If you've been closely following QJ.NET's coverage of the unfolding Tokyo Game Show (TGS), you'll know that one of the more anticipated titles (even though slated for Japan-only releases) belong to Marvelous Interactive.

We just got word that these titles will be soon arriving in North American shores as well. This news came from Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada as he spoke about Marvelous' plans for U.S. and the rest of the Western markets.

According to Wada, a satellite office will be opened somewhere in North America within the next two years. Wada metioned:

We'll bring a couple of people from Japan to manage, but of course we need somebody in the U.S. who already has connections and relationships with retailers and distribution channels, which is why we are hoping to find a partnership with someone who's already in the U.S.

The video game creator also said that this will facilitate the releases of their different titles in the said region. "We might leave Harvest Moon with Natsume. But all the new and original titles we'll be trying to launch in Japan, we'll want to launch ourselves in the U.S.", Yasuhiro Wada continued.

Some of the more prominent titles from Marvelous Interactive include No More Heroes for Nintendo Wii and Valhalla Knights 2 for the PlayStation Portable.

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.

There are a lot of speculations going around about Sony lately. First, new firmwares have been released for both platforms PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Portable (PSP). Also, it should be remembered that the air is yet to be cleared concerning the planned lay-offs due to "industry change."

Well, we don't expect the company to give its take on these matters as of now. It looks like Sony is busy marketing upcoming video game titles for Q2 of 2007. In fact, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) just released the official spring lineup for its consoles PSP, PS3, and PlayStation 2 (PS2). Senior VP of Marketing peter Dille announced,

Our second-quarter line-up of PS3, PSP and PlayStation 2 software titles demonstrates a continued commitment from both SCEA and third-party developers to the PlayStation family of products. We are excited by the content being developed by our partners, but are also looking forward to launching PlayStation-branded exclusive games created by our own worldwide studios this quarter and throughout the rest of 2007.

 

Here's the official video games lineup:

PlayStation Portable

• Alien Syndrome (Sega)
• Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars (Sega)
• CRUSH (Sega)
• Dungeon Maker: Hunting Ground (XSEED JKS)
• FINAL FANTASY (Square Enix)
• FINAL FANTASY II (Square Enix)
• Harvest Moon Boy and Girl (Natsume)
• Ridge Racer 2 (Namco)

See the rest of the PSP lineup as well as the PS3 list after the jump!