User blog:Lord Loss/Discussion of the Week: More Elder Dragons

Hello, and welcome to Discussion of the Week: More Elder Dragons!

Because sequels are always better, right?

Sorry about the gap last week though, I didn't mean for that to happen.

Anyway, on with the show...

Jhen Mohran
I like Jhen a lot, it feels like a much much better attempt at doing a 'big monster' fight on the scale of Lao Shan Lung. The boat on the sand is unique, the two stage fight breaks things up, and the music is pretty epic. Jhen also has a surprisingly good design. No real comment on Hallowed Jhen Mohran.

Ceadeus
Again, it's a much better 'big monster' than Lao. About on a par with Jhen, I'd say, although the underwater aspect makes it a significantly different fight. I do wish there was less passiveness in the first half of the battle, though. Goldenbeard Ceadeus is... OK, I guess? Nothing majorly different about it.

Alatreon
See, people claim Dhisufiroa is ridiculous and overpowered, but I can't really blame the Frontier team for taking to the extreme a concept that already started in MH3. Personally, I've never beaten Alatreon - no luck with the online partners in Tri - but I didn't enjoy the fight all that much - lots of him flying around, just out of range, breath attacks, all that stuff. Apparently it's better in 3 Ultimate, though.

Daren Mohran
I have yet to be convinced this isn't a fairly lazy Jhen Mohran knock-off. Nice design, true, but if you're going to make new monsters, I feel they should probably have more to distinguish them from the ones you've already seen. Basically the only new monster in MH4 I thought was a bit underwhelming.

Dara Amadyura
I can never spell that right. Anyway, I really like this monster. I like snakes in general, so I'm a big fan of this guy's design. The fight is a little odd, admittedly - it always will be against something this big - but it's varied enough. Bites, fireballs, crackling lightning, etc.

Shagaru Magara
Well, it's just the adult form of Goa Magara, so I'm already a fan of the design (and I quite like the black/white contrast between the two species). The fight also looks like great fun - intense, full on, virus balls, grab attacks, all that stuff.

Questions

 * Which is your favourite? Least favourite?
 * Which do you want to see back in future games?
 * How would you improve your least favourites?