Natsume to release two more Harvest Moon titles

Good news for the Harvest Moon fans, as Natsume announced the upcoming release of two new Harvest Moon titles: Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for Wii and Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands for Nintendo DS.

Natsume announced today that it will publish Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for Wii and Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands for Nintendo DS. Both of the new games will be shown for the first time in public at Natsume's booth in June at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). For those unable to head over to E3: rest assured, we'll cover the expo right here on DS-x2.com.

"Harvest Moon: Animal Parade and Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands continue our beloved Harvest Moon franchise with wonderful new storylines, plenty of activities, and exciting new features," said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. "Each game introduces intriguing new characters and exciting new features, such as the ability to share your photos over WiiConnect24 in Harvest Moon: Animal Parade."

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade (Wii) In Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, the divine tree which once stood in the middle of the Harvest Goddess' pond is weakening, the creatures are beginning to leave the land, and the five bells have lost their power. The Harvest Goddess believes that 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 help the Harvest Sprites ring the five mystical bells, summon the Harvest King, and revive the Harvest Goddess' tree and the land.

Players will find plenty of activities in Harvest Moon: Animal Parade, including cultivating crops and caring for wild and exotic animals such as penguins, pandas, and monkeys. Players can take their exotic animals out for walks, teach them tricks, and even ride some of them around town! When the circus rolls into town, players will also need to help the ringmaster find the escaped animals. Befriend the lion, giraffe, and hippopotamus to save the show!

The game also lets players take and share pictures over WiiConnect24. Players can take pictures of their farm, their family, or their village and show them off online!

Screenshots of Harvest Moon: Animal Parade for Wii

Harvest Moon: Animal Parade will be available at retail this fall.

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.

Raise the islands to meet new characters, harvest new crops, and befriend animals such as ducks, monkeys, and badgers. In Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands, players rejoin all of the beloved characters from Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness, and get to meet a number of new friends as well. Players will grow and harvest crops, care for animals, mine, fish, and compete in festivals 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.