We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
WiiU

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U) eShop Demo Gameplay

by Rory Cocker - February 24, 2013, 7:36 am EST
Total comments: 28

Watch us hunt down the Lagombi in this gameplay video.

The official demo for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate hit the Wii U eShop on Friday. We've got over 10 minutes of glorious 1080p footage for you to feast your eyes on. 

Talkback

NeoThunderFebruary 24, 2013

after playing the demo, this game is a total pass for me. It did not appeal to me at all

syn4aptikDave Mellert, Associate EditorFebruary 24, 2013

Yeah I was not into the gameplay at all. The enemies give little indication of how effective your attacks are, aiming with ranged attacks is kind of a pain, and the whole experience just felt really sparse. Either this game is not for me, or it's a really bad demo.

MrPhishfoodFebruary 24, 2013

Its just a really bad demo. Its more akin to a sneak peak for veteran Monster Hunters. If you're a newbie to the series then this is a terrible demo.

In fact I'm pretty sure its just a translation of the Japanese demo which is pretty damn lazy and dumb on Capcom's part. The Japanese fan base are already experienced in the series, they don't need a tutorial and the demo is perfect for them. If Capcom want to popularise MH in the west then they should have made a specific effort to provide a proper in-game tutorial.

I clocked in over 100 hours on MH Tri (Wii) and I found the first part of the demo to be fun. Fighting Plesioth (the fish) was just plain annoying. It was annoying enough in previous games, I don't know why they put it back in.

OblivionFebruary 24, 2013

I'm definitely not going to get the game digital now (and not the 3DS version now) so I can resell it just in case I hate it.

CericFebruary 24, 2013

Quote from: MrPhishfood

... It was annoying enough in previous games, I don't know why they put it back in.

Simply put because they added swimming in Tri and here was a water monster they had ready and you could now fight in its environment.

xcwarriorFebruary 25, 2013

People, the game is designed to be played online in groups of 4. It's a blast to play with people online. it is a bit slow in the beginning, the first 5-6 hours you are lacking in terms of weapons and the missions are so-so, but once you get online and get to the fun monsters, it's a blast.

With voice chat and keyboard support, if you like a challenge, RPG elements, and going up against massive monsters, this is a great game. 1P is solid enough, the demo is really bad in showing that off.  But it's well worth it. I put 260 hours into the Wii Version, and have no problems buying both versions to have this at home and on the go.

AilingforaleFebruary 25, 2013

It was more of a Monster Hunter Ultimate: Weapon Demo.  Which is neat, but doesn't really give much about the game at all.


Yeh, I'm also one of those people with quite a few hours on the Wii as well.

CericFebruary 25, 2013

Quote from: xcwarrior

...
I put 260 hours into the Wii Version
...

And still probably only put in half the hours of Maxi :P

ejamerFebruary 25, 2013

So the video link has changed and shows Retro City Rampage now.

xcwarriorFebruary 25, 2013

Quote from: Ceric

Quote from: xcwarrior

...
I put 260 hours into the Wii Version
...

And still probably only put in half the hours of Maxi :P:

I will have to befriend this Maxi person so we can hunt online together on the Wii U. I'd probably be well over 350 hours if not for my Wii hard drive burning up and having to get replaced. All game saves with online - lost....

EyothrieFebruary 25, 2013

Is there no indication of how well you're doing?  No enemy health bar?  Also, is there no way to target the enemy?  Like the player in the video, I swung at air a lot of the time.  I felt that I was fighting the camera as much as I was fighting the enemy.

pokepal148Spencer Johnson, Contributing WriterFebruary 25, 2013

Quote from: Eyothrie

Is there no indication of how well you're doing?  No enemy health bar?  Also, is there no way to target the enemy?  Like the player in the video, I swung at air a lot of the time.  I felt that I was fighting the camera as much as I was fighting the enemy.

again its a learning experience

Agent SpectreFebruary 26, 2013

Quote from: Eyothrie

Is there no indication of how well you're doing?  No enemy health bar?  Also, is there no way to target the enemy?  Like the player in the video, I swung at air a lot of the time.  I felt that I was fighting the camera as much as I was fighting the enemy.

This is pretty much one of the big points and appeals of the game. So no, no monster health bars or anything. As pokepal148 said... it's a learning experience. If you want the game to hold your hand, it just won't be the type of game for you.

Despite being a very fantasy based game with a lot of quirks and absurdity ( those massive weapons, the funny animations, sharpening a hammer(wat?), etc)  I find monster hunter to be VERY realistic in terms of gameplay.  If you're hunting a beast irl... it's not going to give any indication of how close you are in defeating it (aside for maybe flinching or limping, which the MH monsters do). Your actions aren't going to be perfect either. I find the awkward camera and long animations akin to the limitations of human movement. The game is a lot about learning, timing and strategy - knowing what is possible within your limitations and executing it properly.

As to the question about "locking on"... well... not exactly.  If you press the L button the camera will center behind your hunter. In 3U there is a Target camera feature that you can turn on by touching the icon on the touch screen that looks like an icon of the boss monster you're fighting once it's spotted you. When you do that, now when you press L the camera will center on the monster.  So it's not a true lock-on feature (as such a thing woudl go against the play style of monster hunter), but it helps immensely if you're having trouble keeping up with where the beastie is.

As other have said.. the demo is terrible as a demo for newcomers... it doesn't explain ANYTHING at all. It really is just essentially a weapons show for seasoned players.  You can look through the demo's guide which will explain the controls a bit, but really, this demo just doesn't show off the game in a proper way to new players.
A great, rewarding game if you're willing to put the effort into learning it though. Especially fun with some buddies... I'd say drop all your preconceptions and give the real game a shot, but I'm already one of those crazies who's logged hundreds of hours on the previous game (even 7 on the demo so far). X3

Fatty The HuttFebruary 26, 2013
EyothrieFebruary 27, 2013

I appreciate the responses, pokepal148 and Agent Spectre, but this game/series just isn't for me.  I definitely gave the demo a fair shot on both the 3DS and Wii U. 

Capcom had an amazing opportunity to sell this game to Wii U owners who have had nothing new to play for months, who would have been willing to take a chance on something different, and they completely blew it by releasing the demo they did.

syn4aptikDave Mellert, Associate EditorFebruary 27, 2013

Quote from: Agent

I find monster hunter to be VERY realistic in terms of gameplay.  If you're hunting a beast irl... it's not going to give any indication of how close you are in defeating it

Have you, like, ever hunted an animal or actually seen an animal being hunted and killed? Or ever been in a fight? Or watched a boxing match or ultimate fighting match or anything like that?


There is a pretty steady progression from "perfectly healthy" to "about to die from the arrow in my lungs that has been slowly bleeding me to death".


In the Monster Hunter demo, I think I hit that damn rabbit 30 times with my arrows (which was a feat considering the dreadful camera/aiming controls) and the most it reacted was that after a while it decided to sort of run away to the next room.


Life bars aren't there to "hold your hand". They are there to provide feedback as to how damaging your attack is. Yes, in real life, every blow, gun shot, arrow shot, chokehold, and eye poke gives you feedback.

CericFebruary 27, 2013

ITs not as Gradiant as real life.  We're just not there yet.

Even in the demo though.  If you get a big hit the monster will step back.  The Monster will start to get tired and start drooling.  In the Bunny's case he'll also straight to have a hard time recovering from his slide.  If you hurt his head he'll have a break animation and his face will be missing a part.  He will start to limp.  Yes would I like even more feedback sure.  We'll probably see it in MonHun4.  Life bars would hurt the tension of the game.

ejamerFebruary 27, 2013

These conversations are always terrible.

Monster Hunter isn't a game for everyone. It requires a pretty big investment in learning how to play, but rewards people who make that investment with a hefty sense of empowerment and tons of cool loot. It is very heavily skill-based. Controls are intentionally limited, forcing you to consider every action carefully and strategically since you can be hung out to dry if caught attacking or dodging at the wrong moment. Grinding is an important part of the game as you collect resources to craft new goods. Solo play is rewarding, but multi-player (either local or online) is much better and will open up a lot more content.

If that describes a game that you might enjoy then ignore the demo and just buy it. If you don't end up liking the game, then trading/selling a new release shouldn't be that difficult.



Sadly, there is no easy way to boil down Monster Hunter into a short demo. I'd like to see Capcom release the "full" offline game with quests limited to the 1-star list (up to the first urgent) so that new users start on the ground floor instead of being thrown into battle. Even better if they allow the demo save file to transfer over to the real game! This would do little good for people who are already familiar with the game systems... but isn't the purpose of a demo to attract new customers anyway?

Seems like there are two types of people when it comes to Monster Hunter: people who love the game, and people who give up on the game for various reasons before they learn how to play. It's a shame there isn't a better way to get introduced to the game since that initial learning curve (especially with half-baked demos) is very high and I suspect that the game would have a bigger audience if it wasn't so difficult to approach for the first time.

TJ SpykeFebruary 27, 2013

I tried the 3DS demo, and it was OK at best. Maybe the retail product is better, but I am not gonna pay $43 to find out since I did not like the demo. It's fine if other people like it, but it's not for me.

OblivionFebruary 27, 2013

According the MH subreddit on Reddit, everyone who hasn't played the game before should watch these tutorials before even touching the demo.


http://www.capcom-unity.com/dubindoh/blog/2013/02/25/quick-tutorials-on-the-monster-hunter-3-ultimate-demo

TJ SpykeFebruary 27, 2013

A demo is bad if you have to watch a tutorial before playing it. A demo is meant to sell a person on the game, and should be able to stand on its own. If you need to watch a tutorial before playing the demo, then the company did a bad job.

OblivionFebruary 27, 2013

I know, I'm just trying to help people out.

syn4aptikDave Mellert, Associate EditorFebruary 27, 2013

Quote from: Ceric

ITs not as Gradiant as real life.  We're just not there yet.

Even in the demo though.  If you get a big hit the monster will step back.  The Monster will start to get tired and start drooling.  In the Bunny's case he'll also straight to have a hard time recovering from his slide.  If you hurt his head he'll have a break animation and his face will be missing a part.  He will start to limp.  Yes would I like even more feedback sure.  We'll probably see it in MonHun4.  Life bars would hurt the tension of the game.

I don't need to know exactly how much health the monster has left. I need to have a very very good idea of how damaging my attacks are.

Agent SpectreFebruary 28, 2013

Quote from: syn4aptik

There is a pretty steady progression from "perfectly healthy" to "about to die from the arrow in my lungs that has been slowly bleeding me to death".

haha... true enough!  I may not have worded myself correctly there, sorry.  I was just trying to convey a thought on a similar scale of a large monster in real life - and MH does show that damage progression, but you don't know the exact moment it's going to die or anything like that through health bars or calculations (like a real animal).
Ceric explained it a bit better than I did. I'd definitely appreciate more feedback from my damage output, but I don't think a health bar or damage numbers on the screen are appealing or in the nature of this game.  If you find that you feel otherwise,  then the series probably just isn't going to appeal to you and that's that.

But there is definitely progression in the game though as Ceric has explained... it's just a bit more subtle than you'd like (also, it just doesn't seem like you were outputting enough damage to get those flinches, breaks and limps... and to be honest unless you are very skilled with the demo WATER bow of all things, you wouldn't be seeing them).  I agree it could very well be improved on though.  MH is frustrating for the majority of new players, and sadly it's just one of those things you either like or you don't. The steep learning cureve and things like this demo don't help in the least. :(  But in a similar way to ejamer I'd still recommend the real game to anyone with a buttload of patience and determination to adapt, even if they got a sour taste from the demo.

Quote from: Eyothrie

I appreciate the responses, pokepal148 and Agent Spectre, but this game/series just isn't for me.  I definitely gave the demo a fair shot on both the 3DS and Wii U. 

No prob, man. Thanks for trying the game anyway and being so level headed and honest. It's so refreshing to see that on the internet. :)

syn4aptikDave Mellert, Associate EditorFebruary 28, 2013




I think even something as simple as giving the weapons a better feeling of weight with respect to the monsters - maybe seeing some temporary deformation or something like that - would help me to self-evaluate as I am battling. That self-evaluation is an important part of the feedback loop that makes controlling a video game fun. In God of War, for example, you hear a satisfying crunch and get a slight pause when you make contact with an enemy. In Zelda, the sound of a connecting attack and a blocked attack are markedly different (there are also accompanying graphical cues that differentiate between effective vs. ineffective attacks). These things may exist in Monster Hunter 3, but if they do, the developers did little to teach us those cues.


Some people might like exploring a game to the level where they eventually learn these sort of things, but there are actual psychological considerations in game development that can really elevate system design. The best developers use human psychology to their advantage, they don't ask the players to learn the nuances of the game on their own. Some people might like games that require that level of dedication, but I am a busy dood. I ain't got time for that.

CericFebruary 28, 2013

Quote from: syn4aptik

I think even something as simple as giving the weapons a better feeling of weight with respect to the monsters - maybe seeing some temporary deformation or something like that - would help me to self-evaluate as I am battling. That self-evaluation is an important part of the feedback loop that makes controlling a video game fun. In God of War, for example, you hear a satisfying crunch and get a slight pause when you make contact with an enemy. In Zelda, the sound of a connecting attack and a blocked attack are markedly different (there are also accompanying graphical cues that differentiate between effective vs. ineffective attacks). These things may exist in Monster Hunter 3, but if they do, the developers did little to teach us those cues.


Some people might like exploring a game to the level where they eventually learn these sort of things, but there are actual psychological considerations in game development that can really elevate system design. The best developers use human psychology to their advantage, they don't ask the players to learn the nuances of the game on their own. Some people might like games that require that level of dedication, but I am a busy dood. I ain't got time for that.

Try the Hammer.  It has some of what your looking for.  It feels weighty and meaty.  SOme of the other things will be MonHun4 probably.  The Monster models themselves are not very changed in construction from the PSP.

Agent SpectreFebruary 28, 2013

The Hammer does feel more satisfying to that effect, but I doubt it's what he's looking for still.
I will say that all attacks are effective if you hit the monster. If not they will bounce and clash (which is a mechanic of sharpness), which I'm guessing is more the kind of feedback syn4aptik is looking for. Also if you play a weapon with an element or status attribute you will visually see and maybe even hear the connection of your attacks.  Now we're just traipsing around the subject, but I just felt like pointing that out to anyone's benefit.

I personally feel these things are there, and naturally responded to the game just fine. However everyone is different, what feels satisfying and makes sense to me will be different for everyone else of course.

Quote from: syn4aptik

Some people might like games that require that level of dedication, but I am a busy dood. I ain't got time for that.

Not even about the nuances now, but that's obviously the number one heads up that monster hunter is not for you. The game takes waaayyy too much time in every aspect to enjoy it fully. :T

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement