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Video Game Review: Harvest
Moon: A Wonderful Life
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For Nintendo Game Cube
By Natsume
Released: 2004
Reviewed: July 2004
Our Recommended Age:
7-up
Our Rating: B+
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Buy: Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life |
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Harvest
Moon: A Wonderful Life is the first installment of the
Harvest Moon series for the Game Cube platform. A Wonderful Life is similar to
the other Harvest Moon games for GameBoy and GameBoy Advance, as
well as for the SNES: players own a farm, grow crops, keep
animals, and more.
In this placid but fun game,
players take on the role of a rather simple farm boy, and their
goal is to raise a family and build a farmin short, help him to
have a "wonderful life". The game takes players on a
journey that spans 30 years, beginning with the boy inheriting his
father's farm.
There are 3 possible wives to marry, which effectively splits your
player's life into 3 possible paths. Will you choose to pair up
with the down-to-earth farm girl, Celia? Perhaps the bubbly and
energetic Muffy? Maybe the intelligent and quiet Nami...it's your
choice. (If only real life were this straightforward!) Players
will need to do some wooing of these very different girls.
After the marriage, players beget
a son who grows up as children play the game. Of course,
his childhood is accelerated, beginning as a toddler, and eventually
grows up to be an adult. Players can
influence their children towards different jobs as an adult.
Besides structuring the game by
marrying and raising a child, there are plenty of matters to tend
to: milking cows, shearing sheep, and hatching chicks are some of
the elements of farm life in Harvest Moon.
Growing crops is an important
activity. Players buy seeds, till the soil, plant the seeds, and
watch them grow to full plants which can be sold, eaten, used in
recipes, or given as gifts. Certain crops are worth more in
different seasons, so players need to learn what to plant, and
when. Players also meet Tartan, a two-headed talking plant who can
use grown crops to create hybrid seeds, which can be grown and
placed in the seed maker, a money-saving device that turns crops
into two seeds.
Although A Wonderful Life lacks
dog training and horse races that were present in previous
versions, it remains a pleasure to play and
even to watch as an onlooker. Watching your first cow give you a
lick is incredibly cute. In fact, a kid tester excitedly reported
that his cow gave birth! He had to feed the baby calf mother's
milk from a baby bottle. Adorable details such as this one, as
well as realistic happenings (such as a thunderstorm) add
authenticity to the game.
A female version
of the game will be released at a later date. Girls who are
interested in the game should probably wait until it is released.
The For Girls version will sport extra features.
Owners of Harvest Moon:
Friends of Mineral Town for the GameBoy Advance will enjoy
the ability to connect A Wonderful Life to their Friends of
Mineral Town for extended gameplay and some new adventures.
A link cable is required for this feature.
This game is decidedly
socialthere are plenty of characters to meet (including a
mad scientist, a hobo, an archaeologist, a rich old woman, a
butler, a metallurgist, and more), and
friendships built contribute to the success of the boy's
(and his son's) life.
What is especially
appealing about this video game is its lack of violence and
action. True, it may bore children who are accustomed to
frenzied games, but as placid as Harvest Moon is, it's also
rich in features. Our testers are thrilled with the game.
One tester was pleased that Harvest Moon is engrossing but
not excessively addictive. This way, he feels that the game
lasts longer because he doesn't play it obsessively. He
insists, nevertheless, that it is very appealing to play.
For more information, user
reviews, or to buy the game, follow this link:
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life
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Pros: |
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- This is one of the few
video games that is calm and non-violent.
- Surprisingly addictive
gameplay.
- Super cute graphics.
- Appeals to children of
virtually all ages.
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Cons: |
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- Becomes somewhat repetitive and less
addictive over time.
- Special events are not as interesting
as they could be.
- Tutorials are present, but younger
players, as well as players new to the series, need more clues.
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[For more information, user
reviews, or to buy:
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life] |
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Reviewed July 2004 |
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