JBG4

I've decided that I'm getting a new 3DS for better camera control... should have it Friday.

I'm actually thinking about picking up the Wii U version of MH3U to see how it is. I am so deep down this rabbit-hole now... I'm addicted. I played about 3 hours during different breaks today.

@ripelivejam: Wrong Journey..."The Journey" is an indie, folk rock trio that only sings about natural childbirth.

@starvinggamer: thanks so much for that... I had no idea how to use it, I noticed that you could target with R but didn't know what to do after that. Now I do and it is extremely helpful.

@deadpancakes: That would be nice, while I have a base understanding so far there are still a few things that I may need some help with.

Thanks... I've stuck with the insect glaive and while I like the attack pattern of the actual weapon, I have no idea how to use the actual bug.

I'm heading in that direction. I completed two more quests last night and I'm going to jump in to finish a third as soon as I get an opportunity today. Are you a veteran of the series?

Since I am new to series and therefore, an idiot... is there friendly fire?

Sorry it took me so long to respond... so many things going on, haha.

The calls to action do matter according to some research that I have done, I do not have capture gear yet but I do plan to get some within the next couple of months so I can start turning my written blogs here on GB into a video series on YouTube and I am already preparing myself to pander a bit at the end. I'm like you in that I think it feels strange to ask but in the videos of all of the major YouTubers that I watch nearly every single one will ask for those very things at the end of all their videos.

I'm already subscribed to you and try to like all of your vids when I can remember it, which is where the calls to action would come into play... by doing those I would probably just hear you say like and go do it without thinking.

Keep it up though, you do a great job and it's very informative.

@arbitrarywater: Is that a katana? If so, I thought so hard about using it or the Insect Glaive just because the katana looked so freakin' cool.

@hypnotoadbrwowrowrow: I wish I could tell you I enjoyed Journey but I found it boring... it was beautiful, it just didn't have the same effect on me that it did other people.

I'm playing on an original 3DS XL and I'm hoping the camera isn't too much of a hindrance. I may take the plunge on a New 3DS when I can find one though.

I'm terrified right now to fight anything other than the enemies that don't fight back, haha

@brettchalupa: I have joined you lunatic hunters and am ready to jump in... WARNING: this is my first MH game and I really want to learn the correct way to play, I've been watching guides but help from a veteran of the series will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance...

I am so excited. This is my absolute favorite feature on GB now... Drew and Dan have a ton of chemistry together and I feel like after they get through all of the Metal Gear games that it would be cool if Drew maybe started trying to teach Dan how to fly or something.

@slag: @supermike6: No, nobody is derailing anything. I'm so giddy right now because this is exactly what I wanted from this blog... I wanted discussion and positivity and I'm getting both of those things from you guys. You aren't arguing you are discussing a topic and I love it. By all means keep going but I'm going to throw my opinion in now...

I wish I could have beaten all three but I only completed Majora's Mask last week, I had beaten both of the others when they released and wanted to jump back in to see how they hold up, both of them surprised me because they are totally playable and enjoyable still today.

Anyway, I think there is an obvious aesthetic difference between JRPG's and WRPG's and as someone who played a ton of RPG's on the SNES and PS1 when I jumped into something like Daggerfall I thought I was playing a completely new game, I wasn't even sure it was an RPG. I was uninformed at the time and it wasn't until years later when I learned that there were RPG's from the west and the east.

I think we still use that distinction because while there are tons of similarities as @slag mentioned you can see the differences in everything from the box art to the color palette used within. It is more of a visual difference on the outside but when you start playing a game in either you immediately see that they're extremely similar in design, whether it be communicating with NPC's or undertaking quests. So while I will admit that we may not even need this classification anymore I am an old man, haha... and have now been referring to them in this way for 20 years now so get off my lawn. Keep this discussion going if you guys like though... you two said everything perfectly so there wasn't much left for me to add.

Also, @supermike6 you discussed the music in a JRPG and I could not agree with you more. When I play a classic on my VITA now I put in headphones (not just to drown out my daughter) but so I can hear the music. I love how they use it to convey every single emotion, ie. the sheer terror when you see an entire village burning to the ground while Sephiroth stands in the center of it all. I love video game music but I would say that 15 of my 20 favorite tracks are from JRPG's.

Thanks so much. I really enjoy writing it and seeing that people are actually reading it and commenting on it at a decent rate every week is what gives me the motivation to write it on Monday's when I usually have zero desire to do anything.

Majora's Mask on the 3DS is fantastic. It's a better version than the original because it takes care of some small issues I had back in the day with quest tracking and some of the other things I mentioned so now is the time to jump in if you have a 3DS. Also, play Tactics... it is amazing and the original PS1 version is available as a PS1 Classic on PSN for like 6 bucks if you don't have a VITA or PSP; if you do, then definitely play the War of the Lions. I put some more time into it today and it became even more apparent how much of an upgrade it is over the original.

Thanks for answering... I have much of the same experience as you. I played a ton of JRPG's during the PS1 era, Pokemon, etc. then moved on to Western RPG's in the mid-2000's with Oblivion and Mass Effect but over the last 3-5 years I have played both but have focused more on JRPG's. I've played a lot of the Tales series, with Tales of Xillia being my favorite, and I highly recommend those.

You mentioned Alpha Protocol. I bought it on Steam and couple of months ago and plan to get to it soon. I always wanted to play it but never had the time, unfortunately, I just started playing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on my 3DS and will have very little time for anything else. I'm already hooked and it's my first MH game ever.