Harvest Moon DS

But at its core, Harvest Moon DS is much like the others: seasonal changes, daily work schedules, all that fun stuff. There are only minor tweaks to the gameplay, the most obvious of which is touch screen support. The bottom DS screen is always displaying inventory, maps and other details (pay attention, Animal Crossing), while the top shows your little farming guy. Thanks to the touch screen, though, you can now bask in the glory that is "cow washing."

Moon also connects to the Game Boy's Friends of Mineral Town and aptly named More Friends of Mineral Town for some unlockable content, like even more girls to choose from, 14 in all. You can also now order supplies via the telephone (instead of walking all the way to the store).

It's still a couple of months away, but Harvest Moon DS should be more of what its fans already love unconditionally - charming gaming that requires more thought and planning than most people's daily lives.

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.