Software:Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands

From HandWiki
Short description: 2008 video game
Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands
North American box art
Developer(s)Marvelous Interactive
Publisher(s)
SeriesStory of Seasons
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • JP: February 21, 2008
  • NA: November 10, 2009[1]
  • EU: December 3, 2010
  • AU: December 23, 2010
Genre(s)Farm life simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands[lower-alpha 1] is a 2008 farm life simulation game developed by Marvelous for the Nintendo DS. The seventeenth installment of the Story of Seasons series, and the fourth for the DS, the game closely resembles Software:Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness; a section of the island from Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness is one of multiple islands in this game.[2] The player can choose to be a boy (Mark) or a girl (Chelsea).

Plot

Many years before the events of the game, a powerful earthquake struck the Sunshine Islands, causing them to sink into the ocean. After the player moves to the island, they are tasked the harvest sprites and harvest goddess to find the magical Sun Stones and restore the Sunshine Islands to their former glory. Once that is done, a celebration is held for the player for saving the islands.

Gameplay

Gameplay is split into four 30-day seasons to make up a year. Each day takes place over approximately fifteen minutes.

Unlike its predecessor, Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness, the player is not limited to controlling the game with the touch screen. Speaking to other characters within the game is either activated by tapping the character or pressing in the A button while facing them. The B button can be held while directing your character to bring him or her to a run. Although the player can now use the buttons, the old touchscreen control system is still intact.

Marriage

Like in other Harvest Moon games, the player is able to marry. The candidates are the same as in Harvest Moon DS: Island of Happiness with an additional candidate for each gender. The new candidate for the female player is Will, and for the male the new candidate is Lily. After a season of marriage, the player is able to have a child with their spouse. As in the other Harvest Moon games, the player must raise the heart level of the candidate in order to marry.

Development

The American pre-order bonus was a limited edition plush pig that was included with the game when ordered from participating retailers.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic77/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comA−[4]
4Players40%[5]
Famitsu(DS) 29/40[6]
27/40[6]
NGamer75%[7]
Nintendo LifeStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[8]
Nintendo Power7/10[9]
ONM82%[10]
RPGamer3/5[11]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one six and three sevens, while Famitsu DS gave it a score of three sevens and one eight.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Farm Story: Shining Sun and Friends Japanese: 牧場物語 キラキラ太陽となかまたち, Hepburn: Bokujō Monogatari: Kira Kira Taiyō to Nakama Tachi

References

  1. ↑ I. G. N. Staff (2009-11-10). "Natsume Brightens Store Shelves With Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/10/natsume-brightens-store-shelves-with-harvest-moon-sunshine-islands. 
  2. ↑ "Sunny Island". https://www.fogu.com/hm8/basics/sunny_island.php. Retrieved January 25, 2012. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands for DS Reviews". Red Ventures. https://www.metacritic.com/game/harvest-moon-ds-sunshine-islands/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. Retrieved January 25, 2012. 
  4. ↑ Liang, Alice (November 25, 2009). "Harvest Moon [DS: Sunshine Islands Review"]. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160602023414/http://www.1up.com/reviews/harvest-moon-sunshine-islands-review. Retrieved April 12, 2022. 
  5. ↑ Bischoff, Jens (December 9, 2010). "Test: Harvest Moon DS: Die Sonnenschein-Inseln" (in de). 4Players GmbH. https://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/NDS/Test/16943/70452/0/Harvest_Moon_DS_Die_Sonnenschein-Inseln.html. Retrieved April 12, 2022. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Tanaka, John (March 5, 2008). "Gaming Life in Japan". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/05/gaming-life-in-japan-54. Retrieved April 12, 2022. 
  7. ↑ "Review: Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands". NGamer (Future plc): 64. January 2011. 
  8. ↑ Newton, James (December 6, 2010). "Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands Review". Gamer Network. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/12/harvest_moon_sunshine_islands_ds. Retrieved September 21, 2021. 
  9. ↑ "Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands". Nintendo Power (Future US) 248: 85. December 2009. 
  10. ↑ "Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands review". Official Nintendo Magazine (Future plc): 82. January 2011. 
  11. ↑ Marchello, Sam (January 20, 2010). "Harvest Moon [DS: Sunshine Islands - Staff Review"]. CraveOnline. https://archive.rpgamer.com/games/harvest/hmsunshine/reviews/hmsunshinestrev1.html. Retrieved September 21, 2021. 
  12. ↑ Wallace, Kimberley (December 9, 2009). "Harvest Moon DS: Sunshine Islands". Emerald Shield Media LLC. https://www.rpgfan.com/review/harvest-moon-ds-sunshine-islands/. Retrieved April 12, 2022. 

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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