No great insight here; the Overlord series pays quite an homage to Pikmin with its central idea and mechanics. The two games are similar enough to confuse, barring the wide gulf dug by their particular takes on the same concept.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is a deep, deep game. Most of my early hours spent wrapped in its warm glow have found my character, Cannoli - don’t ask, rubber banding between the training missions and the more proper game. I have not busied myself with Monster Hunter since its inception back in aught-five, or roughly five revisions ago, I moved through the tutorial quests with the expressed purpose of better remembering and relearning the game. These are striations wrinkled deep, with functions atop functions atop context sensitivity all mapped to one or more buttons perhaps dependant upon where you might be standing. Shit’s complex here. I can see why this series’ popularity has endured in Japan. The rewards for mastering such a system must be deeply endorphin-heavy. Fortunately for my newest portable belle, Monster Hunter’s undercurrent of enjoyable questing and remarkable animal behavior makes the endurance of such a vast ruleset one to be persevered.
I’m carrying around my PSP a good deal more these days, thanks in part to Monster Hunter, Crimson Gem Saga, Hammerin’ Hero and others. Unfortunately, even with the size reduction inherant to the 2000 model, the damn unit’s still too bulky for practical portable packaging in 2009. Of course, I eyed the PSP Go during Sony’s E3 conference, welcoming its small form. However, that slimmed down look came at the expense of the UMD drive, and I can’t justify repurchasing my entire library digitally. Here’s hoping that Sony allows for some sort of transfer from UMD to Memory Stick (they won’t, obviously). As of now, the unit slaps against my leg through the cargo pocket when I walk. I have had minor bruises crop up around my kneecap, which is a little ridiculous. I can’t leave it in my car (too hot), and refuse to buy any sort of extra bulky pack to carry. I yearn for the days of my GBA SP. Really, I thought I left this crap behind when the Turbo Express fell out of style.
- Irving
