Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town: Who Knew a Farming Sim. Could Be so Fun?

Harvest Moon is unquestionably one of the most addictive series of games the gaming buisness has ever seen. When the first game came out on SNES in '97, people were dying for more. So later came three versions for Gameboy Color, versions for Playstation 1 and 2, a version for N64, and now, Gameboy Advance. Friends of Mineral Town is based off of Playstation's back to nature, so it might not be as fun for you. However, if you have never played it, like me, you will find this to me a time sucking game that requires patience, but is worth the wait.

You start out as a young adult coming into a small, cozy village there to visit an old friend (emphasis on old). He actually died of old age, but you went there unaware. You are told he is dead, and that the farm that he raised up was, according to his will, now yours. The only wrong thing is that all the animals and crops are gone, your tools stink, and your field has become a wilderness. This game has no end, so your goal is your decision. 

The general idea is to raise the farm to be bigger and better than ever, to make friends and start a family, to get rich, and much, much more. While a game, most of the time, is only fun if you can beat it, FoMT is different. The fact that its loaded with extras and cool stuff to find (like cooking and mining) simply makes it enjoyable and relaxing to play on a rainy Saturday morning, when there's nothing else to do. It can be fun anytime, just PLEASE don't forget your social life.

The graphics are similar to those of the original SNES verion, only they tend to be in lighter colors with not as much black outlining. They could be better. For instance, they could have a smooth flow of animation, like A Link to the Past. However, I hardly ever find any problems with them, ecsept when picking up eggs, you dont know how big they are until you pick them up.