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Rune Factory 2 screens burst into light
We don't even have the first Rune Factory yet, and already there are screenshots from the sequel. This is getting entirely too common with games we're interested in, like Professor Layton and his Many Mysterious Venues. Rune Factory 2, like its predecessor, is a spin-off from the Harvest Moon series. There's some debate as to whether or not we even need the first title, but we're willing to give it a spin when it finally comes out. In the meantime, we'll check out these shots from the sequel
Cellphones are dangerous/not dangerous, bee killing edition
Apparently, we should all feel incredibly guilty for simply using our cellphones, as not only are we encouraging the growth of ear tumors within our bodies, but now we're hearing that radiation flying out from our mobiles are demolishing the world's supply of crops. All jesting aside, a controversial report is now claiming that "radiation from mobile phones are interfering with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving (and pollinating) species from finding their way back to their hives." The comically-named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is reportedly being seen on a much larger scale in the US and Europe, and elusive "evidence" is purportedly backing these dodgy claims up. Backers of the shocking data are even going so far as to suggest that in the future, our refusal to set aside the cellphone could cause "massive food shortages as the world's harvests fail." Man, this sounds worse than Y2K, for sure.[Via Slashdot]
Rune looks like a lady
With only a few weeks left before the North American release of Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (5/1), developer Neverland Co. has announced a sequel to its farming sim and RPG hybrid. The latest issue of Famitsu has screenshots for the follow-up, and they show a remarkable amount of improvement to the original's graphics. It's still too early to call the redhead protagonist's gender, but our money's on the character being a guy. You can never tell these days, what with all the effeminate farmhands running around. Let us know what you think -- is he one of the dudes? Or is she the princess of Cootie Town? Check past the jump for the Rune Factory 2 magazine scans and a full profile shot of the androgynous hero.
Lely's Voyager keeps cattle grazing in the right direction
We wouldn't normally think that cattle farming would be the easiest, cleanest profession out there, but considering the wireless tracking gizmos, robotic milkers, and RFID tattoos that are now available, we're startin' to think these guys / gals have it made. Aside from dodging cow pies, farmers can now look forward to one more robotic innovation making things better, as Lely's automated strip grazing system, dubbed Voyager, "utilizes two robots to move an electrified fence-line at a pace that ensures that the sward is completely grazed." The "frontal grazing" approach purportedly maximizes grass utilization and keeps ungrazed areas from being "contaminated by manure," and moreover, the machines are solar-powered, automatically keeps the wire taught at all times, and communicates with one another via Bluetooth. Don't think that installing robots to do your dirty work will run ya cheap, however, as the Voyager system will only be available in limited quantities for around £15,000 ($29,664).[Via TheRawFeed]
Spectrobes webisodes to back up DS release
We know you're in pain. There are so few Nintendo games dedicated to collecting and training monsters that you're all in severe withdrawals. After all, it's been at least ... oh ... six seconds or so since another such title was announced!Okay, so maybe we're being a tad sarcastic, but these days, you can't walk into a gaming store without tripping over monster-farming titles. In such a market, what's a company like Buena Vista to do that will make their new game, Spectrobes, stand out? It's not enough these days to have a kick ass developer -- and they do -- and the intergalactic setting might not do it, either. So what's left? Webisodes, of course! Six webisodes, designed to grant a little insight into the characters and their place in the world, will hit the game's official website over the next half year. Wow, maybe they could even put one of them "telly-vision shows" on the magical picture box! Now that would be something really new and fresh.
Farming fun without the cow patties
Harvest Moon Heroes producer Yoshifumi Hashimoto posits that a farming sim is far more entertaining than actual farming, and we're forced to agree -- unless you're one of those freaks who actually enjoys yard work and such. However, if you want to get close to the real thing without breaking a sweat or sliding around in the byproducts of pork futures, then the Wii version of the long-running Harvest Moon franchise is just what you need. In designing the latest installment in the series, Hashimoto says they worked to walk a fine line between work and play. After all, if the game is too much like work, then why play? Why not trundle into the backyard, shovel in one hand and spade in the other, and make your own garden? Harvest Moon Heroes works to get as close to that as possible, albeit without the added bonus of fresh tomatoes or peppers. But it sounds like the game will be a perfect illustration of the Wii's ability to translate the gaming experience into reality, or at least a semblance thereof. Sounds like a sign a great things to come.
Rune Factory opening movie
Fighting, farming, and ... uh. Young love. Yeah. Sounds like the makings of an epic!While this may not be the best of all movies on YouTube (it's a little on the jiggly side), it's still a love peek into the new Rune Factory releasing in Japan this week.
Further down on the farm with Harvest Moon
Nintendo Wii Zone has a whole page of farmalicious goodness from Harvest Moon, including screenshots from the upcoming Wii game and character sketches, all from Famitsu. A close look at the screens offers some further insight into the control scheme as well. And all farm animal gags aside, the conceptual pictures are beautiful.
First look at Wii's Harvest Moon
Despite the game's announcement during E3, fans of the down-on-the-farm series Harvest Moon have been left twisting in the wind when it comes to the franchise's emergence on the Wii. How will the control scheme change? What'll the story be? How will it look? Is the title really Harvest Moon Heroes or was that a misprint at E3? The latest issue of Famitsu has some answers, and several sites are sporting scans and translated info. Word is that now instead of hitting a few buttons to lift that barge or tote that bale, Wii's farming sim will be based on realistic motions. Need to water your plants? Now you get to do just that, by tipping the Wiimote downward to simulate the action. Sounds kinda like work to us, but we'll keep an open mind for now ....[Thanks, saigon!]
WoW Moviewatch: More fun things to do with bots
This Bluwolfe person is quickly becoming my favorite priest with these amusing mind control videos. Here's another video of him tormenting a poor bot that doesn't know well enough to fight back - watch and learn!
On the topic of farmers...
My priest has been, for some time now, looking for a pattern for the Truefaith Vestments - the epic crafted priest robes. While I would occasionally see a Robe of the Archmage or a Robe of the Void pattern, I've not seen any of my own. However, over the past couple of weeks, I've seen more and more Robe of the Archmage patterns - as seen above. The cost has dropped dramatically, as well - what once sold for a hundred gold and up is now, as you see, more often selling for 30 to 40, when they sell at all.This has started to puzzle me, as the pattern drops off of Pyromancers in lower Blackrock Spire, of which there are few, and difficult to get to. I've gone with a number of groups that refuses to attempt the pull with the Pyromancers, simply because it's large and difficult. So where then, do these patterns come from? Several commenters on Thottbot claim that you can solo your way to the right area with the use of stealth or invisibility potions, and one poster goes into some detail about two rogues taking the group down with timely use of sap, vanish, and evasion. But even if the pattern can be acquired with the efforts of one or two players, this doesn't explain the sudden appearance of so many in the marketplace. It's possible that the drop rate has been increased, but it seems unlikely that the drop rate of one of the epic robe patterns would go up while the other two remain the same. In my past experience with the game, a sudden flood of rare items on the market has been an indication of a new farming technique or hack, allowing farmers to now easily acquire something that was usually difficult. (For an example of similar circumstances in the past, see this old Dire Maul hack.) However, at present, there's no evidence one way or the other - so this remains simply an oddity...
