Day 214, Game 214 - Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

In the last blog post, I talked about a game that I never thought I would enjoy, and ended up really loving it - Bulletstorm. Well, let's head to the opposite end of the spectrum and discuss a game that I really, really wanted to love, but just couldn't get into it. 

When Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate first came out for the Wii U, I desperately wanted to pick up the game and jump in to the franchise for the first time. Maybe it was just the lack of Wii U games forcing me into almost making horrible decisions, but this game was calling my name. Coupled with the fact that a 3DS version of the game was released at the same time, and you could do cross-saving and essentially enjoy the same experience on both consoles, I almost fell hook, line and sinker for it. 

But for a refreshing change of my bad habits, I decided not to buy Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, on either platform. While I loved the idea of the game, I was worried that it wouldn't be the game I was hoping for. I don't remember exactly what it was back then that made me a little cautious about being too excited for the game, but I remember really hoping it was going to be an amazing experience. I just couldn't justify spending the money for it, banking on just a hope.

That is where Gamefly comes in handy. Want to experience a game or kick the tires on it, without buying the game outright? Rent it from Gamefly, keep it as long as you want and go from there. Wow, I totally wasn't trying to turn this into an add for Gamefly, but sometimes, the truth just sounds like it.

Anyway, so I recently got this game from Gamefly and gave it whirl, really hoping my worries would be crushed so I could run out and go buy it for myself. Unfortunately (but maybe thankfully?), all I did was confirm my suspicions. This game - rather, this series - is not for me. The whole idea of going around slaying giant, amazing looking monsters and using their carcasses for armor and weapon crafting sounds like an absolute blast, but the boring grinding element and lackluster environments bog down the game play that I so wished to experience.

The actual battles with the monsters are fabulous, but the downtime in between epic battles that is filled with grinding and sometimes just a whole lot of nothing, keep me from really liking this game. If somehow I could have a stripped-down version of this, that was just a battle-arena type of game, I would be in heaven. Like, just give me battle after battle, letting me upgrade and change weapons and armor in between each, and I would be happy as clam. That's actually what I wanted and hoped Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate would be. I guess I should have known better, considering this is a franchise that people become addicted to, dumping hundreds and hundreds of hours into. Yeah, give me the "...For Dummies" version, please, and we'll call it good. 

So there we have it. A game I just didn't like no matter how hard I tried to. Thankfully, the push to the end of Bulletstorm will make up for the disappointment on this one. 

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