Innocent Life takes the Harvest Moon series to a brave new world: the future. How would the long-running farming franchise transform when faced with the challenges of such an unusual setting? Unfortunately for gamers, Innocent Life doesn't really do anything new -- its setting is mostly wasted in a solid but ultimately meaningless story that suffers from serious pacing issues. It's clear that, like the title suggests, good intentions were at the core of the development process. However, some glaring issues with execution prevent it from being the must-have title it deserves to be.

The Harvest Moon series isn't known for its great technological achievements. However, Innocent Life pushes the visual allure of the franchise to new heights. The developers have taken advantage of PSP's impressive power, and have crafted a game filled with a surprising amount of visual splendor. It may not be the best looking title on the handheld, but it's quite possibly the best looking Harvest Moon game to date.

Each season in Innocent Life is brought to life by fine details. Fall, for example, is painted with beautiful shades of orange and brown. The falling leaves certainly add a great deal of charm to the title. Winter looks especially gorgeous when the impressive snow effects start taking over. The particles fill the screen, adding a dream-like feel. However, spring is quite possibly the best time to farm in Innocent Life. The trees are blooming, and flower petals can be seen falling down. The plethora of cherry blossoms make spring time in Harvest Moon a truly relaxing time. Check out more images, after the break.

The Harvest Moon franchise is heading in a bold new direction. Innocent Life, the new PSP-exclusive addition to the series, is appropriately subtitled "A Futuristic Harvest Moon." In this newly-released title, players are taken to a world that both shares remarkable similarities to worlds seen in past Harvest Moon titles, and veers off into unfamiliar territory for the franchise. Strangely, the setting is not the biggest change for Innocent Life -- it's the main character.

Who would have thought that a game all about farming would have such a devoted fan base? Harvest Moon, a game all about farm life, debuted on the Super Nintendo a decade ago. The game would task players to plant seeds, grow vegetables, and maintain a love life. The game was as simple as the inspiration it came from, and players seemed utterly captivated. The upcoming Innocent Life for PSP is a drastic change from previous Harvest Moon games of yore, taking the franchise to unfamiliar territory: the future. Before we look at this new PSP exclusive, we thought we'd ask the hardcore Harvest Moon fans of Harvest Moon Otaku to speak about how they first found the franchise, and what makes the series so appealing to them.

A few days ago we went over the ridiculous number of RPGs coming to the PSP this year. Harvest Moon was one of the games on that list and we already have some screenshots of the game. No additional details were revealed with the screens, but I'm willing to bet there will be farm tending involved. This seems to be one of the best looking Harvest Moon games to come out yet, so it should please fans of the series.

Go to DCEmu to see all the screens.

The PSP's lineup of Greatest Hits games in America is relatively small, and hasn't grown in quite some time. (In order to qualify for Greatest Hits status, a game must sell more than 250,000 copies and be more than 9 months old.) Japan's "The Best" series in Japan, though, continues to grow. Sure, it features really ugly packaging, but at the low, low price of 2800 yen (about $25), it might be worth it. The latest additions to the budget lineup include: Metal Gear Acid 2, Sengoku Musou, Bleach Heat the Soul 2, and Harvest Moon Portable. If you're wondering how these titles are selected, don't: unlike in America, it doesn't appear the Japanese budget program actually has qualifications.

[Via Siliconera]