Alot more to do in this game than previous HM ds games.
As with all the other HM games you can get married but what is cool about this game is that you can go on "dates" with the character you are interested in a few times a week and that will help earn you friendship points towards the next Flower event (heart events in other HM games). Since I am all about the romance, this is primarily the reason I play any of the HM games at all so its nice to see that Natsume took the time to really develop and expand on that aspect of the game. Some bachelors will even propose to YOU. Also since I've always liked the farming in harvest moon more so than ranching, I'm happy that this version gives me the choice on which I'd like to focus on. If you like milking cows you'll choose to live in the town of Bluebell, but if you are like me, you'll be happiest tending to your crops in the town of Konohana.
4 festivals a month and shops are closed during them. I don't mind this but some might. The biggest con is the save system. It sucks. You can only save your game when your character gets into bed and sleeps at night. I have also heard of some copies of the 3ds version freezing alot. I have the 3ds version and I have yet to have a freeze but I do notice quite a bit of lag. Other than that, great game!