Kotaku, the Gamer’s Guide

@Mr. Fluffykins: Is it too much to ask that the coverage of Japanese language items be done by someone with a proper command of the language?

That's Meng Huo in English, not "Moukaku."

"For the manufacturer" A poor translation at best. A better rendering would be "At the discretion of the manufacturer."

@Koda89: In that case, no, elderly people don't even know what DQ is in Japan.

@Koda89: The "elderly" only play DQ if you have a very low threshold for being old. And no, there is very little in common between a story-driven, turn-based RPG and a barebones action MMORPG. Their only common ground is that they're both well known and big sellers.

@Revenge_of_Nekojin: What? Capcom shipped 3 million copies of MH3. It has not been released yet. So where do you get "matched 1/3 of the sales"? At this point they've sold zero copies.

"I've often said that more important than the stories, the writers, the pictures and videos to Kotaku, are the commenters."

The comments are most important because you guys don't bother to check the spelling or facts in your articles before you post them.

I didn't read through all the comments, but it seems that no one here has realized that the essential detail is that he distributed an uncensored version of the game.

That 3.5 million number is for the original release and the budget "Best" release that came out in October 2008.

@beril: Yes, you are correct.

The pseudo-Japanese gibberish they have littered about makes it look amateurish and ridiculous. Who comes up with this garbage?

The joke here, which seems to have gone right over Ashcraft's head, is that ageha also refers to a kind of butterfly. This gal-fairy is a visual pun.

@☆スネーク ☆:
Gyaru is not the same as Ganguro. Ganguro is a specific subset of gyarus.

@masterisosceles:

Yes, you are correct. Brian Ashcraft's understanding of Japanese is spotty at best.

Sakurai does admit that making your own games in this time consuming way is "a pain"

No, he says that making games in general is a pain but is ultimately rewarding.

I am constantly amazed at the incredible misunderstanding of Japanese culture that has led so many foreigners to call themselves "otaku."

Monster Hunter is a superb game, but this video is horrific. How in the world could anyone at Capcom greenlight this?

@Placentasaurus:
At least on the PSP the gameplay isn't clumsy at all. I think the video is a bit misleading because it shows so many big sword hits with impact pauses. Most weapons don't do that, and even the big sword only does that in certain situations.

@Superspecs:
Of course not everything is completely real, but the battle system itself is extremely realistic, and that's where the challenge and fun lie. Of course you can't drink a potion while your hands are full (did you know that you CAN use items while your sword is drawn if you're using the one-handed sword?) or while being attacked. And have you tried drinking something while running (without spilling most of it)? Perhaps they could implement a feature by which you CAN drink health potions while moving, but its effectiveness is reduced because you spill some.

Suffice it to say, if healing didn't involve risks or cost (time, losing track of the monster if you run away to heal) then the game would be too easy. You'd be essentially invincible as long as you had some potions on hand.

And you're right that the weapons and monsters are not totally realistic, but overall Monster Hunter is FAR more realistic than most fantasy-based games with magic spells and whatnot.

1. Who in the world claims that Monster Hunter is anything like Dynasty Warriors? That is grade-A bullshit.

2. To everyone who complains about how difficult the battle system is (@Superspecs, I'm looking at you): It's called "realism," and it's the whole point of Monster Hunter. If you don't like it, don't play it.

3. Tri looks incredible, and I really want to like it, but I'm not down with pay-to-play so I'll probably be waiting for the portable version.

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