In honour of Father’s Day, we celebrate dads in video games: from the good to the bad to the “Luke, I am your father kind,” that don’t fulfil any fatherly duties beyond lopping off a limb. Join us now in separating the Bill Cosbys from the Darth Vaders.

Fathers in… Role-Playing Games
Much like mothers, fathers in role-playing games often are killed early in order to inspire the hero to leave home and avenge dear daddy (and mummy) and the rest of their destroyed village. However, there are some dads who stick around. When they do, they’re usually playable support characters their son or daughter’s active fighting party, or they show up in flashbacks and hallucinations to offer pep talks and parental criticism. Here are a few of these fatherly figures:

Jecht, Final Fantasy X – Father of Tidus: He’s an alcoholic all-star blitzball player who insults his son to toughen him up. Instead, he winds up alienating him. Only after son and father find out they’re dead do they make up with a manly high-five.

Kaim, Lost Odyssey – Father of Liram: Kaim believes his daughter is dead, but when he rediscovers her as an old, sick woman, he gets around to some parental duties like making funeral arrangements and babysitting the grandkids.

Pankraz, Dragon Quest V – Father of The Hero: Pankraz travels the world with his son and eventually sacrifices himself to save The Hero from monsters. Alas, he can’t save his son from being sold into slavery from beyond the grave.

Walter, Suikoden Tactics – Father of Kyril: Walter goes into exile to protect his lover and bastard son but decides to keep Mommy’s identity a secret. He gets turned into a fish monster and attacks Kyril before another party member puts him out of his misery.

James, Fallout 3 – Father of You: Daddy dearest ditches you in Vault 101 and goes to find a cure for irradiated water. When you finally catch up with him, he sends you on a deadly quest and then bites it in the name of science. And, uh, saving you – that too.

Uriel Septim VII, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Father of Martin: Had several legitimate sons to stock the throne with heirs, but wisely kept a child out of wedlock just in case a Daedra Lord killed all of his other kids. Instead of fostering the boy to a vassal or something noble, Septim stuck Martin in the church to keep him out of trouble.

Best Dad… Pankraz, because, while he couldn’t keep his son from being sold into slavery, he didn’t hesitate to take on a horde of monsters to save him.

Worst Dad… Uriel Septim VII, because, really, it was bad enough for Martin to be born a bastard – even worse to have Daedra Lords come after you because of some dude you’ve never even met. Thanks for nothing, Dad!

Fathers in… Fighting Games
Fighting games have a high volume of fathers. Apparently, popping out a few kids is the thing to do after winning world martial arts tournaments. But no father in any fighting game seems to have thought the decision to become a father and a world martial arts champion at the same time all the way through: Either you’re abandoning the kid at a young age so they invariably follow in your footsteps just to find you. Or – worse – you actively train them in your fighting style so they can grow up, follow in your footsteps and then kick your arse.

Raphael Sorel, Soulcalibur series – Foster father of Amy: Raphael got kicked out of his own family for killing some crazy noble and found the orphaned Amy wandering the streets of some French town. He took her in, raised her, trained her and went completely crazy trying to create a perfect world for her.

Frederick Schtauffen, Soulcalibur series – Father of Siegfried: Frederick left his infant son to go fight in the Crusades. While he was gone, Siegfried fell in with a bad crowd and wound up beheading his own father in a misguided act of patriotism.

Seong Han-myeong, Soulcalibur series – Father of Mi-na and wannabe foster father to Hwang: Teaches both children how to kick some serious arse, but winds up favouring Hwang with family heirlooms. When Hwang refuses Han-myeong’s offer to adopt him, he tries to marry Mi-na to Hwang. Mi-na runs away.

Cervantes de Leon, Soulcalibur series – Father of Ivy: Somehow fathered the hottest thing in the Soul series and then tried to devour her when she comes looking for his sword, Soul Edge.

Heihachi Mishima, Tekken series – Father of Kazuya: Throws his son off a cliff to toughed him up, throws him down a volcano out of spite and basically does nothing but try to destroy his son for the entire Tekken series.

Kazuya Mishima, Tekken series – Father of Jin: He may not have thrown his son off any cliffs, but Kazuya’s revenge aspiration against his own father eventually turns his son against him. Also, it turns his son into a flying demon thing.

Marshall Law, Tekken series – Father of Forest: Law sees more of the insides of restaurants than he does of his own son, but he stops at nothing to pay the hospital bills when Forest wrecks his motorcycle.

Lau Chan, Virua Fighter – Father of Pai: Abandons his daughter to fight in the World Fighting Tournament and has the nerve to act surprised when she devotes her martial arts career to kicking his arse.

Bass Armstrong, Dead or Alive series – Father of Tina: Two words sum up his entire parenting technique– over and protective.

Fame Douglas, Dead or Alive series – Father of Helena: Fame knocks up a world-famous opera singer and then doesn’t marry her; but he does leave his daughter his effed up company, DOATEC, after being assassinated. Thanks, Daddy!

Raidou, Dead or Alive series – Father of Ayane: Raped her mother. ‘Nuff said.

Dhalsim, Street Fighter – Father of Datta: Dhalsim serves as a father to his entire village by entering the World Warrior tournament to raise money for them.

Best Dad… Bass, because he loves his daughter too much to let her dress like a slut – unlike Cervantes.

Worst Dad… Heihachi, because he throws his son off a cliff and into a volcano; and he imprisons his grandson. Somebody call Child Protective Services!

Fathers in… Action Adventure and Survival Horror Games
It’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy about fathers in these types of games because they’re almost always an antagonist. Even the well-meaning Dads who just want to protect their offspring usually wind up doing the opposite by turning evil, letting work consume them or by losing the family farm to a rival rancher. But, even if they’re real jerks, they’re still fathers and they deserve their due on this day.

Joe Hayabusa, Ninja Gaiden – Father of Ryu: Leads an entire ninja clan and raises a badass ninja son.

William Birkin, Resident Evil 2 – Father of Sherry: The guy’s got no time for parenting – he’s so married to his work he becomes the last boss.

Mr. Burnside, Resident Evil: Code Veronica – Father of Steve: Not only did he raise his son to be a whiny loser, but Mr. Burnside also thought it’d be a great idea to steal from the Umbrella Corporation, thus getting his wife shot full of holes and landing him and his son on a zombie-infested prison camp island. Great going, old man.

Harry Mason, Silent Hill and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories – Adoptive father of Cheryl and possibly Alessa, depending on which ending you get: Harry probably shouldn’t have picked up a strange child on the side of the road, but damned if he doesn’t do his best to hang onto her – even when the monsters start showing up to kill him.

Dr. Tenma, Astro Boy – Father of Astro Boy and Tobio: Like a lot of Dads, Tenma was married to his work until the day his nine-year-old son Tobio died in a car accident. Then, he turned his work into his son, created Astro Boy as the son that would never die. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t age, either – so Tenma sold him to a robot salesman.

King Zora XVI, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Father of Princess Ruto: He loves his daughter, but is too fat and lazy to go save her when she goes missing inside a giant fish monster.

Talon, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – Father of Malon: Talon is a narcoleptic rancher who makes a good living for himself and his daughter on Lon Lon Ranch; but unfortunately, he has poor taste in employees. Pro tip: don’t hire somebody with the hots for your daughter.

Deku King, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – Father of Deku Princess: Overprotective doesn’t quite sum it up – this is a guy who tortures small animals when his child goes missing instead of looking for her himself.

Bowser, Super Mario Bros. series – Father of Bowser Jr. and seven other Koopalings: He lets his kids run wild with pirate ships and magic zappy wands. Not exactly parent of the year material.

Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong series – Father of Donkey Kong Jr.: He’d rather hang out with his nephew, Diddy Kong, than his own son. What does that say about his fatherly reputation?

Kratos, God of War series – Father of Calliope: He’s away from home a lot, fighting wars and when he does come back, he kills his kid in a God-induced rage. She goes to heaven and he tries to visit, but that would kind of break the world, so he leaves her be.

Kento Marek, The Force Unleashed – Father of Galen, aka Starkiller, aka Vader’s Secret Apprentice: He escapes the Jedi purges with his wife and young son and hides out on Kashyyyk. Vader shows up, kills him and takes his son to train/raise.

Dr. Light, Mega Man series – Father of Mega Man: Okay, so he didn’t provide Mega Man chromosomes; but Dr. Light built him and raised him. So he’s like both father and mother to Mega Man.

Nate Harlow, Red Dead Revolver – Father of Red: If nothing else, the old man sure taught his son to shoot.

King of All Cosmos, Katamari Damacy – Father of The Prince: His binge drinking wiped out the world, and he sent his son to clean up the mess. What a role model.

The Mourning King, Prince of Persia – Father of Elika: He makes a deal with the dark god Ahriman to resurrect his daughter, sends his men to capture her and then unleashes pure evil by destroying the Tree of Life.

Best Dad… Harry Mason, because he could have adopted some other orphan, but no – he went through Silent Hill for his Cheryl. That’s a dad who cares.

Worst Dad… Steve Burnside’s dad, because, while Kratos might’ve killed his kid, too, at least his daughter went to heaven instead of a zombie-infested prison camp island.

Fathers in… Shooters
Dads are the stars of shooters. Even if they’re not the main character, they very often drive the plot even from beyond the grave. This is probably because a lot of cultures have a manly mythos of the son surpassing the father and it’s bled right into the manliest of video games. Even with all that testosterone, there’s room for really great dads. And some really awful ones, too.

Eli Vance, Half-Life series – Father of Alyx: Eli lived the simple life of a scientist at Black Mesa Research Facility with his wife and young daughter. Then things explode as they often do in the profession and his wife dies. He eventually falls in love with another woman, but to his dying day, he never stops loving his daughter.

James McCloud, Star Fox series – Father of Fox: Clearly James did something right in parenting Fox; he inspired such filial piety that his son hallucinates him during boss fights.

Andrew Ryan, BioShock – Father of Jack: Andrew had Jack out of wedlock with stripper/dancer Jasmine Jolene and didn’t get to spend any time parenting him. mummy Dearest sold the embryo off to Andrew’s enemy. Ryan Sr. might make a big fuss about a man choosing; but, the truth is, you can’t choose your children.

Big Daddies, BioShock series – Father of Little Sisters: Big Daddies have no blood relation to Little Sisters and probably no soul, either. But they do what all good daddies do: protect the bejesus out of their babies with power tools.

Roy Campbell, Metal Gear Solid series – Father of Meryl: He lies to his daughter and says he’s her uncle for most of her life, but then relents and calls her his “pride and joy” at the most inopportune moment. Later, he gives her away at her wedding.

Jack Raiden, Metal Gear Solid series – Father of Rose’s son: To his credit, Raiden probably would have been a great dad if his wife had lied and said she miscarried the baby. But, since she did lie and tell him that, he let himself be turned into a high-tech version of a Ken doll and now his son is really going to have daddy issues despite his parents getting back together.

Big Boss, Metal Gear Solid series – Father of Liquid and Solid Snake: Daddy must be so proud of his clone sons. One of them is a chain smoker with a terminal illness and the other one keeps trying to bring about a nuclear holocaust. He probably should have spent more time raising them instead of trying to kill one or both of them.

Adam Fenix, Gears of War series – Father of Marcus: Supposedly he’s some kind of genius and like James McCloud he must’ve done something awesome to inspire filial piety that borders on insanity. His son winds up in prison for abandoning his post to save Fenix Sr. during an alien invasion.

Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell series – Father of Sarah: Sam is so devastated by his daughter’s death he spends an entire game avenging her. Drunk drivers and assassins beware a bereaved father, especially one who’s a secret agent.

Best Dad… Eli Vance, because he loves his baby girl without smothering her independent spirit.

Worst Dad… Big Boss, because one lousy man-hug does not make up for the sheer number of times he tried to kill his son.

(Dis)Honorable Mentions
Shinnok, Mortal Kombat – He’s only Raiden and Shao Kahn’s dad in that awful movie, Annihilation, so he doesn’t count as a video game dad.
Homer Simpson, Don Corleone, Darth Vader – They’ve all got a presence in video games, sure, but their status as good or bad fathers comes from the shows and films they’re from, not from the games they appear in.
You, Fable II, The Sims games and Harvest Moon games – Just as with mums, even if you play as an upstanding paragon of parental vigilance as a dad, you’re going to be guilty of neglect at least half of the time.

That does it for dads this year. Think we missed somebody important? Drop a line in the comments. And don’t forget to call your dad on Father’s Day!

By far the most exciting title Natsume will be showing at E3 is the long-awaited PlayStation 3 title Afrika, which we’ve been waiting for since the title was first announced back around the time that the console launched. Having recently picked up North American publishing duties for the title, Natsume will be showcasing the game at this year’s giant video game show.

Of course Afrika is just the tip of the iceberg. They’ll also be showing off Cheer We Go!, Squishy Tank, and Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming, and Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands for the DS; Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition, Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, and Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream for the Nintendo Wii; Adventures to Go for the PlayStation Portable; and Harvest Moon: My Little Shop for WiiWare. Each and every title a solid contender for game of the show, theoretically!

Check out the full descriptions of the games below, if only to be able to keep track of who is harvesting what.

Adventures To Go (PSP) It’s adventure served your way! In this hilarious and innovative strategy RPG, players take control of Finn Courtland and his band of misfits in their quest for fame and riches. Each dungeon is randomly generated according to the player’s specifications, so the game offers endless replayability and a guarantee of new surprises every time players pick it up. The grid-based battles challenge players to think strategically and make the best use of each character’s abilities.

Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition (Wii) In Animal Kingdom: Wildlife Expedition, players take on the role of a wildlife photographer exploring the exotic and diverse wildlife of Animal Island. Each day, they’ll be given new photo assignments, such as taking pictures of particular animals, an animal herd, or an animal in a particular pose. Players will see a variety of exotic wildlife on their expedition, including gazelles, gorillas, and elephants. Each animal is realistically detailed and behaves just like the real thing!

Afrika (PS3) Explore the wildlife of Africa in this revolutionary safari game! Players will capture lifelike images of everything from lions and zebras to giraffes and cheetahs in this breathtaking PlayStation® 3 game that features photorealistic environments and animals that move and behave exactly like their real-world counterparts. Like real-life photographers, players will need to be careful if they want to take photos of the animals without disturbing them, and make the best use of their equipment in order to capture that perfect shot. The photography in the game is as meticulously modeled as the animals themselves; players will need to learn to compose their photographs with the eye of a professional photographer if they want to earn top dollar. Money can be used to purchase new licensed cameras and equipment, all of which behave just like their real-world counterparts.

Cheer We Go! (DS) Take on the role of a cheerleader in this exciting rhythm adventure game! Use your stylus to guide your cheerleader through increasingly complex dances and cheerleading routines. The game’s story mode takes players on an adventure through school as they try to work their way up to star cheerleader! Players can completely customise their character, enjoy a variety of mini-games, and may just find a little romance as they strive to become the best cheerleader in the school!

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade (Wii) In Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, a divine tree which once stood in the middle of the Harvest Goddess’ pond has begun to weaken, the creatures are beginning to leave the land, and the five bells have lost their power. Only the strength of the Harvest King can help revive the earth and bring the tree back to life. It’s up to the player to ring the five bells, bring the Harvest King back to the island, and help revive the Goddess’ tree and the land. Players will also help the ringmaster when the circus rolls into town. When the giraffe, hippo, and lion escape, players have to find them, befriend them, and bring them back to save the show! Players will find plenty of activities to experience in Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, including cultivating crops and caring for wild and exotic animals. Players can take their exotic pets out for walks, teach them tricks, and even ride them around town!

Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming (DS) Something strange is happening on Sunny Island. Crops are popping up everywhere and growing out of control! If something isn’t done soon, the once-tranquil island will be buried in an avalanche of vegetables! It’s up to the players to solve the mystery of this produce predicament as they try to tame the crops and gather as many vegetables as they can. Set in the world of the recent DS hit Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming continues the tale of the island and its residents. Players can choose from 12 playable characters, each with their own unique story. See how the mystery unfolds from each character’s perspective, and who they meet along the way. The game features a variety of modes including Story Mode, the brain-teasing Mission Mode, and the action-puzzle excitement of Score Attack and Free Play Modes. Players can test their farming skills against their friends and family in multiplayer. Players can also unlock character art, music, and some special surprises in the Collection Room.

Harvest Moon: My Little Shop (WiiWare) Harvest Moon comes to WiiWare! You’ve just opened a shop in Clover Town. It’s up to you to decide what items you’re going to stock. Once you decide what to stock, you’ll make the items in a series of fun and exciting minigames using the Wii Remote. Can you build a bustling business that will help Clover Town prosper?

Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands (DS) The islands are in peril! Years ago, a powerful earthquake struck the Sunshine Islands. In Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands, it’s up to the player to raise the sunken islands by finding the magical Sun Stones. By finding and collecting the Sun Stones, and using them to unlock the islands, wild animals and crops, players can bring peace and prosperity to the Sunshine Islands and prevent such a disaster from ever striking again. Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands continues the story of Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness. Players will encounter all of the beloved characters from that game, as well as a number of new characters. Players will grow and harvest crops, care for animals, mine, fish, and compete in festival events in their quest to restore the Sunshine Islands to their former glory. With a little luck, they may even find true love and start a family along the way.

Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream (Wii) Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream brings the most true-to-life fishing experience yet to the Nintendo Wii! Featuring a magnificent 3D fishing engine, lifelike fish, and soothing environmental sounds, Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream puts players on the banks of pristine lakes, raging rivers, and tropical oceans filled with the biggest, fiercest fish around. Players will be able to keep their best catches in aquariums, grow them, and then release back into the wild for an even bigger challenge. Get expert advice from the wise Fishing Master and learn how to fish like a pro. With a variety of realistic stages, tons of fresh and saltwater fish, and over 100 pieces of tackle, players can really make their fishing experience their own. Special Boss Fish will challenge even the most veteran anglers. Players can also take a more competitive approach to fishing with Versus Mode and compete with 1-4 other players. Players can try their hand at lure, bait, and fly fishing, using the WiiT Remote as a rod, and the Nunchuk as a reel. With all the sights, sounds, and action of real fishing, Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream is the closest you can get to the real-life fishing without putting on your waders!

Squishy Tank (DS) Squishy Tank is a fun-filled puzzle adventure game! The gameplay challenges players to quickly match and destroy tiles before they run out of time. Wacky items and powerups keep the action fresh and exciting. The game also features a story mode that’s sure to charm players of all ages with its whimsical characters and dialog.

The Entertainment Software Association continues to regrow after last year’s exodus, with Harvest Moon publisher Natsume casting their lot with the industry trade organisation.

Natsume is the second publisher to sign with the ESA this year, after SouthPeak signed up earlier this month. This follows a string of companies leaving the organisation last year, perhaps due to wildly increasing membership fees.

“It’s important to partner with an organisation which not only acts as the voice for the video game industry, but also reflects the mission and goals we have established for our company,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO at Natsume. “We are pleased to join the ESA and are excited to collaborate on upcoming programs and activities such as the 2009 E3 Expo.”

With the return of the E3 Expo this year, I expect to see more and more companies signing on with the ESA leading up to the the June event.

Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada says “the games industry worldwide is in danger if we keep making sequels,” just weeks before the 19th installment of Harvest Moon hits PSPs in Japan.

Speaking to Eurogamer Italy, Wada went on to say that consumers are bored by sequels and excited by variety. That may or may not have been the inspiration behind developer Natsume creating Puzzle de Harvest Moon and severing Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon from the franchise to stand as its own series.

Either way, his quotes still smack of hypocrisy. Wada’s newest IP – Little King’s Story – is a single player life sim where you take care of townspeople instead of cows with the power of a magic crown instead of a magic tree.

Wada gets a ten out of ten for idealism, though.

“I think new IPs must keep coming, not only to give more variety to the gamer but also to keep the creative people creative,” Wada said.

“What is the point of having creative developers if they are just making existing games better and not thinking of new ideas?”

Hear, hear! Bring me the collective head of Namco-Bandai!

Stop relying on sequels – Yasuhiro Wada [Eurogamer]

Bokujou Monogatari: Sugar Mura to Minna no Negai (Harvest Moon: Sugar Village and Everyone’s Wish, but you don’t need me to tell you that, I’m sure) casts you in the role of (surprise!) a young farmer. This time around, a goddess tasks you with saving a village that is in danger of being turned into a holiday resort using your awesome, er, farming powers.

It all sounds like an episode of The A-Team mashed up with The Grapes Of Wrath to me, but maybe that is no bad thing. Famitsu reckon the game will appear in Japan around the 9th of March.

New Harvest Moon for PSP revealed in Famitsu [PSP Updates]

The official website went live today with.. not that much info. Plenty of Tokyo Games Show banners, though, so we presumably get some more solid facts when that kicks off next month.

Famitsu has a couple of screens and some more details – in Japanese.

New Harvest Moon title for DS[DS-X2]

The latest DS outing for the franchise is said to be the biggest ever , with EVEN MORE huge-eyed chicks to marry and raise happy children with.

It’s all so.. beautiful. Sniff. That’s it, I think I need to go and have a bit of a cry.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Harvest Moon Games, pre orders can nab a plush chicken. Yes, you read that correctly.

Harvest Moon: Island Of Happiness [Natsume]

The most exciting title Natsume is bringing? Princess Debut, hands down. We posted about it before, and the DS game is broken down into three parts: rhythm game, princess dress-up and find a prince. The game takes place within the thirty days before a big ball. The game has multiple endings in story mode, and the dancing sequences use full motion capture. It’s even possible to watch footsteps on the dance sequence and learn the steps.

The game is geared towards the female pre-teen (’tween) audience, and while Princess Debut doesn’t make any misgivings about its girlyness, the game doesn’t appear to be shovelware in the least. While checking out Natsume’s line-up, Princess Debut went from being the game we were least interested in to the game we were the most interested in. Hey, who doesn’t want to play rhythm games, learn to actually dance and find a prince?! Princess Debut debuts later this year.

There’s Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for DS, and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for Wii. And yes, there will be pre-order bonus stuffed toys.

Please hold the girl jokes, but as a fan, I think this news is amazing. Especially because the screenshots, handily provided for you after the jump, show that in the Wii version, you can ride on an ostrich. Horses are so ten years ago. And screenshots for the DS version (one of which seriously shows a girl saying “Wow, it’s bigger than I thought”), reveal not only that the possible girlfriends are as decision-wrenchingly cute as always, but that the top screen map will actually show you where townsfolk are so that you can visit them.

Full announcement after the jump.

Special Anniversary Packaging, Plush Toys, Strategy Guides and an Exclusive DS Lite Kit Just Some of the Specialty Items that will Commemorate the Beloved Series

Burlingame, Calif., July 7, 2008 – Natsume, a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that the company is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of its popular Harvest Moon franchise this summer. In commemoration of the anniversary, Natsume is launching two new Harvest Moon titles later this quarter and offering a host of retail promotions surrounding the launches.

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii will both be available at retail later this summer, and will be branded with special packaging marking the 10th anniversary. In addition, a line of collectible plush toys featuring the cute and friendly animal characters from the games will also be available as a pre-order bonus/gift with purchase at select retailers. Other special promotions surrounding the anniversary include an exclusive 10th anniversary Harvest Moon DS Lite Kit (with protective cover, stylus, screen wipe and more) and two new strategy guides from BradyGames.

The Harvest Moon series began ten years ago when it launched on the Super Nintendo. Since then, the RPG/Simulation series has garnered a large and loyal fan base, and has appeared on most every home and handheld console available, including GameBoy, GameBoy Colour, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation2, PSP and soon the Nintendo Wii.

The series has sold millions of units in North America, with 20 incarnations over the course of 10 years. The games are usually set in rural towns packed with interesting and friendly characters where the player is tasked with running a successful farm, creating a family by getting married, having children, and befriending the people in the town to help build up their land. The games are great for players of all ages because they provide wholesome, non-violent entertainment anyone in the family can enjoy.

“The concept of Harvest Moon games is simple: hard-working people should get rewarded for what they have done. We want players to take this concept they get in the game, and apply it to their real life, too,” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. “We couldn’t be happier that the series has caught on with so many fans. It’s their tremendous enthusiasm and support that has kept the series growing and evolving over these past ten years.”

Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness (DS) In the largest portable Harvest Moon experience ever, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the Nintendo DS tasks players with building their own paradise as they find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island. Starting off with an abandoned farm, a handful of seeds, and the determination to start a new life, it’s up to the player to attract settlers by making their farm robust and the island prosper, By harvesting crops, raising animals, and mining for precious gems, gamers will help the island grow into a vibrant town filled with people, businesses, and eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. Players can take on the role of a boy or a girl while falling in love and starting a family. For a competitive feel, gamers can also play against other ranchers via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility (Wii) In Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Nintendo Wii, you find yourself in a troubled island town which once prospered with life and energy, but is now in serious trouble. The mystical Mother Tree that once watched over the island has disappeared, and the Harvest Goddess is nowhere to be found! The island has lost its connection with nature and the inhabitants don’t know what to do – it’s up to you to save the island! You must help to rebuild the island by tending to the earth, befriending and raising animals, nurturing friendships, and creating a family. When the giant Mother Tree is reborn, the Harvest Goddess will return and bring prosperity to the island once again. Long-time Harvest Moon fans as well as new players will find an exciting, involving storyline and plenty of activities including cultivating crops, caring for animals, and participating in festivals. All-new controls for the Nintendo Wii Remote give players the chance to feel like they’re really farming!

Both Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness and Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility will be on display at this month’s E3 trade show in the Los Angeles area and will be available at retail later this summer.

For more information on either of the new Harvest Moon titles, please visit www.natsume.com.

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About Natsume Natsume Inc. is a worldwide developer and publisher that specialize in unique and family-oriented interactive entertainment software for a variety of platforms. Most known for publishing Reel Fishing and Harvest Moon, Natsume is dedicated to producing quality video games. For more information about Natsume Inc., visit www.natsume.com

When naming our new company, we desire to maintain these objectives. We also thought of a Japanese word, “atari”, used in the expression such as: A World of Hit business is counted by “How much you earn if you hit atari”; Pachinko is a game to aim “atari”; and thus in such a world by working hard We want to come up with big atari (big hit) machine!!. So, summing all up, we decided a company name, “Atari Inc.”
Participating in all the business areas and projects, our top rated development staffs are aiming to reach literally the Biggest Atari by collecting all their wisdoms and ideas.

I know the 2600 was never big in Japan, but don’t these guys know? Or Care? Maybe that’s a good conversation starter. “No, we’re the other Atari.”

Greetings [ATARI Inc via Insert Credit]