Natsume

I feel pretty... oh, so pretty...

HIGH There is no other game quite like it.

LOW How long it takes to unlock new songs and dances.

WTF One of the first choices in the game is to change clothes or… transform?!?

Over the last two years I have seen this game come up several times on the Internet categorized as a surprise hit or as the true definition of a sleeper. Since I'm always eager to investigate rumors that may lead me to my next obscure favorite, I decided to take all this enthusiasm to heart and buy a copy of Car Battler Joe to see what all the buzz was about. After playing through the entire game, I don't see it.

I like goofy, oddball games. I live for them, in fact. If not for the occasional surprise out of left field or insane concept that miraculously trickles down through the approval process, I'm not sure if I'd even still be into games today. The current disc rekindling my love of electronic entertainment: Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Cartoon Violence

In Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, there are no princesses to save. There are no worlds to conquer, no aliens to thwart. There's only a dilapidated farm that a young man and his partner Takakura must turn into a thriving business. Players raise livestock, grow crops and remodel buildings. But those who think that virtual farming is about as much fun as watching corn grow should think again.

According to the ESRB, this game contains: Alcohol Reference, Suggestive Themes

Game Description: You've saved your family's farm and you've saved your homeland—now it's time to live your life! An all-new Harvest Moon adventure is coming to the Nintendo GameCube! Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life will span a lifetime on the farm and follow the drama that goes with it. Not only must you build and successfully run a farm, but you must also build a successful life with family and friends! This new Harvest Moon experience will take the best qualities of the series and add more...more animals, more vegetables and more drama! What sort of life will you live?

A player can never know for sure if they will like the title until they're playing it. There's joy in knowing money was well spent on a good game and inversely, disappointment in having wasted time with a lemon. In sticking with the gambling metaphor, Car Battler Joe, a Game Boy Advance release from Natsume, is the casino equivalent of putting a quarter in the slot machine and winning a million dollars.