The Amazon Curve: Monster Hunter Tri

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The Monster Hunter series has quite a history with several games released for the PS2 and PSP in the form of sequels and expansions, as well as an MMORPG for the PC (and, in the future, for the Xbox 360), and a mobile phone game. Sticking with Capcom tradition, the majority of these games have made a name for themselves by reiterating upon one another time and again, improving with each subsequent installment.

 

The peak of the franchise’s success in Japan is currently Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G — renamed Freedom Unite overseas — which benefits from the content and experience accumulated during the course of the three “Monster Hunter 2” games before it. With Monster Hunter Tri, though, Capcom began development anew with a blank slate: new world, controls, animation, monster behavior, AI, etc. With these also came a platform change –- from PlayStation 3 to the Nintendo Wii, on account of the game’s development budget.

 

Little surprise, then, that there was much for the Monster Hunter veteran community to comment upon, whether their comments were positive or negative. The Amazon.jp review average is lower than Famitsu’s 40/40 rating, at 3.24. This score includes the reviews for the two special packs that were available for MH3 as well -– the one with the Classic Controller and the one with the monster head figurine. The reviews following the graph should give you a good idea about the wide range of opinions surrounding the game.

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Reviews

 

It’s Really Fun! (5 stars)

 

This is my favorite MonHun game to date. Previously, I’ve always been, “Huh? Did I hit it just now?” or “Did I get hit just now?” through the battles. This time, I feel they did a very sturdy job with the collision detection.

 

If I don’t aim properly, I won’t hit them, and when they come to attack, I dodge to avoid being hit. Rolling behind the enemy to strike its tail and avoid its attack by a paper-thin margin is the best feeling ever.

 

Your companion Chacha is very cute.

 

The Felynes were too demanding, so at first I was disappointed, but now that I’ve played it, I know that even though they’re so stuck-up, they’ll fight, dance, and collect items for the hunter. They’re cute. It was also cute how when you wear a mask, your expressions will change (for some reason), and sometimes you even get shorter. It was really fun collecting all the masks.

 

This time, other than the quests, there’s also a forest to the side where you can hunt for the village and collect points. At first, it’s a peaceful place with only weak enemies. But as you finish more quests, for some reason large monsters start populating the forest, making it dangerous. If you hunt the large monsters, you’ll gather lots of points, so it was really fun to earn the points while practicing hunting.

 

What I don’t like is that there is too little variation with face design and hair styles. The hair doesn’t really matter because you’re wearing a helmet anyways, so you can’t tell anyways, but I feel it would’ve been better if there were more face designs available.

 

Another thing is the fee… I have a PS3, and the ad-hoc there is free, so it’s kind of a waste. I’m not planning to play with people I don’t know. I want to play with my friends while chatting with them, so having a fee shortens the lifespan of the game for me.

 

It’s also too bad this isn’t compatible with the Wii Speak. I would’ve liked to use it with those I know.

 

To Those New to Monster Hunter (5 stars)

 

These are my impressions as a player new to Monster Hunter. Tri was my first game. I’m also new to online games. I have played for several months, but I still find it fun. At first, the controls were difficult and getting used to them was a struggle. The tutorials were really helpful though, which made me feel like I could get used to the controls even if they were difficult. However, there’s not much you can do offline and you can’t experience the epitome of MonHun without hunting with everyone. I have to say that online play is an absolute must.

 

Veterans of the series may say that there is a lack of volume, even including what’s online, but I feel that is canceled out by the variety of weapons available. Just by changing the type of weapon you’re using, the way you handle a monster will become a completely new experience. Playing with others you don’t know online is extremely fun. The majority of them have great manners. For the most part, if I keep up my manners, the others will do the same, so I can play without worry. At first, I was really horrible at the game, but others who had a higher rank lent me a hand, which was a great help.

 

I loved MonHun a lot, so I tried playing the PSP version too, but the highly-acclaimed Portable 2nd G had a lot of problems that made playing it inconvenient for me. Tri, which focused on keeping the unreasonable parts to a minimum, was also amazingly complete, and I realized that it is in fact a game kind to beginners. On the flip side, it’s true that series veterans will feel that something is lacking. This game will give a great hunting experience to those new to MonHun if they play online. The threshold for playing online is high, but just getting a taste of the environment is enough, in my opinion. I’m glad to be of help to the newcomers to the MonHun series.

 

Beware of Being Obsessed! (5 stars)

 

Even though others have said that this game is lacking content, it took 100 hours to just clear the game. I would like people to understand that they mean that it is lacking content when being compared to previous Monster Hunter games.

 

If you log online, you can chat, so it’s exceeded being “just a game.” It’s also a communication tool now, I feel. However, the fee is too much. Because of that, I had to stop and let that part go.

 

Still, I had played it for over 500 hours.

 

People make fun of it for being a game about collecting resources, but that is essentially what Monster Hunter is. It’s not suited for those who don’t like this. It’s also harder than other games, I feel, so I think this isn’t a game for everyone. However, the strategy isn’t that hard. That’s what’s fun about it.

 

Now that the price has dropped, please do try this game! People will say all sorts of things about it, but that’s the price of fame. It’s a fun game that’s sold tons and tons.

 

I’ve Only Played for a Few Hours (5 stars)

 

These are my impressions after playing for a few hours.

 

There are new monsters and a new field; you can fight in the water, and the monsters have a realistic ecosystem. All of these were things I enjoyed…

 

But even if the monsters are new, I can’t really tell the difference between them and the old ones. It’s a repetition of “Find an opening and whack ‘em.” Those who’ve played MonHun and have gotten tired of it may ask, “What’s different about this one from the others?” And I feel like the answer would be, “Nothing much.”

 

However, I think those new to MonHun, as well as the people who go, “I can still play lots and lots more!!” will enjoy this game.

 

Good things:

  • The monsters move like real animals.
  • An improvement to the unreasonable collision detection.

 

Bad things:

  • It’s great that the number of motions for a weapon has increased, but the commands have also gotten more complicated. Those “whoosh!” moves you want to pull intuitively have gotten harder. (You can probably get used to this, though…)
  • The screen is blurry. It’s not by much and I barely noticed it, but my eyes got tired faster than when I played other games.

 

You’re All Complaining Too Much!! (5 stars)

 

The new game, Tri, has been receiving a lot of recklessly-given comments.

 

First of all, of course there would be less content! It’s because it was made from scratch. I think they managed to fit as much content as they could into a single game!

 

There are also those who say that the online chat system is inconvenient, but even that’s not a problem! Compared to Frontier, it’s not any worse. Also, I saw reviews that said that there were too few weapons and armor, but if you just played through it, you wouldn’t notice it.

 

The number of hours one plays or how one plays the game differs from person to person everyday. Those who immerse themselves for a whole day would of course feel like something’s missing. If you play only 2-3 hours at night like I do, you could continue playing for half a year after the release and you’ll only find yourself at HR45! Looks like I can keep on playing for another half year (^-^)v

 

Those who write “For those who are in the high ranks after 2 months or so, this game isn’t for you!” are too into this. The very fact that they managed to finish it in 2 months itself is interesting proof w

 

The MonHun believers are expecting too much of something… Those people are missing the good parts of Tri w

 

To put it clearly, this game, Tri, is a game that doesn’t make you feel stressed out at all when you play it. That may be because I feel enough stress from the small-fries of the previous game w

 

Everyone, this game is the best ever!

 

I Simply Want to Play MonHun (4 stars)

 

What? I have nothing to do after two months? I finally managed to climb up to one of the higher ranks…

 

I’m a businessman in my 20s who plays for a low average of 2 hours a day and 6 hours on breaks. It’s quite amazing that the game had an environment that could take me in that much. But I’m nothing… I’ve heard that there are some who used up one of the free 20-day tickets in a single week…

 

It’s true that the content is lacking, like the critics say, and that the difficulty is low, so the series veterans all finish the game in a flash, but can those people’s reviews really be taken for granted? Other comments are…

 

bad graphics → low rating (Is it really as bad as they say?)

fee → low rating (It’s 800 yen a month!!)

sold on the Wii → low rating (Buy the Wii then!! Or is it just that they don’t want to acknowledge its existence…?)

 

There are too many comments like these that someone like me, someone who simply wants to play MonHun, can’t agree with. I can understand the problem with money if we’re talking about middle school students who don’t work, but otherwise…

 

Even though people are criticizing and lamenting over this game, I’m glad I could enjoy it. Now then, I’m going to play with Tri after I get back from work today ♪

 

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What Were they Thinking with the Online Function? (3 stars)

 

I took a break from Monster Hunter Frontier to play this, but it’s interesting. On top of having the perfect balance, there are the battles with the well-crafted monsters and the new action map that accompanies it is awesome. The underwater battle system is very unique to me. It’s a bit of a shame that this game is on the Wii -– the image quality (especially the text) aren’t the best. I’m glad it was easy to control using the remote.

 

The single-player mode has interesting dialogue with the other villagers and a good implementation of the quests. There were parts in the scenario where I laughed, and others where I was touched. I’m glad.

 

On the other hand, even though you have to pay to play online, it’s incredibly restrictive.

 

  • The limit for a village is 10 people.
  • You’re restricted to 15 characters when chatting, and when you’re preparing for a quest, the chat window disappears while a warning against cheating scrolls through.
  • The absurd typing conversion. (It looks like it’s using ATOK1, but actually it’s using what’s used in cell phones.)

 

1. ATOK: A Japanese language input editor, used to type Japanese. Stands for “Automatic Transfer of Kata-kanji.”

 

With things like this, forget about comparing this game with MHF, which uses a private network; it’s even worse than MHG on the Wii. Put simply, this one is the worst. After you clear the single-player mode, you have no choice but to continue playing online, although without any updates, the system’s not suited for being played for months on end.

 

You can finish it all in a month, so there’s enough content in the game for those who like to whiz through a game.

 

At Any Rate, the Controls are Hard! (4 stars)

 

This is my first MonHun. I’ve always liked those 3D Action & Adventure games where you can run around the open fields like in the 3D Legend of Zelda, and this game was a big hit. For these and other reasons, I thought that this game might be fun, so I bought it.

 

Their creation of the world was wonderful! It was truly a “world inhabited by monsters,” and it properly showed. On a SD monitor, I think the movies are extremely high quality. At first, I was all, “Come on, let’s go and hunt some monsters!!”

 

…But I can’t really control the player!

 

Leaving my items behind on the ground randomly was an everyday occurrence. I’d crouch for no reason whatsoever, and always I’d end up swinging my sword in the wrong direction. In The Legend of Zelda or Okami, I had no problems controlling the characters from the start and I was able to enjoy the game from start to finish, but this … how do I describe this game’s control scheme? It feels like it’s not very accommodating.

 

I’ve practiced in a safe area multiple times, but I never got to a point where I felt comfortable with the controls. Even then, I tried my best and continued playing, and over time I finally came to understand the fun this game holds. The increasingly difficult quests and the joy of finishing them, and the realistic behaviors of the creatures that make you think of all sorts of different ecosystems, the frighteningly huge monsters (the first time I met the enormous Lagiacrus in the ocean, I was filled with fear), compiling ingredients to strengthen the weapons, trying them out, and then strengthening them out even more… All of these things happen over and over again, and they’re part of what makes the game fun.

 

However!

 

I couldn’t get more than 60% comfortable with the player controls, so the whole time while I was playing, my enjoyment was warring with my irritation. Before I knew it, I didn’t feel up to playing the game anymore. My family also likes games a lot, but with this game, they only touched it a little before giving up, saying that, “I couldn’t really get the controls, so in the end I only ended up stressing out.”

 

This was the most unfortunate point of the game. If only they had made the character a little easier to control… I know we would’ve been able to immerse ourselves in the game more. I think that those able to get over the quirks of the controls and enjoy the game will find this game the best ever, but I myself couldn’t get that far. I don’t think this game is for those who just want to play casually and enjoy a game easily.

 

As for the online portion, I’m a “I can’t imagine myself wanting to play with others whom I don’t even know,” so I didn’t try it. If I’m correct, though, the online part is where the game’s true entertainment arises.

 

As I stated above, I dropped out because I couldn’t handle the control scheme, but there’s no question that this game is a very appealing game. Those who like it will probably fall all the way in love with it. I’m jealous…

 

Hmm … This is No Good… (3 stars)

 

I’m writing this after I’ve finished the game. There’s already a load of low-star comments, but…

 

First, the system. This game takes the good parts of previous games, like the management of your pack, the farm, the gunner’s pouch, etc. which are all very convenient. It was a little annoying, but Resource Points and trading items weren’t a bad idea either.

 

Now then. Personally, the first more detailed point of observation I’d like to make is the torch. It’s true that there are some bugs that come only in dark places, but there’s not really any other place you use this item, so having it monopolize one item space is surprisingly annoying. (Actually using it is fine though w)

 

Next is swimming. This is a new thing, and once you get used to it it’s incredibly fun. It’s just that fighting becomes a defensive battle because some annoying monsters when underwater. Lagi’s lightning, especially, knocked me out and screwed me over many times.

 

Then, there’s Chacha. It’s completely useless. Collecting items, attacking, consideration for the hunter… All of it is half-assed. If it’s going to be useful, then at least make it so that it can provoke monsters? The Felynes in the PSP game were good, so there are probably many players who played that that are disappointed with this.

 

And lastly, the monsters. Too few! They run out too easily! And there are too few quests for a completely new MH! The hardcore hunters already into the MH series will feel like they’re being underestimated. Of course, the number of equipment has dropped accordingly, causing the hunters’ individualities to be lost.

 

Oh, also, about the online portion. It’s hard to communicate on there! The stupid character conversion is enough to make you quit, and then there’s the limit to the number of characters you can input. You can only fit your main topic in there! Not having a chat as you play is unthinkable for an MMO.

 

Now that, that’s all, but first… The division of the stars go like this:

  1. The improvement in the convenience of the system.
  2. Giving personalities to each of the monsters.
  3. The new actions of the hunters.

…these three!

 

Not Enough Content (3 stars)

 

These are my thoughts after having played 400 hours. The “fun” rating2 is, of course, 5 stars because it’s MH.

 

2. Fun rating refers to the other star rating in Amazon, which is separate from the overall star rating. This rating isn’t included in the Amazon Curve.

 

I’ve played MHG, MH2, and MHP, and this is my fourth MH played. However, frankly, after playing it, I feel it’s as the title says. There’s less content than in the other games. I look forward to the distribution of new online quests, but…

 

After playing MH2 (dos) for over 1000 hours, I finally ran out of things to do and graduated from it, but with only 400 hours logged in on MH3, I find myself in the same situation. The reason for this is that there really is less to do.

 

Compared to previous games, as I’m sure others who write these reviews already know…

  • There are fewer boss monsters.
  • There are fewer weapons and armor to equip.
  • There are fewer classes of weapons.

I’ve used all the weapons available…

 

Also, personally,

  • The Color Symbols you get after completing various conditions is set to three.

 

As for the equipment… The high-level ones become G-level, but the lower ranking ones don’t look any different from the high-level ones at all. Because of this, I don’t get any sense of accomplishment when I create my equipment after finally climbing up to a high level. This was changed in dos, so I had my hopes up. I was disappointed.

 

I’ve only stated points against the game, so here are some good points:

  • There are more water fields.

Controls in the water at first were confusing, but the novelty of it was great.

  • The frames in the equipment screen have increased, making it easier to get the skills you want.

Those new to the series will have to know that suppressing the giant monsters grants an immense amount of satisfaction, so I can recommend the game to them.

 

Of course, what I recommend is the online play. You can accept high-level quests, and make your own high-level equipment, and there’s a lot more boss monsters. I think there’s several times more content than there is offline. There’s no improvement in the chat system from previous games, so it’s hard to communicate without a keyboard. If you had a keyboard, it’d be much easier.

 

Because this is on the Wii and thus the average age of the players is lower, there are more people with bad manners online, which bothered me. That’s only a personal opinion, though…

 

There may be some people who think that 400 hours is more than enough content, but in the end this is my opinion as a fan of MH who is comparing this game with previous ones. It’s best to read this review while taking that into consideration.

 

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Honestly, My Expectations Weren’t Met (3 stars)

 

Hoping that Tri, which is in a whole new world, would have as much content as P2G and Frontier (depending on whether you include the sub-species…) is a bit of an impossible wish, but…

 

There’s a huge decrease in the number of monsters, weapons, armor, and parts for making the character, and there’s no change between equipment in the low and high ranks. On top of that, the offline mode has only low-ranking equipment, and you can only start off with the slash attack and the great sword. Then there’s the fact that Chacha (your partner) only appears halfway through the offline play, that the weapons in offline mode all look derived, that the online chat system has degraded, etc.

 

Looking at all this, I seriously have doubts that Capcom had put this game out with pride. The underwater fighting and the actions of the monsters are mostly the same, which take away from the fun. The graphics are also a little blurry.

 

And besides, why is this on the Wii? I tried playing with the remote, but it’s not fun at all. Personally, I don’t want MonHun to appear on the Wii (rather, anything Nintendo) again. What a waste of a long-awaited Monster Hunter.

 

I Appreciate the Effort, but Too Much was Cut Out (2 stars)

 

I’ve played MonHun F, the PSP series, dos (offline). First, the things I thought were good.

 

  • Traveling underwater (not the fighting)
  • Easy-to-find Resource points
  • BGM
  • The few new actions
  • One new weapon type
  • You only need armor spheres to upgrade armor
  • A few other new additions

 

I like being underwater, so I felt great swimming around. However, to be truthful, the controls are hard.

 

When you come to a Resource Point, a “?” appears. Sometimes, they’re blended into the background, so the mark helps.

 

Problems:

  • There’s a large decrease in weapons. (I liked dual swords, bow, gun lance, and the horn.)
  • I don’t understand what’s going on in underwater battles at all. (Not being able to independently control the Z-axis was a problem.)
  • Poor image quality.
  • The new control system is stressful (whether it’s with the classical controller or the remote).
  • You always have to keep an eye on the battery levels of the remote. (I can’t play unless I buy more batteries.)

 

Even there’s a USB port, it doesn’t look like you can connect PS2 controllers…

  • There’s no old-fashioned dragons? No giant dragons like Lao3 either?
  • Online fees (I know it’s a must, but I can hope…)

 

I played Frontier in a net café for free, I think…

If I’m wrong, sorry. (I’ve stopped playing it.)

  • The complex bowgun
  • Using the remote for every single thing when going through the monster list

 

I always thought that the B button would be the trigger on the remote. Why isn’t it? I don’t know.

 

3. [Translator’s note: If you’ve never seen Lao Shan Lung from the older games, it’s worth looking up videos just to appreciate how big it is… I feel like they’re as large…no, larger than the colossi in SotC…]

 

It’s true that when I was going after the monsters, I felt excited. Especially with the new monsters. But my favorite weapons were missing (like the gun lance). When I realized this after I bought it, I regretted it.

 

As I wrote in the title, I appreciate their effort. I felt great swimming in the water. That’s the only reason I gave the game two stars instead of one. It’s not enough for three, though. They may as well redo P2G, at this rate. This whole thing is cruel, in a way. Also, I would like them to do this on another console.

 

The Newest Installation is a Degradation (2 stars)

 

At any rate, I’ve played this game, so here’s my review.

 

[Graphics]

Clearly dirty. This game is on the Wii – even though this is the new-generation system with the least performance ability, it still far surpasses that of the PS2 and PSP. With the graphics the game has, the creators clearly got careless.

 

[Avatar]

There are much fewer options for hair and face designs than before, and it all looks blurry online. There are many games that allow you to create your own character thoroughly such as Demon Soul and Oblivion, so this must be carelessness again.

 

[Decrease in equipment]

I don’t get it. Why are there fewer in a newer installment?

 

[Fee]

In our current age, there are countless online games on the PS3 and internet that are free (and fun). They’re just milking extra money out of us with this.

 

[Release on the Wii]

You can’t add new content with the Wii, and you can’t even clumsily fix it with a patch (if you must). I’m not a believer of the PS3 or anything, but I still feel this should have been made for the PS3.

 

[Various modifications]

The collision detection and the easy usage of the bags, as well as other small details, are all modified for the better. Chasing after a monster is also fun. However, before doing these, they should have focused on working on the above weaknesses.

 

[Overall]

It’s not boring, no. However, that’s not saying it’s good either. Admit it; after advertising it so much, making it like this would only make fans angry. If you’re going to play this for the wii, then you may as well play F on the PC. I sold this game immediately and went back to Frontier.

 

It’s Not For the Users this Game is Aimed Towards (1 star)

 

I bought the SP pack4, but I want to focus solely on the game in this review.

 

4. SP pack came with the pretty black Wii.

 

My playing environment: 37” TV, liquid crystal full HD, D4 connection, optical (communication). The graphics were horribly fuzzy. Because the SD is transformed to HD, it feels very blurry overall. The words also blurred together. It didn’t display clearly at all. They were around the level of a PS2 game, probably.

 

The game is also lacking content. There isn’t a trace of the sub-species or rare species that appeared in MHP2G. Simply put, the numbers were cut (in normal mode, at least). Also, many types of weapons that you could use in previous games –- dual swords, gun lance, hunting horn, and bow -– were all removed. The gathering place, the village, can’t be accessed unless you’re online either. There’s also no G level.

 

Personally, the worst change was the online chatting system.

  • There’s a limit to the number of characters you can enter. (You can type only one line.)
  • Converting to kanji is unbelievably difficult.
  • Even if others message you, you can’t automatically see it. (You have to manually press a button twice.)
  • Once you finish a quest, you instantly lose the ability to chat or read messages.

It’s extremely hard to use the online system with it like this.

 

As for manners, it seems that not greeting others is a pre-requisite. The parasites just post what items they want. And then they go crazy with the great sword5 and swear. Please be careful so that you don’t play with delinquents. I suggest playing with your real-life friends, recruiting from the BBS, or playing late at night.

 

5. This is a problem because MH3 has friendly fire.

 

MHP2MHP2G (with ad-hoc) → MHF.

 

After playing the above games in this order before arriving at MH3, it’s too bad that the newest game turned out this way. I hope that the next one will be on an HD system!


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Author
Laura
Former Siliconera staff writer and fan of Japanese games like JRPGs and Final Fantasy entries.