This weekend I took a trip to my local Game Stop and picked up the free-to-all Monster Hunter Tri demo.  It had been a while since my hunter days in Freedom Unite, so I was rusty getting back into things: my first few steaks were either burnt to a crisp or raw and dripping, but soon I remembered all the fundamentals.  One aspect that may have slowed my progress was getting used to the controls.

My brain had been wired for the PSP, and I needed to re-learn basically everything.  Since I do not yet own a classic controller I had to use the Wii remote which proved a bit challenging.  Below you can find a scan of the mini-instructional page included with the demo:

My mind, wired for a standard controller, screamed for some sense of stability.  After a few runs of the easy mission with my most comfortable weapon class (Long Sword) I would say I had the controls down and I played through just about all the weapon-types.    If I had to play the game with the Wii remote only, I would probably not buy Monster Hunter Tri.  Luckily my faith in the new classic controller bundled with the game is so great, that I have every intention of acquiring this game.

Graphically I am quite happy with Tri.  Character sprites look smooth and they fit in well with environments and monsters — this is easily the most aesthetically pleasing Mon-Hun game to date.  I was hoping the demo would also include a new trailer featuring some cut-scenes, but it was only two missions; one which is relatively easy and one which is a healthy challenge.

I did play around with the new weapon-class: Switch Axe for my first play through.  This weapon can transform between a long, clunky axe, and a smaller sword.  It will offer some variety in terms of executable attacks which will keep things interesting to players.  As I found the axe mode a bit awkward, I would rather devote my time to mastering a better sword variant.

Monster Hunter Tri is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated games on the Wii for me in a long time.  While the controls may have been less than elementary, I believe the game is definitely meant to be played on a classic controller.  The updated appearance and online functionality promises to bring the series into the current console generation in a big way.

Roy capcom, nintendo wii 6 comments

Capcom’s dropped fighters

I’ve really been enjoying the latest Japanese fighter to hit American shores, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Of course, with every new fighter, there’s that given moment after its release to lament what could have been.  For a game on such a massive franchise-scale as Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, the number of characters you would want to appear in the game from either side can be staggering, so sadly many don’t make the cut.

In an interview with Dengeki Online, three of TvC’s head honchos, Ryota Nizuma, Mr. Bancho and Ryota Igawa gave some insight into the game’s early stages while they were still deciding which characters to include in the game.  The most interesting of which was the inclusion of the star from the Ace Attorney series, Phoenix Wright.  I remember the days when TvC was just newly announced and Phoenix was a definite hopeful to join the game’s ranks.  To find out that they actually did consider adding him to the game is pretty amazing. Although, what’s more amazing is the way thought up on how Phoenix would actually fight his opponents.

Some difficulties came up while deciding on moves for Phoenix. For one, the only movements he really makes in the game are hand gestures, and not much could have really been made from that.  Secondly, for the most part, you only see Phoenix from the waist up in the games.  This led to the decision to have Phoenix and his desk act as one whole character, with wheels attached to the underside, making him some sort of rolling, justice-bringing tank.  While I think this sounds awesome in theory, it would just end up looking really stupid in-game.  Not to mention I expect his hitbox to just be massive.

Other TvC wannabes were Arthur from Ghosts N’ Goblins fame and Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Jam.  Even though none of these made the cut for the first game, Ryota Nizuma said that if a sequel were ever made, he’d work really hard to get these characters into the game.

More revealed on the 5th generation of Pokémon

Remember that new Pokémon game that was teased about a few days ago? I was under the impression that it was just going to be a Pokémon Crystal remake, but it actually turned out to be a whole new generation Pokémon game. This latest piece of news comes straight from Coro Coro magazine, and though the details are scarce, the rag says that more info will become available in the coming month.

For starters, the silhouetted pokémon was revealed to be Zoroark/Zoroaaku (ゾロアーク). Many people mistook him to be the next evolution step for Lucario (myself included), but who knew it’d end up being a new pokémon entirely? Zoroark also has a pre-evolution by the name of Zorua/Zoroa (ゾロア).  Click the above image for the full picture including Zoroa.  The few details on Zoroark is that he’s a Dark-Type and classified as a Monster Fox.  He will also be playing a major role in the upcoming Pokémon film Phantom Champion Zoroark.

The name for the new region has not yet been revealed, and other gameplay details are incredibly scarce at the moment.  I’m also curious as to what the next set of games will be called. The last two were Diamond and Pearl, so I think it’d be a good guess that the next two games would be named after some precious metal or gem. As with the unveiling of any new Pokémon game, I’m incredibly excited and eagerly anticipating more news from Coro Coro next month!

Sega announces bonuses for Yakuza 3

The wait for Yakuza 3 has been a long time; the fact that it was announced at all for an international release still seems pretty crazy to me. Well, Sega announced this morning that they will be offering up some goodies for those who will be purchasing the game, although the sweetness of the deal depends on where you hail from.

Sega Europe is offering a “battle pack”.  The battle pack includes a 31-track soundtrack, a Yakuza Who’s Who which acts as a dossier for all the characters in the game and 4 separate pieces of DLC:

• Battle Survival: A boss-run mode
• All-Star Tournament: A 7 character tournament
• All-Star Tag Tournament: 8 tag-team tournament
• Haruka’s Request: Missions given by Haruka, where you’ll be made to play mini-games to keep her entertained

European pre-orderers will also get access to alternate costumes and two-player mini-games (pool, golf, darts and bowling). However, if you’re in North America, the deal is a little less sweet as pre-ordering the game will only get you the 4 pieces of DLC.  If your primary place to pre-order from is GameStop, you’ll also get access to the alternate costumes and two-player mini games.

Overall I think this is a good idea on Sega’s part. I know one of the main fears of bringing Yakuza 3 outside Japan was the less than stellar sales of the first two games, so maybe these added bonuses will bring in more buyers.  Hell, if this ends up selling well than we might just have a chance of seeing Kenzan! and Yakuza 4.  I really wish they would go the extra mile for us Americans and give us the Battle Pack.  I’d love to get my hands on that soundtrack and character dossier.

Julius capcom, dlc, japan, nintendo ds, pokémon, ps3, sega 0 comments

The time I spent in Japan opened my eyes to a powerful gaming phenomena known simply as monhun:  a wholly consuming obsession with Monster Hunter and all its facets. While I had never played the game, I could not help but have respect for it and be in awe of the following it had established.  Once I heard Monster Hunter Freedom Unite was coming to the states I figured it was about time to see what all the fuss was about.  Certainly the best selling PSP game of all time must hold that title for some reason, right?

Equips — The Clothes Make the Man

Unlike most games I play, there is no level system in Monster Hunter.  You are only as strong as the armor on your back and the ridiculously large sword in your hands.  Depending on the kind of games you’re into, you may or may not be a fan of this system.  Basically, a large part of becoming stronger will require gathering materials for weapon/armor creation.  The upside of this is that you won’t ever really feel as though grinding is required since there are a number of ways to earn said materials:

• Fishing
• Mining for ore
• Catching bugs
• Hunting monsters
• Completing quests
• Harvesting from Pokke Farm

The farm system is one of my favorite features as it allows for harvesting a variety of material from a monster-free environment.  It refreshes once every completed quest though, so you can’t just spam your farm.  The Pokke farm can be customized by earning points from acquiring rare items on the field.  Enhancing certain elements allows for more opportunities to harvest, as well as rarer materials to be found.  For instance, when upgraded my fishing pier I received six pieces of bait instead of three and a few new fish started showing up.

If you are the perfectionist type, you can really get into equipping your character.  Do you want to collect a full set of X armor, or mix elements of different sets together for a unique look?  Also, you can decorate your armor with various trinkets and imbue it with your favorite abilities.  This means there are nearly unlimited combinations of armor, appearance and abilities.

If that didn’t make character creation vast enough for you, there are also 11 different weapon types to choose from.  I spent the first two or three days of playing trying to decide what weapon was right for me.  Currently I switch between the katana and dual-blades depending on the situation.   Each weapon will demand a drastically different style of play from the character further increasing character customization.

Beginner Vs. Pro — Too Late to Start?

One of the best features of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is that those who played Monster Hunter Freedom 2 are able to load up their character(s) to hit the ground running.

I obviously couldn’t take advantage of this feature but definitely could imagine the advantages. The initial process of building up a decent stock of weapons, armor and smithing materials was not easy.  This could be chocked up to the learning process, which I think also slowed me down a bit — I suffered a few grizzly deaths but eventually established a foothold. Those who are starting for the first time will have their work cut out both in terms of learning and acquiring useful items. The impatient need not apply.

Those who have spent a fair amount of time with Monster Hunter Freedom 2 will find incentives in the hallowed walls of Freedom Unite: new weapons, new monsters, a higher level of challenge and more.

I have huge appreciation for the fact that there is an option to load up existing date from a previous title in the series.  I think this is a feature sorely underused in gaming.  With a title like Monster Hunter that touts over 500 hours of gameplay, I am a little more apt to jump on board seeing that the franchise treats those hours with the same respect I do.

Story — You Decide Your Own Level of Involvement

If you require a story that will dazzle and entertain you to stay involved, then I cannot recommend Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.  That is not to say I wasn’t dazzled and entertained, I certainly was, but story had no hand in it.  I am the type that is perfectly content to squirrel away items and slowly but surely increase a desired stat all the while being way too concerned with looking cool.  That’s starting to sound an awful lot like an MMO, isn’t it?  If you believe that you fall into that category then you will probably be able to entertain yourself in the absence of an engaging story.

If you consider yourself to be a competitive person, then you may also find inspiration for playing the game in the multi-player mode as well.  This may require a group of chums who are also into the game.  Since the range of a unit’s abilities can vary greatly, it’s best to work your way up together for first-timers.  The above video shows a team of powerful hunters combining their efforts in the multi-player mode.

Conclusions — Beware the Tigrex, my son!  The Jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

I now know what all those train commuters in Japan were doing with their noses buried in their PSPs, oblivious to the occasional bump of an arm or lurch of the train car beneath them.  They were becoming digital-hunter/gatherers, constantly seeking the next plateau from their character.  This desire I found to be very addictive and I think is the foundation of Monster Hunter’s appeal.  Those who appreciate a solid action-RPG with MMO undertones should definitely add Monster Hunter Freedom Unite to their library of PSP titles.

Roy capcom, psp, review, videos 1 comment

Nutgarden5 and I have been planning our Resident Evil 5 day for a few months now.  I even took PTO time off way in advance to just enjoy the day.  We started by waking up hella-early and getting some breakfast at this diner in town frequented by veterans of foreign wars and anyone looking for a deal. For some reason NG5 is always more awake in the morning than myself. It could be the 2 cups of coffee he downed, or the fact that I was up until 2 AM the previous night playing Disgaea 3.  Once my body got used to the fact that it wouldn’t to be going back to bed, I started getting pretty excited for the game.

Just to give you a bit of background, I don’t generally play Resident Evil games, I usually just watch NG5 play.  On the other hand, NG5 enjoys watching me defeat some of the more insane enemies in NIS games.  It’s a very symbiotic relationship.

After breakfast, NG5 had a class at my old alma mater, so I took the opportunity to pay a visit to my adviser, who was also the head of my major’s department.  I had purchased some tea for him at Ito En in New York, and was hoping to give it to him and possibly chat a bit.  Sadly he was out, so I stole a pen and some paper from the history department and left him a note.

After NG5’s class (and a few annoying errands) we began our quest to pick our copy up from GameStop.  We decided against the midnight release just because we both had responsibilities the next morning and it would have just been too difficult.  Fucking responsibilities…

Of course we hit just about every red light, but after much steering-wheel-punching and sailor-like-cursing, we managed to pick up the game. NG5 characteristically reserved the Collector’s Edition, which came with a bunch of crazy shit.  Whether these bonus items are worth the additional $30 is debatable.

Anyway, after a brief installing break and making a few tweets, we were good to go.  The game doesn’t give much time to breathe as you are thrown into the action pretty quickly.  Chris spends only a few minutes in his civilian clothes and is quickly presented with his first weapon.

His companion Sheva accentuates both Chris’s past with Jill Valentine as well as the current situation in Africa.  In addition to her contributions to the story, Sheva also presents  some new game play options which separates the game from its predecessors.

One of these things does NOT come in the collector’s edition

The game’s appearance has its ups and downs.  While overall game-play graphics are fantastic, I find the font hard to read at times.  Also the timeline summary presented during loading screens rarely stay up long enough to finish reading.  This may just be a bit nitpicky, but I wouldn’t mind brushing up on the story.  If this is your first Resident Evil and you were hoping to get an idea of the events of the past games, you may be disappointed by this as well.

The hours quickly melted away and after watching NG5 clear the first 5 chapters, I can say without a doubt that I want the game.  The main story alone is enough to provide incentive, but this doesn’t even take into account the online play, mercenary mode, etc.  I went ahead and ordered the game from Amazon, which will give me some time to wrap up my quest for perfection in Disgaea 3.

Roy accessory, capcom, ps3 2 comments

Fluency in Japanese certainly is not necessary to appreciate the goings-on at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.  Thanks to the internet, neither is actually being in Japan at any point in your life.  Dengeki’s website has several videos highlighting different video game publishers and their booths at TGS.

The videos are for the most part devoid of language, simply focusing on the scenery and the games themselves.  Here are some links to the videos, enjoy!

Opening Video
Square Enix	Sega	SCEA
Marvelous	Level 5	Konami
Koei	Capcom	Bandai Namco

Did you notice a lot of women dressed in elaborate outfits?  They are called Companion, or Companion-san, and each booth has their own.  In some cases, a particular game may even have exclusive companion-san often clad in cosplay.

Companion-san walk around their relative booth providing hand-outs and answering questions about games.  They are quite knowledgeable, and (most of the time) their outfits are pretty awesome.  Famitsu made a compilation of all the different outfits, which you can check out here (part 1) and here (part 2).  Also, Dengeki has one other video featuring the elaborate outfits as well.  You can check that out here.

And now, Kotowari’s awards for best, and worst Companion outfit at TGS 2008!

BEST	WORST
Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3 (TRI)	Square Enix

Good show Capcom, you even have me a little excited for the next Monster Hunter.  I would also like to give honorable mention to Microsoft as much as it pains me.  They had not one, but two really cool outfits.

Really Square Enix? All that talent and that’s the best you could do?  Was Tetsuya Nomura taking a nap or something?  Next year get him to design some belts and zippers!

Related Entries:
ALL OF THEM

Roy capcom, konami, marvelous, namco, sega, sony, square enix 1 comment