User blog comment:Lord Loss/Monster Appreciation Day: Arzuros/@comment-1758220-20130318152541

Wow, it sure has been forever since I've been able to leave one of these reviews.

 ARZUROS 

 Concept : I think if there's one thing MH had been missing up until 2010, it was bear-like monsters. We had apes, boars, even wolves, but never bears. because of this, Arzuros kind of scratches an itch a lot of us didn't even know we had. Coupled with the autumnal Misty peaks where it first appeared, the overall premise here is quite refreshing. 9/10

 Design : Capcom has certainly done a lot here to make the average bear NOT so average. I really like the colour scheme, with the blue-green, beige, orange and yello mimicking the colours of the Misty Peaks map itself. The massive spiked forearms are formidable and intimidating, and the bright orange claws are deadly-looking. I'm not a huge fan of the tail though, as it seems to me a little useless and throws the balance of the design off. Points for those sinister red eyes. All of this said, the design is more than a little misleading, which I will explain a few categories from now. 8/10

 Sound : I guess I'll take this opportunity to say that the Pelagus theme in 3U is one of the weaker tracks in the game, though not completely terrible. It just doesn't sound that intimidating or urgent. I do think the heavy, deep notes help to sell the slow, lumbering nature of Arzuros and friends. As for the big blue bear himsef, he performs a roar that sounds like a grizzly bear with a buzzsaw in his throat. That sounds unpleasant, but it really does sound cool. unfortunately he is really at a loss for otherwise noteworthy sound effects. 7/10

Gameplay : This is where Arzuros starts to falter as a monster. Know this, Arzuros is one of, if not the EASIEST monster in the entire franchise. Seriously, he is a complete joke. Remember when I said his design was misleading? This is what I was talking about. You've got this big, scary, badass bear monstrosity that limps away from a 2 minute battle with starter equipment. He's even easier than Great Jaggi, despite being fought slightly later. From the P3rd trailer, I was expecting a monster similar in difficulty to Congalala or Gypceros, but instead he's a lot closer to Giadrome-tier. Not a hugely varied move pool either. It's basically the Lagombi and Volvidon base set with nothing exclusive added except for a seldom-used pin attack which admittedly is rather humerous. 4.5/10

 Equipment : We all know how tough it is getting decent equipment early on in an MH game. Luckily, Arzuros does offer some rather worthwhile gear for beginners. Because of the monster's ridiculous lack of difficulty, most of its equipment can be very easily obtained and will be every bit as worthwhile as the Jaggi stuff, helping you power through those first few quest sets. 8/10

 Overall : Arzuros is a bit of a mixed bag of good and bad. The concept and design are wonderful, but it is all executed rather poorly. There's pretty much no excuse for how easy this monster is. It's seriously weak to the point of not even being fun. The only saving grace of this matter is that it makes its (rather good) equipment quite easy to obtain. Arzuros is a beginner's best friend and a veteran's laughing stock. 7/10