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Harvest Moon 2 review by Keldon Warlord 1/2/01 System: GBC/GB Gametype: Dating/Farm Sim Company: Natsume |
Screens: Screens from IGN.com |
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I remember about a year ago when I first played the original
Harvest Moon on GBC/GB. Well to say the least....I was kinda addicted. I was still in school so my GameBoy Color was one of my favorite companions at the time (and still is). As well we all know Harvest first graced the SNES before it reached everyone's favorite handheld. It was well received as one of the last greats for the 16-bit wonder, so I was looking forward to playing the portable version. Just as I was hoping it was just as good as I heard and more! Anyway the plot is that your grandfather once owned a farm but later in life he passed away and left the farm with your character. As you learn this from a ghost of your grandfather late one night. Also you have learned that you have been given one year to make the place productive once again. And a good time was had by all. In the Sequel its pretty much the same plot except this time around you have three years to work with and alot of additions of items and animals to make your gameplay more pleasant. When the game begins you are given a choice between a male or female main character, but either your skills remain the same. One of the main goals in the first harvest game was that you were to get married and live the honest farm life, but in the second you are to make as many friends as possible. The first few days you will spend time clearing the fields with a hammer, ax and your bare hands to wipe your garden area clean. After you accomplished that feat proceed to till the soiled land. That will prepare it to be seeded by the many types of plants. Just like in real life you will have to deal with the four different seasons of the year and they only last 30 days each in the game. Plus the fact of different crops are available at different times of the year, and various new tools and items will become available in different seasons and years. If you use the watering can alot, you'll have a sprinkler late in the first spring, as if you work the main field and pastures you will also earn a super hoe in the late spring of the first year. Come to think of it, there is so much to do in this game that if you give the game a chance it will consume and/or affect your very own life. Such as in the game you will have to water the fields daily, milk the cow, play with the dog (or cat, but I like the dog), shear the sheep, pick the plants you grow and make sure you drop them into the drop box to sell, breed the chickens, chop up wooden stumps along the moutain path, show your face around the town and flirt with the lovely ladies, and still try to make time to do a little fishing and make time for sleep. Just as I said earlier if you play this game enough you will start to feel a little more organized and productive in your daily life. You will be a bigger help around the house, be more friendly to neibors and friends, if you own a pet you will more likely tend to its needs more, and will dream about plowing fields and/or shear a sheep (as I did before..sigh...). Anywhoo, After you putting all the hard work of running a successful farm (or lack there of), the mayor will decide to either sell your farm to make another dreaded theme park or to continue living it up farm style. I will warn all fellow gamebrainers by saying this may not suit all of you rpg lovers but it is a very different type of rpg that may leave you wanting to try this challenge in real life. I felt that Natsume's Harvest Moon 2 is about managing a farm and about living a happy life and I truly felt satisfied how the game turned out such as I did with the first version on GBC. Also Natsume did good by adding just as many if not more features than the N64 version, but I didn't like that they took out the function of finding a wife or husband. The sound was well done and went along with the moods of the game perfectly. HM2 also gives you the option to trade items with other Harvest Moon 2 game packs, and Legend of the River King 2 as well. The game design was very well done keeping to the true plot at heart, and with the added depth of fishing, and bug catching to trade keeps you busy during any boring car ride of school play (don't tell my former teachers I said that haha). The graphics are similar to any gameboy zelda or pokemon game out there with means there pretty good looking and well done. With all that said and done I give Harvest Moon 2 for the GameBoy and GameBoy Color an overall rating or 9.0 out of 10. I commend Natsume for doing such a fine job. |
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