Zero Punctuation: Monster Hunter Tri

[Jdb]

Monster Hunter Tri is a grinding game. I despise grinding games. But I wanted to give Monster Hunter Tri a chance because I thought it would be different. I thought it would be different because in Monster Hunter Tri, you only grind armor. This is opposed to every other grinding game, where you grind levels in addition to armor. Monster Hunter Tri is also a challenging game. And I love challenging games. But in the end, I was disappointed.

Offline and Low-Rank Online modes have tolerable levels of grind. But High-Rank Online is a grind fest. It is a grind fest because you will inevitably encounter equipment that requires items that have a low drop rate - Around a 10% chance or less. And this is equipment you can't skip out on either. Expect to fight the same boss monster 20+ times just for one item.

An example of the grind fest that is High-Rank Online - I fought a boss monster 12 times just for one item in High-Rank Online. The worst part is, this was for an item that is supposed to be common - Lagiarcus Horn+. Lagiarcus Horn+ is supposed to have a 40% chance to drop. It took me 7 regular Horns, 2 Lagiarcus Plates, and 2 Lagia Sapphires before I got one Horn+. And the items I just mentioned have a drop rate that is 20% or less. And I still needed 3 more Horn+ to make the item I needed. I didn't feel like playing anymore after that.

 

[TyrannoTitan]

This was disappointing. Funny as usual, but he didn't even try to get into the game itself. Just took the first few quests and called the game shit.

The first star rank of quests has 25% hunting quests yes. The second star? 70% hunting. Third? 90%. And by the third rank, you are hunting boss monsters, not minion monsters.

Hell, go to the first star rank in online. Ta da! 80% hunting quests right from the get go.

He didn't put any effort in this review.

 

[Wolfy4226]

I agree. The Game doesn't have any reason to be on the Wii other than cheap developers.

It would have been much better on the PS3 or 360, and they could have done a lot more with it.

 

[Dreyfuss]

A sh*t game on the wii - oh no, what a surprise....When the adverts don't show the actual game, you know there's something it's trying to hide.

And yet everybody seemed to love Bioshock, Halo 3 and the like. I don't recall those games showing any gameplay in their adverts.

 

[Tinneh]

No mention of the online and/or multiplayer aspect? Still good episode as always.

On a side note to people actually take what Yatzee says at face value? I mean you'd have to be pretty silly to do that since if you did every game apart from Adventure Island Dizzy would be shit and you'd never play anything, ever.

And Portal! And 'tis a shame, I was considering getting this game, but, I forgot that it was going to be a grindfest.

EDIT: And I think (I think!) that's Fantasy World Dizzy, I could be wrong though.

 

[Lemon Of Life]

I was hoping you'd do Red Dead, but great review as always, love the analogies.

 

[Jonci]

Actually the only other time I even heard about this game was a gamesradar article that explored how this game struck a cord with him due to him being a vegetarian...

Seriously, I believe I've never heard of this game again until now. And this is the third installment?

Monster Hunter has never done well in the western markets. It's a massive success in Japan. This is the third console release, with three PSP releases, too, and a fourth PSP release scheduled. Capcom has been wary about Monster Hunter's success in the western market and nearly didn't even do this release. Luckly, they did.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I agree. The Game doesn't have any reason to be on the Wii other than cheap developers.

It would have been much better on the PS3 or 360, and they could have done a lot more with it.

Yeah, because Capcom are the cheapest of the cheapest right? Look at any console generation. The one with the best capabilities hardware wise, have never won the 'console war'.

 

[duchaked]

That game looks awesome lol. I was hoping for Red Dead Redemption but one would have to stop playing it to review it, which could be difficult.

yeah I thought it was gonna be RDR cuz I think he Tweeted about it
but maybe he decided to keep playing it like he did with ME2

 

[TheGreenGoblin]

I want to thank Mr. Yahtzee personally (that is, cyber-personally) for finally blasting the "Use Obscure Enemy Item Drops To Power Up Your Weapon" system. You never know when or if to sell something, therefore you are constantly strapped for gold even at the endgame. Last Remnant is the criminal mastermind in that outfit, often asking you to fetch components that turn out to be 20 hours away from you, followed by another 20 hours of grinding.

FF13 is guilty of that too, but at least any item drop can power up any weapon via the experience point system. But still, the best stuff in the game takes too much grinding to get.

 

[solidstatemind]

Big long snip

Excuse me, but I am not asking anyone to behave "how I wish them to". Perhaps if you took a moment and actually read my statements rather than merely seeing the avatar, making assumptions that I'm a fanboy mindlessly defending Yahtzee, and resorting to ad hominem attacks ('spoilt brat'), you should've quickly realized that I did not excoriate anyone for actually disagreeing with Yahtzee's opinion: I took issue with those that felt that his methodology was wrong. Well that and those QQing about how he's somehow brainwashing people. So, to clarify, I am asking people to not project their expectations and demands for his efforts (such as 'play it longer' or 'play multiplayer') in a way they have no right to, particularly in those aspects which the author has previously stated he is uninterested in pursuing-- and of course, give credit that other posters here might actually have a brain and free will... both of which, I believe, are entirely reasonable attitudes to have.

It's Zero Punctuation, by Ben 'Yahtzee' Crowshaw. As the creator, he's permitted to determine his methods and parameters as he sees fit. He is not required to abide by anyone's standards but his own. It is up to the viewer to weigh this information when they determine how seriously they take his opinion. (Which, by the way, is 'not very' in my case. I knew he was sizing up this game for vivisection with a chainsaw before he even opened the box, since it's on the Wii, which he loathes. Are you not familar enough with his work to know that? Why should I have to listen to your moaning if that is the case? Again: that's a YOU problem.)

As far as word of mouth is concerned, while once a long time ago a ZP review may have had an impact, I'm pretty sure that is no longer the case. My friends who aren't into ZP write him off as a curmudgeon, and frankly, most of my friends who watch ZP do as well. We all feel that Metacritic is far more sensible and influential a source for purchasing decisions... which, hey! Isn't that yet another argument as to why it is reasonable to think of ZP as entertainment and not a legitimate review?

And no, you clearly do not recognize my avatar or my "overly agressive post style"; I am supportive as often as I am critical. And when I am critical, it inevitably involves people being egocentric, myopic, hystronic, illogical, devisive, and/or prejudiced. When this occurs, I do tend to give it to them with both barrels, as I have an extremely low tolerance for people who display those traits. Unfortunately, I have bad news for you: you can't simultaneously tell me that I can't disagree with other peoples opinions and attitudes and then attempt to castigate me for having an opinion and/or an attitude you disagree with.

...and when I do bother to go to 4chan's /v/ board...

Also, I don't tend to post on The Escapist - this place is a foul and cursed wasteland.

Thank you for this. I got a great laugh out of it. Oh, and thank you for not posting very often since, via this passage...

I just think that it might be an idea to check other sources of reviews and possibly try the game yourself before condemning it, or any other game Yahtzee's criticized. I'd say this about any singular source of news - doublecheck it with two or three places, possibly your friends who've investigated it. Get more than one review about things.

...it is clear that you didn't even read enough to comprehend that one of the main premises of my original post was that Yahtzee's 'reviews' should not be taken seriously, particularly when the game in question heavily involves one of those aspects of gaming (such as multiplayer) that he has clearly and repeatedly stated he is uninterested in... that people should probably look elsewhere for a more honest critique in such situations, and not waste their time bitching and moaning that Yahtzee is somehow 'wrong' for holding the opinion that those aspects are without value to him.

 

[viking97]

aw man i thought he was gonna do red dead redemption, another sequel with a word at the end starting with re. i think he'll like it tho, seems his kinda game.

 

[AwesomeFerret]

No mention of the online and/or multiplayer aspect? Still good episode as always.

On a side note to people actually take what Yatzee says at face value? I mean you'd have to be pretty silly to do that since if you did every game apart from Adventure Island Dizzy would be shit and you'd never play anything, ever.

I agree completely with what you say, I mean I personally love Monster Hunter, and obviously he just didn't put in the effort the game needs, because I know how good it it. Its worrying to see just how many people can be put off a game based on one of Ben's reviews.

 

[AngryBritishAce]

lol awesome reveiw, I don't want to TRI this game lol

but I hope yahtzee does alan wake next, despight it's a awesome game, I want to see yahtzee rip the shit out of it, as ever!

 

[fesc]

Yahtzee, what do you think of the upcoming Bulletstorm? It's made by Epic Games and People Can Fly.

Also, where the fuck is Red Dead Redemption?

 

[Tom Phoenix]

I don't understand the point Yahtzee is trying to make about Japanese gamers. It's not like gamers outside Japan are any less likely to play "cutesy", non-violent games. The popularity of things like Farmville and Wii Fitness Resort proves this. If anything, Harvest Moon is at least marginally better then Farmville since you won't spend real-life money for it.

Plus, considering the fact that Japan is the home of many violent video games, I would say that Japanese gamers have a better stomach for it then non-Japanese gamers.

 

[Wolcik]

I played the previous game of that style and to be honest - Pokemon on GBA is more interesting XD

 

[Dreyfuss]

There are no Kut-Kus in monster hunter tri, and Rathalos is pretty close to endgame for offline. I doubt he even got to the Great Jaggi, though.

They changed the monster progression? That's kind of lame... Yeah, I haven't played it yet, Starcraft 2 is eating up all my time, but I've spent a ton of time on Freedom and Unite, and I know MH3 isn't that much different. Still can't believe they took out Kut-Kus...

Dreyfuss:

You and I both know that gathering isn't 1/100th of the game. It's more like 99/100th of the game.

I was talking about 1/100 of the game length. That would be obvious if you weren't trying so hard to strawman me. He didn't even get past 1* village quests from the sound of it. Gathering is 1/2 the game, and 1/2 of the gathering drops off monsters, so 3/4s of the game is hunting monsters, which is awesome, and the other 1/4 is simulation stuff to make it feel more authentic, which is also awesome unless you're only interested in godmod games give you laser eyes and point you at a horde of worthless peons that can barely fight. That's supposed to be fun?

Monster Hunter Tri is a grinding game. I despise grinding games. But I wanted to give Monster Hunter Tri a chance because I thought it would be different. I thought it would be different because in Monster Hunter Tri, you only grind armor. This is opposed to every other grinding game, where you grind levels in addition to armor. Monster Hunter Tri is also a challenging game. And I love challenging games. But in the end, I was disappointed.

Offline and Low-Rank Online modes have tolerable levels of grind. But High-Rank Online is a grind fest. It is a grind fest because you will inevitably encounter equipment that requires items that have a low drop rate - Around a 10% chance or less. And this is equipment you can't skip out on either. Expect to fight the same boss monster 20+ times just for one item.

An example of the grind fest that is High-Rank Online - I fought a boss monster 12 times just for one item in High-Rank Online. The worst part is, this was for an item that is supposed to be common - Lagiarcus Horn+. Lagiarcus Horn+ is supposed to have a 40% chance to drop. It took me 7 regular Horns, 2 Lagiarcus Plates, and 2 Lagia Sapphires before I got one Horn+. And the items I just mentioned have a drop rate that is 20% or less. And I still needed 3 more Horn+ to make the item I needed. I didn't feel like playing anymore after that.

Kind of creepy that you have my initials for a screen name... but regardless, you do know that the same monster has different drop rates at different Hunter Ranks, right? You were probably fighting the monster at a lower HR than the guide you were reading was written for.

 

[AngryBritishAce]

No mention of the online and/or multiplayer aspect? Still good episode as always.

On a side note to people actually take what Yatzee says at face value? I mean you'd have to be pretty silly to do that since if you did every game apart from Adventure Island Dizzy would be shit and you'd never play anything, ever.

I agree completely with what you say, I mean I personally love Monster Hunter, and obviously he just didn't put in the effort the game needs, because I know how good it it. Its worrying to see just how many people can be put off a game based on one of Ben's reviews.

Actually i think he likes the games really, but we love him for his anger. If he tried to do a reveiw where he explains how brilliant it is, I think we would lose intrest and stop watching him.

Not saying he likes monster hunter, god no, but games like God of War III, CoD MW2, ect. If he hated all games, do you really think he would become a games revewier?

 

[Enlong]

Huh. How far did Yahtzee actually play the game for? 'Cause I know that mission he described near the end of the review, where you're suddenly ambushed by one of the high-end monsters. That was one of the 1-star quests. The lowest-end stuff. A few quests into the 2-star stuff (which comes swift on the heels of that mission) gets you into the actual hunting of the big monsters, which is the point of the game. I dunno, it seems kind of off to me.