Harvest Moon: A New Beginning vs Story of Seasons

[Libra]

Okay, so I'm thinking of buying a new game and I'd really love to play Story of Seasons. Thing is, I'm in Europe and there still hasn't been any news of this game one day coming here. So Harvest Moon: A New Beginning might be a good alternative.

However, reading about both games has somewhat confused me, so I figured I'd make a thread here and ask for other people's opinions on both games! In short; will I enjoy ANB or am I better off waiting and hoping for SoS?

I know ANB has a super long tutorial, though I'll probably be okay with that seen as I've never played a HM game before (but I've played Rune Factory 4 - though I'm taking a break from it - so I think I have at least some basic idea of the game mechanics). But what about the rest? What makes one game better/more enjoyable/less boring and frustrating/more interesting/whatever than the other?

So basically I guess I'm asking for a list of pros and cons (definitely those!) for ANB. Thanks in advance! ^_^

 

[Libra]

Just ordered Disney Magical World, but still debating on getting ANB. ^_^

 

[samsquared]

I think you ought to buy ANB and play it now instead of waiting for SoS, not for quality but for the game. You've never played HM before, so if you wait for a game and find out it is not your niche, you will be more unhappy. ANB is an old game now, though, so it is harder for you to have significant buyer's remorse about it (as it is cheaper than if you bought SoS brand new). I love ANB, also, whereas I have barely played SoS (due to me having no time). I think it is a really comprehensive and engaging farming sim with decent characters and atmosphere.

 

[ShinyYoshi]

I feel like I can't be much help to you since I've only played A New Beginning and I don't think I'd like Story of Seaons. I'm a very experience Harvest Moon player and the new games are disappointing to me, but people new to the games seem to love them!

A site that I use that is always really helpful is www.fogu.com they have so much information on all the games, I think it would help you decide if you read the info on both games then maybe you could have a better understanding of which one you would enjoy more

 

[Zanessa]

I recommend Story of Seasons. It's a lot of fun, especially for a beginner like me. v_v
I have no experience with ANB, but I don't think I'd like it.
But yeah, go for what you want and what's available. If you can't wait, then you've gotta make the decision.

 

[Miharu]

I have no experience with ANB, but I would definitely recommend SoS because it's very similar to my favorite HM game from the gamecube versions, "A Wonderful Life". The only thing that really sucks about SoS in my opinion is the multiplayer, I wish we could actually do more things with other people than just having people come over and wand your crops to make it higher quality. XD The only good thing about it is you can pretty much trade things in SoS where if someone's coming to your town and they are your friends, you can ask them to drop off items XD They'll give you 1 item per person (maximum of 4 people). You'll also have to give gifts for the people coming to your town though, it'll be 4 gifts and it's given randomly to the people who come.

 

[Emily]

I have been playing Harvest Moon games for about 8 years now and I personally found ANB disappointing. As you are a newcomer to the series you may like it, especially if you are goal oriented due to the town restoration plans. One reason I found it disappointing as I personally thought the game lacked character development, and considering you have also played Rune Factory 4 like me you may have high expectations. I am also a European player but I imported Story of Seasons and I personally believe you are better off waiting. I found that Story of Seasons had a lot more to do at the beginning of the game to keep you occupied and not bored, as well as fairly likeable characters and better farming mechanics imo. Story of Seasons is likely to come out in Europe by first quarter 2016 or Christmas if we are lucky, so if you have no game to play for right now you could give ANB a try.