Another Fine Harvest from the Folks at Natsume
Written: Feb 05 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Addictive, innovative, and, above all, very enjoyable.
Cons: Flawed graphics, sound, and translation; somewhat short lifespan; the game needs a proof-check overall.
The Bottom Line: It may be flawed, but Natsume have succeeded in making Harvest Moon 64 one of the most entertaining and addictive games on the Nintendo 64.
|
|
|
| arada392's Full Review: Harvest Moon 64 for Nintendo 64 |
It is difficult to establish in exactly which game genre Harvest Moon 64 belongs. It is also very difficult for reviewers to try to explain it. ZDNet’s Gamespot took a stab at it when they said, "It’s as if the developer took every minigame that’s ever appeared in an RPG, combined them, and made a game out of it." The statement gives the wrong idea –it implies that the game is superficial- but they are on the right track.
The game’s premise seems simple, at least. You take the role of a young farmer who has been "blessed" with the inheritance of his late grandfather’s heavily deteriorated farm. (To say the least.) It is your task to return the farm to its original glory by cleaning it up, building new additions to the house, and populating it with prize-winning animals again. In the process, you might make new friends, spend quality time in the town’s various festivals, and perhaps, with some luck and hard work, even start a family.
However, Harvest Moon 64 does not give a good impression at first. In fact, the game would be a prime candidate for the cliched saying that goes, "Gameplay is the most important part of a game –everything else is secondary." There are some games - games such as Tetris- that, thanks to their simple, brilliant gameplay, do not need a grand opulent style, and many time succeed thanks to this simplicity. (Indeed, most gamers refer to the Game Boy version of Tetris as the best of its kind.) Unfortunately, this is not really one of those games, and for all its wonders in the gameplay department, Harvest Moon 64 could have benefited from a better presentation.
The programmers certainly meant well. The game’s graphics are done in a pleasant (if dated) computer-rendered style, which was popular in the 16-bit era. Every character you meet, the objects and tools, and the animals have all been done in the anime/manga-derived "Super Deformed" style, and there are various small touches here and there which make the game even more likable. There are even "anime-styled" portraits that show the varied facial expressions of the people to whom you are talking, which is a nice touch. Yet it is difficult to ignore the myriad of problems in this department. There are terrible redrawing issues; amazing slowdown in places where nothing seems to be happening; and strange random lighting effects prevalent throughout.
The sound is also enjoyable, with some likable tunes that change accordingly with the changing seasons. But compared to the grand atmospheric symphonies in Ocarina of Time and, to a slightly lesser extent, Majora’s Mask, it is rather simple. What makes it faulted, though, is that, even with all the power of the N64 at their disposal, the songs start over every time you enter a new area, instead of playing throughout -an irritating feature at times.
Nevertheless, the best example of the game’s less-than-perfect presentation is the translation. Although the script is varied and entertaining, the many spelling and grammar mistakes and the sometimes-faulty text handling spoil it. To top it off, the game suffers from many bugs and annoying crashes at the most inopportune moments.
Any producer in the top software houses –such as Nintendo, Konami, Square, or EA- would die before releasing a game presented this way. To be sure, even Natsume itself has produced some wonderful titles on the Game Boy without any of the problems outlined in this review. So how could the programmers do this? You could blame it on severe time constraints or just plain laziness -perhaps they were concentrating all of their efforts on the single aspect of gameplay. Whatever the reason, the development team certainly had their work cut out for them if they were to make this game a pleasurable experience.
Fortunately for us, they have succeeded in spades. Harvest Moon 64 is the most complex title in the popular series so far –not, as we have witnessed, in technical prowess, but rather in its gameplay mechanics. You are no longer, as in past Harvest Moon games, focused on just working on your farm, with only a few clues to the exterior. The game imperceptibly nudges you to spend a lot of time talking to people and becoming a member of the community by going to town festivals, contests, and giving gifts to everybody. There is no other game that exemplifies so well the Japanese feeling of ‘amae’ in personal relationships, which is a quality that enriches the value of the game substantially. (‘Amae’ is the term popularized by the scholar Takeo Doi to signify the "dependence upon another’s benevolence." One of the most important aspects, he says, that identifies Japanese society.)
What Natsume and Victor Interactive have succeeded in making is a game which, from the first day you begin your enterprise, envelops you in its richly rewarding atmosphere and never lets go with its highly addictive gameplay. Friends will look at you strangely when you obsess over what seem to be trivial or mundane tasks. Problems such as curing a sick cow or worrying about how your precious corn will do in the next vegetable contest will become priorities needing your complete and undivided attention for many hours at a time. It is a bit of a shame that after the two years have elapsed, for all intents and purposes, the game is over. But, like traveling, the fun is not in reaching the goal, but in the experience of getting to it.
Harvest Moon 64 might not be the best looking game on the Nintendo 64, but with such a polished and unique gameplay, you cannot help but become immersed in the discrete charms of its farming lifestyle. Even with all its flaws (including the unusual choice of using the analog stick for movement) Harvest Moon 64 remains one of the freshest, most innovative, and most entertaining games on the Nintendo 64.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
arada392
|
|
Member: David Teixeira
Location: Dunedin, Otago
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 24 members
About Me:
What do you think of me, that I am a chiaus?
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.