A few thoughts on the Monster Hunter Stories 3DS demo after putting about five hours into it

Just over a month ago, Nintendo plopped a demo for Monster Hunter Stories onto the North American 3DS eShop.

I promptly downloaded it, of course. And I say "of course" here because I've been curious about this Pokémon-esque Monster Hunter spinoff since it was released in Japan last fall.

That's not to say I promptly played through its demo. Although I put maybe 30 minutes or an hour into it shortly after my download finished, I didn't really dig into it until a week or two later (mainly because I was obsessed with Mother at the time).



As of now, I've played it for nearly five hours. Based on what I've read on line, there's still a few hours of content left for me to explore. Rather than wait until I hit that wall to write up my thoughts on this Monster Hunter Stories teaser--which is what I'd normally do--I decided to jot down and share them now.

Why the rush? Well, for starters, I'm really enjoying the demo--even more than I expected to, if I'm to be honest. Plus, I'm pretty sure nothing's going to pop up in the next hour or two that will change my opinion of Monster Hunter Stories.

With that out of the way, here are some of my thoughts on this surprisingly generous demo:

It looks absolutely lovely--I've liked Monster Hunter Stories' art style since I first laid eyes on it way back when. OK, so I wasn't initially all that keen on the design of Navirou, your odd-looking Felyne sidekick, but I eventually came around to it. I've always found the game's human designs appealing, though. They're cute without being generic or anime-esque, if that makes sense. I also really dig how the designers at developer Marvelous used a lot of bold, saturated colors while crafting Monster Hunter Stories' vast environments.



Its battles are more enjoyable than I thought they'd be--No one is going to accuse Monster Hunter Stories' fights of being confusing or complicated. In fact, they're little more than rock-paper-scissors bouts. That's fine with me, though, as it keeps them moving along at a good clip--which can't be said of all modern RPGs, that's for sure. My only worry is they might become boring while playing the full game. Considering that's rarely been an issue for me before, though, I don't see it impacting my decision to pick up a physical copy or not.

It chugs a bit on an original 3DS system--I don't know how the Monster Hunter Stories demo runs on other 3DS hardware, but it slows down and stutters now and then on an original unit. It doesn't do so all the time, and it's hardly that annoying, but I thought I should bring it up anyway. The question is: does the full game chug a bit on early 3DS systems, too, or does it perform better than this demo? Thankfully, I can play the former on my New 3DS if need be, but I'd prefer to play it on my "flame red" unit.



It's convinced me to buy the full game--Don't take this to mean me picking up a boxed copy of Monster Hunter Stories is a sure thing. I'd certainly like to do that, and soon, but the fact is my recent Switch acquisition is going to force me to be pretty picky with my game purchases for the foreseeable future. I still want quite a few 3DS titles--many of which I wrote about in this post from April, although I highlighted two others here and here--after all, and then there are Switch and retro games to consider, too.

Oh, well, even if I don't buy the retail version of this Pokémon wannabe, it won't be because I disliked its demo. How about you? Have you played either the Monster Hunter Stories demo or full game? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it in the comments section that follows.

See also: 'I tried the Hey! Pikmin demo and I think I liked it'

Dear Marvelous: make a gay version of Uppers (Vita) and I'll gladly buy two copies

I know there's no real chance that what I'm suggesting here will happen, but I'm going to suggest it anyway.

After all, I can't imagine there are many male gay gamers out there who wouldn't like to see and play a same-sex version of the following over-the-top beat 'em up.

Granted, I'm not calling for the folks at Marvelous, led by Senran Kagura producer Kenichiro Takaki, to simply replace the ladies in Uppers, their upcoming Vita release, with men--which seemingly would mean a whole lot of scenes showing the game's muscly protagonists motorboating the pecs of their similarly manly onlookers.



Actually, I'd be fine if they did just that, but I'd prefer something a bit more creative. For example, they could give Uppers: Gay Edition a kind of worship-y vibe by having the aforementioned onlookers (who would be guys, just in case it needs to be repeated) squeeze the brawlers' muscles or even bury their faces in the studs' armpits.

What do you think? Am I alone in finding such a scenario appealing, or would some of you like to experience it, too? Or maybe you'd like to see something similar, but aimed at gay women? In that case, how would you want its content to differ from what's showcased in the trailer above?

Even if you don't agree with me and my idea, what is your opinion of the version of Uppers the world (Japan, in particular) will get in a few months? Do you think it's trashy and crass, or do you think it looks like childish fun?

This game's title is a mouthful, but I want it anyway (or, PoPoLoCrois Bokujou Monogatari is heading to North America later this year as Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale)

First, for those of you who don't know your PoPoLoCrois Bokujou Monogatari from your Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke, the former is a 3DS title that curiously combines elements of two different game series, PoPoLoCrois Monogatari and Bokujou Monogatari.

I say "curiously" here because Bokujou Monogatari is what the ages-old Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons) series of farming simulators is called in Japan, while PoPoLoCrois Monogatari is a rather well-loved series of role-playing games that previously were released for the original PlayStation, the PS2 and the PSP.

In other words, PoPoLoCrois Bokujou Monogatari--or Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale, as it will be known in North America--is going to be a 3DS cart that allows folks to do all of the things that traditionally go hand in hand with playing a Japanese RPG (traversing a sprawling overworld, challenging a variety of baddies to turn-based tussles) while also giving them an opportunity to lovingly tend to a farm in their spare time. (To get a glimpse of all of the above in action, check out this Japanese trailer.)



Anyway, I've had my eye on this sucker, which is being made by Marvelous and will be published in North America via Xseed, since it was first announced some time ago. I've hemmed and hawed in regards to pre-ordering it, though, due to the fact that I assumed the text in it would be too much for me at this point in time. (Plus, it'll hit store shelves in Japan on June 18, and the last thing I need right now is for another game to arrive on my doorstep that I won't be able to play for a month or more.)

So, the revelation that it's being localized as Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale--officially, it's Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale, but I refuse to support Xseed's all-caps abuse--but won't actually released until sometime this winter has me feeling pretty stoked.

Are any of you also looking forward to getting your hands on this 3DS game? If so, feel free to share the love in the comments section below.

Shall We Do It? (Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley)

If you follow me on Twitter, you've likely seen me comment on my Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley playthrough quite a bit over the last couple of weeks.

A lot of those tweets have been pretty negative, and for good reason. This 3DS game--which was made internally at Natsume rather than by the folks at Marvelous Entertainment--does nearly everything it can to break the heart and soul of the person playing it.

First, there's the blink-and-you'll-miss-it passage of time. As in, each in-game day lasts about five minutes in the real world--which may not sound all that bad, but it surely is when you have to try to fit tending to your crops, milking and feeding your cow, chatting with semi-random visitors and many other, similar sorts of tasks into such a severely compressed period of time.

This is what summer looked like in my version of
The Lost Valley--for two whole days.

That's especially true when it comes to the portions of the game that revolve around watering flowers and other plants as well as the Minecraft-y ones that involve re-sculpting the landscape (by digging into the earth or excavating stone) in various ways. Crops are fertilized, watered and harvested one plant at a time, for instance, and digging and excavating stick to a similar formula.

Another way in which The Lost Valley attempts to deter even the most Pollyanna-ish players is tied to all of the annoying "fetch quests" that are forced on those who would like to push along the story that sits at the center of the experience.

Here's a much more typical view of my particular
portion of this 3DS game's world.

And believe me, you'll want to push along the story as quickly as you're able, as doing so allows you to eradicate from the game one of its biggest and most obnoxious issues, which is its seemingly never-ending winter.

For those of you who've yet to read or hear much about The Lost Valley, you may be surprised to learn that it drops you (or, rather, your avatar) into a desolate, snow-covered landscape. Unbelievably, that's about all you'll see for the first 20 hours or so, assuming your playthrough is anything like mine has been so far. That's because, as per the game's story, your main task during your first year in The Lost Valley is to help bring the seasons back to this harsh and deserted environment. Although it's possible you'll be able to do what it takes to see a couple days of spring, summer or fall before they cruelly snap back to winter, the most likely scenario is that your initial 120 days with this title (each season lasts 30 in-game days) will be spent staring at a blanket of white.

Presented without comment.

As I said while recording the latest episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, a part of me actually respects and even appreciates that The Lost Valley's developers were so brazen as to plop players into such an uninviting world. Another part, though, absolutely hates them for it, as what seemed like an acceptable-enough situation for my first few hours with the game has since become almost unbearable.

Note I just said "almost" unbearable rather than, say, completely unbearable. That's because despite all of my complaints so far, I've still devoted more than 20 hours to The Lost Valley since I first crammed its cart into my 3DS a couple of weeks ago. Clearly, something keeps drawing me back, even if that "thing" is nothing more than a stubborn desire to prove--to myself, to shidoshi, to designers who surely snickered as they pieced together this masochistic experience--I can make it through the game's abominable opening salvo.

Believe me, I enjoyed summer as much as I could while it lasted.

I'm nearly through my first year in The Lost Valley, by the way, so it's possible the game will take a turn for the better shortly. Being an avowed cynic, I'm not going to place any money on that coming to fruition, but who knows? Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised for once.

Even if I'm not, I'm planning to plow ahead (pun intended), at least for the time being. I won't be shocked if my interest in the game wanes sometime the next week or two, though, as I just can't imagine it's going to change enough once I rid the world of its oppressive frigidity to the bowels of hell--or somewhere similarly suitable--to keep my attention. 

I'll let you know one way or the other in my next "Shall We Do It?" post, of course. In the meantime, have any of you played Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley? If so, what are your thoughts on its particular pros and cons?

Santa Claus brought me a copy of Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, and I'm going to play it despite shidoshi's warnings against it

I've been curious about Natsume's homegrown take on the ages-old Harvest Moon series since it was announced earlier this year.

There were all sorts of reasons even then to give this recently released 3DS game a pass, with the Nintendo 64-esque visuals and the fact that it was being made internally rather than by series creator Yasuhiro Wada and the folks at Marvelous being the most noteworthy.

Still, I wanted it. So, I included it on my birthday wish list--and then, when I failed to get it for my birthday (I got Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call instead), I moved it over to my Christmas wish list.

Considering it was the only game I named on said list, I really shouldn't have been surprised to find it was among the Christmas gifts my parents sent to me, but I was.

Sadly, but not shockingly, I've yet to even start The Lost Valley. That's mainly because I'm still busying myself with three of the games mentioned in my last post (Fantasy Life, Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 3 and Woah Dave!), but I'm planning to dial back my playtime with those titles over the next few days so I can find for myself if Natsume's effort is as crappy as everyone--including my podcast mate, shidoshi--says it is, or if it has even a couple of redeemable qualities.

I'll let you know either way in my next installment of "Shall We Do It?" In the meantime, are any of you playing Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley? If so, what do you think about it?

FYI: I'm still pretty darn keen on Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (3DS)

Actually, I'm now more interested in this upcoming 3DS title than I was previously thanks to the trailer that can be viewed below.

Sure, the game still looks like an old Nintendo 64 or PlayStation game, but that's a big part of its appeal, in my humble opinion.



Also, I just think the Minecraft-esque gameplay that's been crammed into this iteration of the long-running series--which was made by the folks at Natsume rather than by creator Yasuhiro Wada and his crew at Marvelous--looks like a lot of fun.

Are any of you also planning to pick up The Lost Valley after it hits the streets (and eShop) of North America on Nov. 4  or after it finally makes its way to Europe?

I like the 7th Dragon vibe I'm getting from this latest Kinki no Magna (Forbidden Magna) trailer

Admittedly, all that we're really shown in the following trailer--which is the latest released for the upcoming 3DS SRPG that's being made by some of the folks responsible for the Rune Factory series--is one of Kinki no Magna's characters running around a couple of its locales, but that's enough for me to add it to my lengthy "seriously consider picking up a copy should it be localized" list.

I'd be even more serious in my consideration, of course, if someone at Marvelous would leak a bit of footage that shows how the game's battles will play out, but I guess that's just too much to ask at the moment.



I'm pretty sure that day will come soon enough, though, as Kinki no Magna's Japanese release date--Oct. 2, as far as I can tell--is approaching rapidly.

Anyway, as always, here's hoping someone (I'm looking at you, Xseed) decides to bring this sucker to foreign--as in, non-Japanese--shores, and sooner rather than later. Assuming its non-running-around-town gameplay is at all enjoyable, I mean.

Once again I've been taken in by sexy box art

I guess I should have called this post "Acquisition #147: Contact (DS)," and you certainly can think of it that way if you so desire, but I decided to go with the header seen above because, well, I think the truth of the matter is more interesting than saying, "Guess what? I just bought the Euro version of Contact!"

As for why I bought the Euro version of this Grasshopper Manufacture-made title: that would be because of its awesome cover art, which can be seen in the first and third photos below.



It could go without saying, I'm sure, that I love the adorable little Mother-esque sprites that populate the front of Contact's Euro packaging. I'm also pretty darn fond of its retro-tastic logo, though, which I think gives off an appealingly '70s vibe.



The cart art (above) isn't bad either, although I'd like it a lot more if it featured fewer logos.



Unfortunately, I have yet to stick this cart into my DS, so I can't tell you if I think the game itself lives up to the promise of its box art.

Have any of you played Contact? If so, what did you think of it?

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Speaking of Japanese games with great box art ...

... here are a few recentlyish (don't worry, I know that's not a real word) revealed pieces of cover art that I can't help but find appealing.

1. Phantasy Star Online 2 (Vita)--As far as I can tell, the illustration you see above will only appear on some sort of special edition of Sega's upcoming (it's due out sometime in 2013) online RPG. I say "as far as I can tell," of course, because I know next to nothing about Phantasy Star Online 2. Based on how I feel about this particular piece of box art, though, I think I'm going to have to educate myself about it soon. (Note: I do wish this example featured about three or four fewer logos, as the bottom edge, in particular, is more than a bit cluttered at the moment.)

2. Fate/Extra CCC (PSP)--Oh, hey, another soon-to-be-released game that's as foreign to me as, well, soy sauce Kit Kats. Like Phantasy Star Online 2's cover art (above), though, this PSP RPG's packaging makes me want to know more about both it and its predecessor, Fate/Extra. (Speaking of which, have any of you played Fate/Extra? If so, would you recommend it to someone who generally enjoys dungeon-crawling RPGs?)

3. Fantasy Life (3DS)--Don't worry, I'm not going to say for a third time that I'm clueless when it comes to one of the games I'm highlighting here. In fact, I know quite a bit about Level-5's Harvest Moon clone, as I've been paying attention to it since it was first announced as a sprite-based DS title. Anyway, it's still unknown as to whether or not this one will make its way across the pond, but I'm hoping beyond hope that it is--especially if the folks at Level-5's North American arm decide to use this piece of cover art, too.

Bring out the champagne: Grand Knights History is coming to the States 'this winter'

Earlier today, the folks at XSEED Games revealed that they'll be bringing Vanillaware's fabulous, fantastical RPG, Grand Knights History, to the States "this winter."

They also revealed that this PSP title, which hit Japanese store shelves on Sept. 1 and has since sold nearly 100,000 copies in that region, will be released both digitally (via the PlayStation Network) and physically (on a good ol' UMD).

I'm planning on picking up the UMD version myself--assuming the North American version's cover art is the same as its Japanese counterpart (right). (Oh, who am I trying to kid? I'll buy the UMD version regardless.)

Don't fret if you're a European PSP owner/user: Rising Star Games will be publishing Grand Knights History in your region sometime in 2012.

For more information on this luscious-looking game, read XSEED's press release announcing its localization.

See also: 'Give me Grand Knights History and I'll forget all about Monster Hunter Diary G' and 'Ooooooooooooooooh'

So, I was all set to say that the Vita had moved up a few spots on my gaming wish list thanks to the announcement of a Little King's Story sequel ...

... and then I read (last night, via andriasang.com) that the game--whose Japanese name translates to something like, The King, The Demon King and the Seven Princesses: New Little King's Story--will feature "new visual stylings for its characters."

OK, I immediately thought to myself, maybe that just means the game will be even prettier than its Wii-based predecessor. Like, maybe it'll be in HD or something.

                       Don't expect to see such cute characters in New Little King's Story.

Then I read another post (this morning) on andrisang.com that said: "While the Wii version had cute 'super deformed' style characters, the Vita characters have more realistic proportions."

As if that weren't bad enough, it's currently unknown as to whether or not Yasuhiro Wada or Yoshiro Kimura, executive producer and producer/ director of the original Little King's Story, respectively, are at all involved in the development of the sequel.

Don't worry, Sony fanboys and fangirls, even if New Little King's Story ends up being the gaming equivalent of a steaming pile of dog poo, I'll probably still get a Vita at some point in the future--especially since the folks who made last year's critically acclaimed DS title, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, are working on a similar game for the Sony's PSP successor (as well as the 3DS).

                              The cast of Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die.

The game, called Gyokugen Dasshutsu Adv: Zennin Shiboudes (aka Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die), will be a "game of betrayal," according to developer Chunsoft, and will feature nine people who must escape from a warehouse in which they're trapped.

For more information about Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die, check out this post over at andriasang.com.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Half-Minute Hero II edition)

On August 4, the second Half-Minute Hero--it'll be known as Yūsha 30 Second, or Hero 30 Second, in its homeland--will, at long last, be released in Japan. Although rumor has it the game will (eventually) hit store shelves elsewhere in the world, too, an official announcement regarding such an endeavor has yet to escape the lips of the powers that be at developer Marvelous Entertainment.

Because there are, as of yet, no European or North American counterparts to compare to the cover art that's been revealed for Yūsha 30 Second, I decided to expand this edition of "Which Box Art is Better?" a bit by including the first game's box art as well as the second's.

Speaking of which, here's the art that greeted folks who bought the Japanese version of the first game:

And here's the illustration that graced the cover of the North American iteration (order a copy of it here):

Interestingly, the European packaging (below) basically is a mash-up of the Japanese version's art and the North American version's logo.

As you can see in the image below, Yūsha 30 Second's box art won't be following in its predecessor's rather precious footsteps.

As much as I want to, I can't say I'm all that fond of Yūsha 30 Second's art at this point. I much prefer what the folks at Marvelous Entertainment produced for the first game.

So, which of the original options do I prefer? Roll your eyes if you must, but once again I'm going with the Japanese cover. It has the best logo--in my opinion, of course--and I like that its designers decided to focus on the game's beautifully pixelated characters and environments.

That said, I don't hate the North American cover art. The illustration that serves as its centerpiece is quite appealing, for instance, as is its autumnal color scheme. If only it didn't have such a generic-looking logo...

Which piece of cover art do all of you prefer?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Give me Grand Knights History and I'll forget all about Monster Hunter Diary G

It's hard to be a non-Japanese PSP owner these days. While the system continues to sell boatloads in its homeland, its sales have gone down the toilet everywhere else--to the point where publishers no longer want to support it outside of the Land of the Rising Sun.

As such, I'm more than a bit worried that Vanillaware's Grand Knights History--which has graphics that Anoop over at andriasang.com describes as "so lovely you'll want to travel back in time and off Jeff Polygon, the inventor of the polygon"--will, like so many recent and upcoming PSP releases, remain a Japan-only affair.

To see firsthand why that would be a crying shame, check out the following trailer for this fabulous looking RPG:



Grand Knights History will hit the streets in Japan on Sept. 1 with a price tag of ¥5,229 (approximately $65). Here's hoping this Marvelous-published title eventually makes its way to other territories, too.

(Via andriasang.com)

I'm not sure how I feel about Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax

Marvelous' Half-Minute Hero is one of those games that have resided on my lengthy "to buy" list for some time but, for various reasons, have yet to make their way into my grubby little hands.

No worries if you're not a fan of the XBLA version's new graphics; 

the pixelated ones of the PSP original will be available too.

Unfortunately, the much-ballyhooed PSP title (buy it here) may never make it off that list thanks to the developer's decision to bring an updated version of it to Xbox Live Arcade.

This sort-of remake (more on that in a second) will be added to the Xbox 360's download service on June 29 with a price tag of 800 Microsoft Points, a subtitle ("Super Mega Neo Climax") and a visual overhaul.

The one thing that may keep me from purchasing this iteration of the game instead of the PSP original is that it appears the former will only include one of the four modes that were featured in the latter.

The new art style displayed in Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax 

is sure to earn mixed reactions from fans of the original. 

For more information on Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax, check out GamePro's recent hands-on impressions of the title (here).

The question is: Will I like Deadly Premonition as much as Frank Cifaldi did?

When 1up.com's Frank Cifaldi reviewed Ignition's Deadly Premonition early last year (read it here), he called the game a mixture of The Last Express, Resident Evil 4, Shenmue and Twin Peaks.

He also said, "a lot of the graphics would look right at home on the Dreamcast." Admittedly, most gamers would consider that to be a negative, but I'm such a big fan of Sega's consoles that it served to further pique my interest in this open-world survival-horror title.

Hoo boy, this is going to be a weird game, isn't it?

Anyway, after reading Cifaldi's review, and a few associated comments he made about the game on facebook and Twitter, I added Deadly Premonition to my "to buy" list--despite the fact that I didn't yet own an Xbox 360.

Well, I now own an Xbox 360, and soon I'll own Deadly Premonition, too, since I ordered a copy of the game late last week for about $15. While I wait for it to arrive, I think I'll waste my time listening to this chiptune take on the title's "whistle tune."

See also: 'If Frank Cifaldi says a game is good, it must be so'

Ooooooooooooooooh

That was my exact reaction upon seeing the screenshot below--which was taken from Vanillaware's just-announced PSP RPG, Grand Knights History--for the first time.

Vanillaware is the tiny, Tokyo-based developer responsible for such eyegasm-enducing games as GrimGrimoire, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Odin Sphere, by the way.



I'm currently looking forward to the somewhat-awkwardly titled Grand Knights History even more than I looked forward to the PS2 and Wii titles above, though, because it's supposedly going to be a turn-based RPG. Oh, and even better: It's going to allow players to customize the appearance of their party members.

For more information on this title, check out these two posts (here and here) over at andriasang.com and this NeoGAF thread.

Marvelous may (finally) have a hit on its hands

Marvelous Entertainment has published a number of magnificent games in the last year or so, including Little King's Story, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Rune Factory Frontier. Unfortunately, none of those titles lit up the sales charts in any region.

Well, the Tokyo-based company may finally have a hit on its hands with the recently revealed iPad title, Followars. After all, it makes use of everyone's favorite social networking service, Twitter.

Described as an "RPG-style fighter" by the knowledgeable folks over at 1up.com, Followars connects to your Twitter account and creates an in-game character based on your follow count, Tweet count and other bits of information.

"It plays out something like chess," designer Kenichi Nishi told Famitsu magazine recently. "Two players gather around a single iPad and battle each other. Depending on the results, you'll be able to earn experience points and have your characters improve their skills and such."

As of now, Followars is without a release date or price, though both are expected to be announced soon.

(Via andriasang.com and 1up.com)