Help me decide which Harvest Moon game to give.

[samsonlonghair]

Quick question:
I'm about to order a DS game from amazon for my little sister. She's a big fan of Harvest Moon. I've located the two Harvest Moon DS games she doesn't already have.
I'm leaning towards Grand Bazaar, but Rune Factory 3 seems like an equally good option to me. I guess they tacked on an RPG on top of the farming sim. I'm not a fan of the series, so I don't know which one of these games is better. Price is the same; customer reviews are about the same.

I'd appreciate some input from Harvest Moon fans.

[MrPopo]

How old is your sister? Does she play any action RPGs? The action RPG elements of Rune Factory are pretty integral to the game, so if she wouldn't be comfortable with that stuff I wouldn't recommend it.

[The Last Horseman]

Does she have Tale of two Cities? I personally can't stand a lot of this newer Harvest Moon, but from what I understand this one is closer to the old ones.

Does her DS play GBA games? If it does, I suggest Harvest Moon:Friends of Mineral Town. (She she's a girl, you might try More Friends of Mineral Town, the girl version.)

[k.vlaros]

I think Rune Factory 3 is one of the very best games on the DS. I think it's a better game than any of the Harvest Moons on DS. With that said, I cannot say what would be the better gift. If you didn't know, the master mind of Harvest Moon later moved his work to the Rune Factory series. They seem to have more 'heart' to them than the heavily iterated Harvest Moons.

[Opa Opa]

How old is your sister? Does she play any action RPGs? The action RPG elements of Rune Factory are pretty integral to the game, so if she wouldn't be comfortable with that stuff I wouldn't recommend it.

What Popo said^

Does she have Tale of two Cities? I personally can't stand a lot of this newer Harvest Moon, but from what I understand this one is closer to the old ones.

Actually, it's a lot closer to Animal Crossing. Socializing, doing requests for people, etc. There hasn't been a Harvest Moon like the old ones since... forever...

[lisalover1]

I still stand by Harvest Moon DS as the best entry in the series. Simple, straightforward, ruthlessly addictive, and has the best User Interface out of any of the games. Plus, it should be pretty cheap by now if you want to pick it up.

[The Last Horseman]

How old is your sister? Does she play any action RPGs? The action RPG elements of Rune Factory are pretty integral to the game, so if she wouldn't be comfortable with that stuff I wouldn't recommend it.

What Popo said^

Does she have Tale of two Cities? I personally can't stand a lot of this newer Harvest Moon, but from what I understand this one is closer to the old ones.

Actually, it's a lot closer to Animal Crossing. Socializing, doing requests for people, etc. There hasn't been a Harvest Moon like the old ones since... forever...

Really? Because for a simulation of farming, there is way too much damned talking and hugging animals is these new games. The only talking should be about business, or funny stories about business. No hugging.

*cries and hugs Harvest moon 64*

[Retrogamer0001]

Friends of Mineral Town on the GBA is definitely a great choice, though my favorite HM game is the original for SNES, but I digress. Like an above poster already said, Rune Factory 3 is slightly more action-oriented, so I would vote for the other. Just two cents!

[gtmtnbiker]

My daughters, 8 & 11, liked Grand Bazaar the best. They didn't like Tale of Two Towns as much.

[samsonlonghair]

My little sister is eighteen. She already has Friends of Mineral Town and more friends of Mineral Town. She already has Harvest Moon DS and Harvest Moon DS "cute". I think she already has Tale of two cities.