It is neither profound nor particularly insightful to say it can be difficult to capture a teenager’s attention, especially when the person asking for it is their father.
That is not to say mine refuse to pay attention or interact with me because they do on a regular basis but it would be dishonest to say they respond like they did when they were five.
Yep, the sad but true story is they no longer see dear old dad as Superman.
Now, I am a just a man who sometimes does super things for them.
Nintendo Captures Teens & Monsters
Nintendo provided a free version of the Monster Hunter Stories for me to review.
You should consider that to be my disclosure but just in case you didn’t get it, here it is again in bold, Product Was Provided By Nintendo.
My initial idea was that I would play it and then give it to my almost 17-year-old son to try and the two of us would write the review together.
But people plan and G-d laughs and so you have a picture of me above filming my son playing the game.
Why?
Because he picked up the 3DS and started playing and it captured his attention almost immediately
Every time I told him our plan was for me to play and then him he asked me to wait just a little bit longer.
Eventually, he broke down and gave me my turn but it wasn’t an unencumbered experience and by that I mean the following.
He tried to coach me the whole way through and while that might sound irritating I didn’t take it like that.
Instead, I was grateful because it gave us something to do together and we enjoyed some father/son time that has been simply wonderful.
Don’t misunderstand that to mean that we never do anything together because we do a lot, but this was different.
Different because he was the expert and he was the person teaching and that was fun for both of us.
Kids Grow & People Change
Steiner the minor and I have always had a good relationship but lately it has been a bit more challenging.
As he has gotten older and more independent there have been more of those moments where we bang heads a little bit.
More moments where I find myself quoting poetry to myself or sharing it with him as we dissect parts and pieces of life.
That Whitman quote above has been of significant importance to both of us.
I have told him I don’t want or need him to be exactly like me but that I also need him to not try so hard to prove he is not.
There is a rhythm and balance that you can find if you look for it but it doesn’t come if you push too hard.
This game came at the right time for us and I think that our collective search master of Monster Hunter Stories helped us find it again.
So if you are looking for a walkthrough with cheats, tips and tricks about how to play this game, well that is not what this review is about.
But if you want an idea about a game that young people and teens can play as well as adults, this might be one to think about.
Disclosure: Product was provided by Nintendo but all opinions are mine.
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Larry September 14, 2017 at 6:24 am
Sounds like fun. Glad the game was able to give you and your son some bonding time.
Jack Steiner September 18, 2017 at 4:46 am
Thank you. I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity.