Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate was released this past Tuesday. While it has been receiving pretty high review scores, many are still intimidated by the game’s rather complex systems. I’ve been putting a lot of time in with the game over the past few days, and have put my initial impressions in the following video:
As I stated in my first impressions video for the game’s demo, I’m a total noob when it comes to the Monster Hunter series. Initially, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to wrap my head around this game, but I found myself understanding the mechanics rather quickly thanks to the vast amount of tutorial missions.
While there is a lot going on in this game, the player is introduced to all the different elements one by one at a slow pace during the beginning of the game. This makes it so players are not only introduced to the mechanics such as gathering and crafting separately, but they also get some experience with each mechanic before learning another one. Veteran players are likely to get bored of this quickly, but it makes the large amount of content easier to digest for newcomers.
Most of the fun in this game is to be had online, as all the activities are just more fun with a group. I suggest that you hold off on joining the bigger hunt missions until you have some experience and equipment upgrades, because if you aren’t comfortable with the game, you are likely to only hurt your team’s chances at taking down the monster. If you are looking to jump online as fast as possible, search for rooms with descriptions like “Looking for resources!” and “Relaxed Hunting.” In those rooms you are likely to find people who can help you when getting started. Also, don’t forget to check out the game’s Miiverse group. There are a lot of people posting on there for help, as well as many offering to help new players.
If you’re like me, and want to mix it up with the large monsters without worrying about your equipment, you should check out the Arena Quests. These quests put the player in a coliseum like battle against one of the games major monsters. What is nice about this mode is that the player must use a pre-set of equipment including weapons and armor, so the player’s own gear doesn’t matter. This is a great way for new hunters to develop their fighting skills either on their own or by partnering up online.
Once you’re ready to take on some big hunts with a team, the game becomes incredibly addicting. All of these behemoths have unique attacks and vulnerabilities, so players must prepare and attack accordingly. Every time I’ve engaged one these monsters, it has been epic. Also, many of the rare resources required to craft higher end items come from these large monsters. Add to that the fact that the player receives a stack of other items and resource for completing missions, and you’ll find that you can get a good amount of what you need from doing major hunting quests.
These are just my initial impressions; you can expect to see my full review soon. But for now, if you’re looking for a fun experience filled with deep gameplay mechanics and hundreds of hours of content, I highly recommend giving Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate a shot.
Are you guys playing the game? What do you think of it so far?
