Okay, so as anyone who's talked to me about video games more than once knows, I am a PlayStation fanboy --albeit a reasonable one. And as anybody who sees my layout knows, I'm a huge Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons fan. And finally, as every Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons fan knows, the two series are sorely underrepresented on PlayStation systems, especially PS3 PS4 and PS Vita.

So then now we see Eirinn's predicament.

Now first off, I want to know why Harvest Moon is almost nonexistent in PlayStation libraries. Some of the most beloved titles in the series were on a PlayStation system back in the day, so why stop? I mean look at how popular Friends of Mineral Town was: that's almost a direct port of Back To Nature (also incredibly popular) from the PSX. In fact, BTN was so popular that the very next Harvest Moon title that was released was released on PS2! And BTN/FoMT are considered the best titles in the series by a very large portion of the fan base, so why did Marvelous stop making PlayStation HM/SoS titles?


But alas, I'm speaking to a bunch of fans who also have no answer nor control over this matter, so instead of asking for the answer here, I'm simply curious as to whether this lack of PlayStation HM/SoS titles bugs anyone besides me. I have been forced into buying a 3DS just so I can play games from my favorite game series and it isn't even a Nintendo exclusive, it's just that Marvelous and now Natsume are either too lazy, dense, or blinded by their local market to release on PlayStation systems anymore. I mean we had I think one HM game on the PS3. It's been a decade and we got one title? The PSP got a few, but many were from the PS2 era --back when Marvelous wasn't afraid to make PlayStation HM titles. The Vita has been out for four years and not received a single title from the series, and three of the four titles to hit the PSP were either released early in it's lifespan, or were ports of PSX/PS2 titles. Why? If the title was given an exclusivity deal, that would make sense, but why pass up the largest console/handheld gaming community in the world if you don't have to? Surely I'm not the only PlayStation gamer that would buy it.

Thoughts? Does this bother you like it does me? I just hate buying an entire system for one series, or two since the HM/SoS split. Still it's annoying dropping that kind of cash on a system just for those few titles.

Well that's basically the story of me an any console exclusive. Kingdom Hearts 3 was basically my entire initial reason for just not getting a Wii U directly instead of a PS4 considering it was cheaper had a lot more games available on it etc. But I couldn't affort getting both so it had to be the Playstation 4 (because I've been waiting for that game A LONG TIME). It annoys me a lot, it's like the companies are holding my favorite games hostage >.> So I must buy them.

As for harvest moon, I have really only played some of the Gameboy version, but I'd guess that they just don't consider a Ps3 or vita port worth it? I mean the vita has pretty lackluster sales compared to the 3DS and there's not really that many people who have a Vita but not a 3DS and on top of that are Harvest Moon fans to justify it, as for something coming to the PS3/PS4, I simply don't think there's enough people who share your opinion on wanting that.

I think most people who like the series have a 3ds by this point, and the 3DS basically dominates the handheld market and from what I've played of it, the 3ds seems like the most fitting console for it as well. So it would seem they might just think a port isn't worth the time.

Not saying I would mind that honestly, I'm all for making games available on as many platforms as possible but from their point of view I could somewhat see where they're coming from.

Zlnqx : Thanks for replying. It's always hit or miss making an HM thread. xD Never really expect replies.

No, I don't doubt that the series is more popular among Nintendo gamers, but I do wonder why they don't port as it's really quite simple, especially when you consider all of the money they would make off of a port. I mean even if it sold half as well as a 3DS version, it wouldn't even be half as much work porting it as making it from the ground up was in the first place, so in the end it should balance out.

There's definitely a crowd for the game on PS4 as a lot of people are getting excited over an Indie game coming to PS4 because it's "the closest thing to Harvest Moon you can get on PlayStation". I'm one of those people. xD The game is Wild Season by the way.

Another thing I've never understood is why Marvelous and Natsume always refused to put any single HM title on Nintendo AND PlayStation platforms with the exception of A Wonderful Life and the almost direct port that was Friends of Mineral Town (but even that had a decent number of updates). Instead they put different games on different systems, thus forcing us to buy each system if we wanted the full collection.
Example:
HM64 (N64)
Back To Nature (PSX)
Save The Homeland (PS2)
Magical Melody (GC)
Boy And Girl (PSP)
Tale of Two Towns (DS)
etc.
Again: refusal to port. Even when they were making PlayStation titles they refused to port between companies.

As for the Vita, it's doing quite well as of late really, but definitely not as well as the 3DS, so that's true. I only mentioned the Vita because as of the past two generations HM and SoS seem to be shying away from consoles for some reason. Still I think it could move a decent number on Vita, but a ton on PS4. After all statistics show that many Wii owners bought a PS4 instead of a Wii U this time around, so it's likely that a significant portion of their user base shifted away from Nintendo to PlayStation this generation, but they won't follow them at all. Plus many casual gamers play the series as well, and let's face it: while you and I don't shy away from buying a system just for a single series, casual gamers aren't about to drop $300-$400 just to play a single series. Those are just lost sales.

But if Natsume and Marvelous both decide not to work on PlayStation versions of their games, maybe Wild Season can bloom into a full fledged series that can contend with HM/SoS in quality. Here's to hoping.





EDIT: Somehow missed the "I" in "Zlinqx". *facepalm*

Eirinn : Maybe there's some secret reason they're not telling us of I have no idea honestly, since they seem pretty strict about it.

And I was mainly referring that a lot of the gamers that do own a PS4 instead of a Wii U but are fans of harvest moon, seem to own a 3ds which is where most of the titles seem to release anyways. Nintendo does have a history of catering to casual gamers more it seems so maybe thats why they release them on Nintendo consoles instead.

But there being a competitor to the Harvest Moon franchise would be cool, though I doubt the game would go as far as become a full fledged series, but yeah you can hope I suppose XD

Eirinn : I might be the only series fan comment you'll get on the topic, not a lot of people seem interested in HM.  Saw nothing on PS to get excited about. I totally dislike Save the Homeland for PS2.  Maybe their cutesy graphical style fits in better with Nintendo (and to be honest, the first time I saw a 'realistic' HM cow, I was very sad. It just looks better to me more cartoony). Maybe this will change now that Marvelous has split and you'll get your PS wish someday.

Zlinqx : Ohhhh I see... Well still, a console port of HM to PS4 should still be within reason, especially when over half of all console owners have one, and soon there will be more PS4 owners than 3DS owners, and surely there will be at least a few hundred thousand people among those that own a PS4 (currently 22+ million, and on track for 50 million within the next two years). With that many potential customers, it seems certain that at least a couple hundred thousand new HM fans could be won, plus the many who have shifted from Nintendo to PlayStation like myself. I don't know, I'm sure they have their reasons. I just wish they would be willing to take a shot at least once. Give me one PS4 HM or SoS and I'll be happy for years. xD


endings : You're a Harvest Moon fan? How did I not know this? lol
I'm still stuck on Back To Nature. That was easily my all time favorite Harvest Moon, and it was a big success in the Harvest Moon community.

But as I said to zlinqx, the PlayStation 4 is on track to reach fifty million consoles within the next two years, and will likely be one of the best selling video game consoles of all time. That's a huge group of gamers to pass by just because they don't feel that their current core audience is on that system. It's entirely possible that out of what is probably going to be well over a hundred million potential customers on the system that they'll reach a few hundred thousand new ones. What I'm saying isn't necessarily just that Natsume and Marvelous are passing by a significant portion of their current fan base, but also they're passing by a huge potential install base of new fans. And they have no competition on the PS4, so why not strike while the iron's hot?

But yeah, I keep hoping that Natsume or Marvelous one of the two will take this split as their opportunity to publish on the PlayStation 4. I mean really, it would make sense for one of them to move to the PS4 so that they don't have to fight over the fan base. This way they don't have to compete with one another and worry about outdoing each other, but I guess that's not how they look at it. They probably assume that they need to try and take the other's fan base, and that's a good idea really, but only one can win.

Regardless, here's to hoping that one or preferably both of them start releasing on PlayStation 4 soon.


EDIT: I just found out that the next Harvest Moon is releasing on Wii U, PC, Android, and iOS, but not PS4. Seriously? PC and Android/iOS, but not PS4?? Natsume hates me. xD