The fighting and farming Rune Factory series will hit the Wii this year in Rune Factory: Frontier...

European gamers may not be familiar with Rune Factory - a spin-off from the farming simulation series Harvest Moon which involves RPG fighting elements as well. The original Rune Factory was released on the DS back in the summer of 2006 in Japan - and won't be released in Europe until this September.

Meanwhile, the Japanese have a DS sequel and the promise of a new Wii incarnation of the game, which we're hoping gets over here quicker than its DS counterpart. The story is apparently set to take place between the events of the first DS title in the series and the second, and will feature upgrades to everything the DS titles had to offer.

Japanese gaming site Dengeki has the first pics. Have you been looking forward to Rune Factory for far too long as well, or is the first you've heard of the series? Let us know in the comments below...