RECOMMENDED: HARVEST MOON/A GAME OF THRONES Harvest Moon:
Grand Bazaar Rising Star releases the latest in the popular farming series. James Batchelor digs deeper
Released: September 30th
Formats: DS
Publisher: Rising Star
Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
Price: £29.99
Distributor: Mastertronic
Contact: 0845 234 4242 A Game of Thrones:
Genesis James Batchelor looks at the first video game based on the popular book saga
Released: September 23rd
Formats: PC
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Cyanide Studio
Price: £29.99
Distributor: Ubisoft/Gem
Contact: 01279 822800
BEFORE Farmvilleand its myriad of copycats, there was Harvest Moon, a Japanese RPG series that challenges players to transform a poor farm into a profitable one. The franchise has found a home on almost every format imaginable, but its natural home is currently the DS, with Rising Star handling the release of each new entry in the UK. The latest instalment is Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaarand the publisher is confident it will perform just as well as its predecessors, especially considering the popularity of Zynga’s foray into farming. “Harvest Moonhas always been our flagship series and this shows no signs of slowing down,” says product manager Yen Hau. “Farming games are gaining popularity recently with the success of Farmville, but it was Harvest Moon that made farming acceptable as a social gaming experience and Grand Bazaar brings that
38 September 2nd 2011
back in full force. The mother of all farming games is ready to show what a real farming game can do.”
HOES BEFORE BROS The new game takes place in Zephyr Town, which was once home to a world famous bazaar that would attract shoppers from distant lands with its unique goods. Over the years, the bazaar has fallen into disrepair and its up to DS owners to rejuvenate it by earning money from their farm. They can even call on friends via online multiplayer to help with their farming, spend money at the local shops or go fishing in nearby streams. “For Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar, we’re targeting all farming game fans, be they on traditional
consoles or the web,” adds Hau. “This is the mother of all farming games and we will be shouting as loud as we can to these players to get that message across.”
GEORGE R. R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Icesaga has already enthralled book lovers everywhere and the TV adaptation got the world talking earlier this year. Now Ubisoft and Focus Home Interactive brings the fantasy epic to video games with A Game of Thrones: Genesis.
This strategy game actually takes place before the events of A Game of Thrones, the first book in the series. Players discover what happened prior to the story that people know and love by commanding armies across 1,000 years of conflict.
BOOK SMARTS Genesis’ campaign details the battles between the Families, as well as the founding events of Westeros. The storyline was even written under the supervision of George R. R. Martin himself.
Gamers can choose to lead their troops to victory via military, economic or diplomatic means, ensuring that Genesishas all the depth strategy fans expect from the genre.
There is also an eight-player multiplayer mode where they can battle other players to claim the Iron Throne. Gamers can use strategic alliances to aid their cause or betray their partners when it best suits them.
And the game definitely has an established audience waiting for it. The five books in the series have sold over 7m units worldwide to date, and the brand’s profile was raised by both the TV series and the release of the final novel in July.
Ubisoft will be reaching out to these fans with a PR and online
campaign that also targets PC and strategy gamers.
www.mcvuk.com
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