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Retail therapy: Wada's 'Project Happiness' is a shopkeeper's life
Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada and publisher Natsume revealed their next project together at E3. "Project Happiness" is a new IP in which you run a shop in a small village, buying and selling items to improve the shop and learning the stories of all the customers who come in over the years. Natsume later revealed plans to put it on 3DS and mobile; during an interview at E3, Wada said it was planned for a "variety of platforms."Wada recruited top talent to create his new game. Character designs, for both humans and the adorable "sprite" creatures that inhabit the world, are by Pokemon character designer Atsuko Nishida. The music, including that heard in the above trailer, is composed by legendary Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu.
Harvest Moon creator working on new IP 'Project Happiness' for Natsume
Talking to us at GDC about his new company Toybox, Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada hinted at upcoming announcements for E3. Today, Natsume revealed that Toybox will develop a new IP codenamed "Project Happiness," with Natsume publishing the unknown game in North America and Rising Star Games publishing in Europe."Project Happiness is an IP that is very close to my heart, and stems from years of working on other great titles like the Harvest Moon series," Wada said in the announcement. "Project Happiness is not only meant to be a fun game experience, but I also want it to help expand the player's view of the world, and make them ponder what their life means to them." It's a tall order, and one we're not sure will lead to happiness in all cases.Natsume and Wada will reveal more about Project Happiness at E3, and Joystiq will be there to tell you about it.
Start (farm) fresh in Harvest Moon: A New Beginning for 3DS
On the 15th anniversary year of the North American debut of Harvest Moon, Natsume will introduce a new 3DS edition of the farming game with features never seen before – you know, to keep the vegetation from growing stale.Harvest Moon: A New Beginning puts an emphasis on customization, allowing you to build your own character, buy and design furniture for your house, decorate the nearby village, and move stuff on your farm around ... which can't be good for the crops.In A New Beginning, you start a farm up around Echo Village to revitalize the town and bring people and animals back. It'll be out this year, and will be shown off as part of Natsume's Harvest Moon celebration at E3.
ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond
Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses. The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill. Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA. This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark. (Joystiq does not support SOPA, nor does our parent company.)
Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns headed to DS and 3DS
Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns will launch simultaneously on the DS and 3DS in North America this summer. A 3DS Harvest Moon was previously revealed, but we weren't aware of the dual platform launch. The latest Harvest Moon plot revolves around two towns torn apart by a rivalry over food. As a new farmer, players will have to choose between the crop-lovin' Eastern-styled town of Konohana or the meat-meat-meat, European-styled Bluebell. In time, players will bring a truce between the towns -- likely by developing an industrial farming complex that buys out both towns and places all the local farmers into indentured servitude.
Reel Fishing Paradise 3D for 3DS puts fish in your face
Natsume's Reel Fishing series is going to get a bit more "reel" with the addition of a third dimension. The publisher has announced a 3DS iteration of its fishing franchise, out some time this spring. Reel Fishing Paradise 3D will include a variety of fishing venues, including "tranquil lakes, rocky coasts, flooded forests, and more." Good thing those forests are flooded, or you'd have a hard time navigating a boat through them. Paradise features customizable and upgradeable equipment, too, allowing you to blame your particular combination of reel, bait, etc. every single time you fail.%Gallery-117043%
Famitsu: XBLA shmup Omega Five coming to 3DS
It's okay if you don't remember Omega Five. The Natsume-developed side-scrolling shump hit XBLA (pictured) in early 2008 and has since shot into obscurity. According to Famitsu, the game is set to appear on Nintendo 3DS in Japan during Spring 2011 -- where it'll probably make a more memorable bow among a launch lineup otherwise devoid of "traditional" shoot-em-ups. Hudson published Omega Five on XBLA. The company hasn't made a peep about the 3DS version, but we'll check in to see what -- if anything -- it has to say about a possible North American release.
Harvest Moon 64 probably not coming out on Virtual Console
In our experience, there are two types of people in this world: Folks who think Harvest Moon 64 is the best game in the series, and total weirdos. The first group will likely be dismayed to read NerdMentality's recent interview with Natsume exec Graham Markay, who, when asked whether the title would ever make it onto the Virtual Console storefront, responded, "It will not. It will not. And it's not from lack of trying." Markay explained that the code of the original title is "not an easy transfer," later adding "I shouldn't say it's never going to come out, but there's just a really, really, very small chance that it would ever come out." Great, Markay. Just leave that door open. Just keep us hanging onto that one sliver of hope as we attempt to get our fix by pulling 48-hour FarmVille binges. You're killing us, dude.
VC in Brief: Wild Guns (SNES)
What better way to celebrate Memorial Day than by mowing down countless waves of evil henchmen and robots? Natsume's Wild Guns is a great arcade experience that both fans of shooters and crazy interpretations of historical events can get behind. Seriously, it's not a bad way to spend $8 (or hours of your time). Wild Guns (SNES, 1 - 2 players, 800 Wii Points) Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer VC in Brief as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
Natsume publishing Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals in North America
Square Enix's DS remake of Lufia II is headed Stateside from an unexpected publisher -- by which we mean it's not Square Enix. Natsume, who surprised us by picking up Sony's Afrika, announced plans to release the game now called Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals in North America this fall. That's good news for gamers in more than one way -- had Square published the game itself, it would have had the customary $39.99 price tag put on Square DS games, while Natsume is only charging $30. Curse of the Sinistrals takes the original turn-based SNES game, about monster hunter Maxim and his quest to defeat four "Sinistrals" before they destroy the world, and recasts it as an action RPG, with a combo system and the ability to switch characters mid-combo. %Gallery-93733%
PSN Tuesday: Test drive Split/Second, ModNation Racers
PSN Tuesday's big draw this week is kickin' the tires on Split/Second, developed by the same folks that brought us the equally gorgeous Pure. For those interested in DLC, there's new stuff for BioShock 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum and, naturally, LittleBigPlanet. PSP owners can pick up Harvest Moon: Hero Of Leaf Valley and Worms: Battle Islands. Split/Second isn't the only racing game with a demo -- ModNation Racers is also available for a test drive. Check out the full update after the break. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Witch's Wish materializes in stores this month
Have you been hoping for a more specific release date for Natsume's Witch's Wish? Your hypothetical wish is granted! The publisher announced that the cute, magical adventure game has gone gold, with a release planned "toward the end of May" (we did say "more specific," and not "exact"). In Witch's Wish, a young student witch named Vicky uses her magic, accessed by drawing runes on the DS touch screen, to help the citizens of her magical town, take part in magical duels, and combat a mysterious "dark force." Whether or not this is the game for you, you probably agree that it's nice for Natsume to get away from Harvest Moon occasionally. %Gallery-84591%
Natsume grants a Witch's Wish on DS
If you're hoping to play a cute DS game starring a young witch, but not NIS's A Witch's Tale, Natsume has you covered. The publisher just announced Witch's Wish, a new game joining its DS lineup of extraordinarily quirky stuff. Witch's Wish stars "Vicky," a girl who wants to go to Hogwarts witch school, and has to help save her town from some kind of "dark force" while simultaneously learning how to do magic. The ESRB reveals a bit more about the gameplay, describing "comical duel sequences" -- rock-paper-scissors style duels in which "buckets of water are dumped, little tornadoes may twirl, and bursts of cloud-and-fire are sent." Precious! (Retailer orders for) Witch's Wish will be fulfilled this spring. %Gallery-84591%
Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley coming stateside in April
Considering the extent to which Farmville has enraptured the hearts and minds of 95 percent of the Facebook-using populace, we're not surprised that Natsume has decided to bring yet another installment in the Harvest Moon franchise to the States. According to the publisher, American store shelves will play host to Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley for the PSP in April. The game will task you with staving off the expansion of The Funland Corporation's chain of amusement parks into your home town of Leaf Valley. You'll do so in the most logical manner imaginable: by repeatedly performing various agricultural chores. Yeah, that'll show 'em! Editor's Note: This announcement was posted earlier on Joystiq PlayStation. We apologize for the excessive publication of this news.
Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley coming to PSP this April
Natsume continues milking the Harvest Moon franchise, with a new game coming to the PSP later this year. Hero of Leaf Valley promises to be "the biggest PSP Harvest Moon adventure yet." This time around, players must farm their hearts out in order to save Leaf Valley from the evil Funland Corporation. Multiple endings are promised -- we hope one of them involves your vegetables combining to form a mech that destroys Funland Corp. (That might be unlikely, though.) Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley will be available in April for $29.99. %Gallery-84159%
Natsume's Squishy Tank and Cheer We Go available on DS in March
There's bound to be someone else out there waiting for news about Natsume's super-cute artillery puzzle game Squishy Tank, because we know we are. Natsume just announced that both that puzzler and Cheer We Go will be released in March, which is ... unfortunately, so overloaded that these games are likely to founder in even deeper obscurity than they would anyway. Squishy Tank, based on a series of Japanese Flash animations, is a color-matching game with soft, animate tank characters and adorable parody minigames. Cheer We Go is a rhythm-based game in which the player revitalizes a failed town, home to terrible sports teams and widespread despair, with cheerleading! The games will retail for $20 each. %Gallery-64359% %Gallery-83707%
Going to Afrika will be affordable
Natsume is finally bringing the long-delayed Afrika to American audiences this year. The nature-themed photography game is very much a niche title, but its production values are far beyond what a typical budget game offers. Pricing is a tricky subject for the publisher to handle, as its games aren't meant really for casual gamers. "We are not so interested in the so-called 'value' titles," Yasuhiro Maekawa explained to Gamasutra. "Most of the Natsume games I'd say are about in the middle. Sort of normal retail price titles with normal graphical levels."So what will the publisher pursue for Afrika? "For a PlayStation 3 title, this will probably be $49.99. That's what we're thinking. Between $39.99 and $49.99. $59.99 is probably too much." At $50, Afrika isn't really a "budget" game, but it's still cheaper than the average new PS3 game. Is that low enough for you to consider purchasing the game? Or should it drop down to $40?
Rune Factory 3 sprouts on DS
The Rune Factory series is showing that it is still, at heart, part of the Harvest Moon franchise -- mostly by having lots of sequels. The latest issue of Famitsu reveals another, Rune Factory 3 for DS. This is actually the fourth Rune Factory, counting Frontier on Wii.In addition to his duties as a farmer, new protagonist Maisu, who features a character design right out of Tetsuya Nomura's sketchbook, can transform into monsters, gaining different abilities in battle and interacting differently with other characters out of battle.According to IGN's translation, the game now features "active seeds" that grow into plants that can be used in battle! Most exciting farming game ever.
NintendoWare Weekly: Water Warfare in for a Reel Fishing Challenge
It wouldn't be Monday without new games to download across Nintendo platforms. This week's highlight is definitely Hudson's first-person soaker, Water Warfare. It's a neat concept, but we really think Hudson could've spent some time tightening up the graphics on level three.%Gallery-48416%
How Natsume picked up Afrika (bonus: trophies confirmed!)
When Sony first revealed Afrika, it was a marquee first-party PS3 title used to show off the power of the system. Three years later, it's finally being released in North America, by tiny third-party publisher Natsume, who is more familiar with Harvest Moon and handheld games than anything shown off at a press conference. How did this happen?According to Graham Markay, Vice President of Operations for Natsume, Finny the Fish was instrumental in the deal. No, really. Sony's Uo: Nanatsu no Mizu to Densetsu no Nushi was localized on the PS2 by Natsume as Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters. "We have a relationship with Sony Japan," Markay explained. "You might remember Finny the Fish? That game was done by Sony Japan. So we licensed that game from them. We have a little bit of a history with their licensing department in Japan." Because of this relationship, Natsume was one of the companies contacted by Sony Japan about the game. Markay said that Afrika "really fits with the Natsume theme" because it's non-violent and nature-oriented. We might add that it fits with the Natsume theme so well that the company is simultaneously releasing a different safari photography game on the Wii.In case you need an extra incentive to buy Afrika, Markay confirmed that "there is going to be a trophy system, which wasn't in the Asian release or Japanese release."%Gallery-64358%
