Freaking love this game but have never finished it. Fantastic, solid gameplay and the replayability is brilliant. One of my favorite Childhood games.

So is this an RPG? A farm sim? The precursor to Animal Crossing? I've always heard of the series, but never paid attention to it.

@sirmastersephiroth
Farm Sim but a really really good one.

This, HM64, and Friends of Mineral Town are the best three in the series.

Sounds interesting. I'll vote yes on this one.

DrFinkelstein said:

This, HM64, and Friends of Mineral Town are the best three in the series.

Yes indeed!

Although if it counts, I'll have to throw in a vote for Rune Factory Frontier, which really brought back the HM64 addictive spirit more than the current games in the series have.

I remember playing HM for maybe an hour on an emulator....I just don't know if I get these kinds of games.

I like certain kinds of sim games. I like Sim City (even though i suck at it), and I like Roller Coaster Tycoon. I feel like in those games (mostly in RCT), I get objectives for each park to shoot for, like each park is its own "level" to conquer. I just don't know what I'm shooting for in Harvest Moon. To make money? Is there any sort of end game?

@PogueSquadron
You need to have a stable farm after 3 years. In that time you can upgrade your tools, extend your house, get married and have a kid.

Very likely my "Favorite Video Game of All Time."

DrFinkelstein said:

This, HM64, and Friends of Mineral Town are the best three in the series.

I've heard good things about the new 3DS game, A New Beginning, too. But I agree with your statement.

HOWEVER...

Since the introduction of Rune Factory, I don't know if I ever want to go back to Harvest Moon.

@PogueSquadron

Sort of. It might not have the structure of Rollercoaster Tycoon, but I do think the goals are clearer than in something like, say, Animal Crossing. There is an endgame, after a few in-game years, and the goal is basically to make your farm the best it can be, while making money and friends in the process. A big milestone in HM is getting married, for instance, and later having a kid. The appeal is similar in RPGs--you start off small and pathetic, and you gradually reap the rewards of getting stronger (and in this case, having an awesome plot of land to call your own). It's pretty open-ended but there're still milestones to shoot for--house expansions, new animals, marriage, expensive tools that make work easier, etc.

@anon_mastermind

You know... I own it but I completely forgot that I did. Been so busy with other games... I should boot it up.

anon_mastermind said:

Since the introduction of Rune Factory, I don't know if I ever want to go back to Harvest Moon.

Same here. I was playing Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns last year, and while fun, I wasn't quite as in to it as I used to be before Rune Factory.
But I give props to the Harvest Moon series for existing and begetting Rune Factory. And I thank for Back to Nature and Magical Melody and many others for hundreds of hours of enjoyment before I transitioned over.

My first HM was the one on the 64. I remember showing it to one of my older sisters (who never did play too much beyond SMB) and she got HOOKED! Like, I was getting mad at her because she'd play it more than me, and it was MY 64. That was the first console I bought with my own money.

@anon_mastermind@VickiL
I...I haven't played any Rune Factory games.
I've always meant to but have never got around to it and you also never see them in the shops around by my place.

I agree that Rune Factory kind of ruined Harvest Moon for me.

Well not ruined but RF is just so fucking awesome and engaging that I don't get the same kicks out of HM as I once did. Still great games though.

I think what I'd like to have in these kinds of games (this may sound really superficial) is just some sort of 'ending' with a credits scroll. They can let you play after the credits, but I kind of just like to have that "period" at the end of the sentence, you know? I don't have infinite time to get into games, so it's always deflating to me when I play these games that don't really have endings. I still don't know if I've even "finished" Terraria for instance.

I think the first is a little too limited and clunky to be as good as it could have been, especially in 1997. HM64 and FoMT are far better games as far as making things more user friendly.

@PogueSquadron HM did have an ending.