User blog comment:Mckrongs/Monster Hunter 4 for the Nintendo 3DS/@comment-4775842-20120708212928/@comment-3062343-20120710074222

I think there's an optimum balance between realism and deviations from realism for the sake of gameplay. For example, the monster stamina system, in my opinion, is a great way of incorporating realism while improving gameplay (sure, it makes some monsters a bit too easy, but with some refinements it could be excellent (also, I personally think that having the prey sometimes successfully escape, instead of just standing there looking gormless, would be another touch of realism that positively affects gameplay)). Monster Hunter will always need elements of fantasy to still be the MH we know and love, but, in my opinion at least, some of the recent monsters (particularly Jinouga and Bracchidios) are too "fantasy-like". Compare Bracchidios to Barroth, since it's another Brute Wyvern of similar size and body shape. Barroth, in my opinion, is a great example of the optimum balance between realism and lack-of-realism-for-the-sake-of-gameplay. The whole mud-system is excellent, and it has colours that mostly camouflage it in the Sandy Plains. Bracchidios, on the other hand, has a very difficult to believe slime on its fists and horn, and stands out like a beacon in whatever area it's in (seriously, any prey with half a brain cell could see it coming and get away). While this is obviously a subjective thing, I find the two about equally fun to fight from a purely gameplay perspective. The only difference is, when I fight Barroth, I feel like I'm fighting an actual animal, that could potentially exist on another world. Bracchidios, on the other hand, just feels out of place. I genuinely feel that if all the "fantasy" elements of MH were taken away, we'd gain more than we'd lose.