I have never played a Harvest Moon game before (except maybe a few minutes of the SNES one), but I am interested in trying, and I am looking for a good entry into the series. After reading some reviews, I'm kind of leaning towards either More Friends of Mineral Town (GBA) or A New Beginning (3DS), and I'd like some opinions. I also welcome suggestions for other games in the series, but I'd prefer to stick with Nintendo handhelds if possible.
I've actually never played the handhelds, but the reviews on 'Mineral' were good, while 'Beginning' looks pretty awesome. If you want to see if you'd even like the series, I'd start with 'Mineral' simply because it's cheap, especially if you use an emulator. : P
I definitely would wait to get 'Beginning' until there is a used copy available. That way, in case you don't like it, you could return it for full price.
As for me, I've only played 'wonderful life' (GameCube) and 'animal parade' (Wii) but loved them both. I can't imagine why you wouldn't be able to get into it.
More Friends of Mineral Town is THE BEST ONE EVER.