Nintendo needed to see a game like Harvest Moon released for for GameCube. Except for Animal Crossing, which would be the game most comparable to Harvest Moon, GameCube doesn't really have any games of this type. Unfortunately, the game itself is medicore. It's a good solid play, but can get old and repetitive very quickly, but then again, I have that problem with many games. I was expecting something a smooch more dynamic from Natsume, a quality company from way back.

The basic premise of the game is farming; however, you also lead a life with the townspeople as well. This creates different levels of gameplay that help to alleviate some of the monotony. The game is played in a day-based manner, but unlike Animal Crossing it's not realtime, so you don't have to worry about fiddling with the Gamecube clock when you want to play ahead in the game. Each day, you basically go through a routine of milking you cows, watering your crops, and tending to other basic farm duties. You can also fish in the streams, which is typically boring and just wastes game time. One unique feature is eating. To work constantly throughout the day, you have to keep up your energy by eating and resting properly.

Of course, this can also become annoying at times, especially at the beginning when you have to forage for plants to serve as food. Interacting with the townsfolk is somewhat fun, but becomes very predictable. The basic formula the game follows is: certain people like certain gifts, and making friends will lead to some advantage later in the game. Also, you can get married by courting one of the three available girls in town. This too becomes drab quickly. One girl can simply be won over by giving her a flower every day. Oh, and there is some sort of link capability with Harvest Moon for the GBA, but I don't have it, so I couldn't try it. It most likely doesn't have a major impact on the game.

Really, this is a casual play kind of game. You can't really sit and play this for hours/days on end. You just pick it up every once and awhile a play a few days in the game or so. This isn't really good or bad, but it makes it hard to get a good feel for the game just by renting it.

I haven't made it extremely far in this game, but I'm willing to venture that it doesn't change very much. As usual, I would recommend renting this instead of buying it, or at least renting it before you buy it. If you like simulation type games with an RPG feel to them, then I would tell you to try this game, but don't expect it to be a leader in its class. I can't say I played any of the Gameboy Harvest Moon games, but compared to the other console versions of this game, I would say it's better than the N64 version, but doesn't hold a candle to the SNES version. I would like to see more side quests and bonus opportunities besides just winning over the townspeople and so on. A nice idea by Natsume, but they can do better.