Monster Hunter games are centred around teams of up to 4 players doing battle with massive fictional beasts, then crafting weapons and armour from their remains. It's grizzly stuff, but Monster Hunter has been one of Capcoms biggest draws, so where does this latest offering take the series from here?
The demo offers 2 difficulty settings (Beginner or Experienced), with a choice of 3 monsters to fight and they're as impressive as ever. Taking inspiration from dinosaurs and various mythology, they're nothing short of intimidating as you and your buddies try to bring them down. And to give newcomers a better idea of what the Monster Hunter experience is like; Capcom have also thrown in solo, local and online multiplayer modes.
Playing the game solo means you get 2 little cats (known as Felyne's and Melynx's) helping you out during the battle, and they come dressed in a variety of silly outfits such as maids or musicians. Regardless of how they're dressed you're going to need them; they'll deal blows to your enemies, heal you and set traps to capture the monsters allowing you time to deal more damage.
The online games however, have been a bit of a problem (at least for me), where there's very few available games to join. I'm not reading too much into this as it's only the demo, and when I have been able to find a game the servers have been superb; much more stable than Super Smash Bros.
The online chat system however, is extremely dated only offering a handful of standard phrases for you send to your teammates. It's also very clunky to use as it relies on you using your stylus, which is not easy when battling giant dinosaurs and for a game heavily steeped in teamwork and strategy I had hoped for something much more flexible. Hopefully this will be implemented when the final version is released.
Unfortunately the demo doesn't highlight many new features aside from one or two weapons, and the new vertically focused combat. Players can now leap from canopies and ledges to mount their prey, triggering a mini game where you try to deal as many blows as you can before the monster bucks you off. It's an interesting mechanic that adds an extra element of excitement, and having a more interactive environment makes you think more your strategy and how to deal with a particular monster.
I hadn't played a Monster Hunter game since MH: Freedom Unite on the PSP and in my opinion it was one of the greatest games on the system. This demo however, doesn't show enough new features to tempt me back to the franchise, so I'm only likely to pick this up if my friends or family are going to join in. It's not bad, there's just not enough innovation on offer.
