We were looking at PSP's releases, and noticed that a new Harvest Moon game was coming to our handheld. We enjoyed our time with Innocent Life (even though it had its flaws), and wanted to know more about Boy & Girl. The game is covertly being shipped to stores, and it appears that even IGN was caught off-guard when they played the game.

Apparently, Boy & Girl is actually a port of two different, but essentially same Harvest Moon games from PS1. From the IGN review: "Our biggest surprise at the office was that Harvest Moon Boy & Girl is actually just a compilation of two original PlayStation games, put together on one UMD. And they're (virtually) the same game, too. Nowhere on the box or within the instruction manual can this information be found. Harvest Moon "Boy" is actually just a rehashed version of Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, while Harvest Moon "Girl" is just Harvest Moon For Girls, which actually could be called Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, For Girl. They're both the same game, just with slightly different overall narratives and a different main character. Confused? It's okay, we were too."

It's unfortunate to hear that Natsume appears to be pulling a fast one on us. What a shame -- Innocent Life was a pretty beautiful game. It's upsetting to see PSP relegated to (yet another) port of a PS1 game. Publishers, take note: lazily developed games don't get much love from real PSP fanboys.

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.