July is over, and as my mom is always observing: the days are already getting shorter. Not that I really mind, I think I’m one of the few people who isn’t very fond of the Summer: I’ve always like Spring and Fall more. Not as hot as Summer, and cosy longer nights for gaming too. But don’t worry, this blog isn’t about the weather or about the way times seems to fly when you’re getting older. Nope, I’m going to pick my game now the month July.
I bet you won’t be very surprised at my choice. It can only be Pokémon Go, combined with ‘a real Pokémon game’, in my case Pokémon X. But I bet a lot of fans picked up their older games to get their pokéfix. I love the way the game brings people together. Living in a big city there’s no shortage of Pokéstops or Gyms. Still, there are places where the gamers gather, from young to old. Places where someone benefits the others too by putting up a Lure Module. 
As I feel there’s not enough to do in the mobile game to satisfy my gaming cravings, I turned to Pokémon X that I abandoned after 6 gyms 3 years ago. I had fun with the game again ( see the article here) and have since seen the credits role.
What else have I been playing? I’ve been trying to get into Monster Hunter Generations on my European 3DS. Some of my gaming lady friends are so enthusiastic for the game, and I really felt like I had to try. I wrote about the start of my hunt here.
I must say I’m still very unsure about the game. I like what I’ve done so far, but for all the wrong reasons: I love my Palico friends, I love gathering things and exploring the Jurassic Frontier. Combining items, trying out new equipment. In short, I like the game for all the wrong reasons. You see, I’ve just tried the first big monster fight. And I’ve already fainted twice. Trying to muster the courage to try it again though.
Seriously, the Great Maccao might just be my downfall as a fledgling hunter. You see, I have always been awful at action fighting. That’s why I always tend to stick to turn based battles. Maybe I should switch from my dual blades, I am really way to slow…
This month, the Vita got some rest. I did proceed with Atelier Sophie, the book has finally turned into the doll Plachta. And that wraps up my gaming for this month.
What was your favorite game this month? Did you play any of the games I mentioned, and if you picked up an older Pokémon game, which one did you pick?
Pokemon GO was certainly the highlight of this month, and one of the biggest games this year so far! You know exactly how I feel about how great this game is in bringing people together, and I’m glad you feel just as strongly on it! It’s good to hear an update on your monster hunting. I know how it feels to lose to the first monster, and I definitely lost a lot to my first big monster back in Monster Hunter Ultimate 4, the Great Jaggi. It takes a lot of practice and using the right weapon too. I stuck with dual blades until I realized it didn’t fit my playstyle, which was more of a turn-based type. Luckily, there are 12 weapon types and a number of different styles and arts in MHG. I finally found my weapon of choice with the Bowgun (Light Bowgun is pretty fast for me, which is great), and I haven’t looked back since. I’d like to get better at different weapon types too, but I’m trying to practice and master one weapon for now. Also, if you know anyone who can play with you, especially someone who’s a veteran of the series, that usually helps since this game has such a high learning curve. I’m glad you at least enjoy gathering and combining items because that’s what I also liked during the first ten or so hours of my play experience. Good luck and hope you keep at it!
Thanks for your encouragement, I find I need it. I’m dreading to try once more, but the tip for the light bowgun is a good one that I’ll try next!
Fellow not-fond-of-summer person here. I dislike the heat in general because it’s a lot harder to sleep and I begin to feel like I’m melting, which leads me to be lazy and not even partake in my hobbies. Couple that with the fact that I hate the beach, and ice cream is the only real upside to summer for me.
I hear monster hunter games can take 10 hours or more before you’re comfortable with the fighting system. Personally, that and the control scheme is what keeps me away from the series. I’d rather play Toukiden on the vita, who offers a similar monster hunting experience but with a much better fighting system.
I’d say, if you want to really get into this genre, maybe trying a similar, but much less demanding game would be good for you, especially since you are not experienced with action games. Toukiden, Freedom Fighters, God Eater and Soul Sacrifice are examples of such games. All those games are available on the vita (except for the god eater games, with both games being released later this month and Europe getting the first game for free when you buy the second one), which makes camera controls a lot easier too, another complaint I have with Monster Hunter 3DS’ entries. Out of those games Toukiden seems the easiest due to the great backup characters you get, and Soul Sacrifice is the hardest.
Somehow even not liking summer it’s strange that we are leaving for even hotter parts in the next few days.. But yeah, same here. I’m not one to live outside at the first ray of sun, and when it’s hot it does make sleeping so difficult. Here in the Netherlands it’s not customary to have AC, so it can get really hot in the house. But then, summers didn’t used to be so hot! Upon writing this however we have had two straight days if nothing but rain now.
I looked at Toukiden, but to be honest, I’m not sure this action fighting is for me anyway. It’s one of the reasons whey I never could finish a Zelda games: I’m awful at the boss fights. For now, I’m wondering what to go and play. Doing another stint in MH feels like punishment…