"Even the starter weapon can be turned into a lethal force, turning you into a one man army."
Now, by "haunt", it doesn't mean that is a bad game whatsoever. It's a very good game, and is probably the most satisfying game on the Wii, let alone the entire console market for that matter. You see, Monster Hunter Tri probably has one of the most intimidating difficulties in gaming history. No one said that this was going to be a breeze; instead, you're thrown into a crowd of monsters that will either live their daily lives peacefully or will try to kill you so they can get a good meal. Fight for your life. However, you might want to kill the innocent creatures to get a couple of supplies…
Monster Hunter Tri's plot is straight-forward and easy to understand – You're a new hunter from the Hunting Guild from a vast land and you're sent to a village called Moga. Why? Well, you see, the tiny village has been shaken immensely from deadly earthquakes caused by the Lagiacrus population. "What's a Lagiacrus?" you might say. Well, if you look on the cover of the game, you'll see a giant leviathan towering over a small insignificant hunter. That Leviathan is the Lagiacrus and the hunter… Well, hopefully, that won't be you being torn limb from limb.
Monster Hunter Tri's system is vast and glorifying. Being a RPG and all, you'd really expect some turn-based battling, creating an endless grind for you. Wrong. Instead, Monster Hunter is more like a slash-'em-up instead of turn-based battling. However, it's not that simple. You see, when you start playing Monster Hunter Tri, you're given a tiny, weak sword and shield that will bear some minor use. Also, you're not given any armour. You have to fend for all the equipment you want yourself. You might have to mine rocks, catch insects and even slay beasties just to get what you want. It's a long process, but it's sure as hell worth it.
However, you don't have to also stick with the Sword and Shield. At the start of the game, you're given 1500z ("Z's" are the currency of the game) and you're given it to buy stuff. You can either buy some supplies that you drastically need later on or you could buy some new armour and weapons. At the start, you can either buy some leather armour or chainmail armour (chainmail has better defence, but horrible resistances compared to leather). You might also want to buy a more powerful weapon than the puny, starter weapon. You can buy Lances, Hammers, Great Swords, Bowguns and even – wait for it – another Sword and Shield. You unlock two weapons along the way – the Switch Axe and the Long Sword.
As you progress with the game, you can upgrade weapons and armour with supplies you'll find in the woods or other environments that the game has. Even the starter weapon can be turned into a lethal force, turning you into a one man army. While weapons will require specific items to upgrade, armour will only require "Armour Spheres", an item that you will obtain while doing quests or mine in rocks (but mining them is later on in the game). You can make new armour has well, and you'll need supplies to do so. You can even kill some monsters and turn them into clothing or a new hammer to destroy more beasties. When you get all your supplies and equipment you need, you'll be satisfied and a lot more powerful.
Monster Hunter Tri's environment – this has been said many times before – makes the game. These environments create peace and harmony for creatures (until they get devoured by the radiant Rathalos, mind). The environments also create how the creatures will live their lives, something that you might rather watch than destroy. Deserts, forests, tundras and even volcanoes feature in this game. Not every creature likes the same environment, and some of them stay exclusive to the area (example, the Barioth prefers the snow rather than the heat, so it decides to always stay in the Tundra).
However, you're too busy slaying Monsters to appreciate the ecology of Monster Hunter fully, which is a good reason to do so. There are many monsters to kill, that it could be hard to decide which ones to kill! Unless they start to attack you, of course, that's just straight forward if you ask your fellow hunters. People say dinosaurs are extinct, but Monster Hunter Tri begs to differ. They're still alive (one kind is called "Jaggi," while the other is called "Baggi") and you can kill them with no regrets! (Probably because they'll try to kill you in the first place.)
However, while there are small monsters, there are also massive monsters and they'll serve has your boss battles. This is where the game will start to frustrate players. You see, throughout the game, you're given quests. You're given a fifty minute time limit and three attempts to complete the quest. You get rewards for the completion of these quests as well. Every time there's a quest that will supply you with a boss battle, you may expect a tough battle. Every time you'll encounter the boss for the first time, you're given a delightful cut scene that depicts the horror that they may supply…
The first boss battle, the Great Jaggi (the alpha male of the Jaggi's), is actually a very simple boss battle, and it can be over and done with in less than five minutes if you're good at the game. The second boss battle, the Qurupeco (some sort of bird creature), may have some players stricken with rage. "It's gotten harder that fast?!" you may cry. Well, not exactly. You see the key to can boss fight in the game, let along any fight you'll have in the game at all, is observing the creature while you're fighting it. Without key observation, you're going to be put in a coffin. Faster than you might expect it.
When you reach the Barroth (a terrifying beast that's body is made of rock, but has a soft belly), that's when your frustration levels may rise to a deadly extent. From this point onwards, the game has gotten harder and you'll have to deal with it. However, you'll have to observe this terrifying beast to finally wipe it off the face of the earth, and rid it for being a massive tyrant in your life. When that happens, you'll be satisfying largely. Not only will you get that satisfaction from just the Barroth, but any other monster that took you hours to slay. It's much more satisfying from any achievement you'll get on any game on the Xbox 360.
Also, every time you enter a boss fight, you'll get a nice tune that plays throughout the level. The music in this game will give you a massive adrenaline rush that would want to make you believe that you've had a massive sugar overdose. The truth is the game has given you this, and you'll be glad that it did.
Also, this should've been mentioned earlier, through the game you'll get a lovable companion called Cha-Cha, and he'll assist you throughout the game to slay and horrible creature that dares to try to get your living body. However, while being lovable, that doesn't mean Cha-Cha will be useful all the time. However, he has many abilities and dances to keep you living and well to eliminate any monster that dares to kill you.
Now, while Monster Hunter Tri is indeed heavy on the single-player game, it's also heavy on online play, something that I haven't really gotten to play as of yet, but in time I shall. However, for those who don't have online but have a friend around, you'll be glad to know that there is an offline two-player mode called "Arena Mode" which will throw you and a mate into an – guess what – arena and will force you to destroy a boss monster. It's a time trial as well. Best of all, your friend doesn't have to be far in the game to do this. The game will give you a set choice of weapons. Arguably amongst fans, this idea has been considered a little flawed, but it'll give players a chance to try to master weapons that they don't use. If you kill the beastie, you'll give a prize that you can send to your single-player game, but what is it? You'll have to play on to find out…
Monster Hunter Tri is – undeniably – possibly the greatest game on the market around not only for the Wii, but for any console. PS3 owners still argue that putting Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii was a terrible idea, but then again, they haven't really played the game unless they own a Wii, now have they? While later on the game can get aggravating and difficult, Monster Hunter Tri has a charm that most games don't have – destroying a giant beast with a small, insignificant sword. This – to me – will remain one of the best RPG experiences on a console ever and will always be the best RPG (let alone, game) on the Wii. This game is a wise investment, pass it up and you just might regret it some day.