Monster Hunter Tri: First Impressions

This is going to be my very first "first impressions". What I will do for new games that I play is write what my first thoughts are about the game. This could be for any game that I play. I will try to play at least 2 or 3 hours in order to get a true first impressions, so don't think of this as a review but a warm-up review for what the game has in store for me or the player.

Capcom's Monster Hunter series has been around for six years now. Although it's not the most popular series in the U.S, it does have a small cult following. In Japan, it usually sells pretty well. There have been three Playstation 2 games and three on the Playstion Portable. So bringing such a well established franchise to a Nintendo console, is a huge change, one that makes many die-hard fans of the series, upset. While it was originally planned for Playstation 3, it was changed to the Wii due to developement costs.

Something that has not done before, Capcom has decided to release a demo for the game, in the attempt to bring in new players for the franchise. This is a huge advantage for the title and seems to be a very intelligent move by the company.


As a new person to the franchise, this will be written from the point of view of someone that has no prior knowledge of the series or how it works. Just from the demo, I can conclude that it was made to help people get into this franchise.

The demo only contains two quests, each quest being only 20 min long. It's just enough time to kill the monster for each quest. In order to explode, it seems you need to take a time to focus on exploring the controls, the huge map and the combat system.

First thing that shows up is a screen telling you that this is only a demo, so certain things might be changed and bugs will be worked out before the official launch which is on April 20th. Next is the control scheme that asks if you want to use the Wiimote and nun-chuck scheme or the Classic Controller. I did not have a Classic controller but I will be getting one that comes with the game.

The basic controls work around the Wiimote and nun-chuck combination pretty well. Though each weapon has different alterations, it works pretty well. For example, the Sword and Shield combination is different than the hammer because when you twist the wiimote, it changes the kind of swing that you do like horizontal or the combo that you can do with that weapon. While the hammer has a side smash and a regular smash. When not holding a weapon, pushing c will center the camera,Z will dash, + will unsheathe your weapon, - will kick, and 1 will use the item that shows up. Sounds complicated, but it seems pretty easy once you get used to it. The Classic controller looks like it will be the preferred choice by many due to it's setup like the Playstation Portable controls and it's much simpler control scheme.

There are eight different types of weapons in this game. Sword and Shield, Great Sword, Hammer, Bowgun, Lance, Switch Axe, and Long Sword. Each weapon has it's own advantages and disadvantages. Sword and Shield maybe be faster than the Hammer, but the Hammer does pack a punch. There are also three types of Bowguns, Light, Medium, and Heavy. There are also two different versions of the Switch axe that could fill pages of explanation of the differences.

The Wii has never been known for their breathtaking visuals but this game changes my mind. There is little that looks as good as when you look over a cliff at the scenary around you. All I can say is no picture does the game justice.

Like was mentioned before, the game only gives 20 minutes to explore and kill the monster, though you can end the quest at any time and focus on other things like exploring, fishing, swimming or practice the different weapons.

This demo seems to give a pretty good idea of what to expect in the final version but it is missing a lot of the aspects that the series have been known for like the combat and exploration. This well worth the trip to your nearest Gamestop to pick up the demo for free.

Its a decent demo i geuse iv never played any of theese games before, i geuse its cool to bring a good series to the wii. It gets annoying for wii only players when great games only come out for the ps3 or 360. like ff13 and mw2. I wish i had enough money to get a ps3

Modern Warfare 2 is not good....CoD4 was way better

yeah.. i mainly want to play the campaign and offline multiplayer isnt that bad. Do you prefer playing cod on wii or ps3/ 360?

I played most of the campaign and online multiplayer of MW2 and I didn't like it at all. I hated the blood splatter when you take damage because you can't see anything. I haven't played CoD4 so I can't say which I like better but I really like Reflex.

I actually just got the demo, been messing around a bit. The game looks like it has a ton of potential. I was kinda bummed out at no GCN controller support, but whatever.
Im still kinda getting used to the slow attack animations. I chose the ninja looking guy with the katana and I assumed his attacks would be fast but....... no.

Anyway so far I really like the game, it kinda feels like an MMO with the loot collecting, UI and such.

EDIT:
After playing more [longsword of course] I discovered that theres a lot more to combat then hacking away until you die. As longsword there are multiple combos you can do on enemies, as well as the obvious things like dodging. I finally managed to beat the 3 star mission [damn bird summoned the dinosaur dude]. I really like the game though, lots of fun, cant wait till it comes out.

This game is very appealing in several different ways. However, I don't see myself playing it for anything other than the multiplayer. As much fun as it is battling with giant dinosaurs, doing it with friends is something I just know would feel perfectly natural. I forsee sessions where players could plan their groups and attack patterns, which would open up a cooperative aspect seldom seen in an action game. The visuals are amazing, the control would benefit from the classic scheme, the clases are varied, and the action is intense and trying.

If I didn't have only so much cash, this would be a definate purchase for me. Capcom's best efforts this generation can easily be found on the Wii.