What are the key factors to consider when evaluating Monster Gear steroids. How do these products compare to other performance enhancers on the market. What potential benefits and risks should users be aware of before using Monster Gear steroids.
Overview of Monster Gear Steroids
Monster Gear is a brand of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing substances that has gained attention in bodybuilding and fitness communities. The company offers a range of products aimed at muscle growth, strength gains, and athletic performance enhancement. However, as with all anabolic steroids, Monster Gear products come with potential benefits as well as risks that users should carefully consider.
Types of Products Offered by Monster Gear
Monster Gear’s product lineup includes several popular anabolic steroids and related compounds:
- Testosterone esters (Enanthate, Cypionate, Propionate)
- Trenbolone
- Nandrolone (Deca Durabolin)
- Stanozolol (Winstrol)
- Methandrostenolone (Dianabol)
- Oxandrolone (Anavar)
- Boldenone (Equipoise)
- Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
- Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs)
The company offers these compounds in various forms including injectable oils, oral tablets, and topical gels. Product potency and dosages vary depending on the specific compound and formulation.
Potential Benefits of Monster Gear Steroids
Users of Monster Gear steroids report experiencing several performance and physique enhancing effects:
- Increased muscle mass and strength
- Enhanced recovery and reduced muscle soreness
- Improved athletic performance and endurance
- Reduced body fat percentage
- Increased red blood cell production
- Heightened motivation and aggression in the gym
However, it’s important to note that the magnitude of these effects can vary greatly between individuals. Factors like genetics, training intensity, diet, and dosage all play a role in determining results.
Potential Risks and Side Effects
As with all anabolic steroids, Monster Gear products carry the risk of adverse effects, especially when used improperly or in high doses. Some potential side effects include:
- Liver toxicity (especially with oral steroids)
- Cardiovascular strain and increased risk of heart problems
- Hormonal imbalances and disruption of natural testosterone production
- Mood swings, aggression, and mental health impacts
- Acne, hair loss, and other cosmetic issues
- For men: testicular atrophy, gynecomastia, infertility
- For women: virilization effects like deepened voice and facial hair growth
Users should be aware that many of these side effects can be permanent, even after discontinuing use. Proper cycling, dosing, and post-cycle therapy are crucial for mitigating risks.
Quality and Legitimacy Concerns
When evaluating Monster Gear products, quality and legitimacy are key considerations. As an underground lab (UGL) rather than a regulated pharmaceutical company, there are inherent risks:
Manufacturing Standards
Do Monster Gear products meet strict manufacturing and quality control standards? Without regulatory oversight, it’s difficult to verify the purity, potency, and sterility of UGL products. Contamination and dosing inconsistencies are potential concerns.
Product Authenticity
How can users be certain they are receiving genuine Monster Gear products? The black market for steroids is rife with counterfeits and mislabeled goods. This poses risks both in terms of ineffective products and potentially dangerous substitutions.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Are users comfortable with the legal implications of purchasing and using Monster Gear steroids? In many countries, non-prescribed anabolic steroids are illegal substances. Users should be aware of potential legal consequences.
User Reviews and Experiences
Anecdotal reports from Monster Gear users provide mixed feedback:
Positive Experiences
Some users report satisfaction with Monster Gear products, citing noticeable gains in muscle mass and strength. Positive reviews often mention:
- Rapid onset of effects
- Consistent product quality
- Competitive pricing compared to other UGLs
- Responsive customer service
Negative Experiences
Conversely, other users have reported disappointing or concerning experiences:
- Underdosed or ineffective products
- Severe side effects, possibly due to contamination or mislabeling
- Inconsistent results between batches
- Difficulty verifying product authenticity
Given the nature of anonymous online reviews, it’s challenging to verify the accuracy of these reports. Users should approach anecdotal evidence with caution.
Alternatives to Consider
For those seeking performance enhancement, several alternatives to Monster Gear steroids exist:
Legal Steroid Alternatives
Various supplement companies offer natural compounds designed to mimic the effects of anabolic steroids without the legal issues or severe side effects. While generally less potent than true steroids, these products may provide modest benefits with reduced risk.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)
For individuals with clinically low testosterone, physician-supervised TRT can provide many of the benefits of steroid use in a safer, controlled manner. However, this is a medical treatment, not a performance-enhancing shortcut.
Optimized Natural Methods
Many athletes can achieve significant improvements in performance and physique through optimized training, nutrition, and recovery protocols. While results may come more slowly than with steroids, this approach carries minimal health risks.
Making an Informed Decision
Ultimately, the decision to use Monster Gear steroids or any performance-enhancing substances is a personal one that carries significant implications. Potential users should carefully weigh the following factors:
- Health risks vs. potential benefits
- Legal and professional consequences
- Ethical considerations
- Long-term impacts on natural hormone production
- Financial costs of both the products and necessary ancillary drugs
- Reliability and safety of the supply chain
Consulting with a knowledgeable healthcare provider is strongly recommended before making any decisions regarding steroid use. They can provide personalized advice based on an individual’s health status, goals, and risk factors.
For those who do choose to use Monster Gear or similar products, harm reduction strategies are crucial:
- Start with low doses and gradually increase if needed
- Keep cycles short (8-12 weeks maximum)
- Incorporate proper post-cycle therapy (PCT)
- Regular blood work to monitor health markers
- Use of protective ancillary drugs (e.g., liver support, estrogen blockers)
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition and cardiovascular exercise
Remember, no amount of muscle gain or performance enhancement is worth compromising long-term health and well-being. Careful consideration of all factors is essential before embarking on any steroid regimen.
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Gear Review: The Modular Modl Bottle Hydration System
I am always looking for a better hydration solution, especially when it comes to finding a bladder or bottle that is going to work well in multiple paddle craft. When I first saw the Modl Bottle hydration system, I was instantly intrigued by its overall design, flexibility and usability. I was hoping it might be a replacement to the sometimes cumbersome hydration bladder.
The Modl Bottle is made by Modl Outdoors. It is a 32 oz. food grade silicone bottle that opens on both ends. It has squared off sides to keep it from rolling when on its side. Because it’s made with pliable silicone, it’s really grippy. It is collapsable, can hold water at temperatures anywhere from freezing to boiling, and it comes with a variety of mix-and-match attachments, including:
- A water filter.
- A hydration hose.
- A spray nozzle.
On paper, the Modl Bottle Hydration system looked incredible.
In practice, some significant pro’s bore out in the testing:
- The wide opening on both ends makes for easy cleaning and filling.
- It’s a great choice for travel because of how it folds down and save spaces when empty.
- The nozzle attachment is great for quick rinses and clean ups.
- The filter attachment is convenient and works well when you need to address questionable water (hiking and international travel.)
But there were some unexpected cons:
- The bottles tend to leak. The threads need to match the stainless steel ends of the bottles perfectly, and that can be tricky.
- I is difficult to syphon all the water out of the bottle when using a longer hydration hose.
- if you are prone to losing things like lids, then this isn’t the system for you. The mesh bag it comes with isn’t quite large enough to hold all the components in one place.
Questionable for Chattajack
I hoped to be able to use three of these bottles for my hydration for this year’s Chattajack. I thought they might be easier to manage and switch out during the race than bladders. After testing in the surfski, I am not so sure. The leakage issue is worrisome. I tested three bottle and all of them have the issue. None of the other reviews I have read on the product mention this, so maybe it’s just me. But I can’t run the risk of losing all my hydration and nutrition during Chattajack. Or any workout, for that matter.
I did find that the bottle slipped into the hydration sleeve of my Vaikobi lifejacket with no issue and it was comfortable to wear in that fashion.
I do like the other aspects for the bottle and will continue to use it for travel and other activities. It will make a handy tool when camping and as a general water bottle. But unless there are some refinements, not sure it will be a great hydration system replacement for the tried and true hydration bladder. Especially considering the price – $25 for just the bottle, up to over $100 for all the add-ons like the filter, hydration hose, etc.
Traxion 2-230 Monster Seat II Mobile Rolling Gear Seat W/All-Terrain 5″ Casters
3.0 out of 5 stars
Decent wheeled shop seat but Traxion needs to turn their brains on and make this far better with a few simple improvements
By Rolidnot on April 18, 2017
My choice for a new garage roller seat was between this Traxion seat and “The Bone”. Two things sold me on the Traxion – adjustable height and the spinning tool tray. No idea why Bone doesn’t have a tool tray on their model. I do a lot of auto and motorcycle detailing and I keep all my waxes, spray shine, tire wet and chrome cleaner on the tray. No, I don’t use tire shine on my cycles, only for cars. Pre-emptive strike to prevent THAT reply.
Pro
– Large wheels roll over the expansion cracks in my shop floor. It will NOT roll over power cords, small wrenches or even my 1/2″ rubber anti-fatigue rubber stable mats i have in my shop
– Wide, comfortable padded seat. I would have preferred a solid plastic seat like the Bone for longevity but this will do
– Spinning tool tray is a “must have” for me for tools and other things I mentioned in the intro
– Adjustable height works well, even for a 215 pound guy like me
– Grab handle is nice – didn’t have that on my old creeper seat – a definite improvement
– Plastic tray and padded seat less likely to damage car finishes
– Simple assembly as long as you have the required Torx for the wheels. I bought mine from Amazon Warehouse and it may come with a once and done Torx tool in the original packaging – someone let me know. No matter, I have a full service shop and just pulled the Torx rail out
– Looks good – nice color scheme in red and black
– It wheels up and down my angled driveway with ease
Con
– Spinning tray is chintzy – would prefer a better grade and thickness of plastic
– Some spare parts are available on the Traxion website but not everything. Replacement wheels are stupid expensive at $16 each
– When I grab the seat by the handle, sometimes the seat pulls right off the post no matter how hard I press it in place. Bad engineering. I installed a set screw under the seat to hold it to the seat post but Traxion really should have welded a threaded boss onto the seat themselves, sort of lame that they didn’t.
I bought mine from Amazon warehouse for about $90 or $25 off the current price new on Amazon. I did have to make a repair on the unit – there is a metal washer welded to the bottom of the seat plate and it was off center. I could not get the seat to fit properly on the post and the hydraulic adjustment would not work until I used a Vix bit and drilled the hole out about 30% larger. Then it was fine – I guess I know why it was on Amazon Warehouse $25 cheaper than new.
See the attached photos.To the far left is a photo of the seat plate washer that I had to enlarge because the hole was off-center, too far to the right to allow the seat to fit on the seat post. I’m guessing it was early Monday morning or late Friday afternoon in China when they built the one I got. Seriously, Traxion is close to having a top rate unit here but they had some brain gas, cut corners on key details and it shows.
The middle photo is of the 1/4 x 20 stainless bolt I added to hold the seat onto the pneumatic seat post. I thought I’d have to weld a 1/4″ x 20 bolt onto the seat plate but there was enough metal to thread and allow the bolt to securely hold the seat in place.
The final photo on the far right is the seat in it’s lowest position next to a very low bobber style custom cycle to give you an idea of how low this can go when required.
In summary, this seat is OK, nothing special, needs attention to some glaring details, is cheaply built in certain areas and does not quite live up to all it’s claims, particularly the one about carrying it around via the seat handle – that requires user modification as I described. If this comes up again on Amazon Warehouse, read the “condition” details closely and if it says other than “new without damage” or “new in a different box” or it is a LOT cheaper, buy it new and even then you might need to make some changes to the weak engineering on this seat. Hope that helps! Tretiak
Columbia Sportswear Mountain Monster Mitten & Glove Review
Having the right pair of gloves can make or break your day on the slopes. If you like your hands warm and dry all day long, then you should definitely check out the Columbia Sportswear Mountain Monster Gloves or Mittens. I have worn the mittens on several recent visits to the slopes of Summit County, and can attest to the fact that that these guys do their job, and do it well.
I am a snowboarder, so I prefer to wear mittens, rather than gloves, since I don’t really need the extra dexterity of a glove. While boarding, it is common to have your hands in the snow while sitting down to strap in at the top of the mountain, or when taking a break half way down the mountain. In my experience, mittens allow my fingers to keep each other a little extra warm. Having your hands in the snow off and on all day can sometimes lead to wet hands, but these mitts seem to have an adequate amount of water resistance. The snow does tend to stick a bit to the cowhide patch on the palm, which is there to give the gloves some extra grip, but I made sure to brush it off from time to time and it didn’t cause any problems.
Whether you prefer gloves or mittens, this family of gloves has a number of features that help to make them a top pick for me. The OutDry® membrane technology does a nice job of managing the sweat inside the glove, while keeping wet snow out. According to Columbia, OutDry® features a patented lamination process that bonds an absolutely waterproof, but highly breathable membrane directly to the garment’s outermost layer and seals out water at every possible entry point. The Omni-Heat® insulating technology, which is a mainstay across many of their product lines, features a nice level of insulation, along with a thermal reflectivity component that keeps your hands plenty warm without the bulk. In addition to the thicker, higher-grip cowhide palm patch, the rest of the palm side and thumb is covered in a nice, soft goatskin leather, which is also used as an accent on the back of the mitten. The remainder of the mitten and the medium-length wrist gauntlet is covered in a high performance nylon blend.
One thing that I miss on these mittens are arm straps to help prevent dropping them on the ski lifts when you are busy blowing your nose, cleaning your goggles, or fumbling with your smartphone or camera. In their defense, there is a leather loop at the edge of each wrist gauntlet that could accommodate an added strap, and they do have a standard snap clip so you can keep them together during travel and storage. The other thing that I miss is a removable liner. Even with the breathable membrane, these gloves are so warm that they will get a little damp inside. Like most winter mittens and gloves, you will likely need to dry them out after a long day of wear. I haven’t tried it yet, but a glove liner would probably help reduce moisture build up at least a little bit.
All in all, I am very pleased with the ability of these mittens to keep my hands very warm and dry. Although, I must warn you that on a warmer day (in the mid to upper 30sF), this pair might get a little too warm. This is not a horrible problem to have, but something to at least be aware of. As I mentioned, in addition to the mittens that I tested, the Mountain Monster line is also available in a regular glove, if that is your preference. They seem to be sized pretty accurately. I have average length fingers and a fairly wide hand, and the Medium fit just fine. These mittens are not cheap, but they perform very well, and they will ensure that cold, wet hands will not ruin your next winter adventure.
MSRP $155
2021 Ducati Monster Review – Cycle News
Rennie Scaysbrook | June 4, 2021
The Ducati Monster is arguably the most famous motorcycle the company has ever produced, so any new Monster is a big deal. But this is the biggest redesign yet—has Ducati got it right?
Downtown San Francisco at 10:00 am on a Tuesday. It’s wild in the streets, these days…
By Rennie Scaysbrook | Photography by Tom Frisch
By any measure, the Ducati Monster has been one of the most successful motorcycles created not just by Ducati, but by any motorcycle manufacturer.
Originally conceived by Ducati’s legendary technical director Massimo Bordi and penned by the equally famous designer Miguel Galluzzi ahead of the 1992 Intermot Show in Cologne, the Monster was such a commercial success it quickly became the face of a brand more well known for going fast around a racetrack than the simple pleasures a bike like the Monster could impart.
Since that 1993 model year release, the Monster has been through three different generations and gone on to sell over 350,000 units across the globe, with the fourth now in our hands in the new $11,895 MSRP base model, and the $12,095 Monster + that comes with a seat cover and a little windscreen.
The Aviator Grey is our pick of the colors. The edgy design has come in for lots of criticism from Ducati purists across the globe who love the retro Monster style.
This is a motorcycle not without its fair share of controversy. To change the looks is one thing—the Monster now much edgier and modern looking than its predecessor—but to change the trellis frame for a Front Frame design is quite another. As we’ll see, all is far from lost with the 2021 Monster.
Gone is the Monster 821, with this 937cc model the smallest you can get in the Ducati North American lineup (you can still buy a Monster 695 in other international markets). Those familiar with the Ducati model range will note the 937cc 11° Testastretta motor is found in the Supersport and the Hypermotard, but the Monster’s is a tad different with compression upped from 12.6:1 to 13.3:1. Ducati is claiming 111 horsepower at 9250 rpm—up two horsepower compared to the outgoing 821—with torque up 1.5 lb-ft to 69 lb-ft at 6500 rpm.
Front suspension is non-adjustable, which isn’t great for a $12K bike. Brembo monoblocs do a fine job of hauling you up from speed.
But the peak numbers only tell half the story, as the thing you really need on the road, torque, has been boosted substantially from 3000 rpm to past 9000 rpm. It’s especially noticeable between 5-7000 rpm, where there’s close to 20 lb-ft of torque difference across the rev range.
That said, the Monster has a bit of a flat feeling between 3-4000 rpm. This is the point where torque is ramping right up, gaining nearly that 20 lb-ft advantage, and the forward drive seems to come in quite strong once that 4000 rpm point has been met. The new motor may have more overall torque, but it isn’t as smooth as the outgoing 821, which is a price you must pay if you want more go going to the rear tire.
For the price of the Ducati, you couldn’t even buy a window on Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Another factor to think of here is the effect the Euro5 rules have had on the Monster’s motor, and, truth be told, Ducati has done an excellent job of dealing with the dreaded E5 restrictions as best they can—certainly better than several manufacturers I can think of, but won’t shame here.
Ducati’s 4.3-inch dash is super easy to navigate and change the plethora of modes at your disposal.
You can affect much of the Monster’s behavior via the adjustable power modes, of which you get three levels. These will at least give new riders the chance to work up to the full 111 horsepower if they aren’t quite ready yet, and you’ve also got a plethora of electronics to play with. There are basic preset modes in Sport, Touring and Urban, all three of which you can go into and adjust the individual parameters. The Monster’s IMU mitigates the eight-stage traction control, three-stage Cornering ABS, and four-stage wheelie control, and it also dictates the cut time for the quickshifter. If you’re on the side of the tire and shifting gears, the cut time will be quicker to reduce the chance of upsetting the chassis balance. Conversely, it’ll be a touch longer if you’re bolt upright. There’s even launch control on the Monster. Not really sure why you need that. I’ll trade that any day for cruise control, which is sadly missing from the Monster’s electronic arsenal.
Ducati’s trend, started with the original Scrambler, of making interchangeable bodywork parts is now commonplace on many models. The Monster gets two graphics styles—Pixel kit (pictured) and GP Kit, each available in Ducati Red, Aviator Grey and Dark Stealth.
A nice feature is when you go to change the settings, the 4.3-inch dash gives you a little image of the bike’s part you’re altering. For example, if you’re adjusting the traction control, the bike’s rear wheel will be lit up in red. Changing the wheelie control? The front wheel gets lit up. So easy, even a monkey like me can figure it out.
This latest line in the Monster saga has seen Ducati engineers do away with the playbook they held so dear to their hearts in the steel trellis frame, which has now been replaced by the front frame design that came to market on the first Panigale V4. This, combined with sundry lightening practices in the swingarm, engine, wheels and the GFRP (Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer) subframe, has seen Ducati lop an outstanding 40 pounds off the dry weight of the motorcycle. Forty pounds is around one and a half 30 blocks of water you’ll get from your local supermarket, and when you consider manufacturers often find it difficult to get even five pounds of weight off the incoming model (especially given the rigors of Euro5 compliance and the extra weight of the required catalytic convertors), it makes Ducati’s feat all the more impressive.
With 40 pounds less than the outgoing Monster, the new model just loves being thrown around in the twisties.
Everything is smaller and narrower with the new Monster, with engineers paying especially close attention to space between the seat and the gas tank. Monsters were traditionally known as having very wide tanks, a bit like a 1990s Suzuki GSX-R. This made it easy to clench with your legs but didn’t give much in the way of letting you move around, especially when the road got twisty, and you needed a more compact and dynamic ride position. That, and it made it harder for shorter riders to put their feet flat on the ground at the lights.
The new tank/seat relationship helps all these points, while giving the chassis a more neutral and unintimidating feel and allowing you to lock your legs in easier while cornering. Ducati is after new riders big time with the new Monster, so anything that can make the machine feel like a natural fit has been explored.
The Monster is slimmed everywhere. The mufflers are now about half the size they were on the 821.
Part of the new rider push is a relaxing on the ergonomics. Aside from the varying seat and suspension heights (see specs) with the handlebar now 2.6 inches closer, and the footpegs 0.4 inches lower and 1.4 inches further back, all helping you maintain a straighter back and taking weight off your wrists. Compared to the outgoing Monster 821 that would get rather uncomfortable after a couple of hours, I knocked out the best part of nine hours in the saddle when testing the ’21 edition in and around San Francisco and hopped off feeling, not brand new, but definitely not as damaged as I could have been, most notably in my aching knees.
An area of interest is the suspension. At the best part of $12K, it is surprising to see the 43mm inverted fork isn’t adjustable at all, while the rear shock only gets preload adjustment. Considering many of the Monster’s class competitors cost less and come with proper suspension adjustment, this is an omission.
Switching off wheelie control leads to hooliganism. It should be noted in the owner’s manual.
However, there’s a saving grace in that the suspension does its job admirably, especially when you consider when I sat on it (I’m 190 pounds without riding gear), it felt a little on the springy side. In action, the Monster’s non-adjustable front-end performed far better than I expected, soaking up the harsh compression bumps we found in the city just as well as it provided good stability under brakes when we hit the redwood forest twisties.
Good chassis composure, matched by the Jenny Craig weight loss program and a happy little 111 horsepower Testastretta beneath him makes Rennie a happy man. The new ride position makes it easier to really rail corners on your favorite backroad, and the motorcycle changes direction quicker and with more stability that before. And given there’s good braking power and feel via the Brembo master-cylinder and four-piston monobloc caliper setup fitted with Bosch Cornering ABS, the new Monster is an absolute delight in the twisties.
Tidy-looking back end if we do say so, especially with the seat cover.
Ducati’s done well to make the Monster’s ride engaging for experienced riders while catering to the real market of new riders. Newbies will love how easy this thing is to maneuver at low speed—Ducati has increased the lock-to-lock steering angle 11 degrees to help out in this regard—while riders with more miles under the wheels will take a few jollies out of how peppy the motor is once 5000 rpm is reached and the wheelie control has been switched off.
I seem to be one of the few riders I’ve spoken to that liked the look of the new Monster, so many of my colleagues comparing its looks to a Yamaha MT-09. Given the massive LED headlight and Daytime Running Light (DRL), the sharp tail and redesigned tank, I think it looks nothing of the sort and still retains the Monster look, albeit modernized.
There’s a lot of plastic on the Monster and Ducati could have done better to hide the masses of wires/lines that come with a new bike, especially the exposed lines leading to the rear brake. It’s a small price to pay, but I’ve got to be picky, especially given this bike will cost you more than $12K out the door.
Still, the ride on the 2021 Ducti Monster is a very good one, better than you’d think given the spec of the suspension, which is just as well because if it wasn’t, there’d be all hell to pay from the throngs of Ducatisti across the globe. CN
VIDEO | Ducati Revamps The Iconic Monster for 2021
2021 Ducati Monster Specifications
MSRP: | $11,895 (base) |
Engine: | Testastretta 11° L-twin, 4-stroke |
Drivetrain: | 4-valves per cylinder, Desmodromic |
Displacement: | 937cc |
Bore x stroke: | 94 x 67.5mm |
Cooling System: | Liquid |
Fueling System: | EFI, 53mm throttle bodies, ride-by-wire throttle, fixed-length intake |
Compression ratio: | 13.3:1 |
Power (claimed): | 111 hp at 9250 rpm |
Torque (claimed): | 69 lb-ft at 6500 rpm |
Exhaust: | 2-2 |
Transmission: | 6-speed with bi-directional Quick Shift System |
Clutch: | Wet, multi-plate, slipper type |
Electronics: | Riding Modes, Power Modes, Cornering ABS, Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Wheelie Control, Daytime Running Light, Ducati Quick Shift, Ducati Power Launch, 4.3” TFT color display, Full LED headlight and lighting system, self-canceling turn indicators, USB power socket |
Chassis: | Aluminum front frame |
Front suspension: | 43mm KYB fork, non-adjustable fork |
Rear suspension: | KYB Monoshock, preload adjustable |
Front brake: | Dual 320mm semi-floating discs, radially mounted Brembo M4.32 monobloc 4-piston calipers, radial master-cylinder, Cornering ABS |
Rear brake: | 245mm disc, single-piston caliper, Cornering ABS |
Front tire: | Pirelli Diablo Rosso III 120/70 ZR17 in. |
Rear tire: | Pirelli Diablo Rosso III 180/55 ZR17 in. |
Wheelbase: | 58 in. |
Seat height: | 32.3 in. |
Fuel capacity: | 3.7 gal. |
Weight (curb, claimed): | 414 lbs. |
Colors: | Ducati Red, Aviator Grey, Dark Stealth |
Click here to read the 2021 Ducati Monster Review in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.
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Monster Hunter Stories 2 review – gateway drug
Between Monster Hunter’s relatively recent arrival on PC and a burgeoning scene of monster-catching indies, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is arriving on our beloved platform at just the right time. Like its 3DS-exclusive predecessor, Stories 2 is a spinoff with two key differences from the main series: a vibrant, Saturday-morning-cartoon presentation, and a Pokémon-style turn-based battle system.
In Stories 2 you play as a monster rider rather than a hunter, which means you’re able to forge bonds with monsters. This distinction is mostly evident in the narrative, where learning to coexist and work alongside hunters is a core thread, but there’s little evidence of this distinction outside of being able to assemble a party of friendly monsters – called monsties once they’re tamed – and fight alongside them.
You still roam around gouging, slicing, hammering, and hacking wild monsters into little pieces so you can harvest their skin and use it to craft weapons and armour. There’s no gore, but you can only gloss over so much of what’s happening when you return from the smithy wearing the horns of a Diablos as shoulder pauldrons. I can’t help but chuckle at how willing my monsties are to pitch in with my mountain man-like quest to adorn my character with body parts and fur.
To expand your collection of monsties you need to snatch eggs from monster dens, which come in standard and rare variants. Dens can be found all over the world, but if you’re after a specific monster then you can force it to retreat to its den by weakening it in battle and throwing a paintball at it. Once you’re at the nest – usually in the shadow of the slumbering beast you just battered – you can choose between a few different eggs to smuggle away and hatch at the stable.
Monsties don’t take long to level up to parity with the rest of your party, so you never feel like you’re being punished for wanting to expand and experiment with your lineup. This is important, because you’ll need to have a deep roster of monsters once you approach the end of the main story and the difficulty starts to ramp up. You see, as well as being able to harvest the body parts of monsters, you can also harvest monsties – that’s right, your faithful companions – for their genetic material. Want your speedy pet Tigrex to have a technical attack in its arsenal? Just steal your Blue Yian Kut-Ku’s Blazeball skill.
You still roam around gouging, slicing, hammering, and hacking wild monsters into little pieces
A monstie’s best abilities are only unlocked at higher levels, so there’s a constant background grind where you’re cycling monsties in and out of your party in order to bolster your core pets with new and upgraded skills. It does feel a bit evil, but somehow this only adds to the charm of Stories 2.
Those genetic improvements can go a long way in Stories 2’s turn-based battle system. Core attacks come in three flavours: power, speed, and technical. There’s a rock-paper-scissors interaction between these attack types in which power counters technical, speed counters power, and technical counters speed, and winning duels is all about anticipating a monster’s attack and countering it.
Like in the main series, each monster also has different body parts that you can target, both to improve the loot you get at the end of the fight, but also to deal critical damage and limit its armaments. Compounding things, there are three different weapon types (slash, pierce, and blunt), and to deal maximum damage to a body part you’ll need to make sure you’re using the right tool for the job. With well over 80 monsters in the game there are a lot of different patterns and weapon combinations to memorise.
This serves as the foundation of combat in Stories 2, but there are a ton of other mechanics that keep fights interesting and challenging right up to the final boss. Elemental damage becomes really important later in the game; items like throwable bombs help force enemies out of certain states; and you can build up kinship with your monstie to unleash an ultimate attack every few turns. It’s a simple but robust battle system.
Fights do occasionally outstay their welcome, and Capcom has built in a few time-saving mechanics, such as a button that speeds up animations, to help mitigate this. Going up against a monster you’re familiar with feels a little too formulaic as you counter their attacks perfectly, waiting for their health bar to hit zero, which can take a couple of minutes. As soon as you figure a monster’s pattern out there’s very little joy to be found in repeating the battle.
A typical fight against a speedy monster might play out like this. Four power attacks to the tail. Switch to hammer, two more power attacks until it’s enraged. Speed attacks until it’s calmed down, pausing every couple of turns to heal the party. Switch back to power attacks to see out the rest of the battle. You can repeat patterns like that indefinitely against certain monsters, and while speeding animations up does expedite the process a little, having to manually switch weapons and monsties to finish the fight as efficiently as possible quickly becomes a chore.
Mercifully, there’s an option to auto-complete battles against monsters that are significantly weaker than you, which is great when returning to early areas to grind out a few spare monster parts. For the most part, these frustrations only creep in at the tail end of lengthy sessions, and when I was only dipping in and out of Stories 2 for a couple of hours at a time I didn’t think to speed up the animations or avoid battles. Ideally, I’d never skip a beat, because whether I’m pulling off one of the cinematic kinship ultimates or ordering my Anjanath to unleash a volley of fire, there is a glut of superb animations to enjoy during combat.
The excellent animation work is also present during narrative cutscenes, which make up a significant portion of Stories 2. The narrative is certainly woolly, but its message of coexistence and empathy is told with boundless sincerity and charm.
This is a narrative brimming with warmth and do-gooders, and now more than ever that’s exactly what some of us need. Some worn-out character tropes make the plot particularly predictable – it wouldn’t be a monster-battling RPG without an edgy rival showing up to halt your progress – but it barely registers as an eye roll. This is a story to be enjoyed while wearing pyjamas, sitting in front of the TV and slurping cereal as the sun threatens to break through the curtains.
This is a story to be enjoyed while sitting in front of the TV and slurping cereal as the sun threatens to break through the curtains
At the start of the game you, a rookie rider, are entrusted with investigating a natural phenomenon that enrages monsters wherever it occurs. That plot takes you all over the world, from Polynesian-inspired coastal settlements and snow-capped mountains, to volcanoes and desert-based hunter cities. Stories 2’s vibrant colour palette ensures that every environment is a joy to explore, even if the act of doing so is relatively plain – there are some hidden areas you can access with specific monsties, but that’s about it.
Provided you don’t try and rush through any of its areas, Monster Hunter Stories 2 delivers exactly the right kind of grind over its roughly 40-hour playtime. As soon as frustrations over repeated monster battles start to creep in you find yourself up against a new threat to overcome. There’s always something new to craft or upgrade, or fresh monsties to level up, train, or, well, harvest. I’ve struggled to get into Monster Hunter games in the past, but Stories 2 has won me over. Now let’s have that Rise PC version, please.
If you’re not a fan of overly earnest cartoons then Monster Hunter Stories 2’s exuberance – and occasional cringiness – may grate on your nerves like nails on a chalkboard. I love those things, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that I’m enjoying my stint as a rookie rider. With plenty more monsties to mutate, and no shortage of body parts that need forging into glamorous new accessories and weapons, I’m not quite finished with the grind either.
If this all sounds like your cup of the proverbial then you can buy Monster Hunter Stories 2 here. We’ve also got reviews for Monster Hunter: World and its expansion, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, in case you see yourself as more of a hunter.
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Review: Ducati Monster – Gear Patrol
It’s equal parts beauty and beast. | bikewalls.com
Viewed from above, the Ducati Monster’s shape is a study in sensuality: a voluptuous tank tapers delicately; the triangular saddle sits low; the midpoint begins slender before flaring to mimic a perfect 0.7:1 waist-hip ratio; the rear seat is capped with what can only be referred to as a “bikini-bottom” tail fairing. From every angle, for over twenty years, its unmistakably Italian design has simultaneously oozed sex and personified power. The Ducati Monster is raw, naked aggression, a motorcycle that defines its very genre and epitomizes an iconic brand.
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Despite success throughout the ’70s — the 750 SuperSport, 860 GT, and 900SS remain high watermarks — Ducati struggled to survive after its climb to stardom. A lineup slowly withering on the vine combined with product misfires like the ill-conceived H-D clone Ducati Indiana had sent the Bologna, Italy based company back to the drawing board in need of a Hail Mary by the early ’90s.
The pencil fell to the hands of Industrial designer Miguel Angel Galuzzi. Galuzzi had been playing with a concept mentally for some time: he reasoned that “all you need is a saddle, tank, engine, two wheels and handlebars”. A motorcycle distilled to its purest form, Galuzzi’s Monster would put the rider experience at the forefront. To appease management, the Monster concept was sold to them as bike built for “bolt-on” customizers. This niche market, dominated largely by Harley Davidson, was a cash bonanza and something that Ducati wanted a piece of in a major way. The idea was immediately green-lit, but there would be a hitch.
“All you need is a saddle, tank, engine, two wheels and handlebars”.
True to its name, the Monster was a “Frankenstein” build. To keep development costs low, component sourcing was confined to pilfering the parts bins of readily available bikes. The Monster’s engine and signature trellis frame came from the 900SS; the forks were from the 750; the brakes and wheels were donated by the 851 Superbike project. Bodywork was almost completely out of the question. In fact, the fuel tank was the only significant design item crafted solely for Galuzzi’s monster.
Despite essentially being a standard motorcycle — a bike with an upright riding style, with no fairings or windscreen — the manner in which Ducati packaged the Monster was viewed as radical. When it debuted in 1993 the naked motorcycle was born, and the public fell in love. Its completely exposed Desmodromic L-Twin motor hung from the trellis frame, itself a stressed member to reduce weight, shouting that this bike meant business. Its wide handlebars and low seat ensured that rider ergonomics wouldn’t suffer, and the aggressive rear-set positioning teased just enough of its sporting intentions to make knee-draggers froth at the mouth. This combination also made the Monster incredibly nimble, a recipe it maintains to this day.
Performance has come in many different flavors over the years. From 42 horsepower, 400cc “city” bikes to the firebreathing 145 hp, water-cooled, dual-spark Testastretta 11 that resides in the all-new Monster 1200S, Ducati has built Monsters to suit every riding personality. And yet a large part of the Monster’s success lies in an essence that has remained unchanged, even during minor styling evolutions.
This one-time parts-bin special has been credited with keeping the Italian marque afloat on more than one occasion; at one point, nearly 65 percent of Ducatis built and sold were Monsters. The formula is simple: for over twenty years the Monster has pushed performance and rideability while continuing define the very naked bike market it invented. Thankfully that tradition seems far from over, as Ducati continues to crank out the kind of sultry nudes that end up being as fun to hang out with as they are to gawk at.
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90,000 Monster Hunter Rise Review. Wildest Hunt – Gambling Addiction
Monster Hunter Rise gives fans of the series exactly what they asked for: comfortable modern gameplay on classic hardcore tracks.
Close-minded
The success of the Monster Hunter franchise in the West has always been only a matter of time. As soon as Capcom realized that the gaijins, it turns out, were also not averse to hunting, Monster Hunter World broke every conceivable and inconceivable record, firmly securing the world status of the series.Quite deservedly, of course, but inveterate fans of the series still found cause for discontent: they say, now, after leaving the mainstream, everything will not be the same as before. That is, worse.
However, judging by the first hundred hours in Monster Hunter Rise , it turned out, to put it mildly, no worse. And in some places it is even much better.
Season opening
In many ways, from aesthetics to gameplay mechanics, Monster Hunter Rise returns to the roots of the series.This is a much less ambitious, more chamber and down-to-earth game, which is already noticeable from the plot. This time, unlike World, we are not exploring a new continent as part of an experienced expedition, but simply living our life in a quiet village called Kamura and preparing to become a full-fledged hunter – the first in several generations. But, alas, because of alarming news, it will not be possible to calmly finish the training: apparently, Rampage is about to fall on Kamura – a horde of maddened monsters that threatens to destroy everything in its path.This natural disaster has haunted the village from time immemorial, and last time, fifty years ago, it practically wiped out the settlement from the face of the earth. The legendary hunters, who once defended the village, have long settled down and retired – now they are clearly not in shape to repeat their former feat. So you will have to learn the intricacies of the hunting craft along the way. The main thing is to prevent a disaster and find out the true causes of the disaster.
Since the tasks in Rise, according to the old pattern, are divided into single and multiplayer (if anything, you can also go through them alone), there are now two administrators: the twins Hinoa and Minoto.Each quest starts with a visit to one of them
In case you’re not familiar with the franchise at all, I’ll be clear about one thing: the plot is the last thing Monster Hunter is worth playing for. Although the village of Kamura itself turned out to be a charming, cozy place, and its inhabitants (solely thanks to the visual design) want to get to know better, the story ends in ridiculously abruptly – literally in mid-sentence. It’s a little offensive, but by the standards of the series, this is in the order of things. As in World, the single player campaign is nothing more than a formality here, designed to show what the essence of the game is.And the point, suddenly, in the hunt for monsters. You hunt, extract resources to create weapons and armor, and then go to stronger monsters and knock out components for better equipment. To, in turn, cope with even more dangerous prey and make even cooler equipment out of it. No dialogue threads, dynamic world development, moral dilemmas or sudden turns – just battles, crafting, and regular tea breaks with rice cakes.
Before the hunt, it is important to refresh yourself with dango balls in the teahouse.The food mechanics are now not as confusing as in World, but I will miss the brutal chef cat from the previous game. Although the Yomogi mistress cheers up at least
In terms of gameplay, Monster Hunter Rise is unusually honest with the player: apart from endless hunting, she frankly has nothing to offer, and the game does not at all try to hide that this is entertainment for an amateur. However, the Monster Hunter series has always stood out among this kind of time killer. She captivates not with the promise of a coveted reward for the time spent, but with how the process itself is worked out in detail.Each hunt is a full-fledged boss fight in a spacious, multi-level location. And although by default, many battles are allocated almost an hour of real time, at first even such a generous limit may not be enough, because monsters are rather cunning rivals. For example, an almudron, similar to a dragon from traditional Chinese myths, lives in muddy rivers and uses the tip of its own tail as a huge brush to attack a hunter with streams of mud. Tetranodon from the side resembles a ridiculous mestizo of a platypus and a turtle, but as soon as he gets water in his stomach, he turns into a sumo wrestler – right down to the characteristic stance.And the graceful mizutsune dances across the battlefield on slippery foam and scatters soap bubbles everywhere: if you accidentally collide with them, then the hunter will begin to skid around the turns due to mucus.
The first meeting with each monster is preceded by a short video, where the narrator reads out a haiku about how formidable the enemy will be. A funny homage to the Japanese genre Tokusatsu
These are just a couple of striking examples. In fact, the Monster Hunter Rise bestiary has almost four dozen unique monsters that behave almost like real animals.They fly into a rage, respond plausibly to painful blows, run out of strength after outbursts of anger, try to escape if they feel they cannot cope with the threat – and sometimes fight each other for territory. They have their own habits, characteristics and vulnerabilities, which are not only interesting, but also useful to study: knowing the prey by sight, you can find an approach even to the most dangerous creature. You just need to strain your head a little and do a little homework.
The visual design of the monsters this time draws inspiration from folk stories about youkai demons.My personal favorite is the goss-harag in the last screenshot: he wields ice wedges like butcher knives
The flying wyvern loves to swing its tail with poisonous thorns – it is worth stocking up on an antidote in advance, and during the hunt it would be nice to cut off a limb and deprive it of its advantage. If the monster has sensitive hearing, then sonic bombs will stun it. When it is inconvenient to chase a fast enemy, put a trapping hole in his way and attack while he tries to get out. In addition, there is often a chance to use the environment to your advantage: for example, a river flowing in the Flooded Forest is teeming with piranhas – why not lure them by throwing a piece of raw meat at the monster? If the toothed fish gnaw lightly on the enemy’s shell, then the weapon will not bounce off the hard surface upon impact.
Hidden Talents
There are many such nuances in Monster Hunter Rise, and you can understand them all day long. Much of the pleasure comes not from moving up the food chain – from weak opponents to strong ones – but the feeling of one’s own development as a player. While the hunter with each defeated monster is getting closer and closer to the desired equipment, the person on the other side of the screen is gaining knowledge and experience. You learn to predict the behavior of monsters, prepare more carefully for sorties, slowly think over the most convenient tactics and useful tricks.Gradually, step by step, the previously invulnerable monsters turn into sports equipment for training, and the hunting time is slowly but surely decreasing. First thirty minutes, then twenty-five, fifteen, less than ten … It’s hard not to be proud of yourself when the proof that you’ve become better is right before your eyes: on the timer.
At first, inventory management and crafting are a little confusing with the abundance of icons, but they are really easy to navigate. And in the training room in the village there is now a wooden robot on which you can practice
Although in this case we can safely say that there is no limit to perfection.Monsters are only half of Rise’s combat system; the second, even richer in mechanics, half is, in fact, weapons and equipment. Despite the fact that the game can technically fit into the framework of an action-RPG, there are no classes as such: your play style and abilities depend on what the hunter is armed with. And there are as many as fourteen types of weapons in the arsenal – all are available immediately, and you can freely switch between them in the camp. Among them there are both quite familiar things such as swords, bows and hammers, and absurd chimeras like a transforming ax and a giant combat bagpipe, on which you can play buff songs, breaking the muzzles of monsters.
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Moreover, it is not the imagination of the authors that amazes, but the fact that among all these units there is no uniquely better one. All are equally effective, each with pros and cons. You can choose a weapon based solely on your taste and without thinking about the meta and traditional RPG types – in my opinion, there are simply no wrong or boring options. A heavy two-hander deals a lot of damage and cripples monsters in several swings, but the blows need to be charged, and this takes time – if you do not calculate it, you can miss.The twin blades are great for status effects like paralysis due to their speed, but the short blades sometimes make it difficult to reach vulnerable spots. The bow gun (archaic firearm) has ammunition for all occasions, but cartridges have the unpleasant property of running out: you need to carry resources with you in order to replenish ammunition right in battle.
Building builds in Monster Hunter is a separate science, because you need to select suitable passive skills and other bonuses for weapons. And we must not forget about fashion: the artists did their best on the visual design of the equipment.If you hunt, then with style
One of the biggest complaints about World that I’ve seen most often on the game’s Steam page was the combat mechanics – or rather, the way it feels. To many newcomers who were waiting for a peppy action game for their money, it seemed too slow, clumsy, clumsy. This is partly true, but I would rather call the battle (in the positive sense of the word) “weighted”. Monster Hunter does not obey the logic of the JRPG, where the protagonist can playfully swing a blade of his own height.The weight of the weapon and movement feels authentic, the player feels every blow that hits the target (especially if he chops off the tail or breaks the horns), and the monsters are quickly punished for trying to randomly hit the keys.
And while Monster Hunter Rise remains true to these principles, the authors thoroughly shake up the dynamics of battles with the help of a new mechanic – rods. Now every hunter can create a flickering cable by pressing two buttons to instantly close the distance or, conversely, dodge an attack.Need to urgently retire for a couple of seconds and sharpen your weapon? Jump onto some high ledge where you cannot be reached. Was the monster hit so strong that it threw the hunter into the air? You can call a beetle in the fall and immediately retreat – or sharply counterattack in a jump.
Acrobatics noticeably increases the pace of the gameplay, but does not prevent it from remaining “balanced”: now the player just has much more control over the character, and during the battle there are fewer awkward pauses. In addition, the management of the stock of beetles, which recovers over time, acts as a separate element of tactics, and it fits well into the overall picture.The only pity is that it is rare. Apparently, keeping in mind the fiasco with the grasping claw from Iceborne , which quickly became the object of the players’ hatred, the authors decided not to push the new feature beyond measure – only a few monsters force them to use rods to the fullest. On the other hand, it may be for the best. Otherwise, the innovative (for such a conservative series) mechanics could seem like a gimmick imposed through force.
Beetles also help in exploring locations. With a couple of jumps, you can quickly cut the path to the monster or climb into places that would have been two-dimensional backdrops.Finding paths with rare resources on the way at locations is, consider, an independent mini-game
The desire to give the player maximum control is also noticeable in two other ideas that Rise appropriately looked at from its predecessor – Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate . Substitution skills change certain aspects of weapon mechanics – just like the hunting styles from MHGU, from where they got some of the techniques. For example, hammer masters can choose one of two types of charged strikes: the first deals more damage, and the second allows you to combine empowered attacks in combos.Both options will not change the style of play at the root, but it is still convenient that there is an option to more sensitively customize the gameplay for yourself, even if the choice is strictly limited. The same can be said about the special “web attacks” that consume the stock of rods – in fact, this is the Hunter Arts from MHGU in a different guise. The ability to crank up some kind of anime super strike pleases, but does not negate the need to understand how the weapon works. The only disappointing thing is that substitution skills and web attacks are, of course, equal, but some are inevitably “more equal than others.”It was not possible to sensibly balance them, unlike the rest of the combat elements: the alternatives that open in the course of the passage are often much better than the standard techniques. They either do more damage, or give an invulnerability window, or do something else useful – sometimes even too useful.
In the single player game, you can take two companions for hunting: a palico cat and a palamute dog, which you can ride. Both those and others make a feasible contribution to the common cause – at least when their AI is working as it should
Finally, the latest attempt by Monster Hunter Rise to diversify the gameplay was the Rampage mode, which the developers actively promoted before the release.In fact, this is a hybrid of ordinary hunting and tower defense, where you need to protect the gates of the village from several waves of monsters, and in the final – defeat the leader of the horde. Since here opponents attack in groups, you have to fight off them with ballistae, cannons, machine guns and other turrets that players place manually. Much the same as we did in World when hunting Dzora Magdaros, only in Rise this idea was brought to mind. And it is played … it seems to me controversial. Yes, a major change in the situation dilutes the routine well, and battles sometimes really cause excitement.While ground monsters attack defensive structures, and flying ones pour fire from heaven to hunters, the toughest enemies rush right through to the village – you need to think quickly. It is especially cool when, at the most difficult moment of the battle, a gong sounds, which multiplies the damage of the hunters several times, and you jump from the barricades straight into the hell to chase away the invaders personally – goosebumps.
This gives the impression that there is basically no optimal way to enjoy Rampage. These tasks can be completed alone, but then you need to rush around the battlefield, as if it were a routine, in order to keep up with everything at once: not particularly difficult, but dreary.And in a multiplayer game for four, even taking into account the fact that there are much more monsters there, the hunters will quickly deal with any problems without any coordination or hints of tactics. In addition, the mode does not offer any special rewards or unique items of equipment – apparently, the developers again decided not to impose. The result is fun, which makes sense to touch either for the sake of farming components for some equipment, or if you sincerely like to shoot dinosaurs from a minigun and a medieval howitzer.
Sometimes the leaders of the horde are the Supreme monsters – enhanced versions of the usual ones with new attacks and properties. Alas, it is still possible to hunt for them only within the Rampage: they do not occur in nature
However, despite these flaws, Monster Hunter Rise leaves a strictly positive impression. I do not argue that veterans of the series and those who will plunge into the game after World and Iceborne may have complaints – sometimes even justified. One can complain that the skill system still motivates to create nearly identical armor sets for all types of weapons.You can complain that there are too many graphic effects on the screen, and in multiplayer, because of them, you cannot understand what is happening at all. You can, in the end, breathe again that there is no clear endgame in the release version of the game – it will be added only in the upcoming update.
In a word, there is a reason to scold Monster Hunter Rise. But against the background of the hundreds of hours that I spent in the game, all the possible nit-picking seems to me rather petty: I already know that I will spend at least as much more in it. If World opened a window to Europe for the series, then Rise not only cemented its success, but also submitted a powerful application for the title of one of the best action games of recent years.Stylish, fun and good old fashioned.
Pleased
- Amazingly deep gameplay;
- thoughtful action with acrobatics;
- visual design of everything and everyone;
- gorgeous soundtrack as always;
- is a good optimization for a not very strong platform.
Upset
- no long endgame;
- some World finds could have been left behind;
- new game mode – fun for a couple of times.
How we played
In what: the game was bought by the author.
On what: Switch.
How much: about 110 hours.
Achievement of edition
“Best friend”
Create a perfect replica of your cat in the buddy editor.
About localization
The text has been translated into Russian, but the eye is constantly cut by tonal jumps and ridiculous abbreviations: otherwise the original terms (for example, the names of skills) simply would not fit on the screen.Otherwise, nothing critical – everything that is important to understand is localized normally.
Verdict
Monster Hunter Rise gives fans of the series exactly what they asked for: comfortable modern gameplay on classic hardcore rails and nothing more. The best moment to get acquainted with the series cannot be imagined – now it is at the peak of its form.
90,000 Thoughts on the Stalker Zone. Express review of components. | all about board games
It was what is called a “spontaneous purchase”.
First the theme (stalker!), Then it turned out that it was convenient to order, convenient to pay, plus free and fast delivery.
True, as it turned out later, the delivery was still not so smooth (the website promised delivery in two days, but in the end they took it a week).
So, the box.
Flat, non-standard (in terms of size), generally pretty.
Everything inside is also pretty at first glance.
Further – an additional plastic “cover”. The first time I encountered something like this – the box, under the usual lid, has another one – made of transparent plastic, which completely covers the organizer. Interesting. And it is useful – nothing will fly out of the organizer during transportation.
Further, the organizer itself – the cards (let’s all the same cards, not “sheets”, as it is more usual) lie conveniently, everything fits… so I thought, until I removed the packaging from the cards (yes, all the decks were sealed in film).
I don’t know what to do with these ingenious designers of such organizers. the first (and only so far) time I encountered such a terminator from a star. and now here’s another – a stalker.
The bottom line is that the grooves for the fingers go down by about one centimeter. Everything. How to pick up the remaining cards that are in the organizer with a gap of a couple of millimeters is a mystery.Turn the box over and shake them out? Hook with a special hook? Invite the designer of this organizer to do it himself?
Uf. Let’s move on to the cards. This is a rather thin, but very dense cardboard, high quality, with texture (in my opinion, this is precisely what is called “linen”). The sizes are non-standard, so, apparently, you can’t fit them into the protectors … but it’s nice to hold it in your hands, yes. The printing is also of high quality.
There are a lot of cards (well, you saw, only 403 pieces of equipment, and there are also monsters, artifacts, events, in general, a lot).But knocking out (and you cannot say otherwise) most of them from the organizer nullifies his, the organizer, the benefit. unless you finish it by hand, using a string-string, laid on the bottom of each recess (not included in the package)).
A rather controversial decision – to invite four different artists to illustrate the monsters (or make one draw in four different styles).
If you have read the rules, you know that there are 15 types of monsters in the game, and each monster can be one of four “modifications” – Huge, Mature, Cub and Female.Well, each artist got more than one modification. Do you understand? The calf of some mohnach may be fundamentally outwardly different from the female of the same species. However, look at the pictures for yourself.
I understand, mutation, radiation, all sorts of anomalies … but 4 completely different pictures inside the same species for each monster .. however, no one except me noticed this, and apparently these are my personal cockroaches and nit-picking)
The field is prefabricated (by the way, I don’t think it’s bad, rather the opposite), two-sided, made of fairly high-quality thick cardboard.It practically does not go with a croaker, it fits together well, without gaps.
In general, it is quite a Euro-field (not in terms of gameplay, because it is still an American game, but in terms of the fact that its quality is not inferior to the fields of foreign games).
Under the organizer, you can find 6 cards of stalkers and 6 catalogs of equipment (each is a double-sided A4 sheet of the same material as the cards), another controversial accessory is a marker board with a marker, as well as the location passage field (which is thinner than the game field).
The photos of all this, unfortunately, turned out to be of terrible quality, so I post only the field of passage of the locations.
There is nothing special to say about cubes and chips. I think everything is clear)
The benefit of chips, figurines and dice for each table worker – in assortment)
(we use space alert figures, and these tokens are target markers)
On the whole, I rate the components as a solid four.Minus a score of (or even two) for the organizer, chips … hmm … and the cards are still thin.
But they are of high quality and durable in themselves, plus a very solid field, plus an additional cover. That’s what it comes out to)
About the game itself – in the next episode, but for now a few pictures)
Assorted equipment cards
Back scan
PS I beg your pardon for the quality of the photographs (
90,000 Snow White in the Monster Kingdom – Monster Hunter: Rise Review – Review,
Review
Monster Hunter: Rise is a new action-RPG in the famous franchise, which will be released on March 26th exclusively for Nintendo Switch .
We managed to get a copy of the game in advance and even tried out the basic mechanics. Note that this is the first game in the franchise for us, until this moment we have not come across this series for review, so comparisons with the same Monster Hunter: World or another part should not be expected.
At the beginning of the game you will be greeted by the classic character editor, in which you have to assemble your hero or heroine from the available parts, as in our case. But that’s not all, after creating an avatar, you also need to create skins for your companions – Paliko and Palamut.The first is a local feline species and serves as a support, can heal team members, and also collect ingredients for various potions and antidotes. Palamut, on the other hand, is a kind of watchdog that protects the player from all sorts of small creatures scurrying around the world. He can attack the enemy with special weapons, grip him with his teeth, but besides that, the palamute can be an excellent means of transportation. Climbing on his back, the protagonist does not have to spend his stamina moving on flat surfaces.Of course, the palamute climber is not very good, here you will have to rely only on the abilities of the main character. And that’s not all, except for a cat and a dog, we are given a personal owl, like a real wizard from Hogwarts, although she does not participate in battles and flies away in an unknown direction, it is worth leaving the village. Looking at the environment of our heroine – solid companion animals, one might think that we are playing for Snow White, who has fallen into the world of terrible monsters, and if we also dress up appropriately, doubts disappear.
In the story, the character created by the player becomes an official member of the hunters’ guild, with which everyone he meets rushes to congratulate him. Behind the scenes, of course, some kind of Disaster is approaching, which is almost immediately warned us, but … along the route of an important trade route for the village, a terrible monster started up, which disrupts the supply of ingredients for making dango – a local delicacy, without which it cannot live nobody in Kamura. Of course, Calamity will wait.
All training in the mechanics of the game takes place exclusively in the form of text, so get ready in the first two hours to read a decent literary volume, which will describe all the possible basic actions available to the player. However, if you’ve played Persona 5 , you already know what to prepare for. Harsh Japanese gamedev – no narrative learning or learning a mechanic on the go, sit and read. If it seems a little to you, the game has a whole encyclopedia that you can dig into for long hours.Although the game will still show some points with an example of how to ride a wyvern, you can master it in the arena, but before that you still have to read a little. And since we have touched upon the arena and its inhabitants, we will dwell on this in more detail. Here you will be taught some basic principles of hunting monsters, because it is not necessary to uncontrollably beat the enemy with a stick, although we just did so. The game provides an opportunity to catch a monster alive by luring it into a trap. True, before that, you still need to deplete it pretty much, so you can’t do without attacks at all.But what is more interesting, the monster can be saddled, and then set on another large enemy. As a result, both of your goals will fight with each other, and you just have to finish off the rest.
But let’s return to the village, because here you will spend most of the time, perhaps even more than on the hunt itself. It is worth noting that the game world looks nice, the character models are pleasant, and the general mood in the village is very reminiscent of a classic MMORPG, however, Monster Hunter: Rise is partly such.You can complete tasks alone, but if you are interested in a truly valuable reward, then you should gather a friendly party and go hunting for a special order of the guild. We, in turn, limited ourselves to a single passage, but even in solo there is something to do. Just hiring palikos and palamutes for later sending them on a submarine for trading in a neighboring village or training pets in your dojo – all this is available in the village, where the player has his own house, which can be decorated with various attributes.
By completing tasks, the character receives not only money, but also village points, reputation, which can also be spent on buying and improving equipment. You can also pay for these glasses at the local canteen, where you will not only be fed with branded dango, but will also prepare rations for the trip. And when going on a task, you should devote time to preparation, because you can use not only potions for healing, but also various traps, all this should be taken into account even before leaving the village. The fact is that the hunt does not last forever, the time will be limited, at least 50 minutes are given for the initial tasks, which is enough exactly to find the target and destroy it, or to collect the necessary resources.You hesitate and you can start all over again. By the way, if you are overcome by any monster in battle, the character does not die, but only faints with the opportunity to continue his adventure later.
To quickly move around the map, you should use a palamute as a transport, and for quick uphill climbs, use a local analogue of a grappling hook. Its role here is played by a special kind of beetles that allow the player to cling to ledges, make high jumps, and also hang in the air.All this can also be used in battle, we were especially successful in jumping with a sword for an advantage with the help of this beetle. However, insects play an important role in Monster Hunter: Rise . So, on the map you can find soaring beetles that can heal or slow down the consumption of stamina, but there are also special birds that pump the characteristics of the hero, but this pumping only works during the current task, it is worth completing the hunt and the boost flies. Moreover, if you have reached the goal of the mission, you will not be allowed to run freely around the map, the character will immediately teleport to the village, and for free exploring the location there is a special expedition mode, in which time is not limited and you can leisurely climb all the mountains and hidden caves in search of bonuses and secrets.
Of course, you can collect bones, fangs, skins and other ingredients from fallen monsters to create new types of weapons, armor and equipment for your companions. But for improvement, you will no longer need materials, but special spheres, which are given out for additional tasks. They, unlike the main missions, can be activated at once in 5 pieces, and then turn in and activate again. This will allow you to accumulate the required number of spheres for pumping the existing equipment. There are two more important points that greatly complicate the hunt and which are important for a beginner to pay attention to.First, there is such a parameter in the game as the sharpness of the weapon. If your sword is dull, it is almost pointless to attack the enemy with it, so often during a battle you have to run back and sharpen your weapon with sharpening stones, hoping that your companions will occupy the monsters for a while. Secondly, it is important to save your stamina and not spend it on simple movement, since its maximum value gradually decreases and by the time you get to the desired monster, you may not have any stamina left for battle.
As a result, the developers have turned out an exciting game in which you can spend some time without being bored alone, and if you have a couple of friends, then hang out for a long time. In fact, it’s a solo MMO.
90,000 Preview (Early Review) of Monster Hunter: World – Monster Hunting Simulator
The Monster Hunter series in Japan has always represented something niche for Western players, not to mention CIS players. And yet, until the release of the first part of the series in 2004, there was nothing like this until then: a bunch of weapons, monsters and a conventionally open world.There was no plot, and the gameplay boiled down to the fact that you had to search for animals, studying their habits and killing.
And thanks to the large number of objectives, the tasks turned into a kind of tactical puzzle, because it was necessary to decide: which weapon is best to take, which potions are best prepared before the start of the battle, how is the best way to form a team and, in the end, how to best distribute roles. Perhaps, even in the western video game market, everything would have turned out much better for the series, if only it had not been for one serious “BUT”: all subsequent parts of the series were released only for portable consoles and without English localization.Actually, after this serious mistake, Capcom buried this good streak of games for the rest of the world.
Hunt Begins
Monster Hunter: World. Preview
Now fourteen years have passed since the release of the first part of Monster Hunter, but conceptually the game has not moved far. So at its core, Monster Hunter: World is the same hunt for monsters, but more global, colorful and done with much more love for detail.
“An attempt to fly on such a bird can be fatal.”
In the demo version of the game, which lasted for 45 minutes, it was necessary to hunt down and then finish off another monster. The monster, in turn, was something like a Tyrannosaurus, but with red scales. After choosing a task, a special mark appears on the map, which indicates the last trail of the predator. Next, the “fireflies” are connected to the case – they are somewhat reminiscent of GPS navigation.In addition, they also need to be pumped. Soon, the excitement of the whole hunt attracts so much that over time you stop noticing the rest of the world, but nothing stops and everything goes on as usual. For example, smaller monsters come to the watering hole to drink water and nibble the herbs nearby, while a more bloodthirsty monster lurked nearby in the bushes. There are many similar situations that show a truly living world.
“The main thing to remember is that not all monsters in the game will behave aggressively, so you shouldn’t get your weapon at the sight of any lizard.”
Fireflies, in turn, can lead both through windbreaks, rocks and gorges, and across the plain. There is no jump button in Monster Hunter: World, because the hero will automatically jump over all sorts of obstacles. On the one hand, this approach reduces control, but on the other hand, it makes navigation more convenient. And in general, it is worth noting that complex controls have not yet helped anyone in dynamic battles, when the outcome of the battle is decided in almost seconds.Especially when you need to quickly roll, climb and jump straight onto the monster. However, if you saddled a monster, then consider that half the job has already been done. Because, as a rule, it is the neck of the monsters that is most vulnerable.
“The scenery in Monster Hunter: World is really impressive.”
Situations in Monster Hunter: World will be very different. And the most important thing about them is that they cannot be scripted: monsters will run from one location to another, and battles can catch you anywhere.This is the main advantage of the game – in Monster Hunter it never happens that two identical fights meet. There will always be unique situations, there will always be new ways to win. So from most of the battles, the winner can come out due to ingenuity, and not pumped armor and cool weapons.
Wild World
Monster Hunter: World. Is it worth to buy ?
By the way, the biggest innovation in Monster Hunter: World is connected with equipment: components for creation will now fall from monsters.So from now on, you won’t be able to just go to the store and buy yourself top-of-the-line equipment – first, be so kind as to find the blueprints and the corresponding components.
As for potions, you still have to follow the classic mechanics to find all kinds of roots and leaves, combining all this with red mushrooms, hoping for the best. But even potions fade into the background compared to food. Food is what really matters in Monster Hunter: World. Different types of food will increase various parameters, provide long-term beneficial effects, but you will have to cook in the camp and in advance.Something similar was implemented in Final Fantasy 15: you had to look for recipes, cook meat and much more.
“In addition to helping with the hunt, fireflies also help with finding all sorts of objects.”
And also in Monster Hunter: World the class analogs – “Hunting Arts” have disappeared. So all attacks and unique skills will be tied to a specific weapon, which, by the way, is now much larger. Each weapon will have three to four combinations.Plus, during the battle, you can change weapons.
A huge seamless world with dynamic changes in weather and time of day will be set aside for hunting grounds. The mechanics of changing the weather and time of day will also directly affect the gameplay: at night in the rain, for example, you can find completely different monsters, and the behavior of those already familiar will change. And some quest monsters can only be found under certain conditions.
“Hunting by hunting, and lunch should be on schedule!”
In general, the ecosystem in Monster Hunter: World is alive in every sense of the word: while running away from the monster, you can run into the lair of other monsters and they will attack the predator, which will give you time to hide and recuperate. Devouring some healing herb, you can watch how the monsters fight each other or hunt each other. Besides, the final blow can be delivered to you.
Companion
Monster Hunter: World. Game details
“I recommend not to disdain to use the most vile methods.If there is an opportunity to lure a monster into a trap, then you shouldn’t think too long. Realize your plans as soon as possible. ”
But, as usual, it’s much more fun to hunt with a company, and an online co-op for four players will help in this matter. In addition, there is a system for quickly calling a friend in the game. The function works simply: for example, if you are in a dangerous situation and you understand perfectly well that you will not be able to cope alone, you call a friend. However, please note that there will be a limited number of them.
In total
The authors of Monster Hunter: World also promise to closely tackle the content after the release of the game and add a huge number of interesting things that will keep the interest in the game at the proper level for a long time. For example, weekly assignments that can be completed both alone and with a group of friends. And much more that they keep in deep secrecy. At the moment, Monster Hunter: World is an intriguing project that can give a lot of emotions and pleasure from hunting monsters.
90,000 Diablo Immortal Gameplay Overview: All the Information You Need – Diablo: Immortal – Blizzard News
Diablo Immortal Gameplay Overview: All the Information You Need Find out more about Diablo Immortal in our gameplay overview. Starting technical alpha testing, we want to share with you a lot of information about the game world, classes, character development, and more.
Alpha Technical Testing is a limited early testing phase of Diablo Immortal with a predominantly Australian participation.You can read more about this in our article on technical alpha testing, but even if your region does not participate in it, we will not leave you in the dark.
No matter how long ago you joined the battle with the host of the Underworld, both novice and veteran players will appreciate the dynamic and aggressive gameplay Diablo Immortal, kept in the best traditions of the Diablo series. In developing the game, we strive to create sophisticated action-RPG systems that make single player and group play equally fun – for example, we are currently working on such systems as equipment upgrades, dungeon trips, portals, gem crafting, and item grading.Today we will tell you about several systems that will appear in the game already during alpha testing.
Welcome to Sanctuary
The World of Sanctuary
Diablo Immortal follows the events between Diablo II and Diablo III. Five years after the destruction of the stone of the universe, Sanctuary is seized with despair: ancient enemies collect and use the fragments of the artifact, and never before has humanity faced such a serious danger.
Archangel Tyrael committed a desperate act, destroying the defiled stone of the universe.He believed that this sacrifice was necessary in order to end the pernicious influence of the stone. But even fragments of the stone of the universe still desecrate everything that is nearby. Only new heroes are able to save the world from complete immersion in chaos.
Adventurers will have to travel all over Sanctuary to find fragments of the stone of the universe and complete Tyrael’s work. The last Horadrim, Deckard Kain, will help players cope with the awakened evil in the person of the Skeleton King and his queen, cultists worshiping the bloodthirsty Countess and the fel-stricken robbers who previously obeyed Akara.Will the rest of the Underworld servants be able to create their own kingdom of terror after Diablo’s defeat? Will Skarn, the right hand of the Underworld, become their new leader?
Revealing the plot through videos in Diablo Immortal
Exploring the game world
Your adventure begins in Vortem, where you will make your way to the city center through a hellish forest. You will search for fragments of stone of the universe in the undead-infested Ashwold Cemetery, in the cursed thickets of Darkshire and under the sands of the Shassar Sea.During alpha testing, you will have access to six special zones: in each you will find unique monsters, tasks and loot. The wandering gates, which you will find while exploring the game world, allow you to move between the zones.
Church in the city of Wortem
Dungeons are an irreplaceable source of loot and knowledge about the game world. By exploring them, players will learn the main plot of the game. Dungeons in Diablo Immortal can be completed in 10-15 minutes (alone or in a group). There you will find monsters, equipment and useful artifacts.And besides – answers to the most important questions about the past of Sanctuary.
Swamps of the Wicked Isle
Endless battle in portals
Portals are one of the most interesting modes for high-level players in Diablo Immortal: after passing through a portal, you find yourself on a randomly created map and fight incredibly difficult monsters that must be defeated in the allotted time. This mode allows you to get a lot of loot and test yourself.
Challenge Portals allow you to prove your skill and earn rewards the first time you beat each difficulty.You will also receive weekly rewards that match your position in the Challenge Portal Leaderboard.
Passage of the ancient portal
You can make the ancient portals even more varied and get more valuable rewards with the help of glyphs – special items of a new type that will appear in Diablo Immortal. The effect of multiple glyphs is cumulative. Glyphs can randomly change the characteristics of portals, activating positive or negative effects during your next playthrough.In addition, extra effort will make the rewards more valuable: using a rare glyph will guarantee you a rune, and with a legendary glyph, you will receive a legendary gem.
Change your portal
Play alone or in a group
You can play Diablo Immortal alone or with other adventurers you will encounter as you explore the game’s world. There can be several dozen other players in each zone. You can join forces by participating in large-scale events and completing special group tasks.When you meet someone with whom you want to share your adventure, you can create a group of up to four players, or a guild, whose members will have access to additional social functions.
Westmarch City of Light
To take a break from your wanderings, you will often return to Westmarch. This thriving kingdom’s capital is home to many of the most important elements of Diablo Immortal. Here you can access your cache, trade in the market, meet merchants (for example, jewelers and blacksmiths to help improve your equipment), adjust the difficulty level of the game, find companions for adventures, enter ancient portals, and learn about new goals. all over Sanctuary on errand boards.
Westmarch City
Choose Your Destiny
In the technical alpha, we will make available four classes that are already familiar to Diablo fans from previous games. Each class has a specific play style and unique superpowers that will allow you to crush your enemies at the right time.
Each class in Diablo Immortal offers an incredible variety of skill development opportunities. During the hunt for the fragments of the stone of the universe, you can create a unique character focused on your favorite style of play.
Class Selection
There will be four classes available during alpha testing: Barbarian, Monk, Sorcerer, and Demon Hunter. We plan to add new classes in future updates.
Create the perfect character with the perfection levels
Another system of progress, already familiar from previous games, is the level of improvement. It first appeared in Diablo III, and has been specially adapted to the gameplay of Diablo Immortal to match its systems to the style of the series.
Grade Level
Abilities Unlocking Just like Diablo III, Diablo Immortal’s level of improvement system is unlocked when you reach the maximum level. After that, you will have access to talent trees – several paths for developing powerful abilities with branches corresponding to different possibilities. They resemble the skill trees from Diablo II and allow you to create a unique and powerful character by the end of the game.
You can learn more about classes, skills and the system of levels of improvement in our article on character development.
Equipment
As with any Diablo game, one of the core elements of Diablo Immortal is the variety of loot and the many development options you can create with it. Equipment can be obtained by killing monsters, or purchased from NPC merchants for gold. All items can be obtained during the game, and you can improve rare and legendary equipment using materials found during the game.
Make your character stronger with powerful equipment.
Legendary gems, runes and talismans
Equipment in slots can be supplemented with gems to improve its basic characteristics. Regular Gems increase stats such as Strength and Agility, while Legendary Gems provide new abilities that affect your development options and playstyle.
You can upgrade or craft legendary gems.
For more impressive progress, high-level heroes can upgrade Legendary Gems by visiting a Jeweler in Westmarch.Legendary Gems can be crafted using Runes found in Ancient Portals.
Talismans are another way to customize Diablo Immortal. A special equipment slot is allocated for them. They give from one to five bonuses that increase the level of your skills.
Talismans Improve Your Skills
For more information on all types of equipment in Diablo Immortal, including legendary gems, talismans, and runes, see our equipment article.
We strive to differentiate Diablo Immortal with the same thoughtful outfit systems and action-RPG gameplay and the same dark fantasy storyline that the Diablo series cannot be imagined without. If you’d like to learn more about game development, read our in-depth articles on equipment and character development, or return to this page in the coming months for the latest news on the game. Thank you for your patience.Our team is dedicated to making sure Diablo Immortal is exactly the way it was intended. We can’t wait to share the news again in the near future!
Saucony Endorphin Pro vs Brooks Hyperion Elite 2. Comparison of two American speed monsters
One of the latest trends in running shoes is the use of carbon fiber elements in the outsole. Carbon fiber inserts increase repulsion energy and allow athletes to run faster and thus perform better in competition.The string of world records, especially over long distances, is largely due to this technological leap.
Nowadays, almost all leading manufacturers of running shoes have sneakers with some kind of carbon elements in the sole. We’ve already introduced you to the main models in our in-depth review of “carbon rockets”. Now we bring to your attention a detailed comparison of two top models from American firms Saucony and Brooks: Endorphin Pro and Hyperion Elite 2.
As a reminder, the carbon models are in the competition or speed training shoe segment and you will get the most out of them by using these shoes at high speeds faster than 3:40 min / km.
Features:
Saucony Endorphin Pro / Brooks Hyperion Elite 2
Model | Saucony Endorphin Pro | Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 |
---|---|---|
Weight | Men’s 213 gr. Women’s 179 gr. | 215.5 g |
Drop | 8 mm (35.5 mm heel / 27.5 mm toe) | 8 mm |
Service life | 400-800 km | 320-640 km |
Cover | asphalt | asphalt |
Category | Competition / Speed Training | Competition / Speed Training |
Both models were used by professional athletes during the development stage, who later achieved success with the new shoes and set personal and world records.
One of the first high-profile successes of the Saucony Endorphin Pro was the performance of 25-year-old American runner Molly Seidel in the national selection for the Tokyo Olympics. In her first official marathon, she managed to become a silver medalist with a time of 2:27:31, losing only 8 seconds to the winner, and get into the US team at the 2021 Games. Jared Ward, who was actively involved in the development of the sneaker, finished sixth in the Endorphin Pro at the New York Marathon, becoming the best among Americans.
American runner Desiree Linden, two-time Olympic athlete and winner of the 2018 Boston Marathon, competes in Brooks Hyperion Elite 2. Including thanks to new technologies, in mid-April 2021, Des set a world record at a distance of 50 km, breaking it in 2:59:54 (3: 36 / km), which is almost 7 minutes faster than the previous achievement of British Alison Dixon.
Now let’s move on to a detailed comparison of models:
Top
The upper of the Saucony Endorphin Pro is constructed from a single layer of ultra-thin and ultra-light mesh.There is a padded bumper in the front to protect the fingers. The tongue of a slightly denser material has a semi-wedge shape and is attached to the midsole on both sides, which avoids its displacement during running, even without the use of a special loop in the tongue, which is not in this model.
The laces are flat, elastic, in the places where they are attached to the net there are special reinforcing pads. Formfit technology is responsible for the ergonomic fit of the sneaker in Saucony – it sits on the foot of the sneaker like a glove, feeling like a sock is on the foot, not a shoe.
The upper of the Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 sneaker is made of lightweight and stretchy fabric, reinforced at the upper edge with an additional reinforcement plate. The tongue is a little tighter here, it has an additional loop for connecting with the lacing. The laces themselves are made of elastic material and have special pimples that prevent them from untiing.
Midsole
The midsole is the most important part of the models under consideration, since it is in this that their main technological highlight is located – the carbon plate.
The midsole of the Endorphin Pro is made from the latest PWRRUN PB foam, made from the proprietary PeBax® polymer blend. PWRRUN PB is 40% lighter than its predecessor PWRRUN + and has 88% energy return. But, most importantly, Saucony’s specialists managed to create such a foam that retains its working qualities for a long time – the manufacturer’s declared resource of sneakers is from 400 to 800 km !!! This is the largest resource of all known models in this class.
As for the carbon plate, it has an S-shape, which allows it to better activate the roll effect and run easier at maximum speeds. As the take off begins, the plate is pressed into the midsole foam to act like a spring at the end and “shoot” the foot off the surface.
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The entire collection of Saucony running shoes at Kant
The Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 midsole features a combination of carbon fiber insert and DNA FLASH foam. The innovative DNA FLASH material with nitrogen gel inserts combines light weight with excellent responsiveness. DNA nitrogen inserts allow the outsole to adapt to the individual running style of the athlete on the principle: the greater the impact, the harder the insert becomes.DNA is the world’s first cushioning technology that dynamically adjusts to every unique movement of the athlete’s foot, to the ever-changing load on the foot as you run. DNA adapts and provides the required degree of shock absorption: if the impact is strong, the DNA material becomes harder and absorbs energy better, if the impact is weak, then the DNA will be softer. But most importantly, the DNA FLASH retains its responsiveness and shock absorption properties for up to 640 km.
The second major feature of the Hyperion Elite 2 is the midsole’s generous width, which increases the stability of the shoe, making it easier for the wearer to adhere to the chosen trajectory.As for the carbon plate, Brooks also has an S-curve.
The entire collection of Brooks running shoes in Kant
Outsole Geometry
Most sneakers with carbon inserts use a curved outsole geometry to facilitate rolling, making it as fast as possible, and allowing the carbon to work at maximum efficiency.
Saucony calls the outsole geometry SpeedRoll. It has a rounded midsole curve that follows the natural roll of the foot, and thanks to the springy SpeedRoll toe, it also relieves the Achilles and calf muscles.
Geometry in Brooks has a similar name – Rapid Roll. After all, this geometry has one purpose – to speed up the roll as much as possible (“Roll” in English means “to roll”, “Rapid”, “Speed” – “fast, high-speed”). But Brooks technology has a significant difference.
While Saucony has a midfoot curve, Brooks not only has the toe curved up, but the heel is also angled. Thus, for runners who land on the heel, the Hyperion Elite 2 is better suited than the Endorphin Pro.
Outsole
The outsole of the Saucony Endorphin Pro features a thin layer of top-grade XT-900 high-carbon rubber for outstanding traction and durability for the most contact areas. This minimal outsole saves weight, which is great for competition when the seconds are ticking.
Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 outsole is made in a similar way. The only difference is that the rubber is not applied to the entire perimeter of the outsole.Outsole elements are divided into multiple zones for improved flexibility.
If you are an athlete who is actively involved in sports, if you are an amateur who regularly participates in competitions, then we have special discount cards for you that allow you to receive significant discounts on the equipment, shoes or clothing you need.
Conclusions
Both models presented are very high quality products that will allow you to significantly improve your athletic performance and get the most out of your competition.Their most important difference from competitors lies in the declared service life: each of the manufacturers was able, using their own unique technologies, to bring this service life to about 600 km, which is four to five times longer than that of competitors, which is very important for amateur runners who buy sports shoes for your money.
In terms of differences, the Saucony Endorphin Pro feels more comfortable on the foot thanks to the Formfit technology, while the Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 is slightly more stable thanks to the wider outsole, and is also slightly better suited for runners who run from the heel.
You can always measure and compare the Saucony Endorphin Pro and Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 sneakers by running them on the treadmill in the Kant chain of stores. We wish you fast races and bright sports emotions!
If you live in a city where there are no our stores, then this is not an obstacle to purchasing what you need. Simply, when making a purchase through our online store, please note that we have delivery by couriers and transport companies.
You can also use self-pickup if it is more convenient for you.
When buying via the Internet, we offer various payment systems:
- in cash to courier
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90,000 increased characteristics of the Black Star equipment
How to craft the Energy of a dark ghost
Dark Ghost Energy can be crafted through Crafting → Simple Alchemy.Mix the following materials:
Veltar’s Passion
Mix via Craft → Simple Alchemy:
Veltar’s Flame x 100 | |
Camos Scale x 100 |
Veltar’s Flame can be obtained by killing monsters in the Castle Ruins and the Orc Camp (saizheki) of the Kingdom of Elvia. And also in exchange for the Predatory Root.
Scales of Kamos can be obtained by killing monsters on the spots of Driegan, as well as from the world boss Kamos
Mind Ogier
Mix via Craft → Simple Alchemy:
Wave Ogier x 100 | |
Void Oil x 100 |
Wave Ogier can be obtained by killing the monsters of the Altar of Imps and the Swamp of Fogans of the Kingdom of Elvia.And also in exchange for the Predatory Root.
Void Oil mix via Craft → Simple Alchemy:
Karnak Energy
Mix via Craft → Simple Alchemy:
Lightning of Karnak Received by killing monsters in Biragi’s Lair, Swamp of the Naga and in the Bloody Monastery of the Kingdom of Elvia. And also in exchange for the Predatory Root.
Shard of Genesis can be obtained through Craft → Simple Alchemy by placing 1 of the gold accessories there:
• Deborica’s necklace
• Ring, earrings, belt, Tunra necklace
• Reyna’s necklace
• Ogre necklace
• Sichil necklace
• Serap Necklace
• Black Decay Earrings
• Dawn Earrings
• Datura Earrings
• Karnak Earrings
• Dread Ring
• Eye of Ruins Ring
• Temple Defender Ring
• Ruins Defender Ring
• Lonaros Ring
• Turu Belt
• Velthar’s Belt of Radiance
• Basilisk Belt
• Orkinrad Belt
• Centaur Belt
Heritage of Antiquity can be obtained through Crafting → Heat: Combined Power – Hervish, Combined Power – Crystallization, Combined Power – Hum.
Flower of Madness
Mix via Craft → Simple Alchemy:
Void Seed x 100 | |
Concentrated Energy of the Summoned Monster x 10 |
Seed of Void can be obtained by killing elite monsters on the spots of the Kingdom of Elvia. And also in exchange for the Predatory Root.
Concentrated energy of the summoned monster can be obtained through Crafting → Heat any boss equipment (weapons or armor)
Ghost Energy can be obtained by killing monsters in Valencia, Kamasylvia and Driegan, as well as with an increased chance in Odillita’s Thorny Forest and Schultz Media’s Legion.
Predatory Root can be obtained as a reward for completing daily quests in the Kingdom of Elvia.
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