Chrono Compendium

Zenan Plains - Site Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Burning Zeppelin on October 14, 2007, 06:31:17 am

Title: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Burning Zeppelin on October 14, 2007, 06:31:17 am
I hope this kicks off, because it can be a pretty good thread. Review anything you want, or rate anything you want, or do both! Music, movies, games - even a website. Though I guess it should comply with whatever rules the compendium has...if any.

I wont constrict you to a certain rating system, so post a rating system and I'll edit it into this thread with your username next to it, and a number. Or, you can choose someone elses. In the end, no matter what you choose, all reviews should have a rating system number at the top. I'll give you and example at the bottom of this post.

This is probably going to die out slowly, or just not get any posts. I hope not, because this can be a valuable contribution to the site. Anyway, here we go...


#1 - Burning Zeppelin's Rating System

Quote
0 - Jesus Christ can't wipe away the sins of this abysmal product
1 - Extremely dreadful
2 - Horrible
3 - Very poor*
4 - Bad*
5 - Average
6 - Good
7 - Very good
8 - Masterpiece
9 - Classic
10 - Perfect, flawless, brilliant. Nothing can take that away from this.

* These films and tv shows with these ratings can be bearable if sleepy, or not really focused upon. Music, film and tv shows with these ratings can be liked if a fan of the band or style or genre.

#2 - Nightmare975's Rating System

Quote
0 - Not even Seppiku can save it
1 - Eye/ear gouging
2 - Walk away
3 - Not worth your time
4 - Lame
5 - Okay
6 - Decent
7 - Wonderful
8 - Amazing
9 - Will last for ages and ages
10 - If you don't see/hear this, you don't deserve to live

#3 - OverlordMikey's Rating System

Quote
0: Suicide or manslaughter. Hmmmm either one would be better then going through this!
1: *Warning* May cause homicidal tendencies!
2: Have mercy, go away!
3: Stupid!
4: .....There is nothing worth saying.
5: If your bored it's ok.
6: Hmmmm decent I suppose.
7: Yes it's fine.
8: Good!
9: Yes it's enjoyable.
10: All life was leading up to this moment, now existence has meaning!

List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List! List!



#1 - 8/10
IN RAINBOWS - Radiohead

Radiohead decided to target both of their audiences with Hail to the Thief, mixing electronic beats with modern rock basics. It was a bit of a hit and miss, and though generally good, was disappointing with regards to previous albums. In Rainbows is a step back to both Kid A and Ok Computer, with crooning vocals and climating atmospheric songs, brilliant electronic beats, and mixing the ambient and glitchy effects with rock far better than HttT. However, it sets itself apart from Ok Computer with more jazzy melodies and interesting experimentation. Songwriting is  not as good as Ok Computer, but this is acceptable as Thom Yorke's vocals are far greater in use as an instrument, rather than a storytelling medium. Hail Radiohead, for they have recovered their near lost glory![/list]
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: nightmare975 on October 14, 2007, 02:26:37 pm
Nightmare975's Rating System

Quote
0 - Not even Seppiku can save it
1 - Eye/ear gouging
2 - Walk away
3 - Not worth your time
4 - Lame
5 - Okay
6 - Decent
7 - Wonderful
8 - Amazing
9 - Will last for ages and ages
10 - If you don't see/hear this, you don't deserve to live


#2 10/10

Tom Sawyer - Rush

I've decided to start off with an all time classic, Tom Sawyer by Rush. A fine example of of Rush's distinctive songwriting, blending intelligent yet enigmatic lyrics with an intricate pattern of multiple time signatures. It is one of Rush's best known songs and a staple to 80's rock. The songs sticking point is simply the riff in the middle of the song. The lyrics in the song have a sort of awe within them, making you listen closely to try to understand them. And in the words of Chester Cheetah, "Oh God! There is no fucking drummer better than Neil Peart!"

Seriously, if you don't hear this song, just crawl in a ditch and die.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Burning Zeppelin on October 15, 2007, 09:14:34 am
Don't put a number next to the rating system, only next to the review. I'll put the number next to the rating system, so in the review, you can put a number next to the review so it connects it to a rating system. Probably a flawed system...but thanks for being the first reply :D
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: nightmare975 on June 12, 2008, 08:14:37 pm
Bringing this back up for a little review again...

#2 7/10

Flyleaf[EP] - Flyleaf

Back when my dumbass brother first blared his Flyleaf CD in the car, I hated this god-damned band. Half their songs where about abuse, the other half was Jesus loving. Hell, when I first placed the CD in my 360, it told me it was Metal, then Christian the next time. But being a good brother(plus god given luck) I found a rare copy of the Flyleaf EP, and my view on Flyleaf changed...

For music inclined people, an EP is another word for demo, which in turn means unfinished. It only features six songs, but within those six you feel the rawness of Lacey Mosley's voice penetrating your eardrums. There's none of that lame echo effect the stains the normal album, all you get here is longer songs, extra lyrics, and a better experience than the album will ever give you.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: x_XTacTX_x on June 13, 2008, 12:03:03 am
Live Concert - Paramore


My Rating: 3/10


I'm not sure if reviewing a concert fits in here, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

First off, I'l go ahead and say that I like the band Paramore. Even with the harsh criticism they recieve from the public, I stick with the band as a casual fan, trying my hardest not to be grouped into the twelve year old girl filled "Lookie-I-Wrote-A-Song-Aren't-I-Deep-And-Brooding" crowd. Now I payed good money for a ticket to this show and damn it I expected good music, but what I got was a batch of some of their worst songs (CrushCrushCrush, anyone?), about 50 friggin' million said preteen girls with their parents and younger siblings, and the lead vocalist's ear-piercing Clint Eastwood rasp like screech blared out of crappy speakers. The minute after the first song, by which everyone except my group and I were faking enthusiasm, I was trying not to walk out of the place. But one of my friends insisted, particularly my significant other who loves the band and whom I bought a ticket for, that I stay in hopes of the concert getting better.

And surprisingly, it did somewhat. The speakers were fixed, but they continued to play their worst and popular songs. However, during a rendition of 'That's What You Get', My group and I, aswell as some others similar to us, started moshing. I have to tell you, that was the high point of the night... for about a minute. Then security threw us out.

Overall, shitty concert, but bearable.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: OverlordMikey on June 13, 2008, 03:29:59 am
Quote
0: Suicide or manslaughter. Hmmmm either one would be better then going through this!
1: *Warning* May cause homicidal tendencies!
2: Have mercy, go away!
3: Stupid!
4: .....There is nothing worth saying.
5: If your bored it's ok.
6: Hmmmm decent I suppose.
7: Yes it's fine.
8: Good!
9: Yes it's enjoyable.
10: All life was leading up to this moment, now existence has meaning!

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

My Rating: 10/10

If you don't know about it already (In which case you might be living under a rock yet strangely have a computer...) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is based on the play of the same name. It's a Tim Burton film which in most cases.

Tim Burton=Awesome!

The style is wonderful and the music a delight. There is a song for everyone to enjoy. Mrs. Lovett (Played by Helena Bonham Carter) is by far the best character in the movie (at least in my opinion). It also features Johnny Depp's (Who plays Sweeney Todd) first singing role which he pulls of magnificently.  The best songs in my opinion are "Wait" and "A Little Priest".
This movies is must see! If you haven't seen it then what are you waiting for! Unless you detest Tim Burton for some mysterious reason go watch it now. There is nothing more to say.

Review of Each Song:

I'll insert this later.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Thought on June 13, 2008, 11:17:49 am
A sort of "The Chrono Compendium Reviews Everything"? I always love those sorts of review columns. If you are feeling very ambitious, BZ, it might also be nice to list what has been reviewed in the first post as well. Anywho.

So far we have some Music and Movie Reviews. To expand the range of the reviews, allow me to Geek/Dork/Nerd things up a bit.

I now present: Thought's Thoughtful Review of All Things Thought Thinks He Should Review! dun dun duuuun

And by "all things," I mean a pet comb; The FURminator deShedding tool (10/10).

Corgis are wonderful dogs; they are one of the most intelligent breeds around, social, and so ridiculous looking that it is hard not to like them, with their freakishly long bodies, bat-like ears, incredibly stumpy legs, and a desire to herd anything and everything (whereas Chihuahuas are so ridiculous that it is hard to like them). However, there is one very big draw back to owning one; twice a year they blow their coat.

Most dogs shed year round, corgis are no different. Brush them in May, August, December and you'll have no problem getting off nice little wads of fur. However, twice a year this is not longer shedding; they had to create an entirely new category to describe what corgis (and a few other breeds) do. Shedding is to "blowing their coat" as sneezing is to "blowing up a building." A dog blowing its coat is actually one of the great mysteries of the modern era; the amount of fur expelled from their bodies exceeds the fur actually on their bodies at any given point. Scientists are looking into this phenomenon as it appears to violate the conservation of matter/energy.

Most of the year, if you are a lazy pet owner, you can get away with not brushing the dog's coat, or brushing it only occasionally. You'll have a lot of hair around your house, but most people can live with that. Not when a corgi blows its coat. When a corgi blows its coat, your pants become covered, your carpet is coated, and "fur" becomes a significant (though unintentional) part of your diet; you'll get enough servings of it to replace grains.

Not everyone is willing to put up with this (I being one of them). Such people will comb their dogs frequently (a LOTR marathon is useful for this, as it helps the time pass) in the vain hope that they'll get off enough fur so that it wont work its way into a hermetically sealed package of food. Normal combs do get off seemingly significant amounts of fur; I traditionally use this as packaging material for Christmas Presents (seriously! though, only for my mother-in-law. I give her a lot of crap). But for all that effort, you will notice no actual benefit. The corgi sheds almost as much, if not more, after it has been brushed (I suspect that more is because brushing only serves to release hidden stores of fur). Fur will still cover your home every few months like Germany covered France every few decades.

Which brings me to the topic of this review: The FURminator. I recently purchased this tool in what was really just delusional hope. I knew nothing could actually stop the tide of fur coming off my dog, anymore than anything could stop of the tide of time.

I was wrong.

Jesus turned water into wine; the FURminator turned one giant hairball into an apartment again.

In five minutes I took off more dead fur with the FURminator than I would normally get off in an hour of combing my dog. Previously, just petting my dog lightly would produce mounds of fur. Now, I can pet my little corgi without worrying about that. I can lay a pair of black dress pants on the floor, have my dog roll all over them, then put them on and there will be almost no fur anywhere on them. Other than the fact that it looks like I've somehow removed an extra dog or two from my corgi, judging from the mounds of fur that is left over after a good combing with the FURminator (seriously, the mounds are almost as large as my dog is), shedding has been nearly eliminated and "blowing her coat" is now at least a controlled explosion, one that doesn't get all over the place (and, sadly enough, it is actually fun to comb my dog).

It is a bit pricy, considering most brushes cost only around 5 or 10 dollars (a smallish FURminator cost about 30), but in comparison, most brushes don't deserve the name "brush." It's like, those other brushes are a Space Hopper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Hopper) and the FURminator is a sports car.

And if you think I've been exaggerating, just look at the FURminator website (http://www.furminator.com/). I can vouch that the images they have up are quite accurate.

Over all, this product is easily a 10/10. (I'll create my own ranking system later).

Stay tuned for the next installment of...

Thought's Thoughtful Review of All Things Thought Thinks He Should Review! dun dun duuuun
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: placidchap on June 13, 2008, 01:40:14 pm
I also have the Furminator, and by golly it really works!!  (no joke)  2 cats and a pug leave quite the hair trail (i.e. over every square inch) I concur with Thoughts thoughtful review.  Which leads me to another modern marvel...or at least the reinvention of a fairly modern invention, that combats pet hair like no other, among other things.

The Dyson Animal DC-14 Vacuum.  The Vacuum that doesn't lose suction.

Once upon a time, there was a Dirt Devil that did what it was supposed to do, suck.  And it was good at it...for about a year.  Then things went down hill as the filter had to be replaced, the brush was tangled in hair and the wheels became stiff, making it rather difficult to maneuver.  After replacing the filter, cleaning the bar and oiling the wheels, it was back in working order, although it never quite recovered full strength.  And with a lack of mechanical prowess and being the placid chap that I am, I didn't bother trying to get it looked at or fixed; didn't even buy another filter for the thing.  All it could do was pick up bigger things...barely.  The pet hair and dirt was worked in the carpet did not budge.  I had to use a pet brush to "comb" the carpet of pet hairs.  Quite disturbing to see how much pet hair came up after you have vacuumed.

Then we decided it was time for a change.  I already knew what I wanted.  I wanted the vacuum that didn't lose suction.  And Sir James Dyson had created just that.  We read countless reviews mostly positive and became wary with the minority of complaints, as many seemed consistent.  "It pulls the fibres from the carpet", "It is too heavy.", "It clogs too frequently.", "It maneuvers poorly", "The cord is not long enough." After reading the negative reviews, even after the 100s of positive reviews, one starts to wonder.  Most of the negatives would be minor nuisances though, at least to me.  (I had assumed it was mostly women complaining about it being heavy/hard to move)...And I am a work so I probably shouldn't be spending so much time on this so.....skip to the chase..

The amount of dirt and hair the Dyson picked up and continues to pick up is astounding.  First time through the apartment, it picked up 3 [adult] heads worth of dirt and hair. (Not by weight of course, but by volume.)  The carpet is 3-5 shades lighter.  Also, for the complaints about the Dyson, well (for me) it was lighter and easier to maneuver than our old one and it has not clogged nor lost suction.  Works like a charm.  The air that comes out of the vacuum is fresher than the air going in.  So for anyone who has pets and a lot of carpet (and $700), I highly recommend the Dyson Animal (DC-14).  The best vacuum cleaner in town.  Note: if you have a lot of hard wood floors, it isn't worth the price, as it truly shines with carpet, my advice would be to use a broom.  10/10 

Now if I could only get our pug to like being vacuumed...
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Burning Zeppelin on June 15, 2008, 10:19:19 am
Didn't expect those :| Also, you don't HAVE to create a rating system. Remember also to quote which one you're going to use (#1, #2 or #3)
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: placidchap on June 16, 2008, 11:53:23 am
That's what happens as you get older. You review vacuums and pet combs.  I'd say that #1 would be applicable.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Burning Zeppelin on June 17, 2008, 05:57:38 am
You'll soon be reviewing dentures and canes.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Boo the Gentleman Caller on June 17, 2008, 09:22:31 am
My mom just bought my fiance and I an expensive vacuum as a wedding present.  Expect a review shortly.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Thought on June 17, 2008, 11:48:33 am
Quote from: Burning Zeppelin on June 17, 2008, 05:57:38 am
You'll soon be reviewing dentures and canes.

Hey, what is wrong with reviewing a Cane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cane_%28novel%29)? It is a fine piece of literature (maybe)!

Oh well, I guess I'll shelve my exhaustive analysis of dentures for the time being. Perhaps a review of the new 4th Edition of DnD is more along the lines of what you were envisioning? If so, I'll start working on that. The monster manual even contains Animated Walking Sticks and disembodied Zombie Chompers.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Thought on August 19, 2008, 05:16:28 pm
Well it is a shame this thread has been neglected for so long. But no longer!

Today's Review: A Video Game! (I know, it is amazing that I'd review something people might care about)

Type: Video Game
Name: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Farm and Combat Simulator
Score: 6.5/10

Intro

For those who have never played a Harvest Moon video game, I know what you are probably thinking; "What the freak? A Farming video game? Damn it, Thought, you tricked me! I thought you might review something interesting." Well I assure you, the Harvest Moon series may well have one of the stupidest gaming concepts ever, but the implementation is utterly wonderful and addictive.

The series has now split into two basic forms: classical Harvest Moon games, which are pure farming oriented, and Rune Factory games, which add in monsters and fighting. I may well review one of the fine fine classic Harvest Moon games, but today Rune Factory is in my spotlight.

For those of you who know nothing about the series, I'd recommend taking a look at the Wikipedia article for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvest_Moon_(series)

To sum that up, the premise is that the PC must manage a farm life. Tend to the field and animals, befriend villagers, and eventually get married. Sound exciting? It is, actually.

But Rune Factory tries to spice things up; Caves have been added (not to be confused with mines in the rest of the series) as have monsters. In addition to growing crops and talking to villagers, you can now explore caves and battle nasty monsters, which give various rewards, so you aren't doing this just because.

For one, crops can be grown in caves (yeah, the game doesn't really get the whole "plants need sunlight" thing) year-round. Each cave has its own season-like weather, so spring crops can still be grown even in the winter (if it is in the right cave).

For another, Monsters serve as more than just punching bags. If you befriend them they can either fight with you, help you out on the farm, or give you produce. Befriend a chicken-like monster and you can get eggs from them; befriend a cow-like monster and milk is your for the... um... milking. Certain "magic" using enemies will water your crops, others will harvest those crops. And so on, and so forth.

Gameplay

This game tries, it really does. The designers broke with the theme of the series to add Monster fighting, which is a nice touch and as presented adds flavor to the game. They also gave the player more things to do; now the player can forge their own tools, brew up their own medicine, craft fancy trinkets that provide various benefits, cook up a storm, gather lumber, tend to crops, fish, mine, tend to animals, hunt for treasure, battle monsters, explore caves, make friends, and eventually get married. The red type activities are introduced (to my knowledge for the first time) to the series in Rune Factory.

As I said, the game tries... but it doesn't quite make it as a great game.

A primary problem is in the game’s economics. Too much investment (time, money, lumber) in this or that for too little return, and those investments/rewards aren’t well spaced. For huge portions of the game, the player really has no goal to work towards.

For one, the villagers are painfully static. They have around 5 or 10 lines in the entire game, but the only way to build friendship with most of them is by talking to them. Thus, the player gets to see the same lines over and over and over and over and over and kill me please and over and over and over. This is a large step down from the "Heart Events" of earlier Harvest Moon games, such as Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, where every character had at least a few special interactions with the PC as they got to be better friends (and a larger, but still limited, repertoire of things to say). Really, text doesn't take up that much room on a cartridge. Not having more dialogue variety is a crime.

This flows over into when the PC gets married (if he gets married, of course). All the potential ladies in the game are static as well. There is little difference in their behavior as their relationship with the PC develops and once they become his wife they are further reduced. Marriage is a goal in the game with no reward (and punishment instead)!  The two can have a child that is also utterly personality-less. Woo wee, a craptacular sprite wandering about with no purpose whatsoever.

Farming is alright, but oddly not as interesting as older iterations of the series. All crops are available at the start of the game and can be planted in any season (through use of caves). Unlocking crops in other games was fun, and limiting each crop to one season helped make each season seem special (with the possibility of growing them in additional seasons being restricted, in those iterations that allowed it, to a late-game ability). Now the only thing that feels like it changes between the seasons is the music and how often lumber appears on a field (lumber including stumps... which can so obviously appear overnight ... ). It is nice to be able to walk over crops (in past versions the PC could never step over sprouts or weasel between corn stalks), but the images for crops are amazingly uninteresting as well. Everything is friggenly huge (a single strawberry is about half the size of the PC), which only helps the player see how dull those graphics are. And grass can no longer regrow. Because apparently the PC cuts it, then pulls out the roots. Or something like that.

Farm animals are a little more interesting, as they have to be befriended from caves, but this also means that classics like Chickens and Cows can't be obtained till around a season or two into the game. They can't be sold and never produce offspring. One doesn't need to feed them, one just has to make sure that there is food in stock. The monsters get it themselves, apparently. Most monsters will never see the light of day again, as well. They stay in their barns (known as "Monster Huts") unless they are specifically accompanying the PC or helping out on the farm by watering or harvesting (and even then only for a few hours). On the plus side, there are 7 barns total with about 4 levels total, each level being able to hold 4 monsters. A Player can have 112 farm animals then... with nothing to do but brush them (but once they are happy with the PC, brushing has no effect) and collect goods from them (once every 4 days). They never get sick, they never die; in the end they are little more than machines.

Unfortunately, a lot of the added activities are reserved for fairly late in the game as well (presumably to pick up player interest after farming and monster cave exploration have begun to grate). This is because it requires the player to expand the PC's house... using 200,000 gold and 2,000 Lumber. In past games, the cost to expand a might have been 100 or 200 lumber and maybe 10,000 gold. Which points to a problem of this game; inflation. Crops bring in more money, but everything costs more too. No worries, mining can bring in 10,000+ gold in a single day (because, for some reason, silver is more common than anything else).

Mining is more interesting because it is in caves, but less interesting because it is too rewarding. After a little mining, one never needs to worry about money again (rather than being a supplement to farming, it replaces it).

Forging weapons and tools is a nice idea, but it requires that expanded house so by the time the player can forge tools, many of them aren't really all that important anymore. Forging weapons is nice, but it requires killing countless enemies in order to gather items that rarely drop from them. Thus a player might spend an entire game day in a cave killing monster after monster to get the item that they need to forge a new sword... which helps kill monsters easier. woo. Crafting and Brewing things are in the same situation. Thus the time that had been spent farming (or mining) suddenly goes to killing monsters.

That wouldn't be too bad, if the monsters were interesting. Most of them spawn 1 at a time, so the PC can never be swamped, and they are so easy to take down that the PC will usually not even be hit once. Even at that, if the treasures were easier to find (especially for the number of items one often needs from a single enemy), it wouldn't be so bad. But if one wants to do most of the new activities, one has to grind monsters like some bad MMORPG.

Conclusion

Really, I've just covered what is wrong with Rune Factory. All in all, it is still a very fun game and can easily net 10-20+ hours of fun before the flaws become truly annoying. Part of the annoyance, however, is that it all could have been done much better; we've seen better from the Harvest Moon series. This game tried to be innovative, and it was to an extent, but it kicked its own potential in the nuts and called it a day.

I would highly recommend it to a fan of the series, or to someone who tried a Harvest Moon game before but was bored by day 2. But if you want to be introduced to this wonderful series, you are better off with an older game (Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town probably being the best so far, but I have high hopes for Rune Factory 2 and Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness).

Rune Factory still has one of gaming’s stupidest concepts (farming), it seems to contradict this concept by adding in fighting, but true to the Harvest Moon series, it pulls it off in such a way that it is still fun (for quite some time, at least).

I highly recommend at least trying it. Meanwhile, I will dream of a day when they make a Harvest Moon game that fulfills its potential.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: LuccaFan on August 20, 2008, 12:45:14 am
Jet Li: Rise to Honor (PS2)

A beat-em-up for the PS2, i just picked this up for a few bucks at gamestop.  I'm only a few levels into it, but so far it's nothing special.  Combat is just timed taps of the right-analog-stick, and there's a context-sensitive action button that allows you to do different things, like jump over obstacles, climb ropes, and smash windows with chairs.

Where the game does shine though, is the very thing that makes the game so average: the combat.  It's like they put Jet Li in a mocap suit, had him do a bunch of kung fu moves, and then translated them into the game.  (which is probably exactly what they did anyway. :P)  The combat, though lacking in complexity, LOOKS amazing.  Playing this game is almost like watching a kung fu movie.

7/10.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Burning Zeppelin on August 20, 2008, 04:26:23 am
I quite liked Rune Factory.
Title: Re: The ratings 'n' reviews thread
Post by: Thought on September 02, 2008, 06:56:33 pm
I liked it too, BZ. I just expect things to live up to their full potential (which, I am sure, is a bit hypocritical of me, but meh).

And for today's offering:

Type: Video Game
Name: Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Farm Simulator
Score: 8/10

As a warning, this game was just released so my review is based off my first impressions.

Given that, my first impression is impression. Which is to say, I am impressed.

It is a Harvest Moon game, so it should come to no surprise that it is a farming simulator. However, Island of Happiness (abbreviated IoH herein) is one of the better installments in the series.

Ingenuity

The formula hasn’t changed much since the series began on the SNES; you farm and raise animals. Some things have been added over time, such as mining, fishing, and mini-games. In recent years the basic formula has been challenged a little. There was Harvest Moon DS which had crop Levels, then there was Rune Factory which shifted the focus to fighting monsters (it also had crop levels).

But IoH has a fairly significant change to the crop system itself; it used to be that you plant a crop and water it. After x number of days doing so, it would be ripe and ready to sell. IoH has changed that, there are now three different variables that must be met for crops to ripen. Even at that, the crop might be quality or crap if the variables aren’t within specific ranges. A plant now needs a certain number of days to ripen, a certain level of sunlight, and a certain level of water. Too much water or too much sunlight and it will not be a high quality produce. Extreme sunlight or water will even kill the plant.

Personally, I now love this. It adds a level of realism to the game that makes growing crops an intense process. One can’t just mindlessly water crops everyday; one must pay close attention to their needs. There is a certain joy in producing a perfect crop that is only present because there is a danger of having a bad year (or season) in which nothing goes quite right.

In addition to the crops, the tool system gets a bit of a make-over as well. As early as the first game there was the concept that tools could improve to make farm work easier. This has been done generally by just upgrading the tools one already has, most commonly by getting a smith to re-forge it using proper minerals. How using a golden watering can allows one to carry the equivalent of a small pond in a bucket, or to effectively water a few acres in just one swing, I have no idea.

IoH, however, tossed out upgrading tools directly and used “Wonderfuls” instead. Throughout the game one can find little stones/coins that, when put into sockets in the tools, give those tools different abilities, from reducing stamina to doubling the work it performs to even giving the player money each time the tool is used. This adds a beautiful layer of customization; one player might have a watering can that can cover a 3x3 area with 2 units of water (referring back to crop growing patterns and how each needs a certain amount of water to mature) for no stamina cost while another player might have a watering can that can cover a 9x1 area with 1 unit of water for normal stamina, but gives 10 gold with every use.

This system is all the more interesting because obtaining “Wonderfuls” is fairly difficult, when compared to past means of upgrading tools. They can only be won at festivals (which one depends on certain, unseen, number values in the game’s code), bought in winter (when certain, unseen, number values are met), or awarded for reaching lvl 255 in the game’s mine (and even then, only every other time).

Why is “difficult” so interesting? For one, it forces a slow down of tool upgrades. It is hardly unusual for a skilled player in Harvest Moon DS or Harvest Moon 64 to have very high level tools at the end of Spring in the first year. In IoH, tool improvement is forced to be more gradual and thus each improvement is more appreciated.

It also adds a little value to “festivals.” In most competitive festivals, a Wonderful can be rewarded, giving a player a vested interest in actually competing and wining. Past games did provide a benefit for such festivals, but it was usually in increasing the value of the produce of the animal entered into the contest (but by that time, the added value wasn’t particularly needed and so it had a low real-value).

Speaking of Festivals, they get revised a little. Every Harvest Moon game has a few festivals the same but the bulk being different, IoH is no different. However, now the festival site itself must be unlocked (so very few will occur without that happening) and one festival in particular will only be held if the player helps the towns people devise it. These are very small changes, but it helps the festivals to seem like something the player actually has an important part of.

Which brings me to the last great innovation of the game; the town and town’s people.

In most other Harvest Moon games, the player is the one who moves into the town and thus must integrate into an existing society. IoH however has the player starting off as a castaway from a shipwreck. S/he and a few other survivors set up on the island as colonists. The town grows (and shrinks) primarily based on the player’s behavior and interactions, allowing individuals to shape the town itself to a small degree (don’t want so-and-so on the island? Don’t do such-and-such an activity that would attract them in the first place, or get them kicked off the island if they’ve already showed up).

But despite so many “innovations” the game had a lot of faults here. The reason is that every innovation could have been better with a little more work; they were innovative, but not always implemented well.

The crop system was wonderful but an obstacle to new players; after my first spring, I set down the game and didn’t think I’d play again. This was because it rained almost every day, resulting in every crop rotting in the field. After getting established, I like the idea of having good or bad seasons, but to face a bad season right away? It doesn’t let a player get into the game and used to the system. It would have been simple to ensure that the first week, at least, had clear weather for new players. Thus it was ingenuitive, but it lacked a user-friendly introduction.

Wonderful are a fun addition, but the system of getting them punishes players who try to follow their own path. It is quite possible to go several years, in game, and never receive a single one; indeed, a new player might not realize that they exist. To get a few Wonderfuls early, one has to race to certain goals, and even then it isn’t until winter that a dubious player can cheat the system to get enough to begin upgrading several tools. These will be incredibly precious items to an honest player and no matter how wonderful a system is, a player has to be able to experience it.

For Festivals… this is more of a “if only.” Unlocking festivals is fun, but I think the system could have been more interactive. For one, why not let the player set the date for the one festival that the PC helps “create”? Also, why not include more festivals like that? The designers are on the right track with this and I think a little more work would make each festival unique and memorable for players of all sort. Thus, a low score because while innovative, it was a stunted innovation that didn’t reach what I believe could have been its full maturity.

And lastly, the town. It was a good idea, a wonderful idea! But it suffers because it is very static. A player will see the same town on each play through, so the “growth” is highly artificial. Involving the player more in recruiting townsfolk would have been nice. Allowing the player a bit more control over how the town develops would have also been nice. The system was about as imaginative as the Town Building in Soul Blazer, but I think they could give us much better (even if only Terranigma level Town Building).

PC/NPC Interactions

I really don’t know why games have such a problem with dialogue. In Harvest Moon games where the player is encouraged to make friends with the villagers (and marriage candidates), it seems like it would be important to make the NPCs seem like real people. But no, most NPCs only have 2 lines of dialogue that they repeat day in and day out to no end. Why couldn’t the designers have hired a script writer to give them something different to say occasionally? Vary it by season, by weather, by day of the week. Anything! Even if such a thing was only limited to marriage candidates.

Since new NPCs move in occasionally, that helps to break out of the monotony a little, but there is no excuse as far as a I can tell for dialogue to be so flat.

Economics

I’ve complained about this before, but IoH suffers from more economics. Just foraging and fishing is enough to earn 50 or 60 thousand gold each season, easily. Growing crops isn’t very profitable, in that regard. It is curious that a farming simulator would place so little importance on farming.

Well, no one is forcing a player to fish or forage… except the game. Building and upgrading things is quite expensive, far more expensive than one could pay for in a reasonable amount of time just farming and gathering materials. It is like the economy was set with late-game means of making money (and gathering resources) in mind. I commend the game for having so many things to buy and upgrade (giving the player a lot of rewards along the way), but it is nice for people who want to farm to be able to do so and not be at a disadvantage.

Now one might say that a farmer just needs to grow more vegetables. That is all well and good if a farmer could; the PC is limited by Stamina. In old games, this could be augmented by finding Power Berries that increased the limit. Now, no such luck. Certain items can temporarily add stamina, or decrease stamina loss, or some other such, but all those are late game items, available only after a large amount of money has been spent.

In short, everything seems back loaded. Thus, the beginning is so poor as to be almost uninteresting and the end seems to be so rich as to be almost uninteresting. A little economic adjustment could have made everything more enjoyable.

Overall rank: 8/10 A fun game that could have been a lot better.

Though to note, some might wonder why I gave IoH a better grade than Rune Factory. The reason for this is that while both are roughly equally fun (I think I like IoH more), Rune Factory was further from actualizing its potential than IoH was/is. But as I said, my review of IoH was based on first impressions, whereas Rune Factory I had a long time to mull over. My rank might change if I were to redo it in, say, six months.