E3 08: back on the farm with Rune Factory 2

12:52 PM on 07.16.2008   |   Dale North

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We met with Natsume to get a look at their upcoming titles, including the DS sequel to Rune Factory.

It's back to the farm in Rune Factory 2, where you'll tend to your farm, harvest your crops, and make nice with the locals. But, unlike Harvest Moon, you'll have to fight to save the kingdom, too. And you're supposed to find a spouse and raise a child on top of all of this? And they say that games are getting easier these days?

Rune Factory 2, like its predecessor, is part life sim and part fantasy role playing game. It's also multi-generational, meaning that you'll have to find yourself a spouse, have a child, raise him, and groom him to do your job. You'll actually finish out the storyline as your child.

I asked a Natsume rep how long this whole process would actually take. He joked that players would have to wait nine months for the child to be born. It seems that the game jumps in places to keep you going, so don't worry about having to go through the birthing process. Or the diaper phase. After your child is born, the game goes into a sort of intermission, and then starts again with a new introduction. Your child actually inherits your skill sets and abilities.

New to this version is total touchscreen control, down to navigation and menus. Also, wi-fi ability lets you trade items and play minigames with up to four people online. Check out the screenshots in the gallery below.

Natsume says to expect this title in the fall of this year.