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Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Earth

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    Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Earth

    Well, there's still a while before the Gamecube version gets released (in the Us)but at the moment, I'm more than happy with the GBA version.

    Gorgeous visuals, some jaunty little tunes and plenty to do. I'm just completing my first year and already have 4 chickens, 3 sheep and 2 cows. I've not had a chance to woo the woman yet or the Harvest Sprites yet, but let's face it, there's only so much you can do in a (Harvest Moon) day.

    #2
    I've only had a few hours on this unfortunately (no time!), but it is ace. It's shaping up to be the best one since the SNES version anyway. Good stuff!

    But I don't have much money on it at the moment, so my days are largely spent wasting time waiting for a chance to brush my horse, feed my chicken and water my plants...again...

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      #3
      I loved this game when it was on the PlayStation as Harvest Moon: Back to Nature.

      Unfortunately, I also picked up Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town (In the US it's called "Town"). And I was VERY upset to find it was only a port of the original PS game. I'm sure it's great for those who never played the original in the 2001 - but as a gamer who did clock OVER 100 hours on the game you can better believe I was upset that Nintendo, nor Natsume didn't make any effort to tell me this.

      Plain the simple - here in the states, the game is called "new", and even 90% of the review sites are doing the same. Very few seem to have knowledge that this game is actually almost 3 years old. Granted it's still good, but I felt duped by Natsume in thinking it was "new" (as they claimed). Furthermore, Nintendo's been pitching the "Friends of Mineral...." because of the connectivity with the upcoming GameCube title, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.

      In all.....I wish crafty word play and clever marketing didn't trap the albeit small fan base who had already played this game - now reduced down to a GBA 2 " screen. Trust me, I played 6 hours of "Friends of Mineral....." and I knew all the dialog before the characters spoke, where things were, what to do, and how to get them. It IS the same game, to the letter. It is nice they added 3 mini games, but overall I was not happy to spend money on a title I had already played.

      Nonetheless, "Harvest Moon: Friends of.../ Back to Nature" is a great game that I wish more people would enjoy, get into it at full blast and you'll be physically tired! I recall being over ambitious and attempting to seed my entire field (except areas where I put my cows and chickens outdoors). I would literally try and kill myself just watering and harvesting all those squares. Granted this was later in the game, and I had more strength a huge backpack, the basket, and the horse and harvest Sprites helping....still...it was insane.

      One thing to do....if you've yet to get this far.....DO NOT break or toss off the small stones on your field. Instead line them up as your fence markers for the cows, or chickens. If you use WOOD to build a fence to keep you livestock from wandering you will have to continually repair the fence each time it rains or storms. The STONES will never wear down! So when cleaning up your field - when you finally get the time, don't toss the stones, they are great for marking areas and fences.

      Oh, also....there is a recipe that asks for Stones much later in the game (stone soup) - for when you get your kitchen together.

      The same with picking up sticks / wood. You need a TON to make upgrades on your house. Finding wood when you first start the game is just as important as chopping the wood tree stumps. If you can do some digging in the mines -since that's where you can find more "hearts" to add to your strength meter - which will help you work longer before falling down in a sweat.

      As for women.....it's nice to keep up with the choice of gal you want to marry....but get those house upgrades, and a full working kitchen before you really put the heat on. Mary (Library) was my bride of choice). Each of the girls also has a secret area you can't get into until you've gotten to know them better ( a backroom, a bedroom, a store storage....)

      If you're thinking of upgrades on your tools, go for either the Hoe, or the watering pail. Most people want a better Axe, but this means nothing if you can't dig, or water your crops fast enough to make them grow and EARN the money in the first place.

      Fishing is also damn good! And you should be able to get the fishing pole on the third day.

      Remember, if there's no rain the Chickens can eat on their own if you keep them outdoors to peck at the ground (just pick them up, go outside and drop them in fenced in pen to keep an eye on them).

      I think in the second or third year you'll have to deal with wild dogs on your field, so make sure you have a strong fence. Even with the fence the barking of the dogs scared my sheep (dropping their heart rate). At one time I made a double lined fence to keep distance and if the wood fell apart due to rain the second layer of fence still held.

      In all this is a great item and time management game.

      I just wish Ninty and Natsume had the balls to be upfront and admit this was just a port of an older game - for those of us who had already played it. Much like the old Zelda games, or the Prince of Persia mini games found in "Sands of Time".

      Instead, I can't help but think that they're milking the fact they can get away with calling it "new". At least that's been the promotion over here in the states. You folks over in the UK may have never got the PS game in the first place....so I guess it's all "new" for you as well.

      Don't ask, don't tell.

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        #4
        No we got 'Back to Nature'. It's the only game in the series other than the Game Boy versions to have gotten released over here.

        Anyway I have a question. Are the PS1 and N64 versions different? I have the PS1 version and would like to know if there are any differences before splashing out ?50+ on the N64 version.

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          #5
          From what I understand there is a major difference in the N64 and PlayStation versions. In short they are two different games (not like Back to nature versus Friends of Mineral....which are IDENTICAL......save for how you "save" and 3 mini games).

          In my opinion, if you've played the PS version (Back to Nature) then you don't need to but the GBA version (Friends of Mineral....) - well, unless you want to do the "connectivity" thing when the GameCube (Wonderful Life) comes out. (But Ninty has yet to say just what you get when you "connect" the two games).

          But I digress...

          The N64 had major differences, and some very hardcore players considered it to be the "real" Harvest Moon - prior to all the "fancy' upgrades in the current installments. I should look into it more.....I could be wrong.

          Comment


            #6
            Okay, after further inspection it seems they are close in "game play", but not in story. The back-story seems radically different. Granted you still end up with the farm, but your Grandfather is simply too old to run it, not that he passes away, or whatever. Furthermore, your father is supposedly still around.

            Other than that, the rest of the cast appears to be the same, and the goals, as well. However, "how" you go about things are different due to the difference between consoles - and what they polished up, or not.

            In a way, this is similar to the GBA version (Friends of Mineral....). It's the same (enough of the base plot), but it's difference simply because of the platform it's presented on. Thus, it's still the same game.

            So it appears I was wrong. N64 version is not different. Well, in the sense of what you do and the graphics and presentation.

            I think more investigation is needed. Especially if you're considering buying this for the N64 (after already playing the updated version of the same game). There must be something different about it, beyond the platform / console.

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