Game:

Counter-Strike: Source (2004)

Duration: 18:18

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1

I mean, she's not MY friend, but are you going to argue with a Barioth?
twitter.com/yuugijoou
discord.gg/bKT9pRW

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I have to hand it to someone when they've done a great job... Jo is actually pretty observant and eager to point out stuff... for a mute protagonist non-character. I never would've spotted that Kinship Stone. I mean, either that, or she's only interested in something close by... (Good thing this Barioth is pretty observant, too... because those fangs and claws aren't just for show!)

The fact that the ongoing stream series of a certain sequel game landed a callback reference that I'd just barely never... actually... managed to follow through on, despite the footage having been ready for quite awhile all the same... um... definitely had nothing to do with pushing forward and publishing the material I'd been hoarding. Nope.

I mean, um... just WHO could this strange girl and her big cat be?! It will forever remain a mystery.

Except for that reaction. I'm deeply worried whenever Navirou gets a polite or even neutral reaction from someone, so a frosty reception is right on the money in my book!

In the actual gameplay side of things... um... maybe it's just how things look all curled up... but this is a freakishly small Barioth! Even for a Monstie!

So... we HAVE to do something, right? But... that something seems to be... just... leave? I'm getting mixed messages here about exactly what our intentions are.

Don't worry, the event flags will take care of everything! It's time to be ambushed by bunnies!

For some reason, my crew decided to turn into a bunch of bird-brains playing against type, and I'm left without a reasonable Technical type response to an icy speedster for several turns in an almost comical running gag.

At least in this game, Cheer is a free action! It might not be as powerful as buffing everyone at once, but it's still better than tickling the enemy with your butter knife when we all know the real brawn of the operation is the one standing next to you.

Oh man, I'd almost forgotten about the frequent knockdowns awarded simply for winning consecutive head-to-head exchanges. They're WAY less common in the sequel... probably because they're ridiculously powerful and make it even easier to fight above your weight class than the game already generally allows for. Not to mention really messing up your opponents' game plan super regularly.

(It also bears mention that the requirement to get knocked off your Ride was reduced, because trying to get a knockdown the same way on a human opponent might as well be an eternity in turn-based years.)

Wait a minute... what self-respecting Barioth is stymied by a Lagombi? ...then again, Lagombi has a weirdly high ranking armor set in the sequel, and it originally WAS the third of the Fanged Beast trio based on Arzuros you meet. Maybe we've just been getting a little too comfortable with the cuddliest of the three cousins, and we should show it a bit more respect...

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Well, since there's clearly nothing especially urgent going on, how about we take a side break to check out a rare den we just happened to spot?! I'm sure Navirou's oddly chivalrous sentiments are just a weird localization flourish. (And also the deep-seated desire not to have his face mauled off.)

As a side note, it seems Bnahabra annoying even before battle... which is an uncanny resemblance to their mainline existence. The part where they live through two whacks with a greatsword is pretty generous for JRPG fodder, though.

These guys are pretty persistent about their debuffs, at any rate... if there's an opportunity to lower attack, they'll do it! ...it's very troubling if you want to build Kinship or end a battle quickly, though.

Now seems like a good time to bring up the encroachment of mainline Monster Hunter game mechanics informing their turn-based equivalents, though!

These Bnahabra like to lower your attack with their Acid Shower... but the easiest way to cure that is by raising attack on the victim instead! It'll not only counteract the stat drop, it'll replace it with a stat buff! Be careful, however, as the reverse is also true, and it'll prompt the buggers to be true to form and dutifully spend their next turn lowering it back again.

In a "real" Monster Hunter game, the same is true, and the fastest and most economical way to counteract a pesky defense down debuff is to munch on an Adamant Seed you found lying on the ground. Just don't get hit by the same thing again too quickly, or your buff will be wasted and replaced by the same thing you just cured. (Good thing you can carry a fat stack of 10 while on your quest, huh?)

Oh, now that's an interesting new pattern... I think I'll take it! No questions asked!

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