Yes, this is the Ultimate version of Tri with many "new" additions. I say "new" because alot of them aren't new for the series (most, if not all, of the additions were also in Freedom Unite for the PSP), but new for Tri/3. This adds alot of content to the Tri formula.
STORY: You start off the same way as in Tri in Moga Village, which is in serious trouble from earthquakes. You do get a full set of armor and one of every weapon (your character has a sword, but you can switch to other weapons at the chest in your house) this time around. You don't have to wait to unlock the Longsword, Switch-Axe, etc., since a basic version is already there, along with new weapons, like the Bow, Dual Blades, Gunlance, and Hunting Horn. You also get access to a new island with different/more powerful monsters, though I would recommend newer players to stay away from there until they feel comfortable with the game. The first quests start out simple enough (fetch quests, kill "x" number of easy monsters, etc.) and are still centered around Lagiacrus being the earthquake maker. That's about all I'll cover for the beginning. Moving on...
CONTROLS: They are better than I was afraid they would be. You control your character with the slider pad and the camera with the L-Should button (centers the camera behind you), D-Pad, D-Pad on the touch screen, and/or the auto-targeting system, which targets onto large "boss" enemies and is also on the touch screen. You can customize the touch screen and adjust the size of the buttons you place, like the D-Pad, which is a nice little convenience. Personally, I usually stick with the L-Shoulder, since it's easier and I like being centerd, but I do use the D-Pad on the touch screen for swimming. It's pretty responsive with just a slight touch, which is nice, since I would be scared of messing up the touch screen otherwise. You also use the D-Pad for your menus, like your item pouch, quest selection, etc. R-Shoulder button lets you dash, but watch your stamina bar (yellow bar) when doing so. "B" is for evading, which is essential in this game. "A" is for selection, foraging, and carving. "X" and "Y" are both for attacks, but "Y" is also used to for items, like using Potions, Eating, etc.
ITEMS/EQUIPMENT: This game is centered around items and equipment and they've added alot to this Ultimate version. Search for items by looking for forage points (mushrooms, herbs, etc.), catching bugs with bug nets, and mining with your pick axes (both bug nets and pick axes can and will break, so you'll want to buy and/or make more). Other items are found on the dead bodies of monsters. You can carve items off them, like skins, fangs, tails, etc. Items are also given as rewards at the end of quests and after exchanging kills for hunter points (cover that later). You'll need these items to make helpful items, like Flash Bombs, Traps, etc. and to also make new equipment and weapons, which are both primarily made by carving items off monsters.
WEAPONS: These are what you'll use to take down the monsters obviously. There are 12 different categories Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword & Shield, Dual Blades, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Lance, Gunlance, Switch Axe, Light Bowgun, Heavy Bowgun, and Bow. Each weapon is different from the others and this gives many people a variety to test out and enjoy. You have 1 of each available from the start. Some are quick (Dual Blades, Sword & Shield), while others are slower (Hammer, Great Sword) and others are ranged (Bow, Bowguns). The quicker weapons generally rely on multiple quick strikes, while the heavier ones rely on slower, powerful hits. Experiment with all of them. It's easy to do this time, since you've got 'em all off the bat.
OTHER:
Hunter points are awarded to you for killing monsters by just going out of Moga Village, not on a quest. This is a good way to unlock new things, gather items, etc. You can spend HR (Hunter Points) on Villager Requests, like upgrading the farm, on fishing ventures, etc.
The farm is nice place to build up essential items without having to go out and gather them yourself, which takes more time. You can have the Felynes there do different tasks, like cultivate crops, grow mushrooms, gather honey, etc. You'll need to upgrade the farm with HR and items, but it's worth it.
You also get partners in this game. One is story related from Tri and that is Cha-Cha, while the other is another shakalaka, named Kayamba. In Tri, you could only have Cha-Cha. I usually use them as a distraction for the monsters so I can set a trap, attack, etc.
Second Island This island is accessible right at the beginning. It's free to travel to. It has other item dealers and other quests. The quests are harder than the initial Moga Village quests, but it's a good way to get some early powerful equipment. Newer players be warned, many times you're hunting a monster on this island, another large monster is there as well, so keep that in mind.
CLOSING: If you're an experienced MH player and enjoy the series, get it. It's an awesome game that shouldn't be missed. If you're new, know that this game takes practice. If you feel you don't like a weapon, change to another one. Experiment with weapons and practice with them. Use the beginning quests to their utmost by gathering as much as you can carry, so you'll have items to mess around with and stockpile for later. Anyways, happy hunting!
I'll start by saying I'm a monster hunter fan, have been since the first ps2 game and I've followed every game in the series. (Even the Japanese only games) This game is, for the most part, a port of Monster Hunter Tri on Nintendo Wii. Every single feature from Tri is still intact. The game looks very good, honestly is sorta comes close to Tri on Wii. There are obviously downsized textures and some jaggies here and there, and I mean anti-aliasing not the monster ^_~
Music is still all there, very epic feeling and all that jazz. The real meat here is the new monsters to hunt. This game is a mixing pot of monsters. There are over seventy monsters, from every entry in the series. Over 3000 pieces of gear, three new areas added, a new companion aside from Cha-Cha and over 300 quests, wow. It's easy to say if you're a monster hunter fan you should more than likely get this. It adds enough content to warrant a second run through and feels fresh despite being an updated version. The circle pad pro attachment isn't vital but is recommended, it makes the game feel like Tri on Wii. It plays just fine without it but it certainly improves upon the experience greatly, and considering the time you'll put towards this game it's best to get yourself as comfy as possible. Don't forget if you have a 3DS and the Wii-U version of 3 ultimate you can carry your save data over the two consoles so you can keep hunting wherever you are! A nice feature. The 3DS version does NOT have online multi-player, just local. I seriously have to ask why, it doesn't seem like it would be too hard to add. Anyways, back to hunting, I'm grinding so I can fight all the new monsters :D !
Buy Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Now
This game started out as Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii, was then ported to the PSP as MHP3rd with extra content added, and was again ported from Wii to 3DS with PSP areas and monsters added in and retextured. Then again it was ported from 3DS to Wii U. All in all that means there is hundreds of hours worth of playtime.
The professional reviews remark how the game's graphics aren't very impressive, but it's a Monster Hunter game and this is the best looking one of them all. If you're spoiled so bad as to care beyond a remark, then I pity you for being a young kid and missing out. Also, the character and monster animations are phenomenal, so you can't rag on the graphics for long before being wowed by the hunt.
The Wii U has full online. The 3DS version achieves online by tunneling through the Wii U like a router, so this helps if you're a family and one person has a Wii U and another only a 3DS. The Wii U has to have its own copy of MH and not be active for this to work. You can still play 2 player co-op using one Wii U and 3DS, or one Wii U and a maximum of 3 3DS, and also between 4 3DS. Both 3DS and Wii U can access DLC and event quests. Your save file can also be transferred between Wii U and 3DS, so you can take it on the go anytime you want.
The violence isn't a big deal in this game, you hunt monsters to gather resources and protect your village. Pretty sensible stuff that has always been part of humanity. But you still might not want to buy the game for a child under 15-14. They might not be mature or experienced enough to get through the first quarter of the game and understand all of the mechanics. Still, if your child likes games other than the yearly release of Call of Duty, this is a profoundly unique experience and, unlike so many games, is actually worth the full price.
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Highly recommend for everyone with a 3Ds,
If you have played this type of game before on the PSP the controls should be pretty much the same so it has the same feeling to it. Its a little weird to start off those not just throw you to the quests but over all its looks to be a lot if fun, multiplier like always is awesome.
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As much as I dislike just having a portable version of Trii, this still is a BEAUTIFUL addition to my Monster Hunter collection! They finally brought back a bunch of weapons that were removed in their previous game. They also CLEARLY spent all of their time working on the 3d aspect. It makes the game beautiful, but kinda more sinister as well...
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