Hell. Fucking. Yes.
I've talked about Blood Valley and my affection for it before. I think it's by far the most successful of the Duel Master series. Partly that's because it's metal as all get-out: a dragon-man tyrant sport-hunting the most dangerous game. How the fuck this hasn't had a direct-to-video low-budget movie adaptation I will never know. (Although it did get a low-budget computer game adaptation.) Partly it's because the asymmetry is really engaging. The hunter has badass gear, a pack of hellhounds, villainous minions, and Victor von Doom's attitude; playing as him feels awesome. The quarry has... a head start; playing as them feels desperate, but also challenging in a good way.In Blood Valley, YOU are invited to take part in the annual hunt organized by the Firedrake, ruler of the Valley of Gad. Each year a slave is set free at an ancient circle of standing stones and hunted down like an animal by the cruel Firedrake. The only chance of survival for the slave is to escape the valley. Will you choose to be the Firedrake, hated by all his subjects and desperate to avoid the humiliation of defeat? He will go to any lengths to prevent the slave from escaping the valley. Or will you choose to be the quarry – the liberated slave who has been specially selected as good sport but who is armed only with resourcefulness and a strong will to live?
I also recall it having a lot less lame anticlimactic game overs than the rest of the series.
Anyway, if you're down to participate in this year's hunt, let me know which end of the hellhounds you'd like to be on. As with The Shattered Realm, I'll make separate threads for the two competitors.
Team Hunter
Dr. Noface
Darth Rabbitt
Judging Eagle
SGamerz
Team Quarry
Mr. Shine
Starmaker
SlyJohnny