Harvest Moon/Rune Factory - Where to Start?

[marlowe221]

So, if someone described to me what the player did in a Harvest Moon or Rune Factory game and asked me if I would like to play a game like that, until yesterday I would have politely said that it didn't sound like it was for me.

Until I watched a friend of mine play one. I can't believe I'm saying this but it actually looks like a lot of fun and the whole time I was watching (almost 3 hours somehow...) all I could think about was how much I wanted to play!

I did my homework on the series and... it's a little overwhelming. I was wondering what a good place to start was in the series? Which game is most representative of the core game play? At what point was the series at its height (or is it yet to be reached)?

Hopefully there are some fans of this series around here who can point me in the right direction!

[Hazerd]

Im starting from point zero at Harvest Moon for SNES, then im going to move to Harvest Moon FOMT on GBA, and go from there, i already beat the original Gameboy Harvest Moon (non-GBC version)

I cant say for sure on the Rune Factory ones, but i hear Rune Factory 2 on the DS is better than the 1st Rune Factory, also you could just grab Rune Factory Frontier and start there.

[ZeroAX]

Harvest Moon Back to Nature on the PS1 is the height of the series. It's an AMAZING game, but the bad news is that the series peaked over 10 years ago, and with the exception of a portable version (Friend of Mineral Town on the GBA) the games have barely changed since then, and everytime they do they only suck......

Though Rune Factory is a completely different story...

[lisalover1]

Harvest Moon DS is by far the most accessible, enjoyable, and polished game in the series. Perfectly suited to a portable, countless hours of replay value, and GBA connectivity make it superior to other entries in the series.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Console wise, the last good one was arguably Magical Melody. The PS2 games were poor. N64, Snes, PS1, and all Gameboy versions are good. HM DS is good, although buggy. HM:Tale of Two Towns shows promise to me of being more "old fashioned", but I have yet to play it.

[AznKhmerBoi]

I suggest Harvest Moon on the Snes and Harvest Moon 64, because these two games represent the core farming mechanics of HM series at its best.

[ZeroAX]

Console wise, the last good one was arguably Magical Melody. The PS2 games were poor. N64, Snes, PS1, and all Gameboy versions are good. HM DS is good, although buggy. HM:Tale of Two Towns shows promise to me of being more "old fashioned", but I have yet to play it.

Really? I had it on Wii and I found it barren....the town was too empty compared to SNES and PS1(GBA) version. Was I wrong about it?

[CFFJR]

Harvest Moon, the original on SNES.
Harvest Moon 64
Harvest Moon Back to Nature on PS1.

Those are the ticket. Try one of those, which are perfectly representative of the Harvest Moon core gameplay and style, without the complications of later entries. They're the most friendly for anyone looking to get into it for the first time, and they're also by far the best games in the series.

[Opa Opa]

Harvest Moon, the original on SNES.
Harvest Moon 64
Harvest Moon Back to Nature on PS1.

Those are the ticket. Try one of those, which are perfectly representative of the Harvest Moon core gameplay and style, without the complications of later entries. They're the most friendly for anyone looking to get into it for the first time, and they're also by far the best games in the series.

Right on the money.

[Forlorn Drifter]

Console wise, the last good one was arguably Magical Melody. The PS2 games were poor. N64, Snes, PS1, and all Gameboy versions are good. HM DS is good, although buggy. HM:Tale of Two Towns shows promise to me of being more "old fashioned", but I have yet to play it.

Really? I had it on Wii and I found it barren....the town was too empty compared to SNES and PS1(GBA) version. Was I wrong about it?

I think your speaking of Magical Melody?

It is somewhat barren, but I liked it for allowing me to buy land, upgrade buildings, and generally allows me t obe more expressive. It has a focus on socializing in a way that, if you don't hang out at the bar, it will go out of business type of thing.

I like it, that's all that matters.