such things more (legally) accessible than ever, more people can go back and relive childhood memories. You can read a lot of nostalgic coverage of series like Ninja Gaiden, Metal Gear, Shinobi, Dragon Quest, and any other well-loved franchise played by people in their childhood, the same people that faithfully buy every new installment and will tell you at length which ones in the series are the best, regardless of age.
Amidst all this coverage, Harvest Moon is rarely mentioned. Perhaps this is because it is largely played by girls, and young girls, at that. “Gamers” who seek help at Harvest Moon forums are usually… well, disgusted when confronted with the level of maturity of the average Harvest Moon player. Willy would also be quick to point out that many of the games are re-releases of the same games with extra features or “For Girl” versions, what he calls “Game Sweatshop” games. That’s true, too. And yet, this series sometimes sees several games a year, and all of them always make it to the United States, regardless of system or quality of game (there are three exceptions, but even then… they still came out here). Over 30 Harvest Moon games have been released since 1996. Few video game series can boast those kind of numbers and apparent popularity in both East and West.
For adult women who are also gamers, Harvest Moon can be just as nostalgic as Castlevania or Final Fantasy. I was twelve when the first game came out in 1997, and it was probably the first video game I was really addicted to. I’ve bought and played every installment since, and am a bit ashamed to admit that my console and handheld buying habits revolve almost solely around Harvest Moon games. It’s a big part of why I play video games.
For this article, I’ll discuss the series at length, then link to reviews for what will hopefully be every game in the series.
wandaelektrix
willyelektrix
Last Human Family 