Monster Hunter Demo impressions

Wednesday I got the new Monster Hunter Tri demo from Gamestop. Yes, I had to actually go into the den of wolves to retrieve something of value. It was a necessary evil, I assure you.  Well as far as impressions go, I have some good ones and i can definitely point out some areas where the game needs improvement.

When I opened the disc I was treated to this lovely poster explaining the controls for all the game's classes. I didn't expect that at all, and I really have to give Capcom props for putting so much effort into it's packaging. The loading screen kind of gave me flashbacks to a PS1 game, but they weren't that long and I could easily look past that. I really like the character classes, and I have to say my favorites going in where the Greatsword, Sword and shield, and Switch Axe.

The biggest issue I had going into this game was the difficulty of the quests. Not that I couldn't finish it without help, just that the monsters are ruthless as hell. I mean none of that "standing around waiting for you to take them out one at a time", bull. They're all on you! And to top it off the Big leader of the pack wastes no time in bum-rushing you down and curb stomping you to a pulp. That's nothing compared to the second quest, where you have to hunt a strange bird-like creature who can summon other monsters to aide it. That part was all fun and games until There was that and a giant dragon coming at me. Hectic!! I'm still trying to beat that one.  You can clearly tell that this game is geared towards accomplishing goals through teamwork. There's obviously little room for one-man-army mentality in this game.

The controls were awkward at first. I was completely confused . aim the camera with the directional pad and shake the wii remote to attack? Then you want me to turn the remote on it's side for an additional attack? wow. After a couple hours I got the hang of it and then noticed that the control style is reminiscent of Phantasy Star Online, another game that I should have finished off some time ago. Digressing again, sorry.

So what are the negatives?  Really they're just opinions, but here we go: I don't care much for the Bowgun class. Why? The Bowgun classes took way too long to reload at times and felt like they would be better suited as support characters in the final game. I thought the AI is a bit too vicious for a demo, I can understand  the developers probably wanted to give you a taste of the game for you to go into the final thinking that you needed to team up to take on certain monsters, and that's fine. I just felt like by finishing the first quest I was such a badass, but then the second quest made me feel like I went in with too big an ego and paid dearly for it. Lessons learned i guess.

With that being said, I'm actually excited about the release of this game. I would love to play the final version, maybe I'd even consider putting down a preorder if that means getting the 500 wii points and a classic controller out of it. I'm not a fan of Gamestop, but I have to say that is kind of a sweet deal.