Next month, Natsume will release Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, which will mark the series' 15th anniversary. Those cheerful little farmers of ours have come a long way in a decade and a half, and to show our appreciation of the franchise, we're going to take a nostalgic look back at the series and how it's changed. Here's a complete summary of each main entry in the Harvest Moon series, listed by their North American release dates.

1997

Thanks to Donkey Kong Country a few years before, the aging Super Nintendo was given a shot in the arm, and the console steadfastly held its own against the likes of the PlayStation, but its time was almost nigh. The Nintendo 64 was the hottest new thing, and the world of gaming was quickly soaring into the realm of 3D.

In its final moments, the Super Nintendo reached its gnarled, shaky hands into its creaky, cobweb-encrusted treasure chest of wonders to produce a few final glimmering gemstones of excellence before its passing. One such game was an odd little top-down farming simulator by Natsume.

He's got his work cut out for him!

The cute little sprite graphics resembled A Link to the Past, and the gameplay presented us with a never-before-seen system of daily chores that had to be managed within the span of a daily clock. This was Harvest Moon. Raise crops, cows, and chickens to collect produce for profit; head to the local town to buy supplies; chat with the villagers and woo that certain cutie into becoming your wife. You had to do this all while dealing with changing seasons, randomized weather, and the unseen, yet ever-present, stamina level, which had to be kept in top condition or else you'd pass out and your farm would fall into ruin. It proved so popular that a sequel was released on the Game Boy that very year, known as Harvest Moon GB. This first portable entry in the series was later ported to the Game Boy Color, with the appropriate title change to Harvest Moon GBC.

1999

It was two years until players got to hone their farming and time management skills once more, and Harvest Moon joined the ranks of other game franchises that made a successful transition into 3D. To this day, Harvest Moon 64 is often considered to be one of the best entries into the series by fans, which is a shame for European players as the game never reached PAL regions. Harvest Moon 64 was one of very few direct sequels in the series, featuring cast members said to be descendants from the original SNES game.

2000

The Game Boy Color got its first true entry in the series, Harvest Moon GBC 2. In this game, you are given three years to turn an abandoned plot of land into a thriving farm before the town mayor turns it into an amusement park. This year also marked the first Harvest Moon game on a non-Nintendo console, with Harvest Moon: Back to Nature debuting on the PlayStation. In another milestone for the series, Natsume saw the popularity of the series among girls, and in the spirit of gender equality, they released a female version where the lady farmer could pursue the interest of eligible bachelors.

2001

The Game Boy Color had one final Harvest Moon jaunt. From Harvest Moon GBC 3 onward, most of the handheld games in the series allowed you to choose your character's gender from the start, which would affect the game's plot and eligibility of characters around town. Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland was released on the PlayStation 2, but PAL regions again missed out.

2003

Harvest Moon became advanced! In Friends of Mineral Town on the Game Boy Advance, your character was for the first time faced with rivals who would compete for the affection of your chosen love interest. In this game, it was also possible to marry the Harvest Goddess. Two years after the game's release, a girl version, More Friends of Mineral Town, was released.

2004

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life was released on the GameCube. This game introduced ducks to the growing list of livestock, and allowed you to have a baby with your wife, who would then grow up and help you on your farm. The game changed some core mechanics of the series, making animal breeding much more complicated than before. The following year, a girl version - Another Wonderful Life was released for GameCube, and later a special edition came to PS2 with both the boy and girl versions on the same disc. The GameCube version of the game allowed you to connect to either of the GBA games via Link Cable, which would unlock special rewards on both sides of the transfer link.

2006

Harvest Moon: Magical Melody released. This game introduced wild animals to befriend, a pet pig, and a series of missions to complete on top of the goal of running a successful farm. The game was later ported to Wii in 2008, and before then wasn't available in PAL regions. Strangely, you couldn't choose your character's gender in the (supposedly) upgraded Wii version. Harvest Moon DS also launched this year, returning to the same village seen in A Wonderful Life.

2007

Two more portable games released, Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness on Nintendo DS, and Harvest Moon: Boy & Girl. The latter was a handheld port of Back to Nature, including the girl version that was previously unseen outside Japan.

2008

Tree of Tranquility was the second Harvest Moon game to appear on the Wii, after the aforementioned port of Magical Melody. This game featured a new setting and new characters, as well as goats, ostriches and silkworms to the livestock roster. This game again featured a quest set upon you by the Harvest Goddess, in which you had to save the dying land by reviving a giant tree using your exceptional farming skills. Once you married and had a child, you could also start the game over as that child, inheriting all the money and tools that your parent had. A girl version of Harvest Moon DS, Harvest Moon DS Cute, was released.

2009

As the Wii's third and final main adventure in the Harvest Moon series, Animal Parade was a sequel-slash-updated remake of Tree of Tranquility. It boasted many new features, eight new characters, a circus that would regularly visit the town, and the ability to have two children with your spouse. You could now ride your livestock as well! Also in 2009, an upgraded remake of Island of Happiness was released on the DS, titled Sunshine Islands.

2010

The fourth game on the Nintendo DS was released. A change of pace from the series norm, Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar focused on farming crops and produce to sell at the market each weekend.

The Sony PSP also got a new Harvest Moon game: Hero of Leaf Valley. This game featured the same character from Save the Homeland on PS2, and much like in Harvest Moon GBC 2, you must save your farm from being bulldozed and turned into an amusement park.

2011

Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns was released on Nintendo DS and 3DS, with very minimal differences between the two versions. In this game, you take up residence in one of two villages on either side of a mountain. The towns are at war with one another over a cooking contest, and as you travel back and forth between the two, you must work towards quelling their rivalry and rekindling the friendship they once shared. This game featured a Japanese-style village for the first time in the series.

2012

A New Beginning promises to make some major changes to the way Harvest Moon is played. From what we've seen so far it's shaping up to be possibly the best game yet. For more details about the game, check out the preview I wrote back at E3, and be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming review of the game. Time to slip on your gumboots and grab your pitchfork, it's farming season once more!