Demo for the New Generation of Hunters!

I was legitimately surprised when I checked my email for, what was supposed to be an email from my uncle regarding an event, but before that email, it was something from Nintendo. It was a code to play the Demo of the upcoming Monster Hunter Generations. The weirdest part was I wasn't actually expecting to get the code, because whenever I sign up for a demo or beta, I never get the invite (looking at you Blizzard, for Overwatch, Legacy of the Void and Heroes of the Storm). And to add more surprise was my friend who was also anticipating the invite didn't get the code ("Muehehe~"). I pretty much opened up my 3DS and downloaded the demo instantly.

Yeah baby!

The cool part is you can also play with up to 3 people using local or internet multiplayer, but I went for solo just to see how Monster Hunter Generations plays.

And being the not so pro that I am, went for Intermediate, and...

Using Sword and Shield! While some say those who main Sword and Shield are noobs, I strongly disagree. With all weapons, it takes time to master. And I also didn't want to rage while trying it out. I went with guild style as well, so I was basically playing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

But you can also try out the Nyanta or Prowler!

I'm not sure whether it's a worthy comparison, but I enjoyed the Demo for Monster Hunter 3G more due to the open area and having to look for the monster. I didn't play the Demo for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (I bought the game), so I'm not sure how the Demos have changed. However, this was basically having the monster served on a silver platter in the arena.

The orange blasts you see in some of the screenshots are one of the attacks this monster uses. It begins by flying up then dive bombing on the spot which releases the blast as a bubble. It then faces you and launches the bubble at you. Dealing quite an amount of damage as well as screwing with your movement controls. At first I didn't notice it, so I kept wondering why I was always blocking the wrong way. When enraged, it uses the attack more frequently as well as releasing the effect during some of its normal attacks. The effect is lost after a certain amount of time or if your character is hit by an attack, which makes your palico companions extremely helpful.

I'm not sure whether it was a change in game mechanics or just me being bad at aiming my aerial attacks, but only after about 6 aerial attacks I mounted the monster. They might have changed this though because it is an extremely easy way of dealing with most monsters during my play through in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Another one of his annoying attacks, a beam of which inflicts sleep on your character if you're hit by it. When enraged it sweeps the beam around compared to only one direction when not enraged. However, the palicos helped a lot in this sense, hitting you to quickly get you back on your feet, unless of course they were hit by the attack as well, which in that case you're doomed.

So, at the end of the mission, I managed to break its head and tail. The wings, with me using a green sharpness weapons, had my attacks bounce every time I hit them. So, the main parts I aimed for were the head and tail (which then broke). The Demo ends right there, they don't allow you to move around anymore or try and carve anything off the monster.

You're then greeted with this awesome end screen.

Well, I'll be honest. I wasn't really hyped up for Monster Hunter Generations as much as when I watched gameplay of Monster Hunter X (it's known as Monster Hunter X in Japan). But at that time, I was also playing Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate a lot (400+ hours in game which is surprising for a handheld console game). However, After a while, I didn't loose interest in the game, but other games were announced and released (eg. Overwatch, need I say more?), so naturally my attention shifted. One of the few games which is about to be released for the 3DS is Pokemon Sun & Moon, which just like Pokemon X & Y, I am anticipating as well as planning to buy. But the problem with all these amazing or soon to be amazing games are they all beg for your time and attention. And one only has so much time. The game was as expected from Monster Hunter, mostly familiar, but with tons of new features and ways to play the game.

JIM-san

HG Gouf, The Start Part 1

Bandai has re-released older models and it's actually really cool to see how much they have improved their designs and process of making their current selection of model kits. Hence, since I recently got an older version of the HG Gouf model, I'm gonna talk about it, before all the painting and stuff.

(Above) Dat old school box art!

(Above) They model does not come with those gaps when properly assembled, I basically didn't assemble them properly because I would take the parts apart again. This was done simply to see which parts require gluing to remove the seam lines, and also which parts do not. But usually I glue them anyway. 

After assembling the model and also after having assembled many of Bandai's newer line up of models, you can clearly see the improvements they have made to their products. The newer models come rich with details, fine panel lines which understandably are absent from their older models. This is actually something I like, because it makes sanding them so much easier. Removing the worry of sanding off a panel line, and just worrying on evenly sanding the model. 

(Above) If there's one thing I hated from the older line, it's the lack of clear parts. No how in the world am I going to paint this looking like a beam weapon.

(Above) The rifle is split right down the center with add-on parts to form the complete rifle. The split down the center is fairly visible, and with that, glue and sanding will be a must. However nice part separation, which will make colour accents very easy.

(Above) The shield is extremely plain. No panel lines on the outside, as well as very little detail on the inner part of the shield. While this makes painting it easy, I'm not sure it will look that good.

(Above) I really like that as old as the model is, they took into account how people would like to paint this model. The segmented connections on the arm reflect that, as the only parts that need to be placed in between the two parts are the polycaps, which are then connected to elbow or knee part, before connecting to another polycap. This makes painting the separate parts easy, as you don't have to paint the connecting parts first, sandwich them in between the other parts before gluing and removing the seam line, then praying to god as you paint the newly glued and sanded part without touching the connecting part.

So this would be officially my third model of Zeon's mobile suits. And currently I am still deciding what colour scheme to choose for this model.

JIM-san

The Alien G9X!

A pre-post before I actually talk about the Alien G9X Gaming Mouse. I tried posting about gaming mice, my Mikoyan Foxbat post got quite a few views (sorry, I didn't reply to the comments), so I have to try and explain the features or lack thereof of the mouse I'm talking about as much as possible. While, I don't really say it's a review, it is somewhat of a review of the mouse, and I'll just try cover as much as I can.

This post was again long overdue, but this time I did it on purpose. While, the other gaming mice I talked about were only used for a short period of time (barely reaching a year), I was actually given this mouse for my birthday present, in 2014. After using it for a year, I thought I would post my thoughts on the gaming mouse on my blog, however, it has been 2 years and I'm finally talking about it.

(Above) The Alien G9X gaming mouse in its packaging! Really sweet looking by the way.

 (Above) What you get in the box (aside from the mouse), Top-left is the weights for the weight management system, Top-right is the disc which contains the driver (just download it online), Bottom-left, are an extra set of teflon feet for the mouse (very nice!) and the instruction manual on the Bottom-right.

(Above) The mouse from all four angles. In the Bottom-left photo, the black part is actually a button you press to access the weight management system.

This gaming mouse is Armaggeddon's medium price range gaming mouse, and similarly (from browsing the samples provided in the shop), it is covered in a nice soft touch feel with a matte black and dark grey colour scheme. Only the lower part of the mouse is covered in a textured semi-gloss finish. The model actually comes with two other colour options, the matte black and dark blue with blue lighting and matte black and yellow with blue lighting (looks good, but hard to match your set up with). The other models available come with the matte black and grey colour scheme with different lighting colours (red, blue, green and white which was what I got). The mouse is extremely comfortable with the extra click button, allowing a place for your ring and pinky finger. This did affect my gaming a little, but most of the time you get used to the mouse you game with, making them less uncomfortable over time.

While the design and colour scheme does seem a bit toned down compared to the Mikoyan Foxbat, simpler designs tend to look better in their own way, as well as match up with your gaming station (if that matters to you that is). The buttons are very clicky, and give a distinct sound when clicked, and they don't require too much force in my opinion. The only button I had a problem with was the scroll wheel which for me was a but too hard to press, that might be just for me however. Lastly, the cable is braided, so you don't have to worry too much about cats nibbling on the cable.

Now, I don't know about your taste for gaming mouse designs, but for me, this mouse just looks awesome, with its edgy and non-ambidextrous design (not that I have anything against left-handed people). But what actually made me want to buy the gaming mouse was that third click (which is set to nothing if I'm not mistaken). At that time I was quite into Blacklight Retribution, so always pressing shift would make my ring finger feel really uncomfortable. I then planned to bind shift to the third click, which while handy for gaming would make pressing more buttons in software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator simpler.

(Above) And now, lit up like a cherry tree! Errr... if the cherries were white and... ummm... nevermind...

The lighting on this guy looks awesome! I mean you can see why Armaggeddon has the guts to display these guys on a shelf fully lit, they're bound to turn heads! While that little spot of light bleed on the third click did trigger my OCD a bit... it might be just my model. The CPI indicator has four different levels which light up according to the CPI level. The CPI levels are 400 (1 light), 800 (2 lights), 1600 (3 lights), 3200 (4 lights), 4800 (all 4 lights flash then stay on) and 6400 (all 4 lights flash twice then stay on). Although it does go all the way up to 6400, I never used it past 1600, so I can't comment on the accuracy of the mouse on those levels but I can say from 400 to 1600, it was pretty accurate, didn't notice any problems with the tracking.

(Above) Similar to the Mikoyan Foxbat, this mouse comes with a customizable weight management system, with 7 different levels.

(Above) Completely empty, partially filled and fullhouse, just the way I like it.

Okay, I know I have yet to talk about it's performance as a gaming mouse. So let's get to it. Can it run Crysis? Don't be silly... As a mouse, a gaming mouse to be exact, it handles games just fine, I mean I had 2 years testing this guy as my main mouse. Throughout all the games I played in those 2 years, Dota 2, CS:GO, Starcraft 2 (the Legacy of the Void Campaign and online multiplayer), Insaniquarium Deluxe (don't judge me man), Hawken, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Blacklist, and many, many more games, this mouse didn't have any problems tracking as well as no stuttering (however, it started stuttering and jumping a lot in the beginning of the second year, could be my model and handling).  I do feel this mouse is more appropriate for first-person shooter games (the better grip does allow for better control), like CS:GO or Blacklight Retribution, but just like any gaming mouse, it should handle all sorts of games.

(Above) The layout for the included software to control lighting, profile switching, and lots more.

I tried my best to play around with the included software to customize some of the buttons for the mouse. This software is also where you change light intensity and breathing effect speed (or just leave it on). However, I realized that even when setting it to be on all the time, the breathing speed is with just really long with a really short "breath out, breath in". This was extremely apparent in a dark room. What was also extremely apparent in a dark room was the amount of light bleed the lighting spots have, the only exception being the CPI level indicator. The software interface, which I think was supposed to look edgy and cool, turned out looking a bit weird in my opinion, nothing sleek. The main problem I had with it was how sluggish it felt changing anything in the software. It was quite apparent to see the delay between switching an effect (like light intensity) and seeing the mouse change its settings. And how did using the third click as the shift key turn out? Well, I basically switched the third click to the thumb up button or mouse 4, which I then bound to sprint in all my games. And it was a lot more comfortable (although awkward at first, your ring finger rarely does anything on a mouse), so no shift key replacement for now. 

So what do I think about this mouse I have been using for 2 years. Well, with anything you spend a really long time with, you start to notice the minor flaws. Here are some I had with my model. The mouse started jumping or twitching in the beginning of the second year, the software sometimes failed to detect the mouse (hence you can't change any of the settings until it detects the mouse), which at first I thought was my USB connector, but then as I tested it with a pendrive worked without any problems. I plugged in the mouse again and it still had problems detecting. The soft-feel material started peeling off, which is a common problem with most mice, but the slightly sticky feeling of the mouse did not make it as comfortable to hold (still okay for gaming though). And the weight management enclosure became significantly harder to open after a while (it no longer works now, I have to pry it open). However, all these I suspect are due to the age of the mouse, as well as the stress I put it through, from tossing it into my luggage when I travel, as well as intense gaming and raging. The main point was about how the sensor on the mouse was affected, as that matters the most in a mouse. You need it to be accurate, especially when your work requires precision. And the jumping and twitching did hinder my performance, from missing a crucial shot in CS:GO (clutch situation, retaking B site and two enemies) and also messing my tracing work in Adobe Illustrator using the pen-tool. I suppose I could use the mouse's age as a reason for the failing sensor, but how long should a mouse work before its parts start to fail, and which parts should fail first before others.

In my opinion, this mouse is a nice product for what it offers. Major points for the mouse are its comfort, weight management and sturdy yet edgy design. But after two years of use, it seems to have broken down under the stress and pressure of someone who games barely at the level of a pro gamer. 

JIM-san