With a plethora of installments in the franchise and a fair amount of Monster Hunter Tri renditions and ports, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (MH3U) makes a lot of improvements on what has plagued some of the games in the series before it and makes leaps and bounds for the 3DS controls and refines gameplay. Not only does this game have hundreds of hours of content available, but those hours feel well spent and rewarding for the majority of it with its RPG nature and skill based gameplay.
One of the most interesting things that I noticed first about this particular game in my searching is the cross-platforming between the 3DS version and the Wii U; the only difference being HD graphics on the Wii U version. And that certainly isn't to say that MH3U on the 3DS isn't beautiful: the 3D effect works brilliantly on your player and surrounding monsters and environments. What this does say about the game, however, is that its quality is nearly identical to a home console version, and it certainly shows that while playing and traversing the world. Camera controls fairly easy with touchscreen functionality available for players to actual see these environments and uses the "L" button to normally lock it in front of your hunter. My favorite use of the camera is causing tapping "L" to lock onto any large monster in the immediate area with a touchscreen button, and double tapping "L" to once again lock the camera in front of you.
The core system for MH3U is set around quest oriented game play: you choose a quest, prepare for it, and hunt down monsters that get progressively tougher as you continue down this seemingly endless slope. This is fairly simplistic, and gives player a good pace setter since quests generally take 15 to 30 minutes and can be done on the go if you have some free time. One thing that does stand out about this from other, similar RPG games though (like the Phantasy Star series) is the surprising lack of leveling and the emphasis on knowing your enemy and knowing your own abilities. Rather than allow for players to level up by gaining experience from slashing things to death and through that equip stronger equipment, players are forced to craft new armor and weapons as the central form of leveling up. One which, I might add, is very cryptic at times since after the first few tutorials you are left on your own to determine where certain resources you need may be located and how they might be gathered. Need Ice Stone for a new Greatsword or Spear? The tundra would probably be a good place to start, but even then locations for mining vary from materials potentially gained in its place. The "A" button serves as the action command for gathering these ores, along with catching bugs, and even carving materials from monsters (which is enjoyable to watch as your hunter sticks a dagger into a monster carcass).
In this fashion, the game draws on your own knowledge of the world without many handicaps and crutches (not any more that is needed, anyways). The variety of weapons also keeps things interesting, since each weapon has its own play style. Through my earlier missions, I quickly learned to use weapons based on what resources I could gather (some which would only be unlocked after the main campaign), and the game generously starts you out with one copy each of the 12 weapons to test and upgrade. I was frustrated at first when I started to try to level up my gear and was unable to gather certain materials, but it forced me to try new weapons I probably wouldn't have touched and gives you a greater scope of which weapons work better for specific monsters. For melee weapons, "X" and "A" function as attacks and secondary attacks, with "R" being each weapon's special attack/stance. Each weapon varies, and ranged weapons allows hunters to use a variety of bullets and coatings for their ammunition (although I haven't tried many for myself and am unsure how in depth this system goes). Additionally, weapon and armor bonuses can be viewed from your status screen, but again hunters will need to deduce what these skills do and how much of a stat will actually influence combat. Not everyone will like this built in "cap" and semi-cryptic design, but I think it adds much more to MH3U's complexity than it may detract. Even similar to very difficult games like "Dark Souls", the game relies on you, the player, to grasp the game and play it for what it's worth.
Another aspect about this game I mentioned in brief are the environments and features from the main town: new areas are unlocked as you conquer story based quests and each has its own monsters, materials, and gimmicks. Knowing your surroundings is important, or you could find yourself dying rather quickly to monsters and the climate. Hot and Cold drinks can help you withstand extreme climates, and are necessary if you are in arid or freezing environments. The main story/plot will guide you through these various environments (including a desert, tundra, and volcano), and the storyline for MH3U surely isn't incredible but it suffices since the main focus is obviously on the monsters and gameplay. Essentially, you're attempting to save Moga Village from the Lagiacrus by becoming strong enough to successfully take it out. Hunters can also eat a meal in the central, hub village before each quest to level up health, stamina, attack, or defense with additional buffs, and grow/harvest new materials in the farm built onto the town. These features are easy to understand, and help with building/advancing the town and surviving quests (although only slightly). The game also features a free roaming environment for gathering town resources through killing monsters outside of quests: which can be used for villager requests to build new items or town additions. Although it may seem more of an attempted add on to allow for free roaming, this type of gameplay is required for parts of the story and getting better advantages from your farm and newly added partners (and yes, this game does provide you with help in the form of two AI). These partner AI function well, and certainly helps with the difficulty of monsters since much of the time they are simply meat shields for you and no cooperative play is available for this portion of the game. This leads into the main draw, and disappointment (for me), of MH3U: multiplayer.
A new addition to MH3U from the previous Monster Hunter Tri renditions is a altered multiplayer village that has been crafted with new features, shops, and quests: some which are DLC and completely free to download (kudos to Capcom for that). Streetpass also works within MH3U and allows hunters you pass on the street to become part of your world and go on quests to slay monsters for you: requiring you to pay money to them and receiving the loot from the quests they undertake. This is a neat part of the multiplayer village and helps you bypass time when your friends are not right next to you to play MH3U... since the game only features local multiplayer. A HUGE disappointment for such a great game and evidently cooperative minded, not having multiplayer over Wi-fi forces you to have friends nearby that can help you on some of the BRUTALLY hard DLC quests later on. This is a fairly poor decision on Capcom's side to not have this, but even so I think the rest of the game makes up for it. Without knowing how good servers would have functioned, it may have even been a smart decision, and with Monster Hunter 4 finally having these portable, online capabilities (exclusively on the 3DS as well) I think an exception can be made here (for now).
In conclusion, I think of MH3U as the 2013 3DS game of the year based on its incredible combat, beautiful graphics (for the 3DS), and its vastness for playability. If you own a 3DS and like RPGs in any capacity, you should definitely check this title out as it pushes the system to its limits while pushing your abilities as a gamer too.
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Product information
| Publication Date | March 19, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Computer Platform | Nintendo 3DS |
| Global Trade Identification Number | 00013388305100, 00041113914648 |
| UPC | 012302143873 041113914648 132017948102 133883051002 013388305100 072090785136 163120660032 012303670910 021111214230 |
| Compatible Video Game Console Models | Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii U |
| ASIN | B009B1D7JK |
| Release date | March 19, 2013 |
| Customer Reviews |
4.6 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #30,987 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games) #201 in Nintendo 3DS & 2DS Games |
| Product Dimensions | 5 x 5 x 1 inches; 2.4 ounces |
| Type of item | Video Game |
| Rated | Teen |
| Item model number | 30510 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Weight | 2.4 ounces |
| Manufacturer | Capcom USA |
| Date First Available | September 14, 2012 |
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Elated and Slightly Confused!
So, I got a used version of this from Franko's Games. It was wrapped in a paper towel and stuffed in an orange envelope. Possibly the weirdest part is that next to it in the paper towel was this nightmare inducing possibly bootleg lickitung toy. I really don't know what to say about it. Either way, very happy with my purchase and I will cherish this lickitung forever.
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2014Platform For Display: Nintendo 3DSVerified Purchase
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valeReviewed in Italy on July 4, 2014
L acquisto non è andato in porto...
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betoshioReviewed in Mexico on November 20, 2018
Excelente
Platform For Display: Nintendo 3DSVerified Purchase
