Japan’s favourite video game takes another crack at the Western market, with new 3DS and Wii U versions of the ultimate co-op hunting game.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U) – never fight alone

Reviewing a Monster Hunter game must be like a Japanese reviewer explaining to their readers what a big deal Call Of Duty is in the West. Monster Hunter is the biggest non-Nintendo game of this generation in Japan and a full-on social phenomenon. And it’s achieved that despite some very obvious flaws in its design, none of which have ever been properly addressed in its many iterations – including this one.

Monster Hunter 4 is scheduled to be released this summer in Japan, but back in 2011 Capcom rushed out a stop-gap, known as Monster Hunter 3 G. And that’s what this is: an enhanced version of the 2010 Wii exclusive Monster Hunter 3 (aka Tri). The name almost tells you all you need to know about the premise, but explaining the series’ popularity is a lot more difficult.



The original Monster Hunter 3 wasn’t that big a hit anywhere in the world, which wasn’t surprising as Monster Hunter’s popularity only really took off when it became a portable title on the PSP. The reason it’s never been a success in the West is not so much because of the gameplay but because in Japan it’s played face-to-face in teams of four, with fans meeting up and trading items wirelessly when on the train or out at lunch.


That’s why the online options on the Wii U are so limited and why the 3DS version doesn’t have any at all. In fact despite the online multiplayer and superior graphics on the Wii U it is the 3DS version which is viewed as the more important in Japan. In fact the consistently misunderstood Circle Pad Pro, which adds a second analogue slider to control the camera, was created specifically for the game. (A new 3DS XL version of the add-on is also being released this week.)

Online or not Monster Hunter was originally inspired by Sega’s Phantasy Star Online, with a team of four venturing out into a hostile environment filled with loot-dropping creatures and fairly simplistic combat. The world of Monster Hunter is essentially open world, except that for technical reasons it’s split up into separate areas with discreet exits and entrances – rather than being one continuous map. You might have though the Wii U version could’ve fixed this, but although its loading pauses between each area are short they’re still as atmosphere-destroying as always.

The setting in Ultimate is a fishing village that looks like it’s stuck in a dinosaur-filled version of medieval Japan. There’s very little in the way of storyline or characters, just a huge checklist of hunting quests and the odd resource grab to perform for the village itself.

The strange thing about Monster Hunter is that even though the gameplay revolves around nothing but combat nobody seems to mind that it’s not very good. There are hundreds of weapons but a very small range of moves for each, which along with stilted animation and a barely functional camera makes a poor first impression.

In Ultimate there is finally a lock-on system for the camera, but it’s such a fudge it gives every impression of being added under duress – which it probably was. As a result you still spend half your time stabbing at thin air, in action that’s bizarrely reminiscent of the fixed camera angles of Resident Evil.



Once you’ve dispatched a monster you’re able to pick over its corpse and take its hide, horns or other unique bodily features as a trophy. Together with gathered plant life and mined ore you can then upgrade your armour and weapons at the village, as well as create traps and other items. Although it gives every impression of being an action role-player Monster Hunter doesn’t have traditional experience levels or character classes and instead each player is defined by their weapons and armour, not their stats.

Monster Hunter 3 introduced new water environments and computer-controlled allies to the mix, but Ultimate’s additions are fairly limited. On the Wii U the game works essentially as a HD update, and although the visuals are crisp and artfully designed the detail level is low and it’s very obvious this was originally a Wii game.

On the 3DS the same visuals look a lot better by comparison, with excellent use of the 3D effect. The lower resolution can make things look a little fuzzy though and the colours are strangely drab on both versions. Interestingly both the save games and the local multiplayer are compatible between both formats, which should help getting four people together.

The content changes to Ultimate are the sort of additions that will make sense only to an existing fan. More of the weapons, including the bow and dual swords, can now be used underwater and there’s a new extra hard difficultly level for some quests. The port where you pick up multiplayer quests is also brand new, although the practical difference is minor.


Beyond that though it’s mostly just new creatures to fight, although most of the non-boss characters are just variants on existing species.

Although the graphics are good the presentation and interface is horribly archaic, with the tutorials spat out in a flurry of tiny text boxes that make little initial sense. This is compounded by a good hour or two of thoroughly boring fetch quests that teach you nothing but to hate the fiddly and insubstantial inventory – and that’s even with touchscreen displays on both versions.

But endure past the initial few hours and you do begin to understand the game’s appeal. As inflexible as the combat is learning each enemies’ tells and the exact timing of your moves is somewhat reminiscent of Dark Souls.

You’re still purposefully ignoring flaws that a developer with Capcom’s experience should not be perpetrating but for those with the perseverance there’s an ocean of content here. It’s also almost certainly the best version of the game so far. We’d go for the 3DS version personally, but which you chose depends largely on how you intended to play the multiplayer.

We wouldn’t really recommend playing alone though, and we have to warn again that this a game that rewards only the most dedicated. Whether you see that as a central appeal depends entirely on your own point of view, but it’s clear by now that it’s you, not Monster Hunter, that’s going to have to change if you want to enjoy it.


In Short: It’s not much more than an HD update, but if you and your friends have the perseverance this is one of gaming’s most uniquely challenging co-op experiences.

Pros: Large game world with an almost infinite array of customisation options and content. Four player co-op can be great and the art style and visuals have never looked better.

Cons: The inert camera is frustratingly unhelpful and the combat is needlessly awkward. Confusing interface. Few significant changes from the Wii version.

Score: 7/10

Formats: Wii U and 3DS (both reviewed)

Price: £39.99

Publisher: Capcom/Nintendo

Developer: Capcom Production Studio 1 and Eighting

Release Date: 22nd March 2013

Age Rating: 12

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