A couple of days ago, we shared with you a partial list of developers, publishers, and video game titles that will be making an appearance at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). In relation to that, development studio Natsume has just confirmed its presence at the said show and promised to bring loads and loads of Harvest Moon titles among others.

Currently, there are three known video games from the franchise: Tree of Peace for Wii, Innocent Life for PSP, and DS' Rune Factory. The whole franchise is all about farming simulation coupled with RPG elements. If you're very much into these kind of games then you will be delighted with the company's E3 showing:

• Harvest Moon 2 (DS)
  
• Harvest Moon DS Cute (DS)
• Harvest Moon Wii (Wii)
• Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl (PSP)
• Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon Special Edition (PS2)
• Math Play (DS)
• Metropolismania 2 (PS2)
• Puzzle de Harvest Moon (DS)
• River King: Wonderland (DS)
• Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon (DS)

It's good to see that aside from Harvest Moon, Natsume is also offering other titles. If we are not mistaken, River King is actually a fishing simulation which also features RPG elements.

Whoever would have thought a game about farming - the entire process of it, from clearing out trash and debris from a plot of land you'll be planting most of your crops on to actually wringing your cows' udders dry of fresh milk - could actually have its own harvest (pun not exactly intended) of fans, much less be named as one of the most endearing and memorable titles to date?

It's not exactly the MOST exciting thing to do, compared to games that strap you into the driver's seat of a hot rod or give you points for indiscriminate destruction involving sharp pointy things and gadgets that go BOOM. But for some reason, many players fell in love with Harvest Moon the moment our cap-and-overalls hero took up hoe, rake, and watering can to get down to business. Yes, there was farming to be done on that inherited plot of land, and by god we farmed the heck out of it.

So what was so special about Harvest Moon? What gave it that extra "oomph" to be considered as a gaming classic? The man behind the phenomenon answered that himself, in a grilling session with Eurogamer a few days before the European release of Harvest Moon: Innocent Life for the PlayStation Portable (PSP).

When asked about what gives Harvest Moon its 10-year lasting appeal, Yasuhiro Wada responded that the game's core system "hasn't changed; it's something that it easily understood by the audience." He also cited paying close attention to the fans: "I have been listening to the voices of the audience, to what the audience wants, responding to their requests. That's key to the philosophy of Harvest Moon."

Eurogamer asked about the game's origins, and Yasuhiro Wada was more than willing to reveal it. "I wanted to convey the goodness of rural life - not urban life, but rural life." He adds, "Farming was the easiest instrument to realize that feeling in a game. That's why I chose to make a farming game."

Finally, for the question of what people love about Harvest Moon, Wada had this to say:

I think it's very gentle and friendly. These days there are other games such other games such as Animal Crossing that bear similarities, but before there wasn't such a game at all. Perhaps that's why people identified so much with Harvest Moon, originally.

Harvest Moon DS is already out while both the PSP game Harvest Moon: Innocent Life and the Nintendo Wii version of Harvest Moon are still to be released.

We have just gotten our filthy farm hands on a brand spanking new batch of screens for ArtePiazza's upcoming RPG for the PSP, Harvest Moon: Innocent Life.

We've just gotten our grubby farm hands on a brand spanking new batch of screens for ArtePiazza's upcoming RPG for the PSP, Harvest Moon: Innocent Life.

As some of you might have noticed, goodies from this game are really hard to come by, so imagine our bliss when we saw that Rising Star, the publisher for the game's European version, has just released a whole buncha new screens to keep us at the edge of our seats as we wait for the game. As you know, Harvest Moon will take PSP users far away from the usual urban setting to lead innocent lives on a relic-filled southern island as they work to build their own farms.

With the help of your mentor, Professor Hope, you'll be raising and tending to crops, while exploring the island and interacting with the surrounding residents. The characters you'll see in the game will include a mermaid who lives in a lake on the island. We don't know yet exactly what role this mermaid will play in the game, and a number of mysteries about your main character will also reportedly be revealed as you progress through the game.

The game has already been released in Japan, but there's still no word yet whether Harvest Moon will land on U.S. shores, so let's keep our fingers crossed for that one.

More of them innocent-lookin' farm screens in the full article!

New screenshots for Harvest Moon: Innocent Life for the PSP have surfaced. The game features graphics which look very similar to Harvest Moon 64. The game has received a total of 29/40 (7/7/8/7) from Famitsu. The screenshots seem to show that this newest instalment will feature more locations than the average Harvest Moon game. It's set in a tropical island, which is also a change from most of the games in the series. The changes aren't too surprising because the game actually wasn't developed by Natsume, it was developed by ArtePiazza. There is currently no North American release date.

Harvest Moon: Innocent Life lets the players grow and tend to their crops on their own farm. The game is set away from the busy city life and on an island. You are free to explore the island by foot or by biking. You can travel to towns, residents, and even ruins. The game is surrounded by several mysteries that will surface as you play the game through your main character.

Since the news of the game coming to the PSP, fans of the game have been waiting for its release. Marvelous Interactive however, has announced that Harvest Moon: Innocent Life will be released at end of the year.

So for now, fans should satisfy themselves with these screenshots.

 

Marvelous Interactive has announced the initial shipment bonus of the PSP game "Harvest Moon: Innocent Life", which will be released on April 27.

The bonus will be a pamphlet named "World Guidebook - A Walk On The Heart Flame Island". This is a guide for the players to learn all the residents on the island, the settings of the game world and the descriptions of the game system. It should be somehow important to a player new to the game world.

Innocent Life lets players experience life far away from city lights as they work to build their very own farm. You'll have to raise and tend to crops, while also taking care to interact with the surrounding residents. This new take on the Harvest Moon series is set on a small, relic-filled southern island. You're free to explore the island, either walking or journeying by bike to towns, ruins and even a volcano in the island's center. All these areas have unique terrain, complete with unique plants. In addition to a number of helpful support characters, including your mentor, Professor Hope, the game's cast includes a mermaid who lives in a lake on the island. A number of mysteries that will come to light regarding your main character as you play the game and build up your farm.