As you may or may not know, Monster Hunter 3 comes out soon enough, which brings me to think about the only Monster Hunter game I've ever played, and is currently emblazoned in gold for its sheer brilliance.
I got the first Monster Hunter as a child, and was immediately infatuated with it. At that point, it was mostly because the swords were twice the size of my head, but then it began to click. For those that haven't played, or know nothing about it, the original Monster Hunter for the PS2 had you play a new 'hunter' in a civilization threatened by huge, dinosaur like creatures. Everything from Raptors to Wyverns (Dragons with no front legs, instead just having wings) and a lot in between. Your job was to go out and ensure the survival of your village by completing quests. Things from procuring cooked meats and precious livers, to slaying the Yian Kut Ku (Think a large, angry, pink, armored, fire breathing chicken). After your victory over any of these 'monsters', you could run over and harvest their corpses for bones and meat, and scales, and hides, and fangs, and what not, which you would then take BACK to your village (with the Quest's requisites) and craft various armors out of.
Part of the beauty of the game was just that: You could look at every piece of armor, and every weapon, and think 'Yeah, that looks like I formed that out of that thing's hip bone'. The weapons were great, being split into two categories: Blademaster and Gunner (each had their respective armors). Blademaster weapons were Swords n' Shields, Great Swords, Lances, and Hammers. Gunners used Bowguns, which were effectively a gunpowder enhanced crossbow. They were in two varieties, Light or Heavy, and could use a variety of different ammunitions you'd create or buy.
You would start with a basic weapon, then upgrade it with the gruesome spoils of each hunt until you wound up with the Wyvern crushing tool of death you orgasmed about since the beginning of the game, which leads me to my next point: The grind element. Part of the inherent beauty of the game was the delibrancy and planning ahead. You can't enter the world without a quest, so you pick the one that will yield the roster of items needed for the 'Skullcrusher' (what I'm currently working towards) and hunt them out. It made it all worthwhile when you see the spoils: a massive spiked mace with amazing attack power and a freakishly beserker-like feel to it. The same with armor. Everything in the game is an apt reward for patience and skill.
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Now, between then and now, there have been multiple Monster Hunter games I didn't even bother trying. The original had an online mode I never got working, so I can't base my knowledge off of that. However, the new Monster Hunter 3 for the wii brings some significant changes from the original. Mostly in terms of being online, but:
Switchaxes: Crazy Great Sword / Axe crossbreeds that look like they don't have the ability to block, but most likely don't have a bad side to hit with. One's just better for smacking than the other.
Hunting Horns: Not sure if these are in this one, or one of the predecessors. My understanding is: a relatively weak melee weapon that can be played to boost your allies. Rocking.
Medium Bowguns: A cosmic mix of Heavy and Light? Didn't see that coming.
Bowgun parts: Apparently, you can craft barrels, chassis, and stocks for your bowgun to create another crazy cosmic mixture.
Underwater fighting: Am I the only one that has nightmares about this? The beasts in this game are intimidating enough, but to be UNDERWATER? Terrified. I'm staying right behind Lucas when it comes to this one, he can find all the sharks.
In all honesty though, this strikes me as a bit of a pain in the ass. I'd imagine that there will most likely be an oxygen bar, and some form of item that will allow you to breathe, but still. It requires coordination to dodge the leathery tail of the Gypceros on land, fighting a monster in all dimensions seems like it's going to be the epitome of inconvenience.
New monsters: Fun.
New weapon types: Funner.
New armor: Only 0.001% less fun than the weapons
Streamlined online play: I don't have a base of reference for this one.
As this draws to a close, I want to point out that the main figurehead of the game as seen on the website ( http://www.capcom.com/monster/ ) is a loud, angry, and critical scotsman with a flowing mane and a wicked beard. In the character customization of the other games, you get a face, your hair, the color, and a voice to choose from. If I don't get the long, flowing lockes and a beard (not prevalant in previous games), and a scottish accent voice, there will be blood. Lots of it.
Look forward to April 20th, and I'll catch you online. You'll know me by the incessant giggling, and the screenname Kragtast.
Happy Hunting!
-Waffle Monster
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