"It was the best of times"

Natsume's next farming adventure is nearly ready to sprout in North America, with Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns coming to DS on 20th September.

As is par for the course, the publisher is offering a special pre-order bonus to anyone who puts down money for the game at Gamestop: a cuddly alpaca, celebrating the grazing camelid's first appearance in the series.

HM:TTOTT (catchy) is also scheduled to release on Nintendo 3DS later in the year, with more information expected soon.

NATSUME'S HARVEST MOON: THE TALE OF TWO TOWNS FOR NINTENDO DS GOES GOLD

Still Time To Pre-order And Get A Limited Edition Harvest Moon Plush Alpaca!

Burlingame, CA. - AUGUST 25, 2011 - Natsume Inc., a worldwide developer and publisher of family-oriented video games, announced today that Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns has gone gold and will be released for the Nintendo DS on September 20th, 2011. Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns is also set to launch on the Nintendo 3DS with some exciting new features. The release date will be announced shortly.

"Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns is one of the most unique Harvest Moon titles we've ever released!" said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. "For the first time, players will get to choose what town they want to live in! There are also other great new features, such as the ability to raise adorable Alpacas!"

Konohana and Bluebell villages were once the friendliest of neighbors. Then a huge dispute erupted between them over, of all things, food! Both towns were certain that their cooking was the best in the world. This feud has transformed these happy neighbors into bitter rivals.

As a new farmer to the area, players choose which village to live in. Will it be Eastern-styled Konohana with its abundant fields of crops, or the animal-loving, European-styled Bluebell? Players will pick a home, build a thriving farm, and compete in a huge variety of festivals. If they develop their skills enough, and they might even find a way to bring these two towns together once again!

As a bonus, players who pre-order the game can still receive a limited edition collectible plush Alpaca from participating retailers, such as GameStop. Hurry and place your order before they're gone!

More details can be found at www.natsume.com. You can also follow all of the latest Natsume news at www.natsume.com/facebook and www.twitter.com/natsume_inc.