Turns out that moving from South Carolina to Seattle is a bit more of a pain in the ass than I originally thought. I will be posting again soon, but they will be very sporadic for about a month. The logistics are insane and I'm pretty stressed right now. However, I do not want to neglect this blog as it is one of my favorite hobbies!
Please stick with me readers!
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Update: Moving Cross Country!
So, there have been lots of life events lately making research and writing very difficult. However, this one is pretty major. Me and my husband are moving from South Carolina to Seattle. In less than a month. So...yeah. Blogs are going to basically pop up at random. I WILL still be writing a blog a week though. I might be able to write two blog posts this week, but it really depends on the amount of packing I have to do.
Please keep reading everyone! I love writing for the site, so just stick with me. :)
Please keep reading everyone! I love writing for the site, so just stick with me. :)
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Harvest Moon Part IV: Beginning of the PS2/GC Generation
A quick update on my blogs. I am terribly sorry I missed yesterdays blog. I hope the Panasonic Q one made up for it. A lot is happening VERY quickly in my life right now. I'm just getting over a nasty sickness and now I am getting prepared to move to the opposite side of the country. I will try to make these blogs come out on time though.
In this blog I will be covering the first four games of the PlayStation 2 and GameCube era.
Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland/Bokujou Monogatari: Heart ni Hi no Tsukete
This was the first Harvest Moon game for the PlayStation 2. It was also released for the GameCube. It released on the following dates: July 5 2001 (JP), October 2001 (PAL), and November 20 2001 (NA).
Even though I have fond memories of this game, I can't say there was much innovation.Although I will take some time to point out changes they did make.
Starting out, there is once again grandfather's land involved and an angry mayor who would rather have an amusement park. You have one year to fix up the park, which leaves a shorter time line than usual. I will say that the interesting thing about this game is the lack of marriage. Due to the short timeline, it makes finding a soul mate and having kids impossible. This makes this one of only a couple games from this series where you cannot get married.
You would think with the short timeline, that there would be little replay value. However, that is not the case as there are nine endings. When you beat the game you get to keep your animals and money so you can work towards getting the other endings as well.
Rarity: This game is super easy to find. It cant be found for under $10 easily and in good condition.
The Japanese version is actually a bit harder to find and will cost about $5 more. Either way, it is still pretty reasonable.
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town/Bokujou Monogatari: Mineral Town no Nakama Tachi & Haverst Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town/Bokujou Monogatari: Mineral Town no Nakama Tachi for Girl
First things first, release dates: April 18 2003 (JP), November 17 2003 (NA), and March 26 2004 (PAL). More More Friends of Mineral Town the dates are as follows: December 12 2003 (JP), November 2004 (PAL), and July 26 2005. Why the long gaps in releasing this game...?
Both games are remakes of Back to Nature, so there really isn't much to explain here. The only details I want to go over here are the differences. First, there was connectivity to the GameCube version of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life via link cable. This allows for NPCs to comment about what is happening in Mineral Town and vice versa. NPCs will also travel between towns and return with new items and hints. Second, the "girl version" offers some bug fixes to the original game and has several extras. If you are going to choose between the two, I would actually choose that one.
Rarity: The NA version of Friends of Mineral Town goes for about $20-25 for just the cartridge. If you want the box and manual (used) it will cost about $50-60. The same is pretty much true of More Friends of Mineral Town. These prices lower to about $20 used, with a box and manual, for the Japanese versions.
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life/Bokujou Monogatari: Wonderful Life
Okay, before I talk about my nostalgia for this game, release dates: September 12 2003 (JP), March 16 2004 (NA), and March 26 2004 (PAL). It was released for the GameCube and the PlayStation 2.
This game was pretty innovative as far as this series goes, at least in my opinion. I personally had a ton of fun when this game came out. An example of these small details are things like having goats and ducks, having a new choice of dog, there is a yeti (for no real reason), etc. It also made bigger changes such as having crops that grow better during certain seasons. You can also have hybrid crops as well. One new, pretty big feature, is that the child you have will actually grow into adulthood and will have a set of personality traits. These are influenced by who you introduce him/her too in the town and how you treat them. At the end of the game they will have career options they will choose from. If they choose rancher, they will stay on the farm to take care of it, although they will be unable to marry.
Rarity: This game is pretty cheap for either platform, going for $15-25. As per the usual, the Japanese version was a bit more cheap.
That wraps up this blog. My life has become hectic, but I have no forgotten about my blog. Please stick with me and thanks for reading!
Sources:
http://www.ign.com/games/harvest-moon-save-the-homeland/ps2-1627
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/530597-harvest-moon-save-the-homeland/data
http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/08/16/harvest-moon-more-friends-of-mineral-town
http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/25/harvest-moon-friends-of-mineral-town-2
http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/02/24/harvest-moon-another-wonderful-life-special-edition
http://web.archive.org/web/20100910095944/http://www.natsume.com/games/HM_wl/
In this blog I will be covering the first four games of the PlayStation 2 and GameCube era.
Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland/Bokujou Monogatari: Heart ni Hi no Tsukete
This was the first Harvest Moon game for the PlayStation 2. It was also released for the GameCube. It released on the following dates: July 5 2001 (JP), October 2001 (PAL), and November 20 2001 (NA).
Even though I have fond memories of this game, I can't say there was much innovation.Although I will take some time to point out changes they did make.
Starting out, there is once again grandfather's land involved and an angry mayor who would rather have an amusement park. You have one year to fix up the park, which leaves a shorter time line than usual. I will say that the interesting thing about this game is the lack of marriage. Due to the short timeline, it makes finding a soul mate and having kids impossible. This makes this one of only a couple games from this series where you cannot get married.
You would think with the short timeline, that there would be little replay value. However, that is not the case as there are nine endings. When you beat the game you get to keep your animals and money so you can work towards getting the other endings as well.
Rarity: This game is super easy to find. It cant be found for under $10 easily and in good condition.
The Japanese version is actually a bit harder to find and will cost about $5 more. Either way, it is still pretty reasonable.
Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town/Bokujou Monogatari: Mineral Town no Nakama Tachi & Haverst Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town/Bokujou Monogatari: Mineral Town no Nakama Tachi for Girl
First things first, release dates: April 18 2003 (JP), November 17 2003 (NA), and March 26 2004 (PAL). More More Friends of Mineral Town the dates are as follows: December 12 2003 (JP), November 2004 (PAL), and July 26 2005. Why the long gaps in releasing this game...?
Both games are remakes of Back to Nature, so there really isn't much to explain here. The only details I want to go over here are the differences. First, there was connectivity to the GameCube version of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life via link cable. This allows for NPCs to comment about what is happening in Mineral Town and vice versa. NPCs will also travel between towns and return with new items and hints. Second, the "girl version" offers some bug fixes to the original game and has several extras. If you are going to choose between the two, I would actually choose that one.
Rarity: The NA version of Friends of Mineral Town goes for about $20-25 for just the cartridge. If you want the box and manual (used) it will cost about $50-60. The same is pretty much true of More Friends of Mineral Town. These prices lower to about $20 used, with a box and manual, for the Japanese versions.
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life/Bokujou Monogatari: Wonderful Life
Okay, before I talk about my nostalgia for this game, release dates: September 12 2003 (JP), March 16 2004 (NA), and March 26 2004 (PAL). It was released for the GameCube and the PlayStation 2.
This game was pretty innovative as far as this series goes, at least in my opinion. I personally had a ton of fun when this game came out. An example of these small details are things like having goats and ducks, having a new choice of dog, there is a yeti (for no real reason), etc. It also made bigger changes such as having crops that grow better during certain seasons. You can also have hybrid crops as well. One new, pretty big feature, is that the child you have will actually grow into adulthood and will have a set of personality traits. These are influenced by who you introduce him/her too in the town and how you treat them. At the end of the game they will have career options they will choose from. If they choose rancher, they will stay on the farm to take care of it, although they will be unable to marry.
Rarity: This game is pretty cheap for either platform, going for $15-25. As per the usual, the Japanese version was a bit more cheap.
That wraps up this blog. My life has become hectic, but I have no forgotten about my blog. Please stick with me and thanks for reading!
Sources:
http://www.ign.com/games/harvest-moon-save-the-homeland/ps2-1627
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps2/530597-harvest-moon-save-the-homeland/data
http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/08/16/harvest-moon-more-friends-of-mineral-town
http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/25/harvest-moon-friends-of-mineral-town-2
http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/02/24/harvest-moon-another-wonderful-life-special-edition
http://web.archive.org/web/20100910095944/http://www.natsume.com/games/HM_wl/
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Collectible Consoles: The Panasonic Q - GameCube Part II
Although I am still very sick from the...black death (or whatever I caught), I feel the need to write. However, my brain isn't all here, so I want to keep this short but interesting. I owe you guys at least one blog for missing all of last week, so here is an early one! Full disclosure: Keep in mind that I'm on all the medication. If I write sillier than normal...well, I'm not sorry.
This was released exclusively for Japan in December 2001. The first question you are asking is probably "why?". That is pretty simple actually. Nintendo was feeling a bit of pressure from the PS2's ability to play CDs and DVDs. It wanted to make up for the GameCube's lack of being a media powerhouse by developing this along side Panasonic.
So what all did it have? Here is the list:
- All the original GameCube features of course
- Optical out port (allowing for 5.1 true surround sound)
- A front loading tray that loaded like a DVD player
- An LCD panel at the top of the console
- A subwoofer output
- A polished glass front and stainless steel chassis
- DVD, CD, and MP3 file support
There are a LOT of articles on the web that state the following, including a Nintendo Wikia (which should know better!!): There were two of these released. One that was the standard that cost ¥41,000 and a modified one that cost ¥46,000. The standard cost is right (at the time it was roughly $440-50 in US money). Oh, the extra bit about the "modified" one? It would play region free games. Now come on. Nintendo almost prides itself on region locking. This would simply NEVER happen. Making my Wii region free was a downright PAINFUL process. To this day, Nintendo is the only company not allowing for some sort of region freedom. For people like me who play Japanese and American games, it makes me distance myself a bit from Nintendo. Well, enough of my rant. What I am attempting to say it that this is BS pure and simple. Like any other system of theirs, you will need to do some stupid, time consuming stuff to make it region free. There are videos out there that will show you how if you are so inclined. Personally, if you are collecting, I would recommend against it. Just buy an American or Japanese console if you have the money.
The Panasonic Q never caught on in Japan and were discontinued in mid December 2003. However, in recent years, as one can imagine, they have become quite the collectors item! They now sell for anywhere in between $300-700. Lucky for you collectors out there, and for the future me that has money, these systems are pretty easy to find. They are readily available on Amazon and eBay.
That is a sad story of the Panasonic Q. I had seen this thing off and on in the early 2000s in gaming magazines, but never paid much attention. Now...I kind of want one. It is nice to see that it has made a come back and that it is getting some much needed and overdue love.
Thanks for reading! I hope that made sense. I will double check it when I am not sick and make corrections if necessary.
Sources:
http://kotaku.com/5803323/my-favourite-nintendo-console-wasnt-even-made-by-nintendo
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/9283/panasonic-q-discontinued
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Panasonic_Q
http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/04/09/panasonic-q-review
http://www.bordersdown.net/threads/114579-Panasonic-Q-officially-regionfree-version
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg00-q.htm#page=reviews
 |
| Look at it...LOOK AT IT! It is a beautiful monster. It screams early 2000s. I love it. |
So what all did it have? Here is the list:
- All the original GameCube features of course
- Optical out port (allowing for 5.1 true surround sound)
- A front loading tray that loaded like a DVD player
- An LCD panel at the top of the console
- A subwoofer output
- A polished glass front and stainless steel chassis
- DVD, CD, and MP3 file support
There are a LOT of articles on the web that state the following, including a Nintendo Wikia (which should know better!!): There were two of these released. One that was the standard that cost ¥41,000 and a modified one that cost ¥46,000. The standard cost is right (at the time it was roughly $440-50 in US money). Oh, the extra bit about the "modified" one? It would play region free games. Now come on. Nintendo almost prides itself on region locking. This would simply NEVER happen. Making my Wii region free was a downright PAINFUL process. To this day, Nintendo is the only company not allowing for some sort of region freedom. For people like me who play Japanese and American games, it makes me distance myself a bit from Nintendo. Well, enough of my rant. What I am attempting to say it that this is BS pure and simple. Like any other system of theirs, you will need to do some stupid, time consuming stuff to make it region free. There are videos out there that will show you how if you are so inclined. Personally, if you are collecting, I would recommend against it. Just buy an American or Japanese console if you have the money.
The Panasonic Q never caught on in Japan and were discontinued in mid December 2003. However, in recent years, as one can imagine, they have become quite the collectors item! They now sell for anywhere in between $300-700. Lucky for you collectors out there, and for the future me that has money, these systems are pretty easy to find. They are readily available on Amazon and eBay.
That is a sad story of the Panasonic Q. I had seen this thing off and on in the early 2000s in gaming magazines, but never paid much attention. Now...I kind of want one. It is nice to see that it has made a come back and that it is getting some much needed and overdue love.
Thanks for reading! I hope that made sense. I will double check it when I am not sick and make corrections if necessary.
Sources:
http://kotaku.com/5803323/my-favourite-nintendo-console-wasnt-even-made-by-nintendo
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/9283/panasonic-q-discontinued
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Panasonic_Q
http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/04/09/panasonic-q-review
http://www.bordersdown.net/threads/114579-Panasonic-Q-officially-regionfree-version
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg00-q.htm#page=reviews
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Updates on Posts - I am Ill
This week I will be horribly off schedule, but I do plan to get a post up, besides this one of course. I came down with a sinus infection about two weeks ago, but since I already have so many other disabilities, I didn't want to go the doctor. This was a terrible mistake. I now feel like death. Luckily I have medicine now, so posts will be back to normal next week.
Sorry for the delays everyone! My brain could barely function, but I will be back to writing in no time. I even have a special blog about a rare game I found.
Thanks again for reading!
Sorry for the delays everyone! My brain could barely function, but I will be back to writing in no time. I even have a special blog about a rare game I found.
Thanks again for reading!
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