So! I have been playing this game since before I even had a DS...on the PS2. But back to the game at hand...this game has had me addicted for HOURS A DAY just trying to craft that next piece of armor! Yeah it is that addicting! Now rather than get ahead of myself and just lose people that have never played this game I will break it down more for you guys. So now that I am calm and centered...as well as having defeated another Azure Rathalos...I am ready to tell you about Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate(MH3U for short).
Before you buy this game let me tell you that this game has the basic story...and it fits the name quite nicely. You create your character and choose different colors,faces,and hair styles as well as give them a name. After you have created your character you are taken to a cutscene of a peaceful village about to be shaken by an earthquake. That's when you come in! The village chief is convinced this is because of a monster and it is your job to go out hunting other monsters in order to prepare to defeat that monster! Pretty straight forward and bland right? But that's not where this game shines though.
This game shines most in the intense battles you go through to hunt down big monsters. The first few quests are alright...they don't provide much of a challenge and are meant to show you how to control your character...but when you get to the big monsters...that's when things get real! Skill,timing,memorising monster actions before an attack,weapon element,element resistance,and even your skill build(explain this later I shall) will come into play! Whew...that was quite a bit to type up but the point is that this game is complex and in order for you to take down those bigger than life monsters you will need to be on your game! At least when it comes to timing your dodges and blocks!
The combat is basic hack and slash with timing being key to dodging and blocking as well as knowing what areas to attack. Certain parts of a monster require certain sharpness level(red(damaged),yellow,green,blue,white,purple) to effectively damage! If you don't meet that sharpness level your attack will just bounce off every once in a while! You can get certain items only by breaking or slicing off certain parts of a monster so you will have to do that before killing it! But the combat always requires that you be attentive to the monster as well as your surroundings and making the best use out of items when you see an opening! If you use a sharpening stone too soon the monster will knock you over damaging you in the process(the item doesn't disappear though). If you need to use a potion it's best to run away and get the potion on you then get back into the fight!
Maps are pretty repetitive at times. It isn't a big open world like World of Warcraft but that's the whole point! The maps are sometimes large and sometimes small but they are each separated into different areas that each have multiple ways of getting to! Remembering these shortcuts is key to tracking down and chasing down a monster before it has time to heal(yes they heal by eating). Some maps are fairly huge though and require quite a few playthroughs to get the hang of them! Taking a few paintballs to throw at a monster will show them on your map for a bit to make things easier. Still good to know how to get around though!
Online playability...this is where it messed up. The only way to play online is if you have a Wii U with online capabilities or if you have the Wii U version. That means that for the rest of us saps we have to play solo or find a few local buddies to join us in LAN play. This isn't much of a problem once you get the hang of the games controls and mechanics(a circle pad pro makes things easier) since everything is soloable for the most part. But having a friend around just makes things so much easier and more entertaining! This game is amazing don't get me wrong but online play would have really made this game that much more awesome!
Crafting. This is where the games gets addictive! Every time you defeat a monster you are allowed to "carve" the monster and take parts of it back to the city. The blacksmith can then use these parts to craft armor or weapons that resemble the monsters likeness and give you bonuses(called skill points). Now to explain what skill points are. Skill points affect your characters ability to do certain things such as shoot arrows with less chance to miss,increase elemental attacks,increase elemental resistance,increase attack/defense,etc. These skills will determine how good your character is against certain monsters as well as how effective they are in combat. Upon reaching 10,15,and 20 skill points your character will receive a buff(Small,Medium,Large) that adds damage/health/defense/etc. value to your stats. So you will be crafting multiple armor sets and decorations to inlay into the sockets in order for you to get the best out of your hunter!
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is by far an excellent game that many of us gamers should have in their lives! If you don't believe me I'll include a video so you can see a bit of the action before reaching a decision! I've also included the links for those of you that have an amazon account(or like to order online) so you can get the 3DS or Wii U versions as well as a circle pad pro for the 3ds to increase your maneuverability and camera control!
