Monster Hunter Frontier G - Coming to PS3 and Wii U in Japan

While I don't believe that this version of Monster Hunter will ever leave Japan, its nice to see PS3 and Wii U getting in on the action with this version of the game.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Maxi Geek Review

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Review

Monster Hunter is one of those games that has yet to find a foothold outside of Japan, and I for one cannot understand why. If you put the effort in your presented with a game with so much content that you will have a hard time deciding what to do in the game.

Gameplay

Monster Hunter can be described as a single player MMO. But of course you can play online with friends, so it’s not locked to one person. You start the game with minimal gear and are thrown into the world. As you progress into the world you earn money and can upgrade your gear and take down stronger monsters. Taking down monsters, while at the heart of the game, is not the only thing to do.

You are free to enter the world at any time and hunt monsters, scavenge for plants and other odd bits to help make yourself ready for when you take on a quest. That makes up the bulk of the money making options, quest range from gathering a few mushrooms, to taking down or capturing some extremely crazy large monsters.

The game gives you all the tools you need in order to complete any quest your given, but the problem is that it kind of throws you into the deep end and hopes you know what to do.  Its not hard to make your way around the world, but knowing what you need to make a flash bomb, or a pitfall trap is enough to send your mind reeling. Each of the things you need to know is buried in the games in build guides or menus, but locating exactly what you need is not easy.

Graphics

If you were not aware Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is an upgraded port of the Wii release from a few years back. And while the Wii U version is now in HD, you can clearly see that the textures are only slightly higher resolution. This does not make the game ugly, not by a long shot, the game is beautiful. And most of that comes from the amazing designs done by the team. Monsters look surreal, and even the town you start from looks great.

Your armor and weapons take upon such details when you start getting into the world of imbuing them with bones and scales from your kills. Running around with a sword that looks like a peacock is quite funny, but at the same time, it might be the strongest weapon you could ever get.

While the overall quality of the graphics won’t wow you, the quality of the design easily should.

Sound

The monsters in this game sounds great. The first time you come across the largest version of the small Jaggi that you will have spent loads of time kills makes you realize that the designers have taken that familiar sound and turned it up to 11.

Just as the monsters draw you in, the score will also make you stand still with awe. When you first enter any new region you are treated to a sample of the music that you will hear as you explore every corner of that region, and I for one could not wait to get into more, just to hear that music.

Final Thoughts

While the game is a HD port of a Wii game, the extra effort take by Capcom has proven that they were not in this for a quick buck. Extra content and refined features mean that its worth your money, even if its just for a long weekend rental.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Whats New?

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Review

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Battle Trailer

Limited Edition Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Bundles Announced for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS‏

15th February 2013 - Limited edition bundles featuring Capcom®’s Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate will be coming to Wii U™ and Nintendo 3DS™ XL in Australia and New Zealand on March 23rd. The Wii U Limited Edition Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Premium Pack not only features a black Wii U console with 32GB of storage*, but also a black Wii U Pro Controller and a copy of the game. The Nintendo 3DS XL Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Limited Edition Pack, meanwhile, comes with the game pre-installed on a black Nintendo 3DS XL – a brand new hardware colour for the handheld system.

The world of Monster Hunter™ can be experienced alone or in local multiplayer for up to four players on Nintendo 3DS, while Wii U players will be able to form hunting parties of up to four players online – or enjoy the hunt with Nintendo 3DS players via a local wireless connection. A demo will be available for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions via Nintendo eShop shortly before release.

The Nintendo 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro for Nintendo 3DS XL, which offers an alternative control method for players of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and other selected Nintendo 3DS titles, will be also be launching in Australia and New Zealand on the 23rd of March, in addition to a Wii LAN Adapter which can be used to connect Wii or Wii U to a wired home network. Wii LAN Adapter will be available at retail and from Nintendo Australia customer service. 

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Australian Release

18th January 2013 – Nintendo and Capcom® today announce that Monster Hunter™ 3 Ultimate will launch exclusively on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in Australia and New Zealand on the 23rd March 2013. Both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS version will be available in stores and as a digital download via Nintendo eShop. Anyone eager to experience a slice of the unique gameplay the series is famous for will be able to get their hands on a free demo for each version through Nintendo eShop from 21st of February.

Players who own both versions will be able to transfer their own personal save data from the Wii U version to their copy on Nintendo 3DS, and vice versa, ensuring a seamless continuation from the HD experience at home to hunting on the go in immersive 3D.

The world of Monster Hunter™ can be experienced alone or in local multiplayer for up to four players on Nintendo 3DS, while Wii U players will be able to form hunting parties of up to four players online or enjoy the hunt with Nintendo 3DS players via a local wireless connection. Wii U owners will also be able to make use of the built-in GamePad microphone to chat with their online hunting party.

Those Wii U and Nintendo 3DS owners who are perhaps not familiar with the Monster Hunter series will be able to try Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate via a free demo that will be available for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions on the 21st February via Nintendo eShop. Featuring one Beginner and one Advanced single-player quest, the demos let players choose from 12 weapons as they gear up to tackle Lagombi and Plesioth.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, the biggest Monster Hunter title yet, launches in Australia and New Zealand on the 23rd March, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.