It takes a while to get the hang of, but it's worth it. For underneath the surface you will find an amazing experience.
~Visual Presentation
Visually this game is beautiful, easily one of the best looking games available on the Wii. Environments are just a joy to look at, and the animations are terrific. Characters swing each kind of weapon they wield with the perfect speed and weight. Whether its the fast Sword and Shield, or the slow but powerful Great Sword, the animations always feel perfect for your weapon of choice. As far as the monsters, they also move flawlessly, and are a joy to watch limp away, try to escape a trap, or try to recover from being knocked down.
~Gameplay
The gameplay in Monster Hunter Tri is a unique experience you can find no where else. However it takes a while to get used to, which is one of this games more disappointing areas. Actions take a while to play out, and this can be frustrating at first, but you will learn to strategize what actions to take and weigh this against the risks. This isn't a basic hack and slash game, you have to know and master your weapon, and use it to it's full advantage. As for the underwater killing you will be doing, it's also thrilling and serves as a nice change from the normal on-land combat. A few occasional annoyances when fighting underwater will occur when your camera angle is strange, but for the most part underwater battles are pulled off with flying colors. Between both on-land and underwater battles, hunting will never seem repetitive.
~Online
The Online play here is also great joy, the lack of small monster synchronization is rather upsetting, but rarely will you notice it. And since 90% of the time you will be hunting a large monster, and since the synchronization is not an issue then, it just turns out to be a minor and occasional annoyance. This is what will keep you playing MH3 for a long, long time. Teaming up with friends to take down a big beastie is as much fun as you will find in any game.
~Story
The storyline here would almost be better if it was removed altogether. The storyline of this game is just a loose plot of a village disgruntled by a large monster. And since the entire offline and online story is to hunt random monsters and eventually earn the right to challenge this beast, you won't be captivated by any story twists, because frankly there is no story to twist. However, this game is so strong in other aspects it doesn't need a real plot, and since hunting random monsters is so addicting you won't particularly care about this strange absence.
~Armor and Weapons
This is easily the best part of Monster Hunter Tri. Killing beasts and salvaging them for goodies to make new and better armor and weapons is addictive. And decorating, upgrading, and forging armor is loads of joy. When you finally take down the monster, or get that new armor or weapon, you will be elated and eager to do it again.
~In Conclusion
Monster Hunter Tri is an amazing game, it takes some work to dig into, but the rewards are unlike anything else to date. Not only will you feel incredible after you slay a large beast, but the thrill of the hunt itself is enough to keep you coming back for more every day.