RIDDIP-RIDDIP: As someone with a history of designing all sorts of Keroro Gunsou (Sgt. Frog) livery in Forza Motorsport, I have a bit of a soft spot for frogs. Apparently, I’m not the only one. Keroro. Kerokerokeroppi. Kermit. Jabba the Hut. Frogs have clearly been a staple of human popular culture for quite some time. This brings us to our first Monster Hunter 4 monster preview feature. After being relegated to Gobul bait in Monster Hunter Tri, Portable 3, 3G and Ultimate, frogs now hop up several levels in the food chain with their own signature monster. Meet the “Demon Frog” Tetsukabura, an angry-looking monster that looks like the offspring of an ornery sabertooth and a bullfrog all hopped up on Red Bull.
HI-HO, SILVER: Ah yes, silver, the color of space-faring surfers and werewolf-slaying projectiles. In Monster Hunter, however, silver is the calling card of the king of airborne wyverns, the リオレウス希少種 or Silver Rathalos. The majestic beast is the target of many a hunter obsessed with forging its shimmering armor (cough, Pacman and Ke$ha, cough), causing them to drag some other poor hunter (cough, Gaga, cough) to "Silver and Gold" dragon hunts over and over and over so they can complete their dragon armor set. To commemorate our return to "honster munting" after an extended break. We recently decided to test our rusty skills on this very beast by hunting a Silver Rathalos in MHP3. Now we're adding a Silver Rath guide to Loc Lac Kitty Karters' list of offerings to help out folks embarking on Monster Hunter Ultimate for the first time.
A NEW FRONTIER: So in case you missed it, Capcom posted a 20-plus minute video during the 2012 Tokyo Game Show with producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Kaname Fujioka discussing the new features of a certain highly anticipated game. Now some of you might be asking, “Wait, what is this ‘Monster Hunter Ho’ that Tsujimoto keeps talking about — and more importantly, how can I get in on some of that action?” Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s just his way of pronouncing “Monster Hunter 4.” Yes, I know it’s a huge bummer but I’m sure you’ll live through the disappointment and become a stronger person. Now that I’ve got the uncomfortable stuff out of the way ... so exactly what sorts of new goodies does Monster Hunter 4 have in store for its fans? Let’s start carving up the video, shall we?
THAT'S HOT: To add some extra variety to their diet, Gaga and Pacman decided to spend some time with another Capcom game, Resident Evil 6. Given that they've already finished the campaigns for Leon (very good) and Chris (not so good), our two "kitty karters" booted up the third campaign, with Pacman taking the reins for Wesker's little boy Jake Muller and Gaga taking control of the grown up Sherry Birkin. Now, if you've ever had the pleasure (or displeasure) of playing Monster Hunter online with Pac, you'll know he has a tendency to goof around. Then again, the normally laid back Gaga can be evil, too. Check out Gaga's unique take on anger management therapy after Pac kept hassling Birkin while the latter was scouring the field for bullets.
VILLAGE PEOPLE: No, no, not those
Village People. Although I reckon that there are some similarities.
Like the aforementioned ’70s icons' return in a crackin’ pistachio commercial,
Moga Village makes a comeback in Monster Hunter 3G and Monster Hunter 3
Ultimate after ceding the spotlight to Yukumo Village in Monster Hunter
Portable 3rd. This is essentially the same as the Deserted Island map
except the Moga Village version is for offline. Note that the harvesting
and mining spots have some differences depending on the time of day.
Here’s a quick guide to gathering spots.
REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD: Meanwhile, back in Loc Lac.... It’s been more than a year since our favorite “kitty karters” laced up their monster hunting boots. Even after Gaga got his grubby paws on a white 3DS and Monster Hunter 3G during a visit to Japan last Christmas, he eventually quit playing a month later because “honster munting” just ain’t the same without his two buddies. Then Monster Hunter Ultimate got announced. Like a hunter getting a second wind after being dumped like a sack of potatoes via kitty cart in camp, the old gang decided to boot up Monster Hunter Portable 3rd again for some much needed practice. Their first target? Ke$ha’s white, er, silver whale: Silver Rathalos. Given the fact that Ke$ha and Pacman haven’t hunted for more than a year while Gaga hasn’t used a bowgun for the same amount of time, the potential for noobin’ moments was as high as a dragon egg on Area 8 of the Deserted Island. The best part of the hunt? When Ke$ha carved a Rathalos Ruby from Silver Rath’s tail and started running around like an idiot while screaming “I got a Rathalos Ruby!” over and over and over. This was made even funnier by the fact that in his quest to get that one ruby to complete his Silver Rath armor set more than a year ago, Gaga and Pac -- who didn’t need said ruby because they already have their Silver Rath armor -- kept getting the gem over and over. So ‘grats, Ke$ha. Let us hope that the Rathalos Ruby is no longer your drug.
