English Wiki: http://monsterhunter.wikia.com/wiki/Monster_Hunter_Wiki
Source: Youtube Channel IGN
I love boss fights in videogames, and Capcom games generally have a lot of awesome boss fights in their games from the original Mega Man games to their more recent games like the Devil May Cry series or Dragon's Dogma. One particular series in Japan revolves around big boss battles and has since became a huge hit. But over here in the West, the name "Monster Hunter" doesn't hold much weight and is viewed as a niche game among the community. Despite not having a strong following in the West, Capcom has continued bringing the Monster Hunter series over and this time it will release on the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS.
The Demo for Monster Hunter 3 for the 3DS had released and so I quickly downloaded it yesterday to get a taste of it. I have played a bit of the Monster Hunter series in the past for the Sony PSP and know that I enjoy the game, but I didn't continue playing very long back then as I had many other PSP games I wanted to play on the system and didn't want to spend the time on what could've been 100+ hours slaying giant dragons and beasts. I now have the opposite problem where the Nintendo 3DS is lacking in games I want to play and want something with high replay value. So I was pretty excited to hear that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate was being brought over to the West.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is a sort of Action-RPG that isn't quite straight-forward and story driven. The player goes out into the field and hunts beasts for food, gather materials for crafting, and fight large monsters per request as quests. In doing so, the player gradually becomes stronger with better equipment. The main draw of the game is multiplayer where several players band together to fight a giant boss together. In the 3DS demo, players can choose 1 of 2 scenarios to take on which requires the player to take down a boss under 20 minutes. I was given the choice to pick a weapon out of 12 different types to take on the boss. The demo is very tricky for those who have never played a Monster Hunter game as it doesn't explain the mechanics of the game or controls and thrusts the player into the field. Using a bow was really tough in terms of aiming and I imagine having the 2nd analog stick attachment would make it infinitely better; however, the lock-on ability made controlling the camera a bit more tolerable. Instead of an over-the-top hack-n-slash and ultra slick combat mechanics found in games like Devil May Cry, the Monster Hunter series has the characters move in a sort of rigid way that is more realistic. In this manner, all attacks, actions, and item usage is planned out, strategic, and meaningful. It is impossible to mash buttons and hope to win, and I suppose that's what makes the multiplayer formula work so well with the game as party members rely on each other to succeed in a quest. The boss fights are incredibly tough but very exciting. 20 minutes may seem like a lot of time to fight one boss, but it doesn't seem so after all the fighting, surviving, and preparation. Judging from my experience on the PSP version of Monster Hunter, the demo for the 3DS is showing a minuscule amount of content that is truly offered in the game. Personally, I don't think it's an easy game to get into for most gamers, but those that can grasp the concept of the game and find interest in it is rewarded with a gratifying experience. The biggest problem I find in the Nintendo 3DS version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate right now is the lack of Online multiplayer. There's a local multiplayer mode, but I rarely ever see anyone with a 3DS around the people I know and I doubt they'll get the game if they do have one. This falls into Capcom's seemingly big scheme: the Nintendo Wii U has online multiplayer and can share save data with the 3DS, but you have to buy both individually. Cross-play support is a growing trend that's showing up often in Sony's systems where a player can buy a PS3 version of a game and get a free download for the PS Vita to play and share save data between the PS3. That's a neat idea. But it seems Capcom or Nintendo (I don't know who it goes through to make cross play possible) wants players to pay for both versions which equals $100. This puts me in a difficult situation. I want to play the game, but I also want to play online. I don't have a Nintendo Wii U so I have to get the 3DS version if I want to play it at all. If only the 3DS had online play, it'd be just perfect. In any case, fans of the series should really check out the demo for both 3DS or Wii U depending on which ones they have if at all while those new to the series should check up on some guides online to know a little about the game. In fact, I'll write out the controls right here for a head start:
Circle Pad: Move Character
Digital Pad: Pan Camera
Weapon Sheathed
Y: Use Item
X: Draw/Ready Weapon
A: Interact/Action Key
B: Crouch (While Standing) / Tumble (While moving)
L: Reset Camera Forward (Tap) / Bring up belt menu (Hold)
R: Run (Hold)
Weapon Drawn
Y: Sheath Weapon
X: Regular Attack
A: Alternate Attack
B: Back Step (While Standing) / Tumble (While moving)
L: Reset Camera Forward (Tap) / Bring up belt menu (Hold)
R: Alternate Attack 2
For Bows, Press X and A at the same time to coat your Arrows in substances
Good luck, Have fun, and check the game out to see if it's for you.
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