Gaming on the Nintendo DS

 
Harvest Moon DS is a farming simulation game. Nostalgicly my favorite one in the Harvest Moon series is Harvest Moon 2, but this one is not too bad a version. I most definitely have found that the handheld versions are more enjoyable than the console versions.

In the game you mostly are just trying to make your farm successful, but you can also find a girlfriend and try to save all the sprites.  I find this type of role playing game enjoyable, but I think it may seem monotonous to some.  The graphics of this version and the plot additions are pretty good.

I have one main issue with this version that has kept me from playing it a lot like I played Harvest Moon 2.  The issue is that you can only be a boy.  I know they now have a Cute version on which you can be a girl, but I do not really want to spend the money for that version that only has the gender difference.  Also, it came a while after I bought this version. I just find it inexcusable that a version after one that had the option to choose your gender took that option away. I do not think it is the only version that did this, but it is the one that has most annoyed me.

Overall it still is a good game. I do recommend this one for male fans of the series. However, I think you should go with the Cute one if you want to play as a girl.

The other day my rental game was Disney Friends.   I really did not know what to expect from it, as I only added it to my queue because it was Disney and did not look at what kind of game it was.  It turns out it is a virtual pet game.  It certainly is better than those little Tamgotchis and in fact better than the Tamagotchi DS games, but its interest is limited.

In the game you take care of different Disney characters, such as an Alien (LGM, little green man) from Toy Story and Stitch from Lilo & Stitch.  You do basic things like rub them, play with them, draw with them, sing with them, etc.  There are also adventure aspects, such as helping build a fire to keep the mosquitos away in the Stitch area.  As you accomplish things and fill you friends happy bars up every day you earn points and pins.

Overall this is a pretty well done game considering the genre of virtual pet games tend to be pretty limited in depth.  This game I can imagine getting boring fast for most, but I think there are some that really like this type of game and find it entertaining and/or relaxing.  The graphics are a little low in quality for a DS game, but the gameplay makes up for that if you like virtual pets.  My favorite thing is that it has collectible pins, which is such an important Disney thing and is great to see it get integrated into the game.

The story starts with a girl named Yunna not being able to be woken up. This leads to you going on an adventure to figure out what the mysterious influence in the forest might have to do with Yunna’s strange behavior. Basically the whole point, though, is to fish, which in a way seems kind entirely unrelated to the forest mystery thing.

The whole fishing controls seemed overwhelming at first, as the tutorial covers quite a bit. The actual put it into action, though, is not too hard. You can do it all using the touch screen. You tap and drag to cast in the direction you want. You then tap when a fish pulls your bobber (called floater in game) under. The reeling in part is where it can get tricky, but the on screen commands help make it easier to remember the different things. You do a spinning motion in the middle of the screen to reel it in. You have to watch the tension at times to make sure you do not lose the fish.

The graphics of this game are not that great and seem very Game Boy Colorish. It makes me think that this is maybe the same exact Legend of the River King game that they made for the Game Boy Color with just a few changes to use the touch screen. I have not play it on the Game Boy Color, though, so I am not really sure on this. I will admit that even if they are the same game it is nice to be able to play it on the DS, since the DS does not play Game Boy Color games.

Overall this game can be enjoyable if you are into relaxing games and collect item games. The main goal really is to catch different types of fish, thus it does not lead to much action, however it can still be fun to play. I enjoyed it and I can see it as a fun road trip or plane trip game, but it really does not hook me enough to want to play it at home.