Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is a game that may not be everyone's cup of tea. It may look like everyone's cup of tea, sure. The concept is good. Who wouldn't want to take down ginormous creatures with a bunch of friends? It's the same kind of joy that comes from the PS2 game Shadow of the Colossus, one of my all-time favorites. Only in Shadow of the Colossus, you were always alone, facing beasts to survive. In Monster Hunter, slaying is more like a sport. One that you can enjoy with up to 4 players.

The reason that I say that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate may not be for everyone is that it forces you to play it the way it was made to be played. Which is fine. No problem. You may learn to love it. Or hate it. The control scheme, though not bad, is not what you'd want it to be. A lot of things in this game must be done manually. Scrolling through items, using items, and healing yourself all happens in real-time. Which means that you have to be sure to keep your distance from the monsters to do any of these things if you want to stay alive. Once you get used to this fact, you begin to appreciate the extra tension and planning that goes into these tasks. Considerations that would have to be taken if you were actually fighting a giant monster.

Another thing that may detract some would-be lovers of Monster Hunter is its sharp learning curve. You begin the game with access to the weakest version of a handful of different weapon types. They do not explain the differences between them. They do not tell you how to use them. A player must learn through experimentation which weapon is right for them. Which can be difficult to do when you have to choose one to upgrade pretty early on in order to stand a chance against the large monsters.

Believe it or not, the thing that will keep you invested in Monster Hunter is item collecting. You gather bits and pieces of the monsters that you have defeated (gross!) and they then become resources for many things. They are used to supply the town with goods, to supply ships that go on voyages to trade for other goods, and most importantly, they're used to upgrade your armor and weapons. This is where I became addicted. "I just need one more Rhenaplos scalp to upgrade my sword".

The game is tons more fun when you have someone to play with. The Wii U version allows you to play online and you can most definitely always find someone to play with. The 3DS version does not, however have online play. On the 3DS, you must have a friend that also owns a copy of the game. And you must play locally. With friends. Y'know. Real friends. Despite this disappointment, I have to say that I actually prefer the 3DS version of the game. I have no idea why this is, by all means, the Wii U version should far outshine it, being in HD and having online play. I feel more comfortable playing it on the 3DS. The control scheme makes more sense. Having your friend next to you makes communicating and developing strategy far easier for me. It takes more getting used to than most games, but Monster Hunter should be a lot of fun for anyone who can have patience with it.

For a more comical review, here's Egoraptor reviewing the game with a mouth full of habanero pepper.

HERE