I guess the two facts kind of go hand in hand, though, don't they? After all, THE "DENPA" MEN 3 and, especially, Tomodachi Life have conspired to take up most of my gaming bandwidth, so to speak, over the last few weeks--the exception being the handful of PC Engine platformers I've played in honor of apricotsushi's #PlatforMonth extravaganza--and that, in turn, has prompted me to drag my feet a bit when it comes to prepping these posts.
So, why did I decide to publish one today? Basically, I finally feel as though I've made enough progress in both of the aforementioned games to talk about them again. I'm not sure the same can be said of my experience with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, sadly, but let's hold off on talking about that until after I've said what I have to say about Tomodachi Life and THE "DENPA" MEN 3.
THE "DENPA" MEN 3--Truth be told, I thought I was through with this digital RPG around the seven-hour mark. That's not to suggest I was anywhere near its end credits at that point, mind you; rather, I'd gotten stuck in a particular spot and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't find my way out of it. Until, of course, I did--which isn't easy when it comes to a game that's as overlooked as this one seems to be outside of Japan. (As in, it can be really difficult to get yourself out of a bind due to the dearth of English information about it on the Internet.)
Anyway, ever since I blew through that hour-seven bottleneck, THE "DENPA" MEN 3 and I have been on a roll. I just crossed the 24-hour mark last night, and I believe I've at least passed the halfway point of my playthrough by now. I still have some issues with this quirky RPG--the main ones being its boring NPCs and its sometimes-nightmarish difficulty spikes--but they're far enough in the background at this point that they're only rarely (OK, occasionally) interfering with my enjoyment of this not-so-pint-sized adventure.
Tomodachi Life--To those of you who are impressed that I've spent over 24 hours with THE "DENPA" MEN 3 thus far: just wait until you hear how much time I've put into Tomodachi Life. Would you believe my total playtime's now over 100 hours? I sure can't. Well, that's not entirely true, as I've found this weird life sim to be pretty darn fun since my first few minutes with it.
I wish I could update you as to how many Miis now populate my Rainbow Island, but I lost count some time ago. I think there are about 60 or 70 now? I can tell you how many married couples I have, though: 16. Three of them are gay, by the way. (Me and Ganondorf, Shigeru Miyamoto and David Bowie, Madonna and Daisy.) Oh, and I think all of them have had kids so far--or at least the huge majority of them have. Most of them have had more than one kid. Case in point: Ganondorf and I are on our third, with no end in sight to our child-rearing shenanigans.
How many more hours will I put into this title? I have no idea. I definitely can feel my interest waning a bit, though, so if I were forced to guess I'd say it's got about 20 hours of life left in it.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate--So, here we are: my first real impressions on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, a game that I've owned for ages now but have only just gotten around to sticking into my 3DS. The quick-and-dirty version of my thoughts so far would be that I absolutely love it, although I've barely scratched its beautiful surface.
There's no real reason I've only put a few, measly hours into MH3U while I've put loads and loads into Tomodachi Life and THE "DENPA" MEN 3--other than the latter two have just secured a bit more of my attention as of late, I mean. That said, I'll certainly be returning to it with a passion as soon as I've stopped playing either or both of the aforementioned titles, as I found its first couple of hours to be surprisingly engaging given the assumptions I formed about it before I ever booted it up.
One of those assumptions, it should be stated, was that there would be little to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate other than its famed and ferocious battles, while another was that said fights would be awkward to control (a la the old Resident Evil games). Neither of them have proven to be true, thankfully, so I'll consider this a lesson learned as far as forming assumptions about games I've yet to play are concerned.
See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts
21 comments:
Monster Hunter is one of those franchises I'd love to get into, but the demos for the 3DS/Wii U were soooo oppressive, I hope the full game is actually much better? I'm sure it is as it probably tells you how to play and doesn't throw you at unbelievable creatures right off the bat. I also hear it's a game you really need to get a group together (online) to play.
Hey there, Zach! For what it's worth, I've also heard that the demos for this game are terrible--and that the full games are much, much better than the demos. I never played the 3DS demo, though, so I can't say if that's true or not. BTW, one of the main reasons I avoided this game for so long was that I, too, had heard you really need to play with other folks to get the most out of the game. What changed my mind were some comments from my blogging and podcasting friend, Anne, who assured me that plenty of fun can be had by playing it solo. That's definitely been true in my case so far, although obviously I've only played it for a few hours :)
Ah, that makes sense, and is quite a relief! I really want to try it out at some point. Maybe when 4 comes stateside! Look forward to reading more of your experience with 3U, though!
So is gay marriage finally possible in Tomodachi Life or is some kind of "make a female character that's really a male"?
I had to use a workaround, Joan. Basically, my Mii is a female, although it looks and sounds male. The same is true of my David Bowie Mii, while my Madonna Mii is a male who looks and sounds male. The only time it's ever relevant, though, is when the game says something like, "he didn't like it very much," in response to a piece of clothing or some food. It's not a perfect solution, of course, but it's working for me at the moment.
Yeah, I actually was planning to wait until MH4U came out to jump into the series, mainly so I could take advantage of its online co-op (as there's no chance I'll be able to play with others locally), but when I saw a copy of MH3U for sale some time ago, I jumped on it. Also, I liked the idea of getting to know the game before playing with others on line. I didn't want to completely suck in their presence XD
I've also managed 100 hours in Tomodachi Life. I find it strange how it can be so addictive even though it's gameplay is so simple and repetitive.
I introduced a co-worker to MH3U and 99.9% of the hours he sank into it were solo. We did one or two co-op hunts at the beginning so I could show him the ropes, and then he shot way beyond my middling skill level. lol
That's great to hear, Terry. Thank you for letting us know! ^^
Yep, I agree, Sam. Every time I think I'm done--because I've seen everything, because I can't imagine feeding my Miis for another day, etc.--I find myself going back to it. Gah!
Ah, good point! Okay, now I'm encouraged. I'll keep my eyes peeled!
Haha, cool! Glad to see it can be enjoyed as a solo experience.
Basically, there are two campaigns: one single-player and one multiplayer with tougher monsters for group takedowns.
Is the multiplayer experience actually different/separate from the single-player one, Terry? If so, I didn't know that! I assumed they were exactly the same--just with the multiplayer experience allowing for multiple players (obviously).
The village quests are single-player, and you go to the multiplayer hub in Port Tanzia for the group quests. You can enter the multiplayer quest areas alone if you want to harvest or mine, and you can solo some of those fights when your gear is high enough.
Ah, that's interesting, Terry. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I agree, Zach. Also, I have a feeling folks who weren't around when these games were first released may have a harder time appreciating and enjoying them like those of us who have nostalgia on our side, etc.
Yeah, I totally get that. I've found that if I didn't enjoy a game, or it was too difficult for me to get in to, 9 times out of 10 there's a Game Center CX episode, or a Let's Play, or something of that sort, that'll make me appreciate the game in ways I never could on my own. It's very fun to watch others play games, especially with personalities like Arino-san.
Yep, I agree, although I don't watch as many of those videos as I probably should :)
GCCX is pretty good! I highly recommend looking through the series for a game you wouldn't mind reminiscing about and checking it out.
Oh, I've seen a few of GCCX episodes on YouTube, Zach, and I also think the show's pretty great. I'd like to watch more, but I just don't seem to have the time at the moment :)
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