The big budget triple A games can be fantastic. They have huge teams backing them, allowing for the use of the latest and greatest tech. Graphics are slick and always pushing to look better than everyone else. Plus, you know everybody who’s anybody is going to be talking about them in your circle of gaming friends/podcasts/blogs/forums.

Often when I sit down to play one, I will end up spending several hours in front of my TV or computer working my way through it. Sometimes, this can lead to a strange mental block right before I get started. Since I know I will inevitably spend a lot of time playing one of these games once I start, it can be a little intimidating.

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Much like Dragon Quest, the Monster Hunter series is one of the biggest names in gaming in Japan and almost unheard of in North America. Most people over here just don’t “get it”, and many of them don’t want to put forth the effort required in order to really understand what the game is all about. After all, even with more accessible entries in the series such as Monster Hunter Tri, there is still a very steep learning curve to overcome.

Originally I wanted to write a review of Monster Hunter Tri in order to spread the word. However, after over 100 hours of playing the game, I still haven’t experienced all it has to offer. I’ve come to realize, it’s not a traditional review that’s going to spark interest. My hopes are that by sharing the reasons that the series is so engaging (many of which are not immediately obvious to the new player), it will help more people realize the joys that can be found from becoming a Monster Hunter.
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On a most excellent sixty-ninth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, the dudes must travel through time to find the most  bodacious of all gaming experiences.

When the time comes for the shooting of the breeze, Jesse and Adam give us the rundown on their experience with the VD-W3 Wii HDMI Upscaler Processor. EXCELLENT!

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"Looking for treasure... just like the Goonies."

In any given RPG, the wooden sword and cardboard shield you start with aren’t going to be the ones you keep forever. Usually you get rid of them by the time you hit your first town. But when you buy that new set of gear and equip it, only to find your character has only changed in numbers and not in appearance, it is a bit of a letdown.

If you are talking about old school sprite based games, I will concede that it was more trouble than it was probably worth to put visible loot into a game. Re-drawing that many sprites would be time consuming and prohibitively costly. Where 3D character models are involved, there aren’t a lot of excuses left when you are dealing with stat driven games and RPG mechanics.

There is nothing quite as addictive to me as a progressive, well thought out loot system that is reflected on your character.

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"Is this our Wii HD holy grail solution?"

With the increasing number of HDTVs in homes, many Wii owners have cried out for a “Wii HD”; something that could make their games shine with all the P’s the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have been enjoying. In all honesty, I don’t think the Wii HD will ever happen. I feel brave (or stupid) enough to say that right before E3.

Our only non-emulator based HD solution for Wii seems to lie in the VD-W3 Wii HDMI Upscaler Processor.  But does it actually work?

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"I hope you brought extra batteries..."

On a very special sixty-seventh episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we split the show into two parts.

The first part is our regular “The Games We Played Last Week” segment followed by a “Friday Old Games” recap. In part two, we are joined by special guest Shawn Baxter of the Capcom Community Blog for an in-depth Monster Hunter Tri and Lost Planet 2 discussion.

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On a very special sixty-fifth episode of Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast, the guys have spent most of their time hunting monsters… again.

But even with being swamped (and by that I mean fighting giant amphibious monsters IN a swamp), we did manage to see the recently released Mega Man fan film and play a small selection of other games, which we proceed to talk about.

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On a very special sixty-forth episode of Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast, we were way too busy playing Monster Hunter Tri to play any other games.

OK, that is only a half truth. We did try to squeeze in some Super Street Fighter IV and Mega Man 10 DLC while we were at it.

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"We had a website, but a Lagiacrus ated it."

You might have noticed a smaller number of updates on WingDamage this week. It’s very easy to point a finger at the cause of this. You see, a certain game named Monster Hunter Tri released recently. Perhaps you’ve heard of it in our last podcast or our hands-on impressions.

Turns out, the game is quite addictive. Several of the WingDamage crew have been gathering regularly for the hunt and frankly, we’ve just lost track of time. We don’t have a review up of the game currently, but considering the effect it has had on the staff, I think it’s safe to consider it a recommendation.

Regular updates should resume next week. In the meantime, did you check out our in-depth Final Fantasy XIII review? How about the detailed battle explanation video (in HD!)? Or the article on Fighting Game Boss Fights? What are you waiting for? Get crackin’!

On a very special sixty-third episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, Jesse must find his missing son the only way he knows how…

By taking a shower, brushing his teeth, finding a lost teddy bear, and slowly opening a car door. If only he can do it fast enough.

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