Farming for Pleasure and Profit.
Written: Aug 25 '01 (Updated Aug 27 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun. Addictive. Fun. Many Possibilities. Fun.
Cons: The Repetitive Music. Pop-up Graphics. Can't play as a girl.
The Bottom Line: Rent before you buy but for Pete's sake, Rent It!
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| decayconstant's Full Review: Harvest Moon 64 for Nintendo 64 |
Yes, that's right, A farming sim. Ol' Grandpappy has died and it's your job to repair the farm and turn it into a profitable business. First you need to clear the land of weeds and boulders so you can get a good patch of land sewed with the seeds. There are four seasons in Harvest Moon, each of which has different crops for you to plant. Each crop has different attributes. For example, in the summer you can plant either corn or tomatoes. Corn is worth more but the seeds are more expensive and it grows slower than tomatoes so you can get more harvests of tomatoes than corn. You need to find out which crops to plant to make the most money (Corn is better in the long run.) During the winter you can't plan crops unless you have a greenhouse but you can go to the nearby mountains and mine for minerals with your hoe.
Game Play
A typical day goes something like this: You wake up and have breakfast and check the weather for tomorrow on the TV. Next you would go outside and water the crops. Then you take the eggs the chickens have laid and put them in the pick-up box. The cows need milking and if you want your cows to produce better and more expensive milk you need to brush and talk to them. It you keep your cows and chickens in the barn you need to feed them too or they could get sick and then you'd need to go to the local ranch to buy some medicine. When you're done with the chores you could either go to the mountain to pick wild berries and fruit to supplement your income or go to town and talk to one of the five eligible young women in town. When night comes you could go to the bar for a drink. Don't stay up all night too often because you could get sick too and no one would take care of the chores.
It may not sound like much but there are many festivals to spice things up like the horse and dog races where you can bet on the races to gain points to buy stuff with. You can marry one of the girls in town, and even have a baby. You can buy expansions for you house and farm like a bathroom or a green house which lets you plant things all year round and lets you do it without worrying about time. There are also many mini-events like helping to build a bridge or someone from town dying.
Graphics
The graphics aren't anything to write home about. They are cartoonish and there are some graphical bugs where the tops of buildings pop into place as you move instead of smoothly coming on the screen. The graphics do fit with the game however.
Sound
The sound effects are quite simple fare. The music does get annoying at the end of the seasons because each season has only one song to play and the songs get repetitive.
Conclusion
Harvest Moon just kept drawing me back for more. I wanted to win the horse race or get Maria (One of the girls in town) to like me a little more or get enough money to buy the greenhouse. It just won't let go.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
decayconstant
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Member: Seth Bicknell
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Push my nose, I might be changing you..?
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