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Time for me to slip off to bed, just like a good little boy should. I've left you with some wonderful Monster Hunter 3 impressions from Cort. He was lucky enough to attend the opening class at Monster Hunter 3 University. I'm so happy to see our Cort accepted into such a prestigious school! You read up on that while I head for the pillows and blankies. See you in a few, short hours.
So yesterday you got to read a bit about my surprise encounter with the "new" Phoenix Wright game(s) coming out on WiiWare while at an event hosted by Capcom. The primary focus of the event though, was to educate some of us media folk about their upcoming title, Monster Hunter Tri.
Not often do I see these events themed, especially not to the extent Capcom went for this: four classrooms fully bedecked in university paraphernalia like charts, chalkboards, etc., each with a four-seat computer lab (networked Wii systems); a mandatory lecture by the game's producer, Ryozo Tsujimoto; a cafeteria that served good food and wild booze combinations; even the staffers showed their school spirit by wearing professorial jackets, private school blazers, or adorable schoolgirl uniforms.
Many gaming events give away swag bags as you leave, but this time, everyone got a report card that needed a few passing grades from the class instructors before you could collect a bag, and in this case it was a genuine MH3 backpack filled with related school-going goodies. Being a Monster Hunter freshman, some education was definitely in order.
Let me just start with the big questions that still lack real answers, and I did press a few people to no avail. Just because I had a few drinks early on doesn't mean I was easily confused by PR mumbo-jumbo.
- Online/Pay to Play: undecided.
- WiiSpeak: undecided.
- Release date: unannounced.
The best response I got for the first two items might be of some consolation for those ready to jump ship; they are planning for the US release to have some significant differences and improvements from the Japanese release, not just a localised port. What exactly that means they wouldn't say, just a coy "You'll see...". I have a feeling the wisdom of the crowd may help influence the decisions of these oustanding issues because they want MH3 to succeed state-side, and I'm sure they'll have plenty of feedback since most gamers are not timid when it comes to speaking their minds.
During the "lecture" with Tsujimoto-san, he went through a number of details like new weapons (i.e. the switch-axe), having underwater levels for the first time, Wii-specific controls (waggle), multiplayer vs. single player, as well as some pointers for one of the monsters we'd be facing in the demo. Not much was revealed for the single player mode aside from the game starting in a small village vs. a larger town for non-solo experiences, and also that the single player game has a boogie-loving, mask-wielding sidekick named Cha-cha whose personality and abilities can change based on whatever mask he dons.
Yes the poster is blurry, but so is that Trigonometry class from years past. Must be recess time.
So what about the demo? The night's set-up was 4P multiplayer only, each Wii dev kit was wired by ethernet to a hub in each "classroom" (the single player and 2P split screen modes were not being shown).
For the first hour, all classes were conducting the same lesson, a quest for the team to find and defeat the Qurupeco, a giant bird whose howls mimic those of larger beasts, and it uses this skill to summon those other monsters to its aid, meaning it's in your best interest to silence the squawker asap. The other quests included a merciless T-rex-like bastard who pretty much dominated me time and again without effort, and a mostly underwater battle against an electrified leviathan which surprisingly didn't drown me.
Each station was equipped with one of the two control schemes: Wii remote and nunchuk, or the classic controller. Monster Hunter Tri has a pretty dizzying array of buttons and combinations—especially for a new player— and while I can appreciate the motion controls trying to simplify some of those with replacement gestures, I spent a total of five minutes with them before moving to a station with the classic controller, which I'd already tried and found perfectly suitable; classic is definitely the way to go for me. Not that the motion controls are bad, but they do feel gimmicky; a sentiment shared by pretty much everyone I saw, talked and played with. As a newcomer, it's much easier to figure out a game's controls by pressing buttons than guessing at random motions, so maybe a more experienced player could appreciate doing the hammer-tap gesture to attack, but not me, not yet. That said, aside from a few posters lining the classrooms to diagram the Wii remote configuration, we didn't really receive any instruction on what to do or how to play. Luckily the professors could help with the things I wasn't able to understand by trial and error, but in a timed demo, it limited my productivity. I raised my hand frequently.
Qurupeco whines for some assistance. Help arrives. Great.
Combat and crossing the maps felt a little slow to me (even after I figured out how to sheath a weapon and run) and the underwater portions were disorienting, but keep in mind I'm not even an amateur with this game's complex controls, inventories, etc. With some practice and hopefully a few tutorials or learning lessons, I could get a lot more out of it.
Visually, the game looks great. I think many of the released screenshots look better than the picture quality of the large-resolution LCD monitors we were using at close range; not exactly sure if the game was running in progressive scan or if it's just the nature of computer monitors and the Wii. Models and textures are both attractively created, the lighting appropriate and atmospheric...even underwater. When I wasn't fumbling with the controls, I saw some more skilled MH vets playing and in addition to seeing how a battle should look, I got to notice other details, such as monsters taking physical damage as the beatings were inflicted: gashes tear into their skin and one player even whacked off the tail of Lagiacrus, the underwater monster. Whether this hampered the creature's ability to swim I have no idea, but it looked very cool.
Lagiacrus gets his rave on. Taking the party ashore.
I'm pretty sure for a game that traditionally benefits from a multiplayer experience, developing a strategy for attacking the various monsters is essential, especially since they are made tougher than in solo mode. This means that communication is key for this game. Although we were technically playing "online", even sitting just feet apart didn't help us coordinate anything. Maybe that's due to being strangers, the DJ spinning college tunes too loud, or us trying to figure things out, but it was apparent that it was a free for all: people running around in the wrong area of the map, beating each other up instead of the objective monster, and certainly no offensive plan. In my random button experiments, I did manage to bring up a small window overlay in the HUD labelled "Chat", but I have no idea how it might be used, or how to use it. What it says to me is that this game absolutely needs a way for players to communicate, though with two handfuls of controller, typing anything might be out of the question. Maybe that means WiiSpeak is a necessity; maybe it means everyone wanting to go online with their friends better have a Skype account ready just in case.
Overall, I think the game will definitely be worthwhile and fill a gap that no other Wii game is yet filling. This is clearly a game aimed at enthusiasts, so Capcom would be very wise to listen to what the American enthusiasts are saying about the big factors that have not yet been decided or announced before releasing it here. So please, while I hope my humble observations have been helpful, your thoughts, concerns and impressions are just as important. —cortjezter
Story Feedback
:O
You know half of the GoNintendo community hates you now, right?
Anyway, the game sounds sweet, although since I'll be a n00b to the series if/when I buy this game too, it definitely does sound intimidating. The level of depth I've heard are present in Monster Hunter games sounds downright scary. And I really, really hope it uses WiiSpeak, since I haven't gotten any use out of mine, and won't until either this or The Grinder. Your discovery of the chat window gives me hope...
Do you know what the game is going to be rated as of now? M or T? And the reasons it would be rated as such other than say, "violence"?
I'm really interested in this game.
EDIT: BTW, the damage being shown on the enemies in battle sounds really awesome and it's an attention to detail that I think shows the developers were showing some care with the game...sure, it may end up being generic damage that starts looking the same on different enemies, but some damage affect(or effect?!) is better than none!
you mean the OTHER half of the community, right?
just being honest. the motion controls did feel pretty gimmicky; my definition of 'waggle'.
@coffeewithchess
not sure about the rating. i doubt that's been assigned yet. based on what i saw, i'd say T.
That's fine by me also, I just hope they don't put a unnecessary language in the game.
I agree that the enthusiasts are going to clamour for WiiSpeak support. If they want the support of the most enthusiastic ones, then they should listen to the people that are willing to pay a monthly fee, and share the cost of running a high-quality, deep online RPG experience with the Japanese players, too.
It still sounds like it is shaping up to be a great release. I'm happy to hear they may be improving the game for it's Western release.
The impressions sound great for those who are interested, though, but for me personally? I'll be sticking with the third party likes of M:TDB & SH:SM [this year] and RS2, EO2, FFCC:TCB, ARF, C:GoZ, FL etc. next year.
mhtri rely need free online play , no one will play otherwise
@Chosenoneknuckles
This is NOT an MMO. I repeat, NOT an MMO. If you love RPGs and reflex-based action with lots of strategy, you'll absolutely LOVE this game.
@Freeload
What in hell do you consider then? Never played a game in your life then? Menus fit perfectly with the game, Japanese have been playing like crazy without Wii Speak (knowing how to play, coordination isn't a problem at all), load times are actually helpful due to the map and don't hinder the experience, damage Is visible by blood spatters, precision strike needs knowledge and timing which makes it feel more rewarding than anything and gameplay is perfect. Seeing people that never played MH in their lives and not playing yourself certainly isn't the best way to analyze a game.
I also realize there may be some elitism surrounding this particular game (from what I've read). I recall griping about no lock-on and auto camera adjustment issues months ago and someone said that it's built this way because the hardcore Japan audience thinks lock-on and smart camera would dumb down the game. Well, since this is a new IP for North America, they may want to include such options as preferences (in my opinion).
Also, I hope there will be some DLC (new quests, tweaked quests, new weapons, monsters, etc) to extend gameplay beyond the disc content.
Its non-turn based and multiplayer focused [I'm aware there's offline single player, but that's hardy the focal or main point of the game], that screams MMO to me personally, bud. Can't really help it if gameplay footage of it bores the mostly single player in me as well.
It's more like a Zelda Multiplayer game than a MMO, if you ask me.
I'm sad about the waggle controls being gimmicky. I wanted to play the game using the Wiimote and if it DOES feel tacked on then I dunno what I should do :\
It may scream that to you, but your impression is inaccurate. Monster Hunter is neither a MMO or a RPG. Repeat, MH is not a RPG.
Monster Hunter is an action game. A boss arena action game to be more precise (just that the arena is a little larger and segmented into separate smaller areas). Its fundamentals, the combat system, the monster patterns... are all based upon the principles of action games. The only remotely RPG-like thing in the game is the weapon / equip forging and upgrading and ability system from those equips, that backs up the main game. But that is just additional support for the main base of the building, and the main base itself is based on action games.
There is no RPG experience to collect, no levels to increase that raise your stats, no vast worlds to explore, nothing of the sort. The only stats involved are those what your equips can give you, but these stats amount to very little in the end because the game is dependent almost wholly on your skill as a player. You will not be able to rely upon equipment or abilities to save you or allow you to progress (like in RPG's). In Monster Hunter, you can have the very best equips of the whole game and yet still be KO'd by any one hit from all the monsters in the higher ranks.
Equips and abilities (these are supportive abilities, like not being stunned when a monster screams) only give you a leg up, a tiny little helping hand in making you more efficient in killing. But at the end of the day, if your core skill leaves a lot to be desired those equips and abilities won't do much.
In all, Monster Hunter shares more similarities in mechanics / design principles with fighting games and scrolling boss arena games (Treasure games, even Capcoms Mega Man) than it does with any RPG or MMO. The true aim is to become as best as you possible be in your skill (like fighting games) whilst also accumulating lots of cool looking and functioning equips. The only difference is Monster Hunter slows down the pace (via weapon weight / drawn out animation frames) to force you be more cautious and employ more thought and strategy than those other action games do. To the extent that you need to pick your time extremely carefully to even replenish your health. Do it in the wrong place or at the wrong time (even a second off) and you find yourself KO'd rather than replenished.
So, those who are misinformed of the series, do not be expecting a MMO or RPG experience with the game. If you do so, you will likely end up disappointed when you finally pick it up. Now, if you want a hard as nails co-op action game that makes fighting games blush with regards to movesets and other action games blush with regards to longevity thanks to the forging, then be excited.
Play game online with friends and drop 1000, 5000 even 10 000 hours on it.
The good old days on PSO, I think I've done 14 000+ and I still have my file on the GCN memory cards. Still didn't hit lv200 but was fun.
This game would really help if they added wiispeak, free online, demo for Eastern market.
Outside of that, the two could not be more different, and one will find themselves slamming into a brick wall if they think they can take whatever they know of PSO (or any action-RPG, or indeed action game) into Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter is very much its own thing, there is nothing else quite like it (which is a good thing), and this is me speaking as a former PSO nut.
PSO and its sequels are simple (too simple) in comparison to the Monster Hunter series, a big reason for why I left behind that series for MH (and is now why with Phantasy Star Portable 2 the devs of that are trying to incorporate many features and designs of MH, to try and ape the same dependency on skill and challenge rather than mashing and grinding).
From the fantastic looking weapons to the incredibly believable animation of the creatures, this is the kind of game that will capture many people's imagination. I think these aspects will be enough to engage a casual player. Capcom has a huge opportunity with this one. Hopefully they don't waste it.
Really? I'm not too sure about that...
Even with Tri's more easy-going introduction (the past games threw you into the deep end from the off) it is still a very demanding game.
To even grasp the basics of the multiple systems, it can take the same amount of time to complete many other games released this gen.
In a generation where quick thrills and ADD-like entertainment is dominant, to then expect them to take to a game where...
- The pacing and animations are intentionally slow, to force cautious play and punish button mashing in all shapes and form (seriously, button mash = player KO in this series)
- Most actions if not timed right (even healing) can mean the difference between continuing and KO, and from the beginning you only need be hit a few times to fail
- The game doesn't once hold your hand, to the extent that you need to do your own targeting with all the weapons, as thankfully there is no lock-on of any sort
... that isn't really the sort of habitat to pull in certain players. Hey, hopefully it can but I'm not betting on it.
Thank you man. It is hard, really hard to show to people that this is neither PSO nor Devil May Cry. It can't have lock on, it isn't an MMO, and doesn't NEED voice chat. The comparison with pattern-based boss battles is perfect.
@schopaia
The problem is that the game is really hard, complex and unique. I can see it engaging gaming enthusiasts, but can't see it engaging the casual FPS crowd, even less the Wii Sports crowd. Most people are drawn to it, but, after trying playing it for 5 minutes, most give up. Its appeal is quite limited. The ones that keep playing, though, become huge fans. You can see in any forum that MH players really love the franchise in an incredible level.
I believe everyone MUST try, and with the help of someone who knows how to play (the biggest reason why it became so huge in Japan). Many would fall in love with it, and keep striving to get better and to help other people learning.
PS: I played the first MH. The game teaches you basic commands, how to attack and how to gather material. Then, it sends you to fight a pack of velociraptor-like carnivores, and then a dragon-like creature. It doesn't teach you anything about the different weapons, about equipment bonuses, about traps, which trap is better for which monster, how to make that trap, where can you find some items, which weapon evolution leads you to which weapon, the monster' pattern, the element he's weak to, and other things you are supposed to know. MH3 is much nicer to newcomers, but it is far from friendly enough to non-persevering players. I had to play a great deal of the beginning with a laptop in my lap with several guide open, and I grinded like crazy to make each weapon and test each one of them. I spent more time on the first ten quests (first five are tutorials, the other are introductory) then it takes to complete most "classics" from this gen. And people say how the game is mp focused, but I always played alone.
Heh, good to see another hunter around here.
I started with the first back in 05, haven't looked back since. Fantastic series, and I am glad it is getting more understanding from the West, where even the latest game on PSP had mostly positive reviews.
However, they can still be stubborn. Like with the recent preview at Kotaku... asking for lock-on. It always becomes clear the person just doesn't understand the series when they ask for lock-on, especially since if they had lock-on it would actually make them less abled than those who target for themselves.
But there is one complaint I can understand and that is lack of voice chat. I don't want it, indeed like yourself I don't need it. When us hunters go out we understand the systems enough that we can all coordinate without ever talking to one another. However, I think in order to give the series the best chance it can get in the West voice chat should be included.
What I'm wondering is how the reviewers will take to Tri. In the past with the PSP titles they complained of the camera controls, complained of no built-in online and no ability to properly communicate even if you manage to get it online through other ways.
With Wii Speak being likely, all those major complaints will be fixed with Tri, so really no reviewer / previous criticiser should have any real problems with it.
But I have a feeling they will try to find problems, simply because MH paves its own path with regards to the action genre rather than following the standards. Like I said, there is this stubborn nature of the series detractors who are just not willing to give it a fair chance, rather they want it to play like their PSO / DMC / NG / GoW games. Hopefully this time they will give the series a fair shake and thus discover why the series is one of the most satisfying games made.
I too was trying to get some of the Capcom people to divulge some info on Wiispeak and their marketing plans with Nintendo. All I could gather is that they are testing the use of Wiispeak but won't confirm until they are sure they are going to use it. I think it might be necessary to attract a western audience. But in order to penetrate the U.S. both Capcom and Nintendo are going to need to work together to get people interested.
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Capcom needs to release a Demo in the Nintendo Power Magazine, to help out sales, and because I want to play it early..