Toukiden 2 (PS4) Review

I really enjoyed the first Toukiden, more than I thought I would.  I figured Tecmo Koei's first foray into the monster hunting genre would be a bit shaky, but it was solid and felt familiar enough, yet different, from other offerings.  I ended up playing it for many more hours after reviewing it, and was very excited to finally get my hands on the sequel.  Of course, I had the carryover demo to help satiate me beforehand, so I was able to hit the ground running in the full release.

If you haven't played the first Toukiden, or read my review of it, I'll briefly cover the basics.  You play as a slayer who is tasked with defending a village from various monsters called Oni.  This involves choosing a weapon, getting some allies together, and hitting them a lot until they die.  You can then purify them, which gives you an item.  Each medium and large Oni has several parts that have their own durability.  If you hit them enough, the part will break off.  Those too, can be purified.  While you can sever legs and arms, most time the monster gets a phantom version so they can still use it to move and attack.  Those parts can still be targeted, which can aid in stunning  or tripping them, giving you a few seconds to hit them without fear of retaliation.

The controls are mostly the same as the first entry, but with a few new additions.  Square, Triangle and Circle will do different attacks based off the weapons types.  X is your dodge button, which is the same as last time.  Filling up your weapon gauge still allows you to do your super attack that will sever a monster's limb instantly.  Running and the Eye of Truth no longer drain stamina, which is nice.  Also newly added is the demon hand.

The demon hand adds a new layer of mobility for your character.  You can target an Oni with it to pull yourself to them quickly, which can help in hitting their higher sections.  You can also use them in the environment to go up ledges and across gaps.  The unity gauge has also changed to be used with the demon hand.  When it is filled, you can target a monster's part and break it, sometimes permanently.  It's different per monster, but some can be left legless, dragging themselves around to fight you.  It's really useful and cool.  At first I didn't really care about the demon hand, but after smashing off an Oni's arms and watching it walking around trying to peck me, I realized its true worth.

Mitama are back, and also slightly reworked.  They don't level up as before.  Instead, doing different things will unlock and level up their skills.  There's also very specialized skills that some have, affecting other types of mitama or certain weapon types (think of the corporate buzzword "synergy").  The second and third mitama give you new skills.  One is activated by holding R1 and pressing R2, and the other activates automatically when the conditions are met.  They have lots of new skills, too, like filling up your weapon gauge at the cost of health, or keeping you from dying when your health is out.  It took me a bit to get used to how the new skills worked, but I do like them.  Besides just reworking the types of mitama already present, a few more have been added..  I still really like my spirit type, but I'm starting to like the plunder type as well.  The command type is a bit of a let down, though.

The story mode for the series went through an overhaul.  It used to be just like Monster Hunter, where there was dialogue bits in the town, and you would take missions from the counter, complete them, then repeat to press on through the story.  Now, the town has the different "ages" outside of it in a giant, connected map that you can run around in.  There are plenty of Oni, items to pick up, side quests to complete, and even collectibles.  There are also random "joint operations" where you help another slayer out (or even a Tenko).  When you complete it, the slayer will temporarily join you, effectively giving you a fifth party member.  You can encounter other player's characters in this way.  When encountering a large or medium sized Oni, there is a barrier keeping you within a certain area.  It's possible to leave the blue types, but red keep you in.  These are for quest targets, so you probably don't want to run from them anyway.

When I first experienced the large map, I though it was just a side thing to do, where you could free fight Oni and gather stuff.  It took me way too long to realize that this is where the campaign takes place.  I thought about if I liked that or not, and finally decided it was actually a good choice.  It moves it farther from the game that inspired it, but gave it something unique that works really well.  I don't know if it needed the collectibles, but I really like the new, large, connected map.

The multiplayer stays closer to its roots.  However, instead of having a map with different zones, you are basically put in the area with the target(s).  You will be in a section of the normal map, but within the red barrier area.  This makes missions much faster.  I wasn't able to find an online lobby the few times I tried, but you can do the quests offline with the story characters or a copy of anyone that you have the card for (other players, basically).

While the first Toukiden and the Kiwami expansion had story and plot, Toukiden 2 has more.  The story is a bit predictable towards the end, but the character backstories are really good.  Going through the story and some of the side quests took me 25 hours.  Completing the rest of the side quests and doing the hunting missions will rack up many more hours.  I've put on an additional 20 hours and still have more to do.  Like the first game, the difficulty isn't as high as its competitors, mostly because you can take AI with you almost constantly and they can revive you.  I had no difficulties going through the story, although some of the later monsters hit very hard.

If you are a fan of the first Toukiden, like myself, I would definitely recommend Toukiden 2.  Just realize that they have changed some things to better separate it from the crowd, which I could see alienating some people.  I actually really like the changes, and had a lot of fun playing through the story and side quests.


The Good:
Expands the game in interesting ways to further differentiate itself from its inspiration.

The Bad:
The changes may alienate some fans of the genre.

The SaHD:
I'd really like to play online with my friends, but none of them have the game.

(Review code for Toukiden 2 was provided by the publisher)

Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite - Dream Entrants

Wow.  The game that easily could not have been has been officially announced.  Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite is coming in 2017 (supposedly).  So far we have seen Ryu (duh), Megaman X (my favorite incarnation, and I'll accept him over Zero since Zero has had his day), and Morrigan (duh) for the Capcom side.  Marvel is bringing Ironman (duh x3), Captain Marvel (awesome), and Captain America (thumbs up, soldier!)

It's back to 2v2 and has also been confirmed that there are no assists this time around, which should help with balance, even if I'll miss them.  The Infinity Stones also make their return.  As of this writing, it is unknown if they behave like they did in Marvel Super Heroes, or maybe even like X-factor from UMvC3.

As is normal with announcements like this, it's time to say who I want added to the roster, even if they have little to no chance (for some of them).  First up, Marvel.

My first Marvel choice is Venom.  It was an easy choice.  With Spiderman and Marvel coming together somewhat, this does have a chance to happen.  Besides being one of my favorite Marvel characters, he was a lot of fun to use in the Vs. series, and I missed him in the previous installment.  His symbiote attacks would be a great addition to the game.

My second choice?  Who else but Juggernaut.  He was always a blast to play, and I want him back.  Not likely, since Marvel and the X-Men are on the skids, but you never know.

Third choice?  Darkhawk.  I have no idea if he's still relevant, as I haven't read his comics since the mid 90s, but his design was always cool.  I don't even remember what moves he might have, but it would be cool to see him in the game.  Not likely, though.

Considering this is likely some sort of tie-in to the Infinity War movie, I think it's likely to include Thanos.  I don't want him as the boss, or even at boss level strength, but having copies of the gems would give him a great move set.

My first Capcom choice might be obvious.  I want a hunter from Monster Hunter.  I don't want different stances or other gimmicks to incorporate the various weapons.  Just make them special moves.  Give them the great sword as a default (slow, good range, heavy hitting), and make the hammer spin a special move, maybe the insect glaive vault as another, bowgun as a projectile...you get the picture.  Plus, I want a super where the hunter does a superman dive, and if it connects, the Rathalos runs over the opponent.  Awesome!  I think there is some chance of this happening, since Capcom is understanding that the series does sell outside of Japan, but we shall see.

Next would be to bring back Phoenix Wright.  Keep him mostly as he was, but don't make him a joke character.  Let him actually be effective enough to work on a team.  If not, I will keep comparing the developers to Sam Raimi and his travesty of Spiderman 3.  *shudder*  Anyway, I don't think this is likely, but I'd like it to happen.

I got to rep another Capcom favorite, Sengoku Basara.  After some deliberation, I went with Masamune Date.  Not my favorite, but his 6 sword style will definitely set him apart from other combatants.  Plus, he's one of the two poster boys for the franchise, so that will help.  Again, not likely, but it should be.

While we already have a Darkstalker, I always pull for Jedah to be included in the crossover games.  Why?  He's the coolest one.  He has great moves, a unique look, but plays familiar enough to not be an oddity.  Plus hearing that laugh while doing one of his two awesome super moves would be great.  I think he has about zero chances of being in a game over Morrigan and Felicia, since that's all people care about from Darkstalkers.  As long as there is no Dimitri, I can deal with that.

Another great series that I want a character included from is Rival Schools.  Most of them might appear too 'normal' to hang with the rest of the cast, so I have to lean toward Demon Hyo as the entrant.  His dual swords (one of which is a broken blade with phantom energy...so cool!) and fearsome demeanor would fit right in with the rest of the cast, and still rep another Capcom forgotten favorite.

Did I go this long without recommending someone from Power Stone?  It was the first thing that jumped into my mind when Ryu yelled it out in the trailer, so of course I would put someone in from that series.  My constant choice for that is Ryoma, since he's really cool.  Plus, he could take back his move that Virgil stole in UMvC3.  Either give him his Power Stone form as a super/gem move, or even leave him in it the whole time, I don't care.  Another forgotten Capcom classic that needs to be represented.  I think all of my Capcom picks are very unlikely, but they do need to bring in some fresh blood from lesser known and lesser shown titles.

Last, I'm going to recommend a boss for the game.  No, it's not as great as Galactus (who Ghost Rider could obliterate), but the end of the trailer made me think of Ultron.  Then I thought he could be a great boss.  From the old Marvel cards I collected, I remember Ultron would upgrade himself after each defeat to have a stronger form.  So, make him a 3 stage fight like Abyss from MvC2.  He has 3 different forms, each stronger than the last.  If you wanted to cross him with Capcom, infect him with the Sigma virus.  Or make him integrated with Sigma.  However, I would prefer that at least one form is the P90-X Hardball mech from Lost Planet.  It's big, mechanical, ties a Marvel character into a Capcom one, and is reminiscent of Tatsunoku Versus Capcom.  I haven't worked out the other forms yet, but so far I'm liking the idea!

I don't usually do this, but please leave any dream picks you have in the comments section below.  I'm interested in what characters other people want in!

Toukiden: Kiwami (PS4) Review

The original Toukiden caught me by surprise.  It was very fun, and I ended up playing it for many hours after I had finished my review.  It has strong influences from the Monster Hunter series, but does a lot of new things that make it stand well enough on its own.  I was excited that the expanded game, Kiwami, was headed to the US and EU so I could play it some more.  I got even more excited when I saw it was not only continuing to be on the Vita, but coming to the PS4 as well!  While the portability is very handy for the multiplayer monster hunting genre, playing it on a console is something I prefer, so I opted for the PS4 version.  It is certainly the prettier of the two choices, but I wouldn't say it's the best looking PS4 game.  Good enough, though!

If you are new to the series, I'll fill you in on the basic gist and combat (if you are versed, feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph).  You play as a slayer and are tasked with defending your village from giant Oni that try to break though your barrier and, well, kill everyone.  So most missions are focused on you and a group of up to three other slayers taking down big bosses.  Square, triangle and circle all do different attacks while X is your dodge.  You can also equip up to three mitama to one of your weapons that give you different skills and passive abilities.  In the fights with these giant monsters, you can sever or destroy various parts of them, which will give you more rewards at quest completion.  Parts are used to make new weapons and armor, so expect to fight monsters a few times to upgrade your equipment.  It might sound like a lot to take it, but it is basically you and up to three others (AI or online) taking down big bosses and making armor and weapons out of them.

Toukiden: Kiwami adds three new weapon types - a rifle, naginata and a giant club - to the six already present.  I'll start with the club.  I didn't like it.  It wasn't bad, but wasn't for me.  It reminds me of the great sword from Monster Hunter: big, slow and you do more damage when you hit enemies with the end of it.  However, it does have a nice reward in Toukiden for doing so.  Hit with the tip a few times, and you get a damage boost.

The next new weapon is the naginata.  It is fast, like the dual knives, but hits a wider area.  If you get enough unscathed hits, you will increase the damage area.  If that wasn't enough, it also has a move that puts you in the air for air combos.  As a dual knife user, I am totally going to work some naginata use into my character.  I really like it.  I didn't think I would, since there is already a spear in the game, but I was wrong.  It also has a parry move, but I doubt I'll use it.

The last weapon addition is the rifle.  Each has three kinds of ammo that you choose what order to load into it.  It aims really well, and even shows weak points on the monsters that cause extra damage if shot.  The rifle is a fun weapon, and will probably compete with naginata for my secondary weapon.  It can be a bit cumbersome at first, and reload can feel a bit slow, but they had to even the weapon out somehow.  Honestly, I don't think I'd use the rifle if I were on the Vita version, but it feels really good on the Dualshock 4.

Besides the new weapons, there are of course new missions, more story chapters and new monsters.  With the new monsters comes new weapons and armor to create from each one.  The new story chapters fits well enough into the original story, as they are set after the closing events of that title.  Probably my favorite new addition is sending the other hunters on a sub-mission.  Whenever you head out, you can choose one unused slayer to do another mission in any previous chapter.  For example, if you are doing a mission in chapter 5, you can send another into chapter 4 or below.  This is a good way to get more monster parts without grinding so much, since you can continue on in the story but still get parts from a certain monster.  I used it to finally get the Cthonian cloaks that I needed for a quest, but couldn't get to drop in the 20 or so times I did the mission in the vanilla game.  Plus, it doesn't seem to cost anything to send them out, so why not use it?

There was also a small but awesome change to the Mitama.  They can now be leveled up to 12 instead of 10.  That's not the great part, though.  They now have a forth skill when they reach maximum level, and you can freely replace the other three skills then, too.  Before, you had to replace one with another, but there was no efficient way to reclaim skills you overwrote.  The only choice you had was to set the mitama at level 1 again and raise it back up.  In Kiwami, there is no need to do so, as you can just max it out and set which three you want that it learned.  They even added a new mitama type that excels at destroying parts.  Nice!

If you played the original version, the save file from the Vita will transfer over as long as you download the update for it.  That let me keep all my stuff that I earned over 80+ hours and start on the new content.  You can also keep your stuff but start the story over again.  Either way, it is expected and awesome that you can port over your save.  If you play far enough in the demo, that can transfer over too.  Both bring bonuses, which is a great incentive to continue... as if saving all that time wasn't incentive enough.

I played a few matches of the multiplayer, and they felt smooth.  I wasn't using any form of microphone, but we didn't have any troubles taking down the monster.  In fact, it was a lot faster than with the AI companions.  If you don't want to or can't connect to the internet to play with others, you can just use the story companions and do them anyway.  Even late at night I found several lobbies to join, but I don't know how long that will last.  As always, if you have friends to play with you, that is the best choice.  Now, I just need to convince my friends to get the game, which shouldn't be hard because the game is really fun.

As a fan of the "vanilla" Toukiden, I of course like the expansion.  If you liked the original, I would recommend Toukiden: Kiwami if you want more.  If you skipped the original release but were interested in it, I'd again recommend it for the sheer amount of content you will get.  I'd also recommend it if you want to try to get into the monster hunting genre, since Toukiden is fast paced and more forgiving than other entries, without being easy.  If you are on the fence, at least try the demo, since you can carry the save over to the full version.  Fans of hunting games, action games and Koei games should definitely check it out!

Project X Zone 2 and Monster Hunter Stories Announced!

Wow.  As a fan of the first Project X Zone, I was happy to see late last night that Bandai Namco (Bamco, as I call them) announced not only the release of a sequel, but that the sequel was heading outside of Japan as well.  Planned for a fall release in the US, I am definitely excited to get it!  The first was probably the first game I played on it that made my 3DS purchase worth it.  Project X Zone 2 will of course be adding new characters, and even replacing a few, based off the trailer.

Gone is Pai, replaced with Kage, both from Virtua Fighter.  Leon from Resident Evil 6 is joining, as is some people from the Yakuza series.  Thankfully X and Zero return from Megaman X, and now Virgil from Devil May Cry joins his brother Dante (eat that, stupid Dimitri!)  And for better or worse, Haseo from .Hack//GU is replacing Blackrose from the original .Hack.  While I liked GU and think it should have some representation, it seems weird that they replaced two females with guys.  Either way, I'm still looking forward to playing it on the 3DS later this year.

You can see the trailer for it here.

Also on the 3DS, Capcom announed Monster Hunter Stories.  Slated for release in Japan in 2016, I am hoping the game makes its way west as well.  It is an actual RPG this time, with cutesy graphics, but still with the terrifying Tigrex.  I have no idea why they would use him in a trailer, since... ah, nevermind.  Anyway, it seems you play as people who ride some of the monsters, since the trailer has the protagonist ride a small Rathalos to escape his pursuer that doesn't understand "no means no".  I'm sure Mark will love that.  The game definitely looks different, I'm still deciding if I like it or not.  Still, I'm hoping it makes its way outside of Japan with the forthcoming Monster Hunter 5.

The trailer for Monster Hunter Stories is here.

Toukiden: Age of Demons (Vita) Review

Toukiden: Age of Demons is an action game in a similar vein to Monster Hunter.  It tasks players with defeating large demons and protect a small village.  Players can do this with friends over the internet or with the computer controlled characters, and craft new weapons and armors with the rewards from each victory.

Character models, weapons and attacks are very reminiscent of Dynasty Warriors, which makes sense given who makes the game.  The stages are much more fantastical.  Like the Orochi games, the locations are realistic locations and either in ruins or twisted by their exposure to the Oni's miasma.  The spoken audio is Japanese only, but it's not a hindrance because there is rarely any dialogue in the middle of the fights, and what is there isn't that important.  The game does look and sound good on the Vita.

Each quest will have you go into an area infested with Oni and you must exterminate them.  Occasionally you will get a quest that has you kill some small fry, but most quests are to defeat one (or a few) large Oni.  If you've played a similar style of game where you hunt monsters (haha) you will feel right at home in Toukiden.  Using the "eye of truth", you can see the general health of the monster's different parts and the health of the monster overall.  Attacking an arm or a leg enough will sever that part from the big baddie and allow you to purify it.  Doing so will reward you with an item, and is worth doing.  Sadly, it doesn't much affect the large Oni, since it will get a phantom limb of sorts and can still use it.  However, breaking multiple pieces sometimes will affect their moves, such as the Windshredder falling over after his charge if all of his legs have been purified.  You have to do it quickly because if you just leave them around after being severed, the monster can regenerate them and restore its durability.  Really, this is my favorite part of the game.  I love systematically breaking or severing every part I possibly can in a fight, mostly for the extra loot you gain.  However, it's also fun and satisfying to smash a creature's leg off and watch it fall on its butt.

Each weapon type will have different strengths, weaknesses, and uses.  The dual knives allow you to attack quickly and from the air, making some of the higher monster parts easier to break.  The gauntlets are slow and strong, and can weaken an enemy's defences.  It's not too hard to transition to different weapons if you so choose, but it's best to try them all and use the one that suits your play style.  For me, it was the knives.  I had a lot of speed and mobility, and I could get into the air to break the hard to reach monster parts.

To further customize your play style, each weapon can equip 1-3 mitama.  The first one equipped will dictate which skills you can use in battle (each type has 4 that all mitama of that type will give you), such as healing an area, attacking with an energy geyser or even running faster.  Thankfully every type has a personal heal, and it's neat that the Spirit type can charge the heal to make it more effective, and the Healing type mitama will naturally restore more health per use.  Each mitama will gain experience in battle when you purify enemies, and can be leveled up to learn new passive abilities.  They can only have three at a time, and cannot re-learn any you have passed up or deleted unless you revert them to level 1 and start over again.  You do keep the list of what they learn at what level, so with some work you can make the perfect ones for your play style.  I wish that you didn't have to start them over to re-learn a skill you passed on, but there is at least a way to do it (even if it is time consuming or expensive).

There are seven total chapters of monsters to kill, and completing just the story alone (first five chapters) took me about 30 hours.  Doing all of the single player content would be around 50.  You will fight the monsters several times each, but that's the idea of the game.  Kill a monster enough that you can wear (or wield) it.  The multiplayer quests can be done solo, and those would add even more time to play.  This helped, since the few times I tried multiplayer, I wasn't able to find any lobbies (maybe I wasn't high enough in the online quests).  Any personal quests to complete the trophy list and obtain the platinum will take well over 100 hours.  There are a few trophies for completing quests and story chapters, but the longer ones will be for getting all of the mitama and obtaining all of one type of weapon.

I really like Toukiden.  It's enough like Monster Hunter that it fills that void in the Vita's library, or even ease people into that style of game without many of the drawback of that series.  On its own, the game has a lot of monster fighting content for just single player, and also a lot for multiplayer.  It might be a bit too much grinding for some.  It's satisfying to sever the monster's parts and purify them for loot.  If you have a Vita, I'd recommend at least trying the demo, since the progress of that carries over to the full version, and it's worth playing.

Best Games in 2013

Looking back at the last year, I thought I'd collect a list of the best games I played (or reviewed) in 2013, in no particular order.

Dishonored
Yeah, the review was posted just after the new year, but I was playing it before the review posted (obviously).  And yes, the game came out the year before, but I really played the game in 2013, since that's when I finally purchased it.  Even so, the game is a fantastic single player experience if you enjoy stealth games.  The whole game is just done right with regards to stealth, travel and playing it your way.  The sheer amount of freedom and the options at your disposal make the game worthy of replaying.  It may be short, but it is sweet.

Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds
Fun, beat-em-up gameplay, awesomely 16-bit sprites and fluid animation make this a fun game to watch and play.  There's challenge, skill and stat upgrades, unlockable characters and multiplayer.  What's not to like?  It's a shame more people don't know about this title, since it is one of the best games I've played in 2013.

Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness
I had some reservations about playing this game.  The original Disgaea is my favorite game, so I was unsure if the sequel would live up to the expectations I would have.  While it did not replace the original as my favorite game, Disgaea D2 is a wonderful strategy RPG that had many improvements to the series.  I'm not as hot on the plot, but the gameplay is top notch.  Definitely a worthy successor to the series and a great game that I recommend to RPG fans.

Project X Zone (3DS)
True, there is no formal review of this great RPG on my site, but that's only because I had other ones to right when I was playing it.  I will hopefully still have a review in the future, as the game is really fun.  I love the combat, since it rewards you for timing, and they find a way to cram in all the character's signature moves into the combos.  While I don't agree with every choice for who is included in the game and who isn't, the insane amount of characters, enemies and locations from each franchise is amazing.  The story isn't great, as it is a flimsy excuse to gather all the characters, but I really enjoyed the game.  Try the demo, and if you like the combat, check the full game out!

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (3DS)
Finally, the Phoenix has come back!  To 3...D...S!  I love the PW series, but didn't enjoy Apollo Justice or Ace Attorney Investigations as much.  I was excited to see the return of my favorite defense lawyer (sorry Perry Mason) to the courtroom, and it was worth the wait.  The story is engaging, the characters memorable, and it still has the best 3D effects in any game I've played.  No objections to this game!

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U/ 3DS)
Surprised?  Probably not, if you ever listen to the XGR weekly podcasts.  While still only an improved and expanded version of the Wii, it is very worthy of pouring many, many hours into (almost 300 and counting).  It's a bit strange to do, but the cross-save feature works, and the cross play is great too.  I wish the 3DS could connect to the Wii U game and both could play online, but alas, no dice.  It's a fun multiplayer experience that has my friend come over every Tuesday so we can put some more time into it.  Hopefully Monster Hunter 4 will come to the states, so we can keep it going!

So there you have it.  Kind of surprising to me that I had three games for the 3DS, when I'm not that happy with the system in general (maybe if I had an XL...).  There are a few that just didn't quite make the cut, so I'll list them below, in no particular order.

Runners-up:
Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep (Borderlands 2 DLC)
Foul Play
Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2
Saints Row IV (rental review)
Diablo III

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Demo Impressions

The demos for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate have been up for a week or so, and I've had the chance to check them out.  I had to try the Wii U version at my friend's house, but I at least got to try it.

3DS
As it is with most action games on the 3DS, the 3D looks nice but isn't practical at all.  If you can keep your hands 100% steady while dodging and smashing the monster, more power to you.  For the rest of us, I recommend turning it off during the fights.  The game does look pretty though.

Honestly, I don't like the touch screen camera control d-pad.  Most buttons I go based on tactile feedback, so I always had to look at the screen to make sure I would touch the correct part.  It definitely makes me want a circle pad pro, but too bad Nyko cancelled their awesome one (it was also a shell and extra battery).  According to the demo, the circle pad pro isn't compatible with it, so you would have to wait for the full version to try it.

Other than that, the game was great.  I wasn't sure how to get the lock on button to work though.  Since, my good buddy that you may know as "Mark" from MH Tri told me how to use it.  Anyway, it was fun and controlled really well, the camera notwithstanding.  So far, it transitioned to the small(er) screen really well.

Wii U
The first thing that was really throwing me was how little I knew the Wii U controller.  The second stick is above the buttons, not below, as I'm used to, so I kept missing the face buttons.  After a few minutes, I had adjusted and it felt good.  The controller is a bit big, but didn't hinder me after putting some time into it.  I didn't use the touch screen at all, since I am used to playing Tri, where there is no touch screen.  It might be more helpful to use it, but I don't know yet.

The game looked so good, though.  I really like the HD in Monster Hunter.  Maybe I've just been playing it on my blurry capture unit, but it really did look a lot better than Tri.  The time limit on the monsters is not fun, though.  I imagine for new players, it's even worse.  I had the Plesioth limping, but then ran out of time.  Yeah, there were a few swear words, I'll admit it.  At least I know he's not as bad as he was on the PSP games, so that in and of itself is comforting.  Although, I don't think they should have put it on the demo.  I think just about any other monster would have been a better choice, given how much players hate the Plesioth.

All in all, the demos were a good way to hold me over until the game(s) release later this month.  I am really, really hoping to snag a review copy so I can bring first had impressions of the actual game.  Now to just get a Wii U of my own...somehow.

[Update]
I just tried out the lock on feature and I really like it.  It's like Phantasy Star Online, so I adjusted to it pretty quickly and it was a lot better for me than the touch screen d-pad.  I think I'll use that if I don't get a circle pad pro by the time I get the game.

Some New News

Capcom has now said that about a month after Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate releases, they will patch in the ability for US players to play with EU players.  That's awesome, and frankly, should have been there in the first place.  Now I can walk both Marcus Shadow and Chriz the Mole through the game....oh, joy.  It's also funny that Japanese players can still only play with Japanese players.  Capcom Japan basically stated a year or so ago that they don't want Japanese players playing with other people.  I guess they just want to keep the illusion that Japanese players are a lot better than others.  It's not true, so you wouldn't want to shatter that bubble I suppose.  Oh well, at least it's a step in the right direction.

Also, Focus Interactive and Spiders are close to releasing their new action RPG Mars War Logs for XBLA, PSN and PC.  They also released a new trailer showing the combat, and it's surely I game I want to try.  I'm hoping to review that, so keep an eye out for that.  In addition, they announced a new, full release game called Bound by Flame.  Another action RPG, this time a more fantasy setting (Mars War Logs is futuristic, obviously).  Again, sounds pretty good to me, so I'm adding that to my radar.  I really like player action RPGs, so here's hoping they are both lots of fun!

I have a new review coming in a few days, but here is something to tide you over.  It's not game related, but my wife and I saw some more movies on Netflix recently.  Tales of an Ancient Empire with Kevin Sorbo and Against the Dark with Steven Seagal.  Don't see them, either of them.  They are bad.  Against the Dark is a little better, but seriously, avoid both of them.  Now, back to invading all those territories...

What Makes A Game System Worth It?

When talking to my friend recently, I said I was tempted to get a Wii U since it is only $300 at Costco.  He replied with "I would, it's totally worth it".  My first thought was, "of course you would, you don't have near the amount of expenditures that I do", since he isn't sliding into poverty 11 months out of the year like my family.  What I did say was (my second thought) was "but there's nothing to play on it".  I know that's not technically correct, there are games for it, but it's still new and I don't actually want any of the ones out for it.  I'm willing to try Zombie U, but really, I'll get that cheap later or just borrow it from my friend.

No, the first game I want to play for it is, of course, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.  It comes in March, so I would like to get a Wii U soon, but I don't know how it's going to happen.  Between her job cutting her hours and things not magically getting cheaper, it's going to be hard to squeeze that in.

But I digress (and use "but" at the beginning of a sentence).  To me, what makes a system worth it is the games on said system.  Otherwise, what do you do with it?  Sure you can do some other stuff, but primarily it is to play games.  Having DVD playback was great when the first system did it, now I don't care since I have 6 or so things that can play them.  I play games on them, and that's what I judge its "worth" by.

I'm not sure my friend does.  There was one time when I did buy a system, at launch, because of what I thought it could do.  What kind of experience I thought I would have.  That system was a Nintendo Wii.  I still regret getting it when I did.  There's a few good games on it, sure, but it's just like the Gamecube and N64.  I didn't buy either of those at launch, but when they had good games on them.  I saved some money and was happy with the purchases.

Not so much with the Wii.  It's collected lots of dust, save for the Monster Hunter Tri binges I so enjoy.  I didn't need to buy it at launch, since most of the games for it are just terrible.  I should play it more to actually enjoy the ones I have, but it's still not a great system.  The motion controls are just terrible and sadly the best games (to me) don't even use them.  Also, my launch system died on me and I lost over 120 hours in MH Tri because of Nintendo's terrible ideas and fear of online.  Reading things about the Wii U shows me they haven't fully learned their lesson.

So that's why I'm not really eager to buy the Wii U.  Well, also the 3DS price drop.  That still bothers me, but that's a different story.  I honestly would be content waiting to get one, but I want to play MH3U with my buddies Mark and Jyrokk, since playing with them is really fun.  It's also worth it, but will the network even let us play?  We've had some trouble connecting on MH Tri, and there's nothing we can do about it but hope the next is better.  So, that would be worth it, but how to afford it?  It's crazy to think that the game is coming too soon, which isn't how most gamers think about games they are looking forward to.  I'll just have to see what happens.

Weekends of Ups and Downs

This weekend, as the title describes, had it moments, but also sucked really bad.  On Friday night, I finally beat the final urgent mission in Monster Hunter Tri (spoilers for those who check out my Youtube channel).  It wasn't by myself, of course.  I was playing with a fan of said videos and some of his buddies, and the four of us emerged victorious.  I didn't make a fool of myself, which was pretty good.  They were obviously much better at the fight than I was, but that will come with more experience with the monster.  Now only one monster left until I feel ready for MH3U!

The sad part of the weekend?  It was the close of City of Heroes later that night.  Despite having work early the next morning, I had to stay up and say goodbye to such a great game.  Figuring out which character to see the end with and where to do it was a hard decision.  Do I say goodbye with my first lv 50 hero?  My first lv 50 villain?  What about the first character I created?  What about the one I had the most fun with?  The one that didn't get his chance to shine?  In the end, I sadly passed up my scrapper, peacebringer, warshade and brute to go with my main villain, Gear Master J.

He was one of my first concepts, but probably my third created character.  I started with villains and on launch day made my first three characters instantly, mostly to get the names for the first two.  Well, actually my first character was created to get the global name I wanted, but I don't really count him.  Anyway, Gear Master was my first and only lv 50 villain, based a bit off of me, and was tons of fun.  So where should he see the end?  Most people gathered in Atlas Park, so I wouldn't want to go there.  Plus, I'm a villain, so I can't.  How about the villain starting or ending zone?  They aren't as memorable to me as some of the other zones.  Eventually, I decided upon Ouroboros.  The place deals with time travel, which is a subject I like, so why not?  Also most of the plot there revolves around "the coming storm", so it seemed very appropriate.  I used "/demorecord" to try and capture the final minutes, I'm just not sure how to view it yet.  I also took lots of pictures.

As midnight rolled around, many said there goodbyes and lamented the game getting killed.  It seems as though the servers were turned off one by one, since it took a few minutes for Guardian to go down for good.  For yucks I logged in real quick again, and was greeted with this sad sight.

Freedom, was apparently, the last to go.  As I've said time and time again, this was a sad time.  The game was really fun and there isn't anything that can fill the void it leaves.  The other two superhero MMOs just don't compare to the sheer amount of fun, creativity and content of City of Heroes.  I backed up all my characters with the Sentinel program, just in case there is a way to bring them back to life.  It's the comic way!  Still, I wish there was some way to get a single player/ LAN capable version of the game, as that would be perfect.  I'd easily buy one (two) if I could.  City of Heroes and Paragon studios, thank you again for the great game.  I hope to make a video about CoH in the near future.

Lastly, on Sunday I scored a spectacular deal on a handful of games.  Lack of money or not, I couldn't pass up the deal I got.  Thankfully, I'm getting some money for Christmas, so that pretty much went to this.  Basically, I scored a lot of games for about $5 each.  I guess we'll have a good Christmas after all!

It's a Hard Lock Life

My friend recently picked up his WiiU preorder, and wanted to play Nintendo Land with him to try it out.  He at least updated the system so I didn't have to sit there for 5 hours while that happened.  On a side note, the "menu" screen looks like an absolute mess.  It's safe to say I'm not a fan of that.  Anyway, he popped in the disc and we...proceeded to sit there for another 20+ mins while that updated.

So we booted up the game and....sat there while the ever helpful "Monita" talked in small, slow sentences so we could understand her and told us all about Nintendo Land instead of letting us pick a game to play.  After that was done, my buddy wandered over to the Metroid mini-game so we could get started.  I figured he would start with the Legend of Zelda one, but I guess he wanted to be nice and try Metroid first.

We accidentally did the ship vs. people multiplayer, so after a round of that, we quit to do the co-op one.  After going through the controls again, we started it up.  While hard on my wrist (my friend puts his sensor bar in a terrible location), it was kinda fun.  After 3 rounds we decided to switch ship and ground so we could try the other.  Right as we went to start the round...the system hard locked on us.  Yeah, buzzing sound and all.  Ouch.  Since I'm sure something as basic as this was tested (despite only really promoting their friends there, yeah, still bitter), it must have been the system.

After unplugging the machine to get it to reboot, we again started Nintendo Land.  Again Monita came around to ensure we couldn't just play the game we wanted and explained about the train that would I guess take us around the 1 screen park.  I say "I guess" because I didn't really care and just wanted to skip her talking to me.  As I had the gamepad, I just started jumping while she was showing the train.

Can you guess what happened next?

Hard lock.  Again.  So...we assume the WiiU/ Monita doesn't want us to actually play the game and called it a night.  I think they obviously hired the wrong people.  My wife thinks they must have partnered with Bethesda.  Either way, not a good way to show off your new system, especially when it has barely been out a week.  Why did I want one of those again?

Oh, right.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

We're still a few months out, but I am really hoping I can play some Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate when it comes out in March.  I hope I can get a review copy, because it's going to be hard enough saving my pennies to get a Wii U.  I'm not sold on the system, but my Monster Hunter buddies are apparently getting one (mostly for MH3U), so....I guess I'm getting one too.  I don't know where I'm going to get the money for one, let alone both.  I did plan on eventually getting the 3DS version, since I have one of those.  I'm also still sore about the 3DS' price drop, hence my trepidation about buying the Wii U near launch.

It does look really nice though.  While Tri looked ok, it was definitely a little muddy-looking, so I'm really digging the HD graphics.  I'll deal with Jinouga being Zinogre, although I'm not fully sold on that, either.  "The replacement for Gobul" and "Hammer Tail" are two names that I really want to see the official English names for.  Regardless, I am very much looking forward to the game when it releases.  Even though it will have Deviljho and "dat tail".

More Monster Hunter!

So you may know that I like to play Monster Hunter.  And if not, check out my YouTube channel to see the misadventures of playing it on the Wii.  I recently acquired the ability to play the latest PSP entry, Monster Hunter portable 3rd.  It's more or less the enhanced version of the Wii game.  Important improvements:  no underwater, more monsters.  Really, just no underwater is enough of an improvement.  According to my friend, some of the more underwater-oriented monsters are just gone or pallet-swapped in this version.  And unfortunately, none of the previous monsters have returned.  Well, except for one...the (expletive) Bullfangos/Bulldrone.

After playing it for a bit, it's even more sad that Capcom won't bring it out on US shores (or any other country that isn't Japan, for that matter).  It's really good.  I've already fought a few new monsters, like the Frogi (similar to the Jaggi and Baggi, but they use poison) and the Aoashira.  The latter is a new skeleton type, and the monster is basically a big bear.  It's not as big as many of the other monsters, and it's honestly not very hard since you fight it so early.  He/she/it does make pretty cool armor though.  They also toned down the Barroth, so he is much easier to fight, at least with a hammer.  The gave him higher recovery on some of his moves, making him more open.  I think he does a bit less damage too.  I beat him my first time going against him in MH portable 3rd, and I can assure you it's not like riding a bike for some of these monsters.  Check out my Monster Hunter Tri: SaHD Chronicles episodes versus the Barroth to see what I mean.  To even that out, they made his armor worse.  I loved using it in Tri, but they changed the skills it gives, making it not anything I can use.  At least I don't have to farm him!

Hopefully I can snag a copy of the PS3 version of the game, which uses the same save file, so I can make some videos of my misadventures in the new game.  If you can get an import copy and like Monster Hunter....well, then you likely have the game.  If not, I'd recommend getting your hands on one to try it out!

Monster Hunter

Last night I made a few videos of Monster Hunter Tri.  Inspired by Miles923 from YouTube fame, I'm going to put some up with commentary so people can see some playing of it.  Also find out how monsters fight and how 1 guy (me) fights them.  I've got to edit them and such, but they should be up in the next few weeks.  I am glad to be playing it again, even if I am starting over.  I'll explain that sometime.