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Nintendo backs off of bringing Super Nintendo games to Wii U
Bad news for Super Nintendo fans: your Wii U fix is about to dry up. Nintendo's Virtual Console, the download service offering older games on its consoles and handhelds, has never had the most robust selection. With Nintendo turning its eye towards N64 games, though, SNES releases are being left behind. According to Natsume, a publisher with a plethora of SNES games primed for re-release, Nintendo is done with 16-bit for now.
Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley review: Fractured farming tales
3DS After taking root in the 16-bit era and spanning multiple console generations, the Harvest Moon series now finds itself in a precarious spot. The North American publishing rights for the Marvelous-developed Harvest Moon games have changed hands, leaving Xseed to publish the next 3DS sequel as Story of Seasons. Freed of its ties to the series itself but retaining the Harvest Moon trademark, Natsume took the opportunity to shift the franchise in a new direction with the internally developed Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley. Featuring terraforming mechanics inspired by the indie hit Minecraft, The Lost Valley shakes up long-standing series traditions in a bid to explore new farming-focused gameplay ideas and forge its own identity. While its attempts at innovation are successful to a limited extent, longtime Harvest Moon fans will be disappointed with the barebones end result.
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley trailer talks farmlife fantasies
Natsume gets chatty in this narrated trailer for Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, giving a detailed overview of what players can expect from the latest entry in its long-running farming simulation series. The Lost Valley puts players on a quest to restore the seasons to a forgotten town, and features new world-building elements and customization options inspired by Minecraft. The Lost Valley hits retail and the 3DS eShop on November 4. [Video: Natsume]
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley takes root November 4
Lighthearted farming sim Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley will premiere for the Nintendo 3DS in North America next month, publisher Natsume revealed today. The Lost Valley evolves the agriculture-focused gameplay of its predecessors while adding new terrain customization elements reminiscent of Minecraft. The Lost Valley is the first entry in the long-running series to be developed by a new internal team at Natsume; core Harvest Moon series staffers are currently working on Story of Seasons, a successor game hitting the 3DS this year from Xseed. The Lost Valley will debut at retail and via Nintendo's eShop on November 4. Players who pre-order via Natsume's online store will also receive a plush dog (bundled with The Lost Valley's regular edition) or bunny (included with the premium edition) at release. [Image: Natsume]
Natsume introduces the bachelorettes of Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley
Who is your ideal partner? Is it a cheery waitress? How about a shy botanist? Or do you prefer the snooty rich-girl type? These are the ladies you'll woo in Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, Natsume's upcoming 3DS farming sim that features terrain-shaping elements inspired by Minecraft. The Lost Valley's bachelorettes include waitress and master chef Emily, socially awkward bouquet specialist April, and Catherine, who Natsume describes as a "prickly cactus" with a "no-nonsense attitude." As in previous Harvest Moon games, players will need to show their love with gifts suited to their partner's personality before they can start a relationship and eventually marry. The Lost Valley also features a number of eligible bachelors, including blacksmith-in-training Tony and Gilbert, a bard who speaks entirely in rhyming couplets. Man, that would get old fast. Not gonna judge if that's your thing, though. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley premieres exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS on October 21. [Image: Natsume]
Harvest Moon embraces Minecraft in The Lost Valley for 3DS
Natsume has released a new trailer for its upcoming Nintendo 3DS farming sim Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, showcasing a new direction for the series that takes inspiration from Mojang's breakout sandbox hit Minecraft. While The Lost Valley retains the crop-harvesting and animal-tending gameplay of its predecessors, the latest series entry allows players to build and shape the world around them, raising surfaces block-by-block to form unique layouts. Players are also able to shape rivers, raise mountains, and build bridges between landmasses, further reinforcing the Minecraft link. The Lost Valley is developed by a newly formed internal team within Natsume that replaces former series developer Marvelous, which is now working on the Harvest Moon spiritual successor game Story of Seasons with publisher Xseed. A release date for Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley has not been announced. [Video: Natsume]
Lufia: The Legend Returns, Harvest Moon 2 to reach 3DS VC
E3 2014 wasn't just great for new games – Capcom showed Virtual Console users a little love with their upcoming release schedule, and now Natsume Inc. has done the same by announcing two new 3DS VC titles: Both Lufia: The Legend Returns and Harvest Moon 2 GBC are "coming soon" to the digital storefront. While Game Boy Color cartridges of either game are still reasonably priced, we're hoping this will lead to a debut of the SNES' pricier Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals on the Wii U VC, which typically sells for $50 or higher. Hoping for the same scenario with Harvest Moon 64 might be futile, though – when a fan asked about the possibility of the N64's farm-and-relationship simulator arriving at a later date, the Natsume page responded: "Sadly, HM64 won't be appearing." [Image: Natsume]
Same sex marriage in Harvest Moon: 'We know what the fans are looking for'
Marriage is an intrinsic part of long-running life sim series, Harvest Moon, but to date same sex marriage hasn't been possible. The newest game in the series, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley for 3DS, won't change that trend, but future games might, if that's what the fans really want. When I asked the question as to whether Natsume had considered including same sex marriage in a Harvest Moon game, Graham Markay, Vice President of Operations, said, "It's obviously something that we're going to look into as we continue the Harvest Moon series. We're going to look into all aspects of it." He started to express the idea that it's not a cut-and-dried issue, but Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume cut him off. "We always listen very carefully to fans' voices," Maekawa said. "Fan voices, media voices. We know what the fans are looking for. We are always carefully listening to fans' voices." Maekawa says he is very appreciative of Harvest Moon's fans, who have kept the game alive since its inception on Super Nintendo in 1996. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, which "innovates in a way no other Harvest Moon game ever has," will be out for 3DS this fall.
Seen@E3: Harvest Moon's genetically enlarged livestock
Dang. That there's a big ol' cow, I tell you what.
Natsume plants a seed, grows Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley
Publisher Natsume has unveiled a new Nintendo 3DS entry in its flagship rustic life simulation franchise, dubbed Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley. "Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley is truly evolving the franchise," stated Natsume CEO Hiro Maekawa in this morning's announcement. "But the incredibly exciting thing that really elevates the game is that while it does get back to what everyone loves about the early games, it also innovates in a way that no Harvest Moon game ever has." Though Maekawa failed to mention exactly how the game innovates, the rest of the announcement picks up his slack. According to Natsume, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley is the first entry in the series to feature a fully three-dimensional setting. Instead of planting crops then letting photosynthesis do the dirty work, players will be able to directly shape the landscape of their farms. Examples offered by the publisher include a farm riddled with canals a la Venice, Italy, and a field full of tulips, like those stereotypically found in Holland. Keep in mind, this is not the same game we revealed last week. That game, Story of Seasons, shares a developer lineage, aesthetic and gameplay mechanics with the Harvest Moon games, though it's technically not an official sequel. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley is an official Harvest Moon entry, and while it currently lacks a solid release date, Natsume promises to reveal more at the upcoming E3 conference. [Image: Natsume]
Don't call the new Harvest Moon game 'Harvest Moon'
Xseed Games has picked up the North American publishing rights to the next entry in Marvelous' long-running Harvest Moon series, announcing that it will release the sequel Story of Seasons for the Nintendo 3DS in North America later this year. Published by Natsume since its Super NES debut in 1997, the farming-focused Harvest Moon series has seen numerous sequels and spinoffs in the years that followed, including the ongoing Rune Factory subseries. Natsume still owns the rights to the "Harvest Moon" trademark in North America, however, requiring Xseed to rename its upcoming 3DS game Story of Seasons. Despite the new name, Story of Seasons shares much of its development staff with previous Harvest Moon games, including producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto and character designer Igusa Matsuyama. Story of Seasons also retains core series mechanics like crop-tending, animal care, and character growth and customization. Xseed notes that further details will be revealed at E3 next month. [Image: Xseed]
Natsume gets nostalgic in US, plans End of Serenity for PSP
Natsume will localize End of Serenity, KEMCO's classicly-styled JRPG, sometime this summer on the PlayStation Network. Hold off on adding another RPG to your Vita's schedule though - End of Serenity is planned to go back a generation and land on the PSP. End of Serenity's world is littered with objects called Atomigems, which are used for everything from family heirlooms to items of elevated status worthy of worship. A group known as the Underworld has begun hoarding Atomigems for itself however, regardless of the importance placed in each item by previous owners. Although the PSP version is End of Serenity's first North American appearance on handhelds, IGN noticed that the RPG began on mobile platforms as End of Aspiration. If you're okay with trading physical buttons for the chance to explore KEMCO's RPG right now, that version is currently available in the North American Google Play store for $4.99. There's a chance you've played Natsume's last mobile-to-PSP JRPG port, too - the publisher also brought KEMCO's Mystic Chronicles to the PSP last year. [Image: Natsume]
Bust-A-Move 4 on the PlayStation Network this spring
Natsume announced that it will release a digital PSone Classics version of Taito's Bust-a-Move 4 this spring, bringing the classic bubble-bursting puzzler to the PlayStation 3, PSP, and PS Vita. Bust-a-Move 4 expands on the color-matching gameplay of Taito's arcade-born Puzzle Bobble series with new pulley mechanics, challenging players to balance bubble clusters throughout its single-player Puzzle mode. The game also includes a friendship-straining competitive Versus mode, along with an Edit mode that allows players to create and save up to 25 custom level layouts. A specific release date for Bust-a-Move 4 was not announced. [Image: Natsume / Taito]
Yumi's Odd Odyssey journeys to 3DS eShop on March 20
Agatsuma Entertainment's sealife-themed puzzle-platformer Yumi's Odd Odyssey (yes, it's an apt title) is hitting the Nintendo 3DS eShop in North America next week, publisher Natsume announced. Released in Japan last year (as Sayonara Umihara Kawase), Yumi's Odd Odyssey is part of a long-running series that, to date, has never seen a Western release. The game equips players with an elastic fishing line, which can be attached to walls, floors, and ceilings in order to swing to faraway platforms, Bionic Commando-style. You'll also need to keep an eye out for wandering koi, eels, and other undersea critters, who have grown to monstrous size and sprouted legs in their pursuit of delicious human flesh. Yumi's Odd Odyssey was initially announced as a localized port of a PSP entry in the Umihara Kawase series way back in 2008, though the title was abandoned in the years since and reassigned to next week's 3DS release. Yumi's Odd Odyssey will be priced at $29.99 when it premieres on March 20. [Image: Natsume]
PSA: Hometown Story opens shop, designed by creator of Harvest Moon
A death in the family assigns the title of shopkeeper to its owner's descendent in Hometown Story, a town simulation game for the 3DS designed by Harvest Moon series creator Yasuhiro Wada and scored by Nobuo Uematsu. If braving the hells of retail as a bright-faced youth seems overwhelming, know that you'll have a magical sprite named Pochica to spout advice at you as you manage your storefront. Managing the shop will gradually introduce you to the town's inhabitants, leaving you to decide whether you'd like to help them out of their crises. Gathering items from villagers or the outskirts of town will help your shop grow, granting players a bigger inventory and more foot traffic. If you're considering taking on another life aside from your Pokedex conquest or your stint as mayor, Hometown Story is on display in actual stores this week.
Hometown Story travels to North America on October 22
Hometown Story settles down in North America on October 22 for 3DS, publisher Natsume announced. Hometown Story comes from Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Harvest Moon, and it plays off of that franchise's strengths: adorable characters conducting business and meeting people in a happy village. Wada told us at E3 that Hometown Story will focus less on farming and more on the spectrum of human relationships – and not just marriage, as is the case with Harvest Moon. "When marriage eventually turned into the overall goal for some players, I started feeling a little awkward about that," Wada said. "With Hometown Story, I wanted to shift the focus from marriage to many different kinds of human relationships."
Hometown Story hopes to recapture that Harvest Moon magic
The Natsume booth feels more than a little out of place amid the murder and mayhem that defines the E3 show floor experience. For those weary of the pulsing music, constant explosions and gruff voice-overs blasting from every ear-level speaker in sight, Natsume's display of gentle, colorful games about farming and fishing can feel like an oasis from sensory overload. While they've dabbled in just abut every genre known to man, an unexpected game called Harvest Moon – which hit the SNES long after it withered on the vine – has since become Natsume's strongest brand, with 19 prime series games to date. There's no end in sight for this strangely compelling series, though its creator Yasuhiro Wada has moved on to a new IP called Hometown Story, which he hopes will have the same longevity as the series that introduced the curious addictiveness of simulating mundane tasks years before The Sims.%Gallery-191606%
RPG 'Mystic Chronicles' moves from iOS to PSP this summer
Natsume is localizing the PSP version of Kemco's Mystic Chronicles, a retro-style RPG developed by Kemco. Yes, Kemco's back, and has been quietly releasing RPGs on iOS and Android for a while! In fact, Mystic Chronicles was one of those mobile releases. Siliconera notes that it was called Fantasy Chronicles on iOS, and featured what appears to be a different translation.Mystic Chronicles is a turn-based game in which protagonist Lux and other characters are accompanied by AI "guardian beasts," whose assignments and basic behaviors can be set by the player.The PSP version is due this summer, and we hope for Natsume's sake it'll be downloadable on Vita immediately.%Gallery-185235%
Wada's Project Happiness is now Hometown Story
"Project Happiness," the enchantingly adorable shopkeeper simulation by Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada, now has an official title: Hometown Story. The "story" in the title is meant to show the game's emphasis on meeting and learning about new townspeople by growing your shop, over simply conducting business for its own sake.The character designs, by Atsuko Nishida, have simplified since the prototype footage, showing a game that looks more like it's running on a 3DS. And it's still really, really, really heartwarmingly cute. It's due this year; Natsume has said it's coming to 3DS and mobile.
Harvest Moon celebrates 15th anniversary with PS Plus sale
To celebrate Harvest Moon's 15th anniversary, five classic Natsume games are on sale through the week for PlayStation Plus members, running 50 - 75 percent off.The sale includes Adventures To Go!, Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl, Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon and Reel Fishing: The Great Outdoors, each 50 percent off for $7.50. Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley is 75 percent off, also for $7.50.Series publisher Natsume teases more Harvest Moon games coming to PSN, though it hasn't made any official announcements.
