Category Archives: Video Games

Monster Hunter Stories 3 is a fun game, but an emotionally distant story

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I don’t feel like writing hundreds of words on Dead Account‘s season finale, so here are some thoughts on Monster Hunter Stories 3. I rolled credits a few days ago, and just popped the platinum trophy last night. Spoilers galore, so you’ve been warned. If you just want to get down to brass tacks, it’s a solid 7/10 title, maybe even 8/10 if you’re being generous. The graphics won’t blow you away, but everything looks decent enough for a JRPG. The music is nothing to write home about. I honestly can’t recall a single track that stuck with me. The primary problem with the MHS3, however, is that the story feels unfinished. Even worse, it shies away from engaging your emotions directly.

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Let’s talk about games: 1000xResist, Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, etc

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I finally got the chance to finish 1000xResist. I originally bought it for the Nintendo Switch, but I couldn’t stand the poor performance. I initially figured it would’ve been okay, because indie games aren’t the most demanding when it comes to graphics. But the game ran so poorly on the Switch, it was adversely affecting my enjoyment of the game. 1000xResist isn’t a AAA production or anything like that, but it makes the most of what it can do. There are some absolutely gorgeous set pieces in the game… that the Switch completely marred with the low FPS and lack of decent anti-aliasing. So I waited and I waited. And finally, the game was ported to the PS5.

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Looking at fatherhood through Dragon Quest 3 and Final Fantasy X

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I initially planned for my next post to be about anime, but I just finished Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake (shortened to DQ3 from here on out), and I feel like I have to get these thoughts off my chest. Before I dive into the game, however — and yes, there will be spoilers for two rather old games — I need to first talk bring up Final Fantasy X (shortened to FFX from here on out). I’ve always been a big defender of Tidus, because I feel that brash, half short, half pant wearing protagonist is often unfairly maligned at least in the JRPG circles that I’m aware of. Of course, people’s opinions are what they are. If their reaction to Tidus’s many antics is to visibly cringe, then it is what it is. Who am I to say that cringing at Tidus is wrong if that’s how you honestly feel? But you can always try to look at any situation from a different perspective and thus come to a different understanding — and understanding that doesn’t have to replace your initial reaction but add to it. I will also contend that FFX is (likely inadvertently) a look at DQ3 — or various stories like DQ3 — from a different but very important perspective.

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