Iris-chan
Reviews
Harvest Moon (SNES)
Confirm the origin of fire. Everything is alright!
The Good
So you felt like you've blasted enough demons to kingdom come and pulled off more hurricane kicks than you'd like to? Well, if you want a major change, you've come to the right place, my friend.
Although the idea of raising a farm never seems so enthralling, great gameplay and the non-linear storyline will pull you into the world of Harvest Moon. After you enter your name, you'll never know how your life will change next! What a game!
Now, now, although I'm a tad late, I'm gonna write this from the view of this being the only HM game out.
From a graphical standpoint, they are very clear, and a good pallet of colors was worked with to prevent any eye strain. There's some great detail, especially with buildings and textures. And of course, you can discern every ounce of drunkeness in the town drunk's face! Pretty impressive for the SNES.
The music is really fitting, although some tracks are a little short and get monotonous after eight hours of farming or so. The winter music is nice and depressing, while the summer music is rather upligting and relaxing. Sounds are pretty good too, especially the cowbell and other similar sounds.
Gameplay is really tight, with a low learning curve. It's almost becomes instinct after playing the whole day (trust me, you will). Easy access to tools, and the gameplay becomes easier with the upgraded tools.
Now, onto the best part, the traditional Harvest Moon non-linear storyline. 5 girls to marry, or perhaps you'd prefer being the reclusive anti-social farmer (then pick up HM GBC) . Either way, you'll have a whole lotta fun customizing the farm, being naughty or nice, monogynous or an all-out playboy. Beat the game... and then start again! Replay value up the wazoo!
The Bad
I know it can't be helped by the initial programmers, but the English translation was rushed and sloppy. Just what the heck is "Confirm the origin of fire. Everything is alright!"
On a tangent, after you get married, your wife becomes bland, generic, thinking her place is the kitchen, and it gets a little nerve-racking considering the Cult of Domesticity has been put to waste a looooong time ago. But then again, that's a HUGE tangent. I guess that goes under character development or whatnot.
Sometimes, gameplay doesn't go so smoothly when cows block your way (you can be trapped for ten minutes, and it gets annoying!)
The Bottom Line
HM might a cult fave, but if you can get your hands on this rare treasure, go for it, and confirm the origin of fire!
By Iris-chan on April 5, 2003
Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! (Game Boy Color)
Make Friends for Life... then pee on them!
The Good
From manga to anime to your GameBoy Color, it's Hamtaro: HamHams Unite! It's your job to go out and bring all the HamHams back to the clubhouse, but to do so, you've gotta become the streetwise hipster and learn 86 HamChat words. It's a hefty challenge, but you're up for it, right?
Hamtaro: HamHams Unite overall is a fun game, offering a decent challenge that'll give you hours of gameplay. There is hardly any learning curve, and all you've got to do is know what to say. Fortunately, there is easy access to your HamChat notebook within the game, so get out there and find your friends!
For being a GBC game, the graphics are very clear and sharp, accompanied by a myriad of animation- a different animation for each HamChat word (86 DIFFERENT animations altogether on the HamChats alone!) And yes, you CAN see the difference between Boss and Penelope for all you smart alecs reading out there. Don't worry, you won't confuse Jingle for grass or Cappy for a trash can, these graphics are REALLY sharp.
Most of the tunes are cute and catchy, although some tunes are "multi-purpose". However, some of the HamHams like Jingle have their own song (Why, you ask?Because Jingle is COOL, that's why! ^_^) And the sound effects fit nicely, no ear piercing screeches to worry about!
And then... the interaction! There's something to say to each HamHam. You can flirt with the girls, blackmail other hamsters, and get Dexter and Howdy to stop bickering (for a minute). And then you can pee on Maxwell...
Seriously! It's entertaining, too!
If you get bored of toilet humor, there's some minigames to keep you busy! You can play Tack-Q (rolling) bowling, gamble at the DigDig Shop, or play dress up (no worries, Hamtaro won't pull a Danny LeRue on us!) And of course, customizing and trading HamJams will keep you playing! ^_^
The Bad
Once in a while, some tunes aren't as catchy as others, but then again, that's not so bad... right?
The Bottom Line
So if you're a huge Hamtaro freak with a GBC or GBA, and you don't have this game, go get it! You won't be dissatisfied... unless you want to think of Hamtaro as a brainless, baby show.
And remember, Hamtaro's the streetwise hipster now! Do anything you can to get the other HamHams back, even if it means doing something drastic...
By Iris-chan on January 2, 2003
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Do you like the hair?
The Good
The Good:
Being a huge RPG fan, and having played many RPGs, Chrono Trigger takes the honors of being one of my favorite all-time RPGs. There are so many aspects of the game that leave gamers playing for hours on end. The storyline is incredible, and non linear events can lead to twelve unique endings, giving this game an amazing replay value. And if you'd like to see more endings, the New Game + feature allows you to start the game again -- with your old stats and items from your previous game. The replay value combined with the ever-building storyline creates a formula that makes this RPG so addictive.
In turn, the musical score is absolutely beautiful, so much in fact that you'll find yourself buying the soundtrack. It fits the mood of the scenarios in the game so perfectly that you won't have a problem with it at all. I'll recommend the soundtrack to players of the game and those wanting to get into it alike.
Usually, I'm not one to pay much attention to graphics -- I'm all for story, music, artwork, and game play. However, the graphics were so stunning that I could easily forget I was playing a SNES game. Squaresoft pushed the capabilities of the SNES so far that the graphics looked almost 32-bit when it came to some spells and the final boss fight.
The gameplay was pretty good, the controls were easy to get into. Also, the battle system is simple to operate, and can be used with a lot of strategy. Instead of having set positions in battle as such as in any one of the Final Fantasy titles, the characters get to move around on the battlefield. You get to use the postitions and ranges to your advantage, for example, toasting a ring of enemies around you. Experience was done well, and was easy to come by. Although the game tends to get a bit easy for die-hard RPG gamers, it's still a great gameplay nonetheless.
The Bad
Nothing. Nada. Nanimo. The game is THAT good.
The Bottom Line
Squaresoft and Toriyama Akira did such an excellent job, kudos to them!
If you've picked this baby up, tell people to leave messages at the door; you might be playing this one for a while.
By Iris-chan on June 10, 2002
Harvest Moon GB (Game Boy)
Harvest Moon... for anti-social farmers??
The Good
It's Harvest Moon. In a Game Boy. Harvest Moon on the go! Heck yeah! Take all that farming action with you wherever you go!
This game remains somewhat faithful to the Harvest Moon name. Yep, the farming is there, that challenge of making something of yourself by restoring a run-down farm, just as we saw in the SNES Harvest Moon.
And your choice of dog or cat, and your character's gender is something new from the SNES Harvest Moon. Also, you can still grow crops in the fall and winter, so you're not completely strapped for cash in those off-seasons, which could be a possible scenario in the SNES HM.
The Bad
Note how I said "somewhat" faithful before...
No marriage?? ;_; Where's the interaction with the people and the girls? Sure, we need to keep it simple, but HM ain't the same without the marriage!
Where are all the festivals? I entirely understand the capabilities of the Game Boy, but watching a buncha people sitting on a picnic blanket, staring at each other for an entire day isn't very interesting. No one can look forward to that, can they? And each festival is exactly the same! Great...
Umm... who are these people in the village?? Hey... why are they so scared to talk to me?? I'm not gonna bite! But that's what they think! Oh crap, this could be bad. I guess I'll go talk to the Harvest Sprites then... at least they appreciate me...
The Bottom Line
For a fledgling Harvest Moonie, this game is good to test the waters with. But be warned, if you've played any other HM game... you may not be entirely satisfied with this one...
By Iris-chan on June 10, 2002
Harvest Moon: Back to Nature (PlayStation)
Back to relaxing country life...
The Good
I don't know where to begin with this game. So maybe I'll start like so: Harvest Moon: Back to Nature has been deemed a fan favorite in the Harvest Moon series. It offers our favorite farming game play with some new tweaks, and an interesting series of non-linear events to boot. But what else is there?
More, of course. Did you think I was done?
In terms of farming, there more crops than ever in this game. In fact, each growing season has four different crops for it, with one per season being a secret crop that has to be attained with hard efforts on the farm, making a grand total of twelve crops. And now, you can also raise and breed fish. Then you can make them into lovely sashimi in your kitchen...
Yes indeed, the kitchen has finally been added, something huge missing from the N64. And with a kitchen, you can cook the villiagers' favorite dishes and make friends with them! And hey, some of the girls admit that they like a man who could cook...
The characters now all have birthdays, and remembering those special days makes them really happy with you. Now, you can interact with the characters more. Special events with them allow you to learn more about them, which are all part of the non-linear string of events that follows in the game.
During the course of the game, there are many events to encounter. Some actions you take determine other events, which makes the game interesting to play through more than once.
There are also other things too. The music is nice and fitting, and although the tunes loop a lot, they don't wear on the nerves. Heck, you may be humming the tunes after a while. The controls are easy to get used to as well. The isometric graphics are looking good in this game now. There is a lot of detail in places such as the forest, and even down to rotoscoped signs. And you can also constantly keep track of how you're doing with your variety of menus. From these menus, you can track just about anything, your animals, your earnings, your shipping rates, and more.
And the Confession Booth offers loads of fun! It's always nice to know that you've been razzing and stalking villagers, or coveting on someone's girl. There are over fifteen sins to choose from, making the booth a blast!
Overall, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature offers a nice challenge, and great rewards come from it. What could be better?
The Bad
Although the game does not have many shortcomings, there are a few.
Working in the barn can get a bit frustrating, as the cows and sheep seem to always strategically block your way when you're trying to get around. It's good and all taking care of them... but when it comes time to leave and the damn animals are hanging around the exit waiting for God knows what to happen, you better hope you have that cow bell on you...
Also, your wife neglects your bawling kid for the entire afternoon. Shame on her!
The Bottom Line
You own a farm. You feed chickens. You milk cows. You shear sheep. You water crops. You get girls to like you. You get rivals to hate you. You get men that resemble fish to freak you out... err... What could be more fun?
What's that? You have a PlayStation? You've played and enjoyed Harvest Moon in the past? You... you don't have BTN?? What are you waiting for?? Buy now! Go! Before the cows trample you! ^_^
By Iris-chan on June 9, 2002