Zero Punctuation: Monster Hunter Tri

[Waif]

I like to play MMO's, and I don't mind the grinding aspects. Though part of what makes the grinding in MMO's fun are the friends you play with. It benefits them as well as yourself, and the adventure doesn't have to necessarily end. Great video all the same ^~^!

It's not a single player game. Yahztee just refuses to play online games and forgets to mention this fact. The game is primarily designed around 4 player online cooperative boss fight missions against huge dragons and what not.

As for the grinding part. That's not really true either. The vast majority of the game consists of huge boss fights, which can last anywhere from 20-40 minutes to kill. At most, one of the few things which could be considered grinding is you might play the bosses multiple times in order to gain some items to upgrade something, but the bosses are complex and varied enough to prevent it from becoming tedious. (At least in my opinion, I found the bosses to be entertaining enough for that. Although, that may vary from person to person.)

The gathering thing is almost completely irrelevant. The only reason why he was gathering stuff is because he never played past the tutorial. The tutorial introduces you to the most basic mechanics and tries to ease you into them very slowly so you don't get confused, which basically involves them telling you to pick things like mushroom because it wants to demonstrate how you can use these items for combining into things like potions and what not, which is never actually required later on, and is more a means of teaching you survival skills to assist in fighting said gigantic dragons, etc, as you can whip together some sort of item really quickly out of the environment, which might vary from something like a trap, bomb, gun ammution, potions, sharpening stones, etc. That's about it. All the other items you need come primarily from killing the bosses.

Unfortunately nobody would actually realize this from watching Yahtzee's 'review', considering he never mentioned a single word about the boss fights or anything else for that matter, to the point of blatant false advertisement.

Lol, thanks for your input. I do trust Yahtzee's views on games. I normally do not like playing online stuff with other people unless it is intrinsic to it, like with MMO's or certain online FPS games. I wouldn't call it false advertisement, more so because he is reviewing the game based on his own subjective opinion. So it isn't really that he is guaranteeing fact, rather he is informing us of his own experience. Though there will always be users who may not know this, and take his word without the perfunctory grain of salt. I might look into this game a bit more, now that I understand there is a little more background to this game than what is readily known here. Might be one of those games that would make picking up a Wii worth it. I've been mulling over the idea for a little while now, but I've yet to find a game I really want to play on the Wii (it was originally Chocobo's Dungeon. I loved the game on the PSone, but I cannot find it anywhere for the Wii.) Anyway, thank you for the information ^~^!

 

[DerekTheMagicDragun]

To be fair, it can take three hours if you've never played a Monster Hunter game before. Tri was my first one and you're kind of thrown into the deep end while you work everything out. I'd say about two hours or so to reach Great Jaggi for a total newb with no help from anyone, three hours if they get distracted along the way by killing the little pathetic creatures like I did.

Took me 45 minutes to reach Great Jaggi (Mr. Sparkles and my friend and lovingly refer to him) and this is my first MH game.

 

[krgskks]

Timing is important in PSO as well, but it doesn't make the combat mechanics themselves any less mashy. You can attack quick three times or strong three times or a combination of the two types up to three times, and you'll want to time these swings so as not to get hit in between, but it still boils down to the same three-hit-chain pattern with every weapon. The swings/shots just look different depending on what weapon you use and they cover varying ranges. This is compared to, say, Dynasty Warriors 5 where you have several chain options per character with varying effects - still ultimately ends up being very mashfest given the type of game it is, but the combo mechanics are a big step up from the PSO example.

I'm thinking this would be a rent game to confirm whether the combat will turn me off by being too monotonous to maintain interest. But then, I don't own a Wii (or the other current-gen consoles), so it's a moot point.

There are some combos you will use a lot when using a specific weapon. However, the weapons feel all different and require different tactics. When you use a hammer you don't aim for the tail or legs and when you fight with a lance then you don't run around all the time, because you stay right under the monster. Not to mention that you have bowguns that shoot different ammunition.

Yeah playing a weapon too long can get boring, but then just switch. Also you have to make sure not to hit your teammates, or they will be pissed of.

 

[MildPsychedelic]

I've been thinking about these sandbox/RPG style games that aren't seeming to get on well, and how people like Yahtzee would prefer a good plot driven linear game over a D.I.Y sandbox and how there are other people like me who relish the thought of and open-world to run free doing whatever it is allowed in the game (usually scaling buildings and blowing up cars etc.) I thought of an idea that might work out for both sides (You'll have to forgive me if there is already a game out there like this, i'm not a driven expert on this).

What if there was a game, say like an FPS or Action style. And the first half of the game was focused on a main plot driven, storyline interactive linear game. And then at the end when you completed the main 'quest' it unlocked a new area or world space that was all Sandbox, so even if you completed the main story and weren't satisfied you would unlock this new place with tons of more stuff to do. Even if the sandbox area was a bit bad at least you've got two separate games?


The only problem now would be to find a game team who would take up the challenge...

 

[T3hMonk3y]

When it comes to gaming, I think these days, for new games, graphics should complete the package, a game needs to look great, with good textures clean edges, High Definiton.. the Wii fails miserably when it comes to graphics, they put little effort into that aspect of the console due to the unique controllers, whereas the PS3 and the 360 both pimped their consoles for nice high definiton gaming.

Can I mention really quickly that I despise this argument. I cannot tell the difference between High def and normal def. I don't find it to be important in any way to how much I enjoy the game. Most of the time I actually find it detrimental. Crisis, Gears of War, all of those game developers who put graphics before gameplay. I don't find anything about them enjoyable. Developers who think like you do are idiots. They don't care if their game is fun, only that it is pretty.

I dont believe you have played CRYSIS because if you had played CRYSIS then you would know that it is an amazing game, it (CRYSIS) also has amazing graphics which just make it even better.

TLDR: CRYSIS is an amazing game it just also happens to be pretty

 

[SoIHeardYouLikeGames]

Monster Hunter Tri

This week, Zero Punctuation reviews Monster Hunter Tri.

Be sure to join the Zero Punctuation Facebook Fan Page [http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zero-Punctuation/7546255825].

Watch Video

I have been a fan of your reviews since The Darkness first plopped its comic arse on to youtube.

This being said i've learned that you often dwell on the negative sides of a game to make the videos more appealing your fan base yet keeping in mind to point out the integral positive marks every game shares.

It disappoints me to see you of all people falling into the group of critics who have simply bad mouthed Monster Hunter Tri because you were simply too lazy to play a good portion of it. I understand, having played all the Monster Hunter games on Each platform that the grind of equipping yourself to fight the Monsters of the series can be long and tedious.

BUT, when you overcome the somewhat 2 hour "introduction" period of the game you are congratulated with a thrilling, miraculously cinematic experience. You have failed to even give the game a good chance, if you had waited perhaps 2 quests worth of time after encountering the first "Sea Monster" (the Lagiacrus) you would of been on to some serious business and started on the true nature of this wonderful game.

You mentioned that all there was to do was collect miscellaneous bugs and weeds etc. for what seemed like no reason, portraying this game horribly to the new audience that have perhaps only just heard of the series. The Gathering you were doing was in the OPTIONAL part of the gameplay, designed for supplying yourself with specific materials you may have been lacking to fight a monster. Not to mention you never even spoke of an integral part of the game which is the Multiplayer. The majority of the games content is situated on the ONLINE section where you participate in 2 - 4 player Hunting. If you had even Googled Monster Hunter or dropped its name into youtube you would see the true nature of the gameplay and i urge anyone disheartened by this video review to check it out because you will NOT be disappointed.

Perhaps the lengthy introduction to the game got the best of you Yahtzee but i believe it is there to serve newcomers as the game poses an actual challenge that cannot be simply toggled in the Options menu.

 

[TheKwertyeweyoppe]

Every word of the posts you have made about Monster Hunter are either blatent lies or proof you haven't played the games. Monsters don't run every five minutes, you don't ever need to run five minutes to find them (newsflash: They move one area away in most cases. That's maybe ten seconds of running!), you don't need to upgrade your equipment often at all, and you never need to grind out resources past the mandatory missions in HR1. The only way you'd need to grind every monster for new gear is if you were A: unable to realize that gear from the monster you just fought is probably bad against the monster you're about to fight (Jaggi armor against the quropecco, for instance, since jaggi armor is weak to fire), and B: you are really bad at the game.

Again, I beat the game with HR2 armor and HR4 weapons all the way through HR6, and never had to grind missions to win, so... yeah, please stop making up BS to slander the game.

There was more than one occasion in which I spent 15 minutes trying to track down a flying bat-like creature (that I forget the name of) upon first entering a map, when I finally found him, he stayed in the fight for less than 5 minutes before flying away and refusing to come down, or taking off just before I got to where he was taking more than 5 minutes to find him again even with the help of a paintball due to the fact that you have to climb mountains (as they were the fastest route). If you beat the game with low equipement, good for you, I prefer to kill bosses with my hammer, so I definately don't suck at the game, the fact I got up to HR 4 (at present, beating games takes time) should prove that, and your argument losses credibility when you can't procede to the next missions untill you finish the boring gather quests first.

F*** the piscine liver quest, I hate using bows and bowguns.

Err... there's no flying bat thing in the game. At all. I really have no clue what you are talking about, unless you're talking about Rathalos, who happens to be a dragon referred to as King of the Skies, who is still incredibly easy to hit with a Switch Axe or longsword...

In short, it seems as if you are just bad at the game, and aren't capable of recognizing the bosses start in the same spot every time. Anyway, if you're going to fight the king of the skies, you should probably be prepared for a monster that flies... I can hit it consistently and never need to chase it for any amount of time. You could run three laps around the map in 15 minutes, so if it took you that long to find the monster, I really pity you, because it must have been hell figuring out how to get back to the base when you needed to turn in items.

I think hes talking about one of the prequels

 

[TheKwertyeweyoppe]

I liked the part when the wii killed itself and the Xbox360 and PS3 give each other a high five, which is good for me because PS3 and Xbox360 are fun, but the effect of the wii can easily be achieved by thrusting the controller when you stab someon in Call of Duty.
It's funny when people say how hardcore monster hunter 3 is. it's just funny. It's like saying that prototype has a deep emotional storyline and isn't supposed to be fun. The wii is a console for little kids, and some people think it's hardcore. It's called the Wii, something you say on a ferris wheel or when you need to use the bathroom, not when you win a barfight or eat cereal made of nails and motor oil.

if you eat cereal made of nails and motor oil you're not manly you're just a dumbshit with serious internal bleeding

 

[LeonLethality]

Exclusive title thing: The wii happens to have the biggest market in America by a huge margin. Trying to get MH to take root in America is obviously a good idea to put it on the Wii.

There are similar reasons for all other Wii exclusives; PS3 has a terrible market in the US, and the Xbox 360 has a terrible market in Japan, so an attempt to develop an international game for those systems is a risky move, while the Wii is much safer.

That and the fact Capcom moved development from the PS3 to the Wii due to production costs.

 

[Warachia]

Every word of the posts you have made about Monster Hunter are either blatent lies or proof you haven't played the games. Monsters don't run every five minutes, you don't ever need to run five minutes to find them (newsflash: They move one area away in most cases. That's maybe ten seconds of running!), you don't need to upgrade your equipment often at all, and you never need to grind out resources past the mandatory missions in HR1. The only way you'd need to grind every monster for new gear is if you were A: unable to realize that gear from the monster you just fought is probably bad against the monster you're about to fight (Jaggi armor against the quropecco, for instance, since jaggi armor is weak to fire), and B: you are really bad at the game.

Again, I beat the game with HR2 armor and HR4 weapons all the way through HR6, and never had to grind missions to win, so... yeah, please stop making up BS to slander the game.

There was more than one occasion in which I spent 15 minutes trying to track down a flying bat-like creature (that I forget the name of) upon first entering a map, when I finally found him, he stayed in the fight for less than 5 minutes before flying away and refusing to come down, or taking off just before I got to where he was taking more than 5 minutes to find him again even with the help of a paintball due to the fact that you have to climb mountains (as they were the fastest route). If you beat the game with low equipement, good for you, I prefer to kill bosses with my hammer, so I definately don't suck at the game, the fact I got up to HR 4 (at present, beating games takes time) should prove that, and your argument losses credibility when you can't procede to the next missions untill you finish the boring gather quests first.

F*** the piscine liver quest, I hate using bows and bowguns.

Err... there's no flying bat thing in the game. At all. I really have no clue what you are talking about, unless you're talking about Rathalos, who happens to be a dragon referred to as King of the Skies, who is still incredibly easy to hit with a Switch Axe or longsword...

In short, it seems as if you are just bad at the game, and aren't capable of recognizing the bosses start in the same spot every time. Anyway, if you're going to fight the king of the skies, you should probably be prepared for a monster that flies... I can hit it consistently and never need to chase it for any amount of time. You could run three laps around the map in 15 minutes, so if it took you that long to find the monster, I really pity you, because it must have been hell figuring out how to get back to the base when you needed to turn in items.

I think hes talking about one of the prequels

thanks, I was in fact talking about the three previous games (as monster hunter tri is ironically the fourth in the series) where the only difference between them and the new one is a slightly larger emphasis on combat, and the series suffers for it.

 

[Warachia]

Wow, 16 pages of complaining that he missed the point and that anyone who takes his word on it is a sheep.

Positive or negative review doesn't enter into it, the game is about Monster Hunting, but at no time does he actually talk about hunting monsters. If he talked about how long it takes to get to your first big monster hunt, then went into about how much he did or didn't like it, there wouldn't have been anything to talk about here. But he doesn't, and as a result we got the most half-assed ZP in recent history.

It's not just about this game. Have you ever watched or read the reactions to movies like The Core or The Day After Tomorrow from people who actually know climatology or geology? Whether the piece was positive or negative, at the very least we expect him to actually do the work if he's gonna make a video about it.

In short: This was a shitty video. It doesn't matter what game it was about. He could've done this about Drake and the 99 Dragons, and if he did as little as he did here it would still be shit. Yahtzee is better than this.

he DID work at it, he told his experience, and what he didn't like, and what he didn't like is that you BARELY HUNT F***ING MONSTERS, unless you count the wildlife as monsters, and he DID go into great detail about the game mechanics, and what the majority of the game is about and explaining how the game works, and tells you if you're going to get it anyway, to play it on a classic controller.

Except he didn't barely fight monsters. He didn't fight any monsters.

So he didn't get to go killing dragons with an Infinity +1 sword from the get-go. Big Surprise there. You fight your first Monster (Great Jaggi) on a Lv. 2 mission. TWO! You get past the starter missions, and you get to fight a forty-foot-long Raptor! I can respect that he and other gamers don't like grinding (I don't like too much of it myself if I'm not having fun doing it), and I didn't expect this game to change his mind about games like this. But trying to review the game without even getting out of the metaphorical kiddie pool is just wrong.

it's a ggod thing he didn't complain about the combat then, but you have to remember, he has less than a week to play, then review his games, which incidently is why his review of demon souls barely covered the game. Usually (according to him) he can beat a game by pulling all nighters, but when a game takes a long time to beat or get anywhere (like monster hunter and most Jrpg's) he can only review what he has finished, unless you want his reviews to be biweekly.

 

[warprincenataku]

Although I enjoyed the review, I'm starting to think Yahtzee only plays games that suck. I mean come on, who seriously wants to see him praise a game? I for one don't. I like hearing him rip into a game and shred it to its very core.

 

[Lewboi03]

was anyone else hoping for a red dead redemption review?

 

[mike1921]

It's part of the game? You mean developers want loading screens to be there? Also, now I know what the problem with monster hunter tri is, too many loading screens, not that they take too long. You're seriously telling me that doesn't break flow?

And nope, it doesn't break flow. Not for this game, as it works. I actually like them.
Having to run for your life when a giant Wyvern sneak attacks you and can make you into a smear with a few attacks... it gets the pulse going a bit. A load screen, even one that wouldn't be needed, is a nice way to calm the nerves.
Even when hunting the beast on purpose, it's a chance to go over attack options and steel yourself.

A game stopping itself because it wants the player to calm their nerves? That may be the only idea less appealing than unskippable cutscenes.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty sure the wii only sold because of the motion controls, and the whole console is centered around that. It's pretty ridiculous if you regret not buying a console, that was centered entirely around motion controls, because of a game that doesn't even use them well.

Meh, perhaps I'm one of the odd folk who got it for game-cube compatibility and find that the motion part of the system is a nice bonus. I almost refuse to play an action game that is strictly Wii-mote (why Ghostbusters, why must you do such a thing?). I like having the option for both. If it were just a system that did Wii-mote games... I wouldn't have bought it.
Yeah, the console was originally banking on the motion schtick... but there is just too much that still needs to be worked out with games that aren't on the 'simplistic' side of gaming. I wouldn't fault them for including the controller in more major action titles, as it might make it more likely for games to be shared with other consoles, but also because I like having both options.

I already have a gamecube, and while it's a plus if I can get rid of my gamecube because my wii plays all the games it has (seriously sony and microsoft, I thought full backwards compatibility was supposed to be expected by now). I doubt many people bought a next gen console solely to use it as a last gen one.

The long and short of it is that Japanese companies don't make games for the Xbox, period

Tales of Vesperia

 

[Cylos Treh]

Putting my two cents in here, Yahtzee I respectfully disagree with your asessment of the game, the shortsightness of playing only gathering missions dulls the overall view of the game itself, you're supposed to learn to gather as second nature, something to prepare you for killing that giant winged monster lurking behind you ready to blast fireballs up your arse. You've completly missed the strategy involved in each fight, and tactics you use to get through the enviroments and giant flesh-rending and possibly electric wyverns. You however are very correct on the grind aspect, it is a grind. However with each large wyvern being rather different and it taking you a few tries to figure out the best strategy to kill it without getting mowed on will take you long enough that you've moved onto the next killer dragon before you're bored of the last one, unless you decide to make an entire set of armour out of a beast that apparently doesn't have any scales... and you need 30. As well, I agree with your statement, this game does not belong on the wii, it belongs on a console with a real controller. And better graphics, the scnenery was impressive in ps2 days, why keep it the same by handing it to the system with less capability?
I do hope you get a chance to play the game farther than teaching you the basics, and if you cant get past that... well you need to play a mindless shooter where your best weapon is handed to you already so that you dont have to improve it yourself.

 

[milskidasith]

Tales of Vesperia

OK, very, very rarely do they make games for the Xbox. There is no market for it in Japan. I really can't see why they would make it for the Xbox, unless they were owned by microsoft.

 

[sumguitardude]

This review brilliant^_^
wiii controller sucks...end of story

 

[Count Igor]

Putting my two cents in here, Yahtzee I respectfully disagree with your asessment of the game, the shortsightness of playing only gathering missions dulls the overall view of the game itself, you're supposed to learn to gather as second nature, something to prepare you for killing that giant winged monster lurking behind you ready to blast fireballs up your arse. You've completly missed the strategy involved in each fight, and tactics you use to get through the enviroments and giant flesh-rending and possibly electric wyverns. You however are very correct on the grind aspect, it is a grind. However with each large wyvern being rather different and it taking you a few tries to figure out the best strategy to kill it without getting mowed on will take you long enough that you've moved onto the next killer dragon before you're bored of the last one, unless you decide to make an entire set of armour out of a beast that apparently doesn't have any scales... and you need 30. As well, I agree with your statement, this game does not belong on the wii, it belongs on a console with a real controller. And better graphics, the scnenery was impressive in ps2 days, why keep it the same by handing it to the system with less capability?
I do hope you get a chance to play the game farther than teaching you the basics, and if you cant get past that... well you need to play a mindless shooter where your best weapon is handed to you already so that you dont have to improve it yourself.

For some reason, the bold bit makes me think you wrote in about SSB Brawl.

Sorry. I just thought of that.