tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8287788030356551229.post1454387253935432431..comments2023-08-24T00:35:58.314-04:00Comments on Harvest Moon Forever: New Rune Factory Characters GuideFreyashawkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00379748386863454385noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8287788030356551229.post-90902123622758828772009-10-22T06:17:36.774-04:002009-10-22T06:17:36.774-04:00Island of Happiness was released in the UK in Dece...Island of Happiness was released in the UK in December 2008 I believe, some 4 months after the US release (relatively speaking, not a bad timeframe - we were around 6 months behind for HMDS). However, there is still no word from Rising Star to confirm whether they will be releasing Sunshine Islands at all at the moment, so I would definitely second your recommendation to import the US edition if at all possible. <br /><br />Yep, HMDS was a disgrace. Ironically, it was the first HM game I'd chosen NOT to import. Rising Star had promised they'd fixed all the horrific game-breaking glitches and bugs that had plagued the first US version, so I decided the loss of the Casino might be worth buying British for a change! (As an aside, I know Natsume fixed a lot of the bugs for later versions of HMDS, but as an importer I was wary of being sold an earlier version). <br /><br />Well, Rising Star did not exactly speak the truth. After approx. 70+ hours of gameplay, BOTH my save files became corrupted and refused to load. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you how that felt! I was in year 4 of the game, just married off my last rival and was about a week away from marrying Celia. I had a field full of crops, a purse full of gold, and I'd just done a mining trip and uncovered all the cursed tools. So after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I sent an extremely angry email to Rising Star, pointing out that the save file corruption bug had been well-known in the first US version, and surely a glitch so potentially devastating should have been first on their list to sort out. The response? Basically some guff about how they can't be held responsible, they weren't the original developers after all, they couldn't POSSIBLY be expected to fix everything... but they'd be happy to replace the game if I could send them the old game back and provide proof of purchase. Yeah. I didn't take them up on it!<br /><br />Apologies for the rant. That was 3 years ago and I'm still bitter about it! So yes, I wouldn't touch another Rising Star game if my life depended on it, and I will certainly be visiting www.play-asia.com on November 13th!midnanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8287788030356551229.post-914575810366157262009-10-21T18:40:05.502-04:002009-10-21T18:40:05.502-04:00Midna, could you tell me if and when Island of Hap...Midna, could you tell me if and when Island of Happiness was released in the U.K./Europe? I believe that Rising Star is responsible for that one as well... It would be interesting to know how much was cut out of THAT game. As Sunshine Islands is the sequel to Island of Happiness, knowing when IoH was released in Europe might give some indication of the prospects of seeing a release of SI.<br /><br />Sunshine Islands is due for release in the States in November I believe. My guides should be on IGN either the day prior to the official release or on the date of release.<br /><br />I ALWAYS advise international players to try to buy the genuine Natsume (English) edition if possible. I believe that Natsume tries not to cut corners where Rising Star evidently is willing to produce 'lesser' versions of the same game. What they did to HM DS was depressing.Freyashawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00379748386863454385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8287788030356551229.post-73688947339782555942009-10-21T04:56:11.973-04:002009-10-21T04:56:11.973-04:00As a long-suffering Moon fan in the UK, I've l...As a long-suffering Moon fan in the UK, I've long since given up on waiting for Euro release dates. Not only are we decades behind the Japanese/US release schedule, we often get inferior versions of the games (the horribly censored Casino in HMDS springs to mind) or worse - no release at all in the case of the various 'girl' versions! <br /><br />I've long thought importing is my only friend in relieving some of the frustration, and although the dollar/sterling exchange is now much less favourable than it used to be, it's still the only way to go if you fancy marrying Cliff or Skye :) Sadly it's only really an option for the handheld consoles, I'm too much of a techno-Luddite to get into chipping my Gamecube and Wii!<br /><br />Incidentally Freya, Rune Factory appears to have been released over here in February 2009. And as of this morning there is STILL no word on when we might see Sunshine Islands... *sigh* :)midnanoreply@blogger.com