Cool, now fix your fucking website. 'Cept for /r/monsterhunter. That's a safe haven.
8bit and Kopo dash across the grassy plains of the Ancestral Steppes. They can hear the thundering pumps of the Gore Mangala's black wings right on their tail. As 8bit hears the beast roar, he says a prayer and dives for cover, the dragon's blast of poison whizzing right above him. His friend, however, is not so lucky - turning to get a good hit in with his lance, he is instead smacked by the Mangala's sweeping tail. It's a direct hit, and Kopo is sent tumbling over a nearby cliff. 8bit gets up as quick as he can, and unsheathes his sword and shield. He only has four phials of fire in his blade, but he'll have to make due. Sweeping under the black beast's six legs, he dodges and weaves as he chops at the beast, charging up his weapon, before pulling back and letting it transform into its deadly axe form. With a mighty swing, he aims directly for the dragon's head, and the attack connects, letting out a string of fire blasts that shatter the Gore Mangala's scales! But it's not enough. The Mangala snarls right in 8bit's face, before rearing back and pinning him! As the beast chomps at 8bit, close to piercing through his tetsucabra armor, it seems as if all is lost... But ho, the cavalry has arrived! Kopo returns, bringing with him a friend with a powerful bowgun. With a well aimed strike, Kenpachi knocks the beast off of 8bit, right next to a nearby ledge. 8bit sees the opportunity. He dashes towards the ledge, then leaps off of it to strike at the Gore Mangala! The attack is a clean hit, and 8bit leaps onto the gigantic foe, stabbing away at it while the others sharpen their weapons, in preparation for what was to come. With a few more hits, the dragon is felled! This is the moment of truth: the hunters let out a rallying cry, rushing forward and administering an all-out attack that finally fells the beast! As the dust settles, the crew carves the materials they need from the great monster's carcass, to be crafted into new armor and weapons - its death would not be in vain. As the group celebrates their victory, they feel a rumbling under their feet. Kopo turns to see an Elder Dragon swoop into the Ancestral Steppe. Its ominous wing-beats spell certain death for the adventurers. Will they stay and fight? Or run, to live and battle it another day? Find out...by playing the game! Seriously, it's 4x as fun with some friends along, and even then single player it's great. It's not like other action games where you just have to mash buttons - every battle is a dance with whatever you're hunting. You have to study its movements and attack patterns. Gauge its weakspots. Plan your strategy out accordingly. Is it limping? Go in for the kill. Is fire burning in its eyes? Run away! It's one of the most exhilarating experiences I've had playing a game: like Dark Souls, but way more fun and not as shitty.
You and ref have no idea. 45 minutes ago, I was looking for the term "Baader-Meinhoff" during casual conversation, but could not recall the name(s). So I'm on the bus headed back toward my hotel, cruising Hubski, and yeah. Thanks!
What's your gripe with Dark Souls? Haven't honestly played that game, either. And I think a large part of it is probably the online component, then. I found myself just grinding with monsters quite a bit when I played the game. Must have killed hundreds of Great Jaggis just to upgrade my armor and weapons to the next level. At some point, it just stopped feeling like a grand adventure, and more like an endless grind. Different strokes, though :) I'd love to play it again, but I gave my 3ds away to a friend in need! Also, I appreciate the write-up! Your style of writing is great, I've read a few of your blog posts.
I'm gonna write about Dark Souls one of these days, so I can just link you then, haha. Also, I'm not sure which one you played, but MH4 really cleans up the grinding. It's definitely the best one to date for newcomers, everything is 10x more streamlined, the learning curve is smooth the whole way through, they actually explain skill gems and shit - anyone who was even a tiny bit interested, but turned off when they played it, I would definitely recommend MH4 to them.