Ushi No Tane
Harvest Moon News
Issue 56
http://www.fogu.com/hm/


December 14, 2005

I finally received my copy of the new Harvest Moon DS game, released last week in 
Japan. The game is just a remake of Sprite Station but you play as a female 
character instead.

When Harvest Moon DS for Girl starts the Goddess will ask you questions like "do you
 like pony tails?", if you like fair hair, and so on. The answers to her questions will 
determine if you play as the girl from Another Wonderful Life or Claire from More 
Friends Of Mineral Town. The questions just change your character looks, not the 
outcome of the entire game.

As the game starts you are sleeping and the Goddess is watching you. It seems like 
your mother's wish was to see you succeed, but the Goddess concerned that you 
don't have the motivation to do any work (sleepyhead!). She'll chuckle and tell the 
Sprites that she'll just explain to God that your mother's wish can't be completed but 
God was listening to the whole conversation. God feels that the Goddess isn't making 
enough effort and starts to tease her about giving up.  Well the Goddess doesn't like 
that and starts calling God baldheaded. Naturally God gets upset with the insult and 
turns the Goddess into stone! The Sprites are shocked to see their stone-formed 
friend and begin calling God baldheaded too. At that point God poofs them away in 
frustration and is determined to fulfill your mother's request.

Majyou the Witch then wakes you up from your nap and reads to you a letter she 
just received from the Goddess. The letter explains that the Goddess won't be able to
help you and neither will the Sprites until you find them. Majyou also says that she 
can't be of much help either. After that you start your game. Since you appear to 
have been living in Forget-Me-Not for some time, the residents don't introduce 
themselves when you talk to them for the first time.

The bachelors available are Kain (Carter), Gared (Griffen), Ain (Kai), Ash (Marlin), 
Mick (Rick), Gusta (Gustafa), Harif (Cliff), Romio (Rock), Tore (Doc from Mineral 
Town), and the new character named Steiner. Steiner is a crafty thief who only 
seems to appear at night, and the boys from Mineral Town only appear after you plug
 in your Gameboy Advance version of Harvest Moon.

Some of the bachelor's clothing has also changed from the boy version. Romio, Ash, 
Mick, Tore, Purple, and Gusta all have different colored shirts on their character 
pixels that are different from the first game, but their portrait graphic on the bottom 
screen still shows them as wearing their previous clothing. Doctor's descendant is 
now wearing a pink robe instead of a white one!

You can also purchase additional colored outfits by calling May's descendant via your 
telephone. You can pick different colored overalls if you play as the blond Claire 
character, and multi colored t-shirt/jeans combinations if you play as the AnWL girl. 
May's Shop also sells wallpaper and carpet combinations for 2000 G and up. When 
you first start you can buy a grass floor + cloud wallpaper and a puppy print floor + 
grey horse hoof wallpaper. You also get the chance to preview the new design before
 you purchase it. All of the outfits you buy are selected from a red storage bin inside 
your house.

Marvelous also updated their Innocent Life: Harvest Moon web site last week with 
some new pictures. The seasons are 35 days long and one of the image's caption 
mentions the game is in real time. A couple of new characters were also revealed, 
like the mayor of Volcano Town, Chuck Grimley, and his son Charles. There is also 
another farmer on the south island named Johnathan and his wife Vanessa. MMV's 
next update for IL page is scheduled for January 13.

Innocent Life screenshots
http://www.mmv-i.net/game/psp/innocent_life/world_2.html

In Magic Melody news, the ambiguous Rion has had a name change. When the game 
is released in English, Rion will be known as Jamie. Depending on what gender of 
character you decide to play as, Jamie will be the opposite gender.


Until next time!


- What happens when you mix a frog with a bathtub scrubby-mit?
-- A rubbit!


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POLL QUESTION

Last issue's results:
Q: Should the PSP version of HM be localized?

33.3% = It's just BTN again, rather have a new game...
27.5% = Maybe, I'd like to try BTN For Girl.
23.5% = Yes! Of course!
15.7% = Cher is a twit for liking a fishing game (HEY!)
(Total votes: 51)

This issue's poll:
Q: With the updates, would you still want to buy HMDS for Girl?

Vote at http://www.fogu.com/hm/hmlist/poll/
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