The Hunt Begins...Again

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is right around the corner (release date: February 13th 2015), and thankfully Nintendo sent me some download codes for the demo to keep me going until then. ^_^

Monster Hunter games are centred around teams of up to 4 players doing battle with massive fictional beasts, then crafting weapons and armour from their remains. It's grizzly stuff, but Monster Hunter has been one of Capcoms biggest draws, so where does this latest offering take the series from here?

The demo offers 2 difficulty settings (Beginner or Experienced), with a choice of 3 monsters to fight and they're as impressive as ever. Taking inspiration from dinosaurs and various mythology, they're nothing short of intimidating as you and your buddies try to bring them down.  And to give newcomers a better idea of what the Monster Hunter experience is like; Capcom have also thrown in solo, local and online multiplayer modes.

Playing the game solo means you get 2 little cats (known as Felyne's and Melynx's) helping you out during the battle, and they come dressed in a variety of silly outfits such as maids or musicians. Regardless of how they're dressed you're going to need them; they'll deal blows to your enemies, heal you and set traps to capture the monsters allowing you time to deal more damage. 

The online games however, have been a bit of a problem (at least for me), where there's very few available games to join. I'm not reading too much into this as it's only the demo, and when I have been able to find a game the servers have been superb; much more stable than Super Smash Bros.

The online chat system however, is extremely dated only offering a handful of standard phrases for you send to your teammates. It's also very clunky to use as it relies on you using your stylus, which is not easy when battling giant dinosaurs and for a game heavily steeped in teamwork and strategy I had hoped for something much more flexible. Hopefully this will be implemented when the final version is released.

Unfortunately the demo doesn't highlight many new features aside from one or two weapons, and the new vertically focused combat. Players can now leap from canopies and ledges to mount their prey, triggering a mini game where you try to deal as many blows as you can before the monster bucks you off. It's an interesting mechanic that adds an extra element of excitement, and having a more interactive environment makes you think more your strategy and how to deal with a particular monster.

I hadn't played a Monster Hunter game since MH: Freedom Unite on the PSP and in my opinion it was one of the greatest games on the system. This demo however, doesn't show enough new features to tempt me back to the franchise, so I'm only likely to pick this up if my friends or family are going to join in. It's not bad, there's just not enough innovation on offer. 

Day 76 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Rockman/Megaman dot.strap

Just a quick one for today. I thought I'd show you this Rockman/Megaman dot.strap I picked up a while ago.  They're just simple little things used to decorate bags, clothes and mobile phones etc, but I like these as they're made in a classic 8-bit style.

I picked Beat & Eddie as I thought having two characters for the price of one was a sweet deal, plus Beat and Eddie look so adorable. Check out the reverse box image for details of the others in the set.

Day 67 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: SNES Game Fest

Ugh, the whole afternoon has been a blur of Irn-Bru, Wotsits and Super Nintendo games. We decided to play the SNES since Snezzy decided to come back to life, starting with Goof Troop.

Goof Troop is a Capcom/Disney title which we've never gotten around to finishing it before. It's similar to A Link to the Past with the added bonus of co-op multiplayer. Surprisingly there's only 5 levels or so and you can have the whole thing finished in under 2 hours, but like many of the Capcom/Disney games the animation's wonderful, and it's nice if you just want something quick to play through.

We then decided to go through some of the Super Famicom games we picked up at NERG last year. One of them turned out to be a mahjong game, so that's going straight to the charity shop, but then we tried a fighting game called Ranma 1/2...

It's based on an anime that I've never watched so I didn't have a clue who I was playing as or fighting against. There was Ranma who is apparently male and female, some other guy who transforms into a pig, a Panda, and another fellow with candles on his head. The animation was fun but it was essentially a Street Fighter clone, good for a giggle.

Super Bomberman provided some more co-op related mayhem, just for the record I'm crap at Bomberman, so we didn't get very far. Thankfully someone and sellotaped a piece of paper to the cartridge with a level code on, so we jumped to world 4-7... and died almost instantly. (; _ ;)

Finally some Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest to round off the day. I forgot how amazing the soundtrack to this game is, and while the 'DKC Returns' series on Wii/Wii U is great, I prefer the originals as the level design is amazing and Kremlins make the perfect enemies.

Now I'm going to go see if I can find something more nutritious than Irn-Bru and cheese flavoured crisps ... where oh where did I put those vouchers for Domino's Pizza??? 

Day 41 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Aladdin SNES

The SNES version of Aladdin was often overshadowed by its immensely popular Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart, thanks to its gorgeous cel animations crafted by Disney animators, but the SNES release had an undeniable charm that made it such a joy to play. Apparently Disney had planned to release the MD version on all platforms, but Capcom held the rights to produce all Disney related games on Nintendo systems at the time, so SNES owners were treated to a unique game of their own.

Capcom followed the source material very closely and produced a beautiful 16 bit recreation of the Aladdin universe. Whether you were leaping from the rooftops of Agrabah, uncovering the secrets of the Cave of Wonders or beating up Grand Vizier's attempting to muscle in on your woman, it was superbly realised on SNES. Capcom even managed to incorporate the famous 'A Whole New World' scene (surprisingly it's absent from the MD release), developing it into a bonus stage allowing you to collect power ups and extra lives.

The only level that was totally improvised was the 'You've Never Had A Friend Like Me' scene, where Aladdin meets the Genie. Capcom let their imaginations run wild as they created a strange dreamlike world, set in the clouds, where almost every platform/object resembles the Genie in some way (arguably far more entertaining than the MD version). 

So which game do you prefer? Do you favour the superbly animated, sword wielding antics of the Mega Drive/Genesis release? Or the smooth platforming and beautifully detailed charm of the SNES release? Let me know in the comments.

For Sale: Capcom

One of the most beloved and recognisable gaming developers, Capcom, has lowered the drawbridge as it abandons its stock takeover defenses. This means a third party can swoop in, buy up the company's controlling stock and at the same time come into possession of some of gaming's most famous franchises. I think this short list speaks for itself...

Street Fighter

Resident Evil/Biohazard

Megaman/Rockman

Monster Hunter

Devil May Cry

And that was only scratching the surface. We should now expect to see a brawl over who is going to take over Capcom, but the question is who is it going to be? 

It could be a third party developer like EA, Ubisoft or Activision. It could even be one of the big three console developers wanting to have the Capcom brands exclusively on their console, which for some is a worrying thought. Capcom fans who have already adopted an Xbox One, PS4/Vita or Wii U/3DS, may have to cough up some more cash if a rival takes over.

I've been pretty pro-Nintendo since getting my Wii U, but I'm on the Nintendo bandwagon as Capcom has enjoyed some great success with their Nintendo exclusives (e.g. Ace Attorney, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil Revelations) and it would be fantastic to see that continue.

Then again my birthday is coming up...I wonder if I ask for Capcom would someone get it for me??? 

Day 21 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 completely revitalised the franchise, shifting focus from tank controlled characters and static cameras to an over the shoulder perspective, getting the player closer to the action than ever before. This however, altered the kind of terror on offer; unnerving atmospheres were replaced with heart pounding, white knuckled excitement that kept you on the edge of your seat. 

The game stars Leon S Kennedy, the rookie cop from Resident Evil 2, who is now working for the US Government and has been given the task of finding Ashley, the President's abducted daughter. Capcom set the tone for the game in brilliant fashion, within the first ten minutes you're barricading yourself in a house surrounded by an entire village of lunatics, including one fellow wielding a chainsaw. I lost count of the number of times I had my head brutally removed in this first scene.

 You later discover that the entire community has been infected with a parasite capable of taking over the hosts body and turning them into mindless puppets. This allowed Resident Evil to move away from the signature zombie masses to a more intelligent enemy, one that would evade your attacks and use weapons and strategy to defeat you.

A considerable portion of the game sees you escorting Ashley to safety, a task that many players found frustrating as she's very slow to move and little more than baggage. Many a time I've been surrounded by enemies only to quick turn and end up shooting her in the face, it was kind of funny the first time but gets old pretty quickly. Thankfully Ashley gets recaptured at certain points of the game, usually when you have to defeat a boss, so there's sufficient breathing space that allows you to have a bit of fun without having to worry keeping her from harm.

There's plenty of replay value on offer thanks to the various unlockables and side quests that are worthwhile devoting your time to. Completing the game will unlock the Mercenaries mode, allowing you to pick from a number of characters and fight waves of enemies until you die or the timer expires.

Resident Evil 4 was a risky endeavor for Capcom as they had completely changed the series formula, but the gamble paid off as there's no denying how good this game is. If you like your horror games exciting, terrifying and a roller-coaster ride to the very end then this game is just what you're looking for. So what'll it be, stranger?  

Day 11 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Megaman Zero Collection

I found this last week at a pawn shop and I have to say this was a pretty lucky find. The Megaman series is kind of difficult to get into when you're from the UK, this is one of only a handful that I've picked up in the wild, and the games usually demand high prices. 

This contains all four games in the brilliant Megaman Zero series originally released for the Gameboy Advance. The gameplay is your traditional Megaman adventure, a hardcore 2D run-and-gun fest with superb level and character design. Then again if you simply want to enjoy the story this collection comes with a 'Easy Scenario Mode' which lowers the amount you take from enemies.

There's also a number of collectables to keep you entertained if four games in one isn't enough for you. Clearing the Easy mode will unlock character cards, whereas playing through the games on their usual difficulty will unlock mod cards which apparently alter content in Megaman Zero 3. And there's wallpapers to be unlocked throughout the game as well, certainly worth the effort as the artwork is nothing short of amazing.