Harvest Moon Cute for DS

All other projects must be set aside now. A moment ago, I received an advance copy of 'Harvest Moon Cute' for the DS. This is the 'girl version' of Harvest Moon DS and it has been awaited eagerly since the original 'boy version' was produced. I will begin on it at once.

The sad part of this, as with an advance copy of any game made for the DS system, is that I cannot keep my game ultimately. It is not a retail cartridge and therefore belongs to Natsume. My life as a girl in Forget-Me-Not Valley will be wiped, along with the game itself and the cartridge will be used then for data in a different game entirely.

Most players of Harvest Moon games, including myself, become very attached to their Harvest Moon character and life. In fact, I recently received a series of emails from a player's mother. Her son lost everything in 'Innocent Life' because he failed to perform the actions necessary to avert the volcanic eruption and subsequent destruction of the island. 'Innocent Life' is one of the few Harvest Moon games, apart from 'Save the Homeland' with a time limitation for specific goals.
I personally prefer the games that do not impose dire consequences for 'failure' to perform specific actions in a specific time period. In any case, I could understand and empathise with the grief of the player who lost his cat, his dog and his robot when the volcano erupted. In fact, one of the reasons I write guide for games like 'Innocent Life' is to allow a player to enjoy the game fully without worrying about any negative consequences. By following the guide, the player can be assured of success. Some players revel in uncertainty and like to pit their wits against the game, but others would prefer simply to enjoy their lives in the world of Harvest Moon. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to approach the game, but I personally will do everything in my power in my own games to prevent catastrophes of any kind. My heart grieves when any animal dies in Harvest Moon. I always try to sell the animal before he/she exceeds his/her life expectancy in order to prevent that awful scene by the gravestone!

In any event, I am off to Forget-Me-Not Valley now to embark upon a new life as a girl farmer. Even though the data ultimately will be lost, I will endeavour to forget that sad future and enjoy my adventure to the fullest, creating a new guide as I do.