3DS: Monster Hunter 3U

Okay, so I admit I love Monster Hunter. I may not be the best hunter but I certainly taught a few people about the game and even got a couple hooked. When I saw Mh for the 3ds I squealed my fan girl squeal and picked up both the Wii U version and the 3ds version. For the sake of fairness this review is for the 3ds version ONLY due to not everyone wanting two copies.

Okay, so it's considered an expansion by many due to it sharing the same "story" as Tri (and being called 3U), that's how I would sum it up.  However, it's a darn good expansion.  The game added the bow, gunlance, and dual swords while keeping the ones from Tri around, increasing your weapon choices, and it also adds new monsters, from oldies like Plesioth and Pink Rathian to new ones like Duramboros and Zinogre from 3G (which was Japan only). It even tacked on a kind of lock-on for your convenience of knowing where your target is, my only complaint is that the lock-on seems to be there for those without the circle pad pro, as it just temporarily locks on. That being said I highly recommend the circle pad pro otherwise you could have trouble moving while moving the camera to keep up with that large monster trying to eat you. It is more of a convenience rather than a necessity so it's up to the individual there.

The gameplay is a sharp as ever, your character is responsive (despite the motion reactions to eating, potion drinking, etc), the hit boxes are accurate and they even fixed the horrible Plesioth hit boxes from his psp appearance. The visuals are gorgeous and the 3d is very well done as well. The touch screen makes customization very nice.  You can either keep it traditional, or clean up the main screen by putting your health and map on the touch screen, or do a mix, or whatever floats your boat.

Now, there are bad points to the game, for one, no online for the 3ds version.  A hazard if you're like me and you want to play with people but no one's nearby.  Not a deal breaker but it does make online a wee bit harder.  You do get an additional shakalaka pal Kayamba, so it's not all bad, but it does get irritating when you go g-rank and they can't take hits, making it pretty much a solo experience.  My other issue is that there is a lack of control customization.  That makes some weapons, like the bow, a difficult thing to get used to due to not being able to customize the buttons to make it a comfortable weapon.  A minor issue, practice makes perfect.

Overall, I would recommend this to many people, mh fans and newcomers alike.  It's different enough from Tri that it very much feels like a fresh experience with plenty of additional content.  I just wish it had online multiplayer.

8/10 stars

Review: Dragon Quest: Rocket Slime

My first review is of a 2007 game called Dragon Quest Rocket Slime.  It's a DS game with a top-down camera view about a slime named...well...Rocket. You start off in a kingdom named Slimenia where you get attacked by a gang of platypunks called the plobs and it's up to you to stop them and save Slimenia, along the way you'll meet several faces (most only temporarily), and become the hero of Slimenia.

The gameplay is divided between you on foot and another being you controlling a tank.  Both are quite simple, on foot you charge into enemies and can either destroy them for items or cash, or plop them onto a cart for delivery to the town where they become inhabitants and eventual helpers for your tank. On certain occasions you'll run into boss fights requiring some effort but not too much. While on foot you collect items (almost anything, from fruit to bombs) that will be your cannon fodder for your tank battles.  That's pretty much it, other than to move on in story and save your fellow slimes.

If it sounds boring, well, it kinda is, at least on foot.   My main complaint with tank combat is that from what I've seen, it can become a simple endurance contest.  One enemy tank loaded so much ammo on me that I just couldn't keep up counter-attacking, so my hp saved me until I could keep up. Helpers help somewhat, but depending on the helper it's best to launch them out of the cannon as well (which, sometimes has its uses actually).  Otherwise the tank melees can become quite deep, ammo have different speeds, alchemy can give way to bigger, better ammo, and you can even use some to defend the tank, like turrets and bear traps. For tank fights you have one objective, beat them up until the tank hear is exposed, then destroy it for total victory.

I will give it props for charm, each character has their own personality, uses, and as always for a dq game, lovely puns throughout the wazoo.  I loved the vibes it gave off, the colors were bright and
vibrant, and I felt sorry for the slimes of Slimenia when they got invaded if only because they are adorable.  The story is somewhat absent otherwise, most characters have no reason to anything if only "just because", so don't look for anything deep.

Overall, I would recommend it for fans of the Dragon Quest series, those who want a strategy-esque games, and those who are looking for something fresh, I have yet to see anything similar to Rocket Slime.  It was a fun ride for me while it lasted.

7/10 stars

Welcome to my handheld POV!

Hello and welcome to my handheld POV.  Basically all throughout this I will be discussing Nintendo 3ds and ds games and the system itself, through reviews and possibly news on Nintendo's latest handhelds if I can find anything juicy enough (most likely just reviews though heheh).

This is in no way affiliated with Nintendo, it's just a fan thing for fans.  However, it is a partnered with Nintendo Frontier, so check it out for news and more reviews.