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[Hero of Legend]

http://gonintendo.com/stories/234858-official-pr-harvest-moon-coming-to-wii-u-for-the-first-time-wit

PR:

Burlingame, CA. – June 2, 2015 - Natsume Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, today reveals the next title in the long-running Harvest Moon series, Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories. This is the first Harvest Moon that will be on the Nintendo Wii U, as well as the first Harvest Moon ever on the PC. In addition, the title will also be the first mainline Harvest Moon title on both iOS and Android.

"From the farm to the town, we wanted Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories to evoke the feeling of a classic Harvest Moon game with modern twists!" said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume Inc. "We're also excited to finally bring the Harvest Moon series to the Nintendo Wii U, PC, and mobile platforms, where fans have definitely told us they want to see the series."

Go back to the roots of Harvest Moon in the latest installment of the series! Inspired by the old-school gameplay of the very first games, Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories will bring players a sense of nostalgia, along with exciting gameplay twists.

Tasked with the job of revitalizing a farm, players will need to befriend the villagers in town to unlock the titular "Seeds of Memories"! Seeds can be unlocked in many ways, such as giving a villager their favorite item, catching a giant fish, or by raising their first cow. Players will need to be up to the challenge of collecting all of the Seeds of Memories!

Old favorites return in the animal department with cows, sheep, and chickens, along with a horse to ride, and a dog to keep as a pet! Farmers will also have a new pet to take care of, but it isn't what they'd expect... It's a bobcat! The bobcat starts out wild, but as players befriend the animal, can they convince the bobcat to become their loyal friend?

Featuring cooking, fishing, foraging, and mining, players will need to upgrade their tools to find the highest-quality items. Players will also be able to participate in contests and festivals like the Cooking Contest and Starry Night Festival! Woo one of the ten marriage candidates – 5 bachelors and 5 bachelorettes – and find that special someone to make their farming life complete!

Look for Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories to blossom on Wii U, Steam, iOS, and Android this winter! There will be an early look at the game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) June 16th-18th in Los Angeles (South Hall, booth 615).

 

[zroid]

Or they did like Game Freak :

loool I totally forgot about that. hilarious.

 

[zroid]

Was their a falling out between Marvelous & Natsume? I don't get it. Looking at Story of Seasons though and yikes the artwork has gotten more generic as time went on.

I don't think we know the specifics, but a large part of it is probably just that Marvelous has its own localization studio now and reasonably wanted to just start doing it themselves.

pretty much this, likely not a "falling out" so much as it makes more sense to do it in-house

 

[Boogiepop]

Did the first faux-Harvest Moon come out already? And if so, how was it? And how did the sales pan out versus Story of Seasons?

Just such a weird situation.

 

[baterism]

Interesting. I'm reserving judgement till I see the gameplay and pictures.

 

[IntelliHeath]

Reminder that this is a Natsume developed game, not Marvelous.

I got hyped then realized that it's not marvelous' game but I will give it a shot anyway.

What is people's opinions about Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley?

 

[Nairume]

pretty much this, likely not a "falling out" so much as it makes more sense to do it in-house

Granted, I think there probably was a falling out between the two at some point, given Marvelous is just releasing their games under a new title and Natsume is making their own (which has happened before, to be fair).

But I don't think the situation is probably as dire as it seems.

 

[Beartruck]

Really Natsume, you're gonna keep going with this? Alright, couldn't be any worse than the lost valley.

What is people's opinions about Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon 3D: The Lost Valley?

http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/harvest-moon-3d-the-lost-valley

 

[smoothj]

Been waiting for a HM game for mobile. Into my Android veins....

 

[Akhe]

http://gonintendo.com/stories/234858-official-pr-harvest-moon-coming-to-wii-u-for-the-first-time-wit

PR:

Nice!!

 

[KojiKnight]

Will probably get it on wiiU.

Would prefer a Rune Factory game on wiiU though (I know that's Marvelous not Natsume)

Neverland is dead, the chances of a (good) Rune Factory game have died with them.

 

[Javier]

For a while I thought Harvest Moon was going to miss Wii U. Nice to see the streak of Harvest Moon being on every Nintendo system since SNES/GBC (sans Virtual Boy) continues.

 

[Nairume]

Nice to see the streak of Harvest Moon being on every Nintendo system since SNES/GBC (sans Virtual Boy) continues.

Would have been hard for there to be a VB Harvest Moon, given it was already discontinued before the first game came out (which is easy to forget came suuuuuuuper late into the SNES's life).

 

[Holygriever]

Nastume pls

I enjoyed Back to Nature too much in the early 2000s. It is never coming back, is it?

 

[DesuNe]

Nintendo endorsed Farmville here we come.

 

[Revolutionary]

Lol Natume

 

[Chobel]

PC

iOS and Andriod

 

[Beartruck]

It just occurred to me that they're releasing this on 4 different platforms, none of which they have made this series for before, and last time around they couldn't even make a competent game on 1 platform. Color me pessimistic that this will be anything but a huge disaster.

 

[Einbroch]

This is gonna be Farmville with waifus and husbandos, isn't it?

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I hope they return to their roots for this one, because the 3DS installments were terrible.

Spoiler

They probably won't.

The Marvelous games have been excellent.

Edit: Can't wait for the, "I've only played Back To Nature therefore it's the best!" crowd to barge in here in full-force like every other Harvest Moon thread ever.

It's almost like they want to sell as few copies of the game as possible.

The Harvest Moon fanbase exists on Nintendo consoles. PC is new ground, and iOS/Android is probably hoping to appeal to the Farmville crowd.

 

[Paskil]

It's almost like they want to sell as few copies of the game as possible.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

It's almost like they want to sell as few copies of the game as possible.

Do you really think PS4 users would buy this game in droves? Please. The Harvest Moon games have appeared on every Nintendo console so far, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm more worried that this will be bad like The Lost Valley.

 

[FaintDeftone]

I haven't enjoyed a Harvest Moon game since Friends of Mineral Town. I'm expecting this to continue...

 

[Leafhopper]

Reminder that this is a Natsume developed game, not Marvelous.

Harvest Moon in name but not a actual Harvest Moon game

Keep this shit in mind.

 

[Javier]

I haven't enjoyed a Harvest Moon game since Friends of Mineral Town. I'm expecting this to continue...

I thought A New Beginning was pretty good.

 

[threelights]

Which are the HM games developed by Marvelous and which are not? Did Natsume only make the 3DS one?

Anyway, I'll wait to see the game first I guess =X

 

[Paskil]

Do you really think PS4 users would buy this game in droves? Please. The Harvest Moon games have appeared on every Nintendo console so far, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. I'm more worried that this will be bad like The Lost Valley.

Harvest Moon is already ridiculously niche. Compound that by the fact that this isn't technically a true Harvest Moon game and you're further whittling the audience down. Do I think a lot of PS4 owners would buy it? No. If they released it as digital on those platforms, would it be worth it for the sales? Probably. It's cool for WiiU owners that they're getting a third party game, but in the context of sales, it doesn't even make sense to exclude 3DS.

 

[Rodney McKay]

It's almost like they want to sell as few copies of the game as possible.

Yeah, needs to be on Windows Phone and Vita to get some real sales going. iOS? Android? PC? Does anyone own one of those?

 

[Mrbob]

That platform selection. This is totally going to be free to play, free to wait, and probably buy to win.

 

[JCX]

I'd expect 3DS instead of Wii U, otherwise the platforms make sense for this type of game.

 

[KojiKnight]

Which are the HM games developed by Marvelous and which are not? Did Natsume only make the 3DS one?

Anyway, I'll wait to see the game first I guess =X

Every Harvest Moon game up until Lost Valley on 3DS has been Marvelous (aside from some spin offs). Every harvest moon from now until forever will be made by Natsume. Story of Seasons is the new name for the original series.

 

[Tigersprite]

Seeing as it's not Marvelous I already have low hopes, but I'll reserve final judgement until I see gameplay.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Which are the HM games developed by Marvelous and which are not? Did Natsume only make the 3DS one?

Anyway, I'll wait to see the game first I guess =X

Two Towns - DS game was developed in-house by Marvelous, was ported to 3DS for the NA release. Had issues until the eShop version.

A New Beginning - Marvelous developed. Is excellent. Best Harvest Moon since FoMT.

The Lost Valley - Natsume developed. Had some decent ideas, poor execution.

Story of Seasons - Marvelous. Haven't played it enough to make a call.

Harvest Moon is already ridiculously niche. Compound that by the fact that this isn't technically a true Harvest Moon game and you're further whittling the audience down. Do I think a lot of PS4 owners would buy it? No. If they released it as digital on those platforms, would it be worth it for the sales? Probably. It's cool for WiiU owners that they're getting a third party game, but in the context of sales, it doesn't even make sense to exclude 3DS.

It makes no sense to put out another 3DS Harvest Moon right now. Story of Seasons just released and they're still doing downloadable story content for Lost Valley. PC/WiiU/Smart Devices makes the most sense of anything--take a peek over at Natsume's forums and you'll get an idea of what consoles their fans own. (Hint: It's Nintendo, PC and Phones.)

 

[Brofield]

I guess I got what I wished for...

Should have specified to the unnamed Gods I wanted a Marvelous-developed HM on Wii U.

I think Natsume would know to improve on the fuck ups in Lost Valley, so I'll keep an eye on this with cautious expectations

 

[zroid]

Story of Seasons - Marvelous. Haven't played it enough to make a call.

My call is it's very good!

 

[Hero of Legend]

Higher-res logo:

 

[threelights]

Every Harvest Moon game up until Lost Valley on 3DS has been Marvelous (aside from some spin offs). Every harvest moon from now until forever will be made by Natsume. Story of Seasons is the new name for the original series.

Oh okay, I thought Natsume had a longer track record of f-in up the series =P

But yeah, I guess I'll wait for a new Story of Seasons then.

Two Towns - DS game was developed in-house by Marvelous, was ported to 3DS for the NA release. Had issues until the eShop version.

A New Beginning - Marvelous developed. Is excellent. Best Harvest Moon since FoMT.

The Lost Valley - Natsume developed. Had some decent ideas, poor execution.

Story of Seasons - Marvelous. Haven't played it enough to make a call.

Considering Story of Seasons is one of the main reasons why I'm tempted to get a 3DS, it better be good =X

But yeah, thanks for the info.

 

[bomblord1]

Neverland is dead, the chances of a (good) Rune Factory game have died with them.

Doesn't the parent company still own the rights to it though?

And didn't 4 sell way better than expected?

 

[Neofire]

That's an interesting selection of platforms

interesting isn't the word when a bunch platforms, that you can play past installments on, are missing.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

interesting isn't the word when a bunch platforms, that you can play past installments on, are missing.

Do you mean 3DS?

As stated, there's too many HM games released there for this to make sense.

 

[Nabae]

Doesn't the parent company still own the rights to it though?

And didn't 4 sell way better than expected?

Yeah, Marvelous does own the IP and RF4 was the best selling entry in the series to date. A lot of the Neverland team was also absorbed by Marvelous, to finish development on Lord of Magna. A RF5 sometime in the future is a pretty safe bet.

 

[Sandfox]

Natsume's track record worries me.

 

[Cow Mengde]

Every Harvest Moon game up until Lost Valley on 3DS has been Marvelous (aside from some spin offs). Every harvest moon from now until forever will be made by Natsume. Story of Seasons is the new name for the original series.

Is Lost Valley good?

 

[amnesiac]

http://gonintendo.com/stories/234858-official-pr-harvest-moon-coming-to-wii-u-for-the-first-time-wit

PR:

Go back to the roots of Harvest Moon in the latest installment of the series! Inspired by the old-school gameplay of the very first games, Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories will bring players a sense of nostalgia, along with exciting gameplay twists.

Please go back to the classic artstyle... The style of the newer games is so unattractive IMO.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Please go back to the classic artstyle... The style of the newer games is so unattractive IMO.

Wonder if it will be top-down, 2D. That would be neat!

Hopefully it's a retail release on Wii U.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Here's what my question is over the rights.

Can Natsume have full rights to use anything from games they've localized? They still can release the classics on VC, so they definitely haven't had those yanked from them.

What about characters, assets, and potential for remakes should they choose? What I'm thinking is maybe any game post-Story of Seasons is under XSEED and Marvelous creative-wise, but as long as it's pre-SoS, Natsume could use them as they please? So they might still have a shared ownership perhaps? I mean didn't Natsume commission Puzzle de Harvest Moon and Frantic Farming on DS themselves?

 

[Corronchilejano]

I hate PR bullet points. The platform selection makes me doubt the quality of the game too, but I guess we'll have too see what it ends up being.

Cautious excitement on my end.

 

[More_Badass]

I wonder if it will be F2P.

If it's coming out on consoles too, it's not going to be F2P.

 

[Azure Phoenix]

I still haven't trained my mind to recognise that Story of Seasons is now the mainline HM series, seeing this announced so soon after Lost Valley and with that odd spread of platforms made me do a double take.

 

[cm osi]

being android/ios means you can totally rule out the possibility of being a "full price" game and instead you can buy premium seeds instead of the shitty default ones?