Hitting dragons in the face, yet again

I always find it surprising when I realise that I've been playing Monster Hunter for several years. Somehow it still seems like such a young series, and yet I've been playing it for almost four, maybe even five years. Being a Capcom game, it's obviously had it's fair share of releases, expanded editions and ports, but I still feel like I've only ever scraped the surface.

For reasons I never quite grasped, I didn't take very strongly to Monster Hunter 3 on the Wii. Something about it felt... off. As if it was lacking a special ingredient. I am fairly sure this is a reaction that is purely my own, as it did very successfully, and has already spawned two expanded editions. Neither of those have been translated yet, and as it's been out for a year or so in Japan, I picked up a cheap(ish) second hand copy of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd.

First thing I noticed is that it's actually a lot easier than 3 on the Wii. At least, I am fairly sure that is the case, as I struggled to do the early quests on that, and yet I'm nearing end game on Portable 3rd. I am fairly sure I have not dramatically improved without playing the game, so it seems like the most natural conclusion to come to. Not that I am complaining, as it's actually let me feel I've got into the game properly for possibly the first time, despite having played five different editions already.

Aside from that, it's more of the same really. Which I definitely find a good thing, I like that Monster Hunter doesn't try to keep reinventing itself, or overcomplicate itself with lots of hidden criteria, which is how I felt God Eater and Lord of Arcana worked, which were both attempts in what seems to be a hunting genre.

So, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd has done a good job of reinvigorating my interest, which had been almost completely dulled after 3. The concerning thing about this development, is that I've found myself interested in 4, which is going to be on the 3DS. If I end up getting tempted enough, it's going to be an expensive risk, which is almost exactly the case I had with 3.

More thought may be required.

Quested

You know, I never thought I'd use Jedward in one of my header images, but it's related to my feelings about Dragon Quest IX, and therefore is quite suitable.

Previously, I'd mentioned how I bought the game a second time, albeit in Japanese, with the aim of giving it a second chance. I did. It still doesn't do it for me. I'm really not sure what it is about it, but it just feels... weak. I guess it's a similar feeling to Final Fantasy IX, in that it's brought in multiplayer to a predominantly single player experience, and feels too light in most aspects aside from how much a timesink it is. I can accept that, I know it's silly to think that I would enjoy every game in a long running series simply for being part of that series, but I still feel a bit let down about it.

However, in my previous post I'd also mentioned plans to go to Dragon Quest's 25th Anniversary exhibition in Roppongi. I've since been, and it filled me with happy feelings. Which is, of course, what you want from a videogame.

The largest part involved a history gallery, with the walls covered from floor to ceiling in screen shots, with framed artwork dotted around. There were a few full size monster statues in the same section. Those were the only things you were allowed to take photos of, but it was busy enough for me to get away with a few photos of the artwork.

After that was a performance, with audience participation included, where a large animatronic dragon appeared midway, and had to be defeated by a few members of the audience being given replica weapons and the rest of the audience being encouraged to lend their energy. It was an interesting experience, but quite hard to summarise in words. It's a shame that most of it did not allow cameras.

Following that, and perhaps the most interesting of all, was a behind the scenes section, which had very, very early concept ideas and sketches. The vast majority of this had apparently not been shown to the public before, and therefore was the busiest part of the exhibit. I was amazed, quite oddly, at several filing cabinets containing folders that detailed every single bit of text in the entire series thus far. Not only were you not allowed to take pictures, but they'd even established a barrier to stop people getting close to it. After that was a shop, with some obscenely overpriced goods, most of which I fawned over but refused to allow myself to buy, as such a thing could destroy my wallet.

I'm sort of on the fence about Dragon Quest now. It's certainly a lot more popular worldwide, which is a good thing, but with the next one being a full online RPG, I really don't know if it'll be my sort of thing again. I suppose there are always remakes to look forward to, at least.

ReQuesting

There are not many occasions where I buy a game more than once. The amount of times I have done so could be counted on one hand, and the second edition bought usually has some form of additional content. I have not, however, bought a game just for being in another language. That has since changed.

For some reason, Dragon Quest IX never really clicked with me. I wanted to like it, tried to like it, played through to the end of the game, but then rather than continue on with the mass of post-game content and downloadable content, chose to shelve it instead. I'm not really sure why, but I mostly attribute it to the sudden lack of focus on party members that had made the previous titles so enthralling for me. I'm well aware that the original titles worked in this manner, but that just makes it feel like even more of a step back. There was also the poorly executed inclusion of downloadable content. Normally, I'm not someone who is opposed to such a thing. However, for DQIX, it was only possible to obtain some specific pieces, and some of the most interesting pieces, by attending a roadshow that was touring up and down the country. If you didn't attend, your chance was gone. I found this more frustrating upon learning that this content is already on the cartridge, you were simply obtaining data to unlock that content.

So, why then, considering my dislike, did I decide to try it again? The first reason, and perhaps most compelling, is finding it second hand for a mere 900 yen. Secondly, at the moment in Japan, there is an anniversary event in Roppongi. I've assumed, perhaps foolishly, that there will be some way to obtain previous downloadable content there. Finally, DQIX seems to be one of the few Japanese games that has furigana, which could simply be described as a reading guide, for all of the kanji in the game. It makes learning fun!

If in the end, this is a futile attempt, then at least I've given it an honest try. I just sincerely hope that with Dragon Quest X being an MMO, that the series hasn't changed drastically enough with IX for me to wish for the good old days.