Just this past Saturday, Monster Hunter 4 was released in Japan for the 3DS. I have spent more time watching livestreams of it than I am comfortable admitting, and think I have a good handle on it. I have however not played this game, as it is available only on 3DS and in Japan. In addition, Nintendo region locks their consoles, so even if I had a 3DS it would have to be a Japanese made one to play this game.
Supposedly, this game places more emphasis on story than the previous monster hunter games. Although I can not read much of the dialogue it does seem to be that way. Whether or not the story is any good is unknown, but it must be better than the existing one.
There are lots of interesting features added in, and they updated the combat system greatly, adding dynamic jumping, climbing, and two new weapons. The new weapons each are unique and added many new options for players. The Insect Rod allows an individual to gain special bonuses by sending a bug to take power from the monsters. The Charge Axe allows you to switch quickly between being able to block and attack swiftly, or to attack much more powerfully a little slower, without the ability to block.
They also decided to bring back many old monsters, as well as put in several new ones. Many of the monsters featured have not been in a game since Freedom Unite, so there are actually three games they have skipped (Monster Hunter Tri, Portable 3rd, and 3 Ultimate). Many things were updated, and there is much new content that should please old and new players alike. The new monsters seem fun and challenging, and have good designs as a rule. Some of the old, returning ones, however, are less inspired. Hopefully they are well implemented.
The Flagship monster - Goa Magara (Shown in the image at the top of this post) is my favorite of the new ones. It appears to be a challenging fight, is very well designed, and he has many unique abilities. In addition the game has you encounter and fight him several times before you can slay him, which gave me the impression of him and the player as furious rivals. (Spoiler warning - Skip to next paragraph if you want to avoid said spoiler.) In fact, the one you fight earlier on, and defeat, actually matures into another form - Shagaru Magara. This is the final monster you fight offline, and the fight is very impressive and dramatic.
With any luck, this game will come to the states at some point, and we can figure out whatever they are talking about and what the story is. I can then also bother all my friends into getting it. All of this intrigues me greatly. Until then, well, there's always livestreams and Youtube.
No comments:
Post a Comment