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I spent most the past week entranced by a 4.88 inch screen staring down a game that I had never really given a chance before and documenting my ineptitude and eventual understanding of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate in two separate blog entries you can find here; part 1 is about character creation and part 2 covers the failings and successes of my first battle against an actual monster. The rest of the time that I had from last Monday to this one was spent with my family and the indomitable Frank Underwood and House of Cards, if you haven’t watched that show yet then you should now (after you read the rest of this blog of course), it is absolutely amazing.

I was able to pick up a New Nintendo 3DS XL on Saturday and must say that I am more impressed than I initially thought I would be. The C-Stick control helps so much with Monster Hunter and Majora’s Mask and the boot up time for the system and the games is much faster than the older model. I said the other day in a comment that MHU4 is playable on an original 3DS, and it is, but if you really want to play the game with the correct amount of precision then do yourself a favor and get a “New” 3DS.

I also want to thank everyone who has given me some fantastic advice about how to play Monster Hunter. The community has done a great job in offering me advice about the weapon that I have been using and the best ways to hunt and survive. It really is great to see such positivity from everyone and while there are people on the internet, who as someone once said, just like to watch the world burn. I know that I can turn to a group of awesome people here on Giant Bomb to heighten my enjoyment of the games I play. Keep being amazing Duders because you are all the absolute best.

1. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

THOUGHTS: There isn’t much that I can say about this game that I haven’t already said in the 2000 words that I posted last week but I can still muster a few. Do not make the same mistake that I did and overlook this series. I realize that it isn’t for everyone but for those that are willing to give it a chance you will find that it offers a deep and engaging experience that will keep you entertained with a variety of interesting mechanics and an impressive combat system. I have watched myself go from struggling to make contact with a Great Jaggi to now tackling expeditions with, somewhat, limited fear. I plan to keep the series chronicling my playing time with Ultimate going and should have another entry later this week for those that have enjoyed it so far.

VERDICT: Monster Hunter is pretty cool!!!! Play it.

2. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M (Demo)

THOUGHTS: This is a weird Fire Emblem and X-Com mash up with a little more action thrown into the mix. You move around on a fixed battlefield and pull the left trigger when you want to attack with your rifle. You can move freely but are will be restricted in attacks and movement tiles by a steam meter, once the meter runs out, you end your turn and the enemy takes theirs. You also can go into overwatch mode by conserving enough steam power after your turn to allow an attack. The in-game and cutscene are is really cool and the designs of the player characters and enemies that I saw in the demo were on the right track. I am a fan of both games that this one reminded me of and hope that the full game adds a bit more depth to what you're actually doing.

The voice acting is pretty bad but I do like seeing some historical characters in these insane fantasy scenarios fighting aliens using steam power in old London and none of this sentence would make any sense taken out of context.

VERDICT: It seems kind of cool. It wasn't enough to pull me in immediately and make me run out to make my pre-order but if it can be half as good as the games that it is imitating then I can see myself devoting some time to it later in the year. I'm going to wait on a few reviews but hopefully it turns out good.

THE WEEK AHEAD

I plan to continue to play more Monster Hunter but I am going to give everyone a Nintendo break in the blog as I move into playing some of the stuff that I have put on the backburner while I fueled my Mario addiction. I have had the Resident Evil HD Remaster in my Steam library since it released and will finally get to that while also giving Lords of the Fallen one more chance. I tried to play it a couple of months ago but just could not get into it but I want to like it. We’ll see what happens. Oh, and Screamride looks really stupid and I may see just how stupid.

• Resident Evil HD Remaster
• Lords of the Fallen
• Screamride

OPINION TIME

I really enjoy playing video games. I don’t talk much about things on this blog other than that and the occasional mention of my family but we all need distractions in our lives and gaming is the perfect way to escape from reality for a few minutes. Our personal lives are just that, personal, and we tend to keep them that way but sometimes there are topics that we feel compelled to share with not just those close to us but to everyone in case it catches the eye of the right person and helps someone.

I suffer from severe depression. I have for a while now and it all stemmed from a medical diagnosis that I received a few years ago that changed every aspect of my daily life. I lost the use of my left arm because of a rare nerve disease that also tends to shut down the use of my left leg from time to time. I can use my left hand just a fraction of what I could before but the one thing that I can still do with some accuracy is use a controller.

Depression is a terrible affliction but being able to distract from that is invaluable. My family has been incredible since 2012 when our lives changed and I appreciate them for that but sometimes when dealing with my physical and mental ailments I need to be alone and do something that I could do before all of this happened. I can’t play pickup basketball anymore (which was my favorite hobby and source of exercise) but I can still put on a headset and play something with my friends. It gives me the social interaction that I need occasionally. Gaming can bring us comfort and it has me. I also watch tv shows, movies, read, etc. but being able to somewhat physically do something is different. Watching videos and listening to podcasts here on Giant Bomb is another great way to forget about things because they center on my favorite hobby and they make me laugh.

Therapy has helped me and while I am no doctor; if anyone relates to this then I can offer an ear if you need to talk. All you ever have to do is send me a PM and I’ll listen. Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do for someone.

This is a little bit deeper than the things that I usually discuss in this blog but I know how much of an a-hole depression can be and I want to let everyone know that you're not alone.

Also, we would all be happy if we played for the Harlequins. Just look at that logo!

COMMENT REQUEST OF THE WEEK

Let me lighten this back up just a little (or not):

Has there ever been a video game series that you were intimidated to try to play?

Go Play Some Games

Thanks for being such a cool community.

Please leave a comment if you feel so compelled and more importantly have a very Happy Monday Duders!!!!