I haven't been a player of Harvest Moon for very long, but I think this game is probably the best one. There's a lot more personalization options than, say, A Wonderful Life. There are lots of ways to make money, so you don't have to work the fields if you don't want to. (I personally prefer anything other than actual crop farming.) You can choose boy or girl, and there are 10 spouse options for either gender. There are also lots of mini games and festivals for participation. It takes a while to get your farm started, and you have to be creative in ways to get money saved up, but if you like Harvest Moon that's not a problem. And this game goes on forever so there's no rush on when you have to get married. I definately recommend this game!

This game is so enjoyable. I've only played about 4 of them but this one is the most enjoyable of those. I think I could play through several times since I almost have all 100 notes now. I bought it because the reviews said it was better than A wonderful World and it hasn't dissapointed. Great game!

Magical Melody's graphics are much differnt then Another Wonderful Life's graphics. In Magical Melody the graphics are Chibi like. Aka fat and cute! It's pretty fun though. Play as a boy or girl! Yay! Of course the dog is free. You have to pay for a horse but you can have more than one. ONly one color though. There are a bunch of wild animals (including a white cat). If you see a wild animal, pick it up and it will like you better. Feed it too! If you give a dolphin fish everyday, you will be able to ride it!!!!!

When I bought the Harvest moon magical melody I was really excited. But after playing it for about 10 min. I got frustraited and traded it in. For this game was a huge let down compared to Wonderful Life harvest moon. For the controls were harder and I kept getting lost.

juiceapple

Having played every Harvest Moon title ever ported to the NA region, I can safely say that Harvest Moon : Magical Melody is the best one released to date. It combines a strong legacy of nostalgia from the earlier games (most notably the very first Harvest Moon, released for the SNES) with many favorite characters and features from newer games in the series.

The feature I find the most appealing is the ability to choose between a boy or girl character at the beginning of the game. The music is catchy and engaging. The graphics, a kiddy-sweeet super deformed anime style which is endearing. The minimal vocals of the characters are almost all heartwarming, with very few exceptions.

The only mildly questionable content is a reference to alcohol, which was changed from "Sake" in Japanese to "Soda" in English. Also there is the option of getting married and having a child in the game, a favorite feature of Harvest Moon games, but which some parents might object to.

The weak points of this game aren't many. I find that the story isn't all that wonderful, but it is accomplishment driven and it ties in very well with the activities provided in the game. There is some slowdown when there are too many animals and people loaded in any given area also, which some may find annoying.

With tons of things to do, people to befriend, and up to 21 marriageable spouses, this is a game that is well worth the price tag.