Secrets of Sims2 Castaway

IGN has published my guide for Sims2 Castaway for Wii now, although it is a work in progress. Even though I have not been able to transfer all information from my game journals to the guide yet, it does have a fair amount of useful information in it.

One of the most vital 'secrets' of Sims2 Castaway is the potency of guarana, a spice that can be found in many locations on the islands. Using guarana in any cooked dish will give your Sim extra energy and allow him/her to pass through new Portals, exploring difficult terrain, whether on land or on sea.

Make certain as well that you create all possible tools as quickly as you can, as this will 'unlock' new items.

Accept deliveries from Chimps. This fulfils goals as well as allowing you to obtain a piece of the Treasure Map.

I have noticed something very troublesome where the PSP version of the game is concerned. It is extremely slow at the point of moving from one location on the map to another AND whenever you wish to save the game. I advise saving frequently, although it is a case of 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' as the game system has shut off more than once for some reason in the middle of saving, thus corrupting the data. My system never did this with any other game, so I only can assume it is a problem inherent in Sims2 Castaway. I therefore would caution players to keep more than one save file for their game. Furthermore, as the system shuts off randomly in the course of this game, usually when saving or using the map to move from one location to another, even when the battery is fully charged, one is in danger of losing valuable progress if one does not save frequently.

Apart from these problems, the game is fun. The Wii version IS superior, alas... I always would like to be able to declare that a game on a portable system is the equal of the same game on a console but in the case of Sims2 Castaway, the PSP version is not quite as good for the reasons I have given.

There are more clothing options in the Wii version as well... although that is a minor point of comparison

New Harvest Moon Games

For those, like myself, who intend to play every Harvest Moon game that is released, I would like to confirm my own intention to write a guide for every new HM game. Rune Factory was scheduled for release on 31 July. If there are no further delays, I will begin the guide as soon as possible after that date.

There will be a version of 'Innocent Life' for PS2. There probably will be a few minor differences between that and the original PSP version and I will try to address those in a guide written specifically for the PS2 game. Meanwhile, though, my own General Guide for Innocent Life for PSP should be helpful for players with the PS2 version.

More and more differences are being found between the various versions of Harvest Moon for DS. A large number of events that were included in the original Japanese version were eliminated from the first U.S. version. A second U.S. version eliminated a number of 'exploitation devices' that existed in the first: the Bonus Ranch Trick and the Billion Gold Fishing Bonus are among these. Unfortunately, it failed to eliminate the 'freeze file' problem that causes players to lose BOTH save files when the game freezes at the point of reloading. The U.K. version eliminated the connection with Mineral Town, all books and two of the Casino games. My General Guide does contain a section that deals with the differences between the various versions. At some point, I intend to include a list of the events that were included in the original Japanese game but deleted from the English versions.

All that having been said, Harvest Moon for DS remains a fabulous, intricate Harvest Moon game that combines the characters from Forget-Me-Not Valley and those of Mineral Town and contains a wealth of activities for the dedicated Harvest Moon fan.
Very few players are content to play the game once. Like other Harvest Moon games, it is one of those games that possesses true lasting appeal.