Monster Hunter Tri -Wii

Review by mailtoad2

"2010, the year for the hardcore Nintendo fan, has begun!"
I'm gonna come right out and say it: Monster Hunter Tri is a great game, no, an outstanding game. It excels in practically every field - the gameplay feels smooth, the graphics are beautiful, and it is well-presented. You'd be hard pressed to find a better game.

Presentation: The areas are nicely varied - even in just one map you can find a sea, a forest, and a valley - all pretty impressive. The menus are nicely done, and the thumbnails of each item is a nice little throw back to the 8-Bit generation. The variety between the different species of beasts is astounding, one minute, you are slaying a mild Aptonoth, the next, you find yourself faced with killing the Lagiacrus. One major drawback is loading times - I found that they just got in the way, and one many occasions, they were more than noticeable. This is only a minor drawback, but it does affect the fluidity that the game attempts to introduce. Presentation: 8.9/10

Graphics: Very charming, and very realistic, probably the best realistic graphics on the Wii at the moment. The cut-scenes are beautiful, and the scenery is filled with beauty - in this case, it is nice not to have those niche graphics that feel so at home on Nintendo's console. It's all fantastic when out in the field, but when returning to Moga Village, the frame rate appears to drop a little, making things look ever so slightly blurred. Graphics: 9.4/10

Sound: When wandering around the environments, sound isn't all that noticeable, and is ever so slightly underwhelming. The music does seem to pick up during boss battles, but even then it doesn't feature as prominently as I would have liked. The various sound effects created by the monsters throughout the game work well, as do the various calls, but unfortunately, they are not good enough to make up for the lack of any form of decent background music. Sound: 8.2/10

Control: The controls are tight, and work well, especially when using the Classic Controller Pro. It is a shame however, that you always have to use the WiiMote when registering creatures into your logbook. As for the use of buttons, it all feels very natural, with your thumbs automatically reaching for the attack button within minutes of playing the game. Camera control works well, and overall, the controls manage to pull of something rather fantastic. Controls: 10/10

Gameplay: This is definitely the most important section, and thankfully, Monster Hunter Tri doesn't disappoint in the gameplay department. It is a rewarding game, if you put the effort into it, and after collecting materials so that you can finally upgrade your weapon into something that looks super-cool, you feel an amazing sense of achievement. The fact that you can just stroll into Moga Forest whenever makes it all very fluid, but it does point out the obvious flaw - that with any other region, you have to be on a quest to access them, which is a shame. I personally got fed up of killing ten Barioth simply because I wanted a Gluebug so that I could upgrade my weapon. Gameplay: 9.2/10

Lasting Appeal: There is a LOT to do in MH3, and it will take you hours to complete it all. A major point for Monster Hunter Tri is that it has a unique set of missions in online mode - which should keep you hooked for a very long time. Lasting Appeal: 9.6/10

Overall: Monster Hunter Tri, is great. Everything, sound aside, is of an extremely high standard, so credit to Capcom is all I can say. Overall: 9.2/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/10

Game Release: Monster Hunter Tri (Classic Controller Pro Pack) (EU, 04/23/10)

source: http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/943655-monster-hunter-tri/reviews/review-141619