I shouldn’t like Monster Hunter Tri as much as I do, it’s buggy, complicated, daunting and the load times are terrible, but I’m a scale whore. It’s okay – I admit it. Nothing gets me into a game more than a showdown with a big-ass boss nearly three times my size. This is where Monster Hunter Tri really succeeds – it’s just too bad the rest of the game couldn’t be so grand.

If you haven’t heard of the Monster Hunter series yet, you’re not alone…and you’re probably in the USA. The franchise, which started back in 2004 for the Playstation 2 is incredibly popular in Japan, but never quite caught on as much here in the States. That could be a result of the series’ trademark absurd difficulty and time consuming gameplay.

To their credit, Capcom has made a great effort to make Monster Hunter Tri, the newest game in the series more accessible, and to an extent it is, but new comers to the series may find it tough to stay interested in the series. This is not a game you’re going to jump into and start hacking up monsters, in fact, you’re going to go through at least an hour and a half of learning the ropes of the world before you really get into the action. While this may sound daunting – it’s actually quite helpful and thanks to some exceptional pacing, goes by a lot faster than you’d think.

"...a good portion of the game revolves around resource management and research..."

Monster Hunter Tri places players in the quaint fishing village of Moga, where surprise, surprise there’s been a series of monster attacks and it’s up to you as a new member of the Guild to slay the beasts and restore order to the village. While this may sound like an invitation to battle some big-ass beasts, new comers to the series will be surprised to learn that a good portion of the game revolves around resource management and research more than it does combat.  Moga will serve as a hub world for your quests, and it’s where you’ll partner with the village’s citizens to best use the resources you gather through missions and quests.

But, this game is called Monster Hunter isn’t it? That’s what you spent $50 for, and that’s where you’re going to have the most fun. The monsters you’ll go up against range from your everyday pack-animals to colossal, world shaking behemoths aiming to squish you with every step. What’s funny is that if you pay attention to the game’s cannon, a lot of the creatures you’re going up against are harmless herbivores up until the point where you stab them with your trusty blade, yet somehow they’re destroying villages – go figure.

Each foe has their own strategy, and while going through the first few bosses without much thought may work – don’t expect it take you much further. In fact, don’t expect any strategy to do much for you. Monster Hunter Tri is not an easy game, nor is it one that lets you get comfortable.  Read: You’re going to die, a lot.  It’s only by watching your enemy’s attack patterns and failing over and over again that you’re going to eventually be successful. When you eventually are victorious, it’s extremely rewarding. In fact, I may catch flames for this but it reminded me of boss battles in The Legend of Zelda.

"It’s a ton of fun to grab a group of friends and discuss strategy..."

Now, I’m about to say something that may shock you. You’re going to want to play Monster Hunter Tri online. On the Wii. I know right?! Online and co-op have always been an integral part of the Monster Hunter experience, a tradition that continues with Tri. Chief among the reasons that the online suite works so well here when other Wii games (read : almost all) have failed is that it uses the Wii speak effectively and doesn’t use the much hated friend codes. It’s a ton of fun to grab a group of friends and discuss strategy to take down the monsters. The experience truly reaches its peak when each player has progressed differently, and has a different skill set and weapons.

If you’re looking for a Wii game to invest some serious time into, and don’t mind a slow start, Monster Hunter Tri is right up your alley, but if you’re looking for a balls to the wall combat experience – you’re likely to be disappointed. This is the best of the Monster Hunter series, it’s just sad many won’t experience its depth.