Monster Hunter Tri Review

The Monster Hunter series is a hugely popular series in Japan. The game has sold millions of copies on the handheld PSP system. Up until now the series has not made much impact outside of Japan, but Monster Hunter Tri aims to break the series into the western markets.

In a somewhat surprising move, Monster Hunter Tri was announced as an exclusive Wii game. The game mechanics in the Monster Hunter series are complex and appeal mostly to experienced video game players. With the Wii being a run away hit with non traditional game consumers, more traditional games like Monster Hunter Tri are underrepresented on the platform. The game was released by Capcom who are trying to take advantage of the huge popularity of the Wii to give the Monster Hunter series a flying start in a new market.

In Monster Hunter Tri you play the role of a traveling hunter. As an up and coming monster hunter you travel to a coastal village that has been plagued by a series of earthquakes. The world is populated by hordes of monsters and the village chief suspects that the earthquakes are caused by the mythical creature Lagiacrus. Before you can go after the real big boys however, there are tons of monsters to kill and weapon upgrades to be earned.

Monster Hunter Tri is not a game for everybody. The game has an unforgiving difficulty curve and requires a significant amount of time to be enjoyed fully. For gamers looking for a satisfying challenge however, the game is among the very best you can get for the Wii.

At the core of Monster Hunter Tri is an intricate item collection system. Items can be found, bought or harvested throughout the world. Most satisfying; items can be carved out of the carcasses of slain monsters. Unlike most Role Playing Games, you do not evolve your character in Monster Hunter. In stead you gather items, combine them into higher quality items, and finally upgrade your weapons and armor to be able to take on even more terrifying creatures.

The monsters in Monster Hunter Tri are truly enormous, and fittingly your character can upgrade his or her weapons to be truly enormous as well. The game progresses through a series of quests that you receive back at the village, and as you progress the monsters get meaner and stronger. Upgrading your weapons wisely becomes absolutely essential. This gather-upgrade cycle is what drives the game forward and it is a very addictive and satisfying.

The game runs deeper than item collection though, and one of the greatest appeals of the game is how deep and rich all the different aspects of the game are. The combat sequences in the Monster Hunter are notoriously difficult and the third game in the series is no exception. Players who rush into combat will quickly find themselves back in camp after getting knocked cold. The monsters in Monster Hunter Tri all have their unique attack patterns and weaknesses. To have any hope of success you'll need to study your targets closely and maneuver skillfully to get into good attack positions.

Along side some very solid and involving gameplay, Monster Hunter Tri also sports some of the best visuals delivered on the Wii to date. The huge worlds are diverse and look great. The stars of the game, the monsters are beautifully rendered and look spectacular. Every time a new section of the game world is unlocked it is a blast to just run through the different environments. As beautiful as the scenery is, nothing is more satisfying than bringing down a huge monster after a long and strenuous fight.

The single player game in Monster Hunter Tri is excellent, and well worth the purchase price on it own. The game however , goes many steps beyond the basic single player experience. One of the strongest parts of the game is the excellent online play modes. You can leave the village and go into the city where you'll have the opportunity to hook up with other hunters and set off on unique quests. The online quests feature even bigger and more challenging monsters and the chance to get very rare items and equipment. The addition of a robust online mode to the game means that serious players can easily spent several hundred hours collecting the most fantastic weapons and kill humongous monsters.

The controls of the game has benefited a lot from a move up to a console from the handheld PSP games. Controlling the camera is essential to get anywhere in the game, and with the Wii controls this has never been easier. The game plays alright with the Wii remote and the nunchuck, but for the best possible experience the classic controller is a must. In fact, the game can often be bought bundled with the Classic controller pro.

Monster Hunter Tri is not a game that is suitable for everyone, but if you are willing to invest time and learn from your mistakes it is difficult to think of a more rewarding game on the Wii.