the most refined installment of the series makes losing yourself for hours conquering the toughest beasts a blast.
These creatures can kill you in just a single blow, if you aren't experienced, and don't come properly equipped with the right gear. The gear, this game is not a standard RPG in the sense that you level up from killing things. No, rather, you become more powerful by gathering the right materials out in the wild, and by carving up the carcasses of the dead monsters you defeat in order to forge more powerful weapons and armor for battle. To go with that, there really is no substitute for the knowledge and practice you get from conquering endless foes along the way. A savvy hunter with sharp reflexes won't need the best gear to defeat a monster. But if your skills aren't as sharp, battles are often won and lost before you ever square off against a monster.
Preparing yourself with potions and stat boosters is key. You'll spend a lot of time foraging for the proper ingredients to make these helpful items. That can be a calm, relaxing alternative to the tense, dangerous battles and you may enjoy the tranquility of the environments as you do your business. However, others may just find it to be a lot of busy work, and a big waste of time. Both schools of thought are correct, depending on how you look at it. Another thing with two contradictory ways to look at it is the item drop system. When you kill a monster you can carve its body up a few times to receive a few items that can be sold or made into new things. Also, completing the missions to kill these beasts gives you more monster related parts that can be sold or forged. Makes sense, however, there is almost always one item you will always need that has a very low drop rate, forcing you to do the same battles over and over again, perhaps even dozens of times. Which weighs on even the most patient person when the missions can often be over 30 minutes long. That's the age old Japanese RPG formula at work. Another way to look at it is, all the battles you embark on to get that rare loot will ultimately shape the player into a cold calculated killing machine, efficient and mistake free. That's all well and good, but that all wraps up into one of two of this games only real flaws.
it takes TIME. You may play for hours and not be far from where you started. Though, don't be misled, the satisfaction you get from conquering new creatures or obtaining that new weapon or armor is VERY satisfying. The other flaw, is that this game really is hardly different from previous versions. This games has remained very similar over the last 8 or so years. That being said, this IS the best, most refined version to date.
The visuals and sound design are top notch for what the Wii is capable of. every environment has gorgeous detail, top to bottom. Everywhere you look you can find more scenery in the distance, giving the impression that the land is a whole lot bigger. locations are decorated to be believable, youll find specific features for certain areas, specific to the monsters that dwell in the areas of the region. Monsters make incredibly believable sounds that have the fierce, threatening impact that they should. environments have all kinds of subtle noises to bring everything to life. in spending time roaming the environments for resources and materials to aid your missions, its easy to feel immersed in this made up world.
ONLINE PLAY- finally now monster hunter is online and players can team up with each other from anywhere in the world. It is even more fun playing in groups of four to massacre giant monsters together. You will need them too, because online, monsters have increased health, about twice as much. Which makes the battles tough to play by yourself, so good teamwork is a high priority. Online, the games mission structure progresses the same way the single player does, however, once you conquer all that, even MORE missions become available. You get even more difficult monsters to face, and much stronger gear to acquire. It's a shame that some of the beasts you face are online only though, because if you can't find the right people to play with, they can be too much for just one person. Once the online community diminishes, these online only missions wont be so easy to enjoy. Playing the easier version in single player would've been welcome.
It's a fantastic game, and one of the Wii's best, as well as one of the best games in recent memory. You may very well sink a few hundred hours into this game just to get the best loot and see all it has to offer. Anyone who considers themselves to be a serious gamer, and a fan of adventure, RPGs, action, and challenges simply MUST give this game a serious shot.