I played the "Monster Hunter Tri" demo. I need a Classic Controller.

A couple of months after signing up for a free demo from Capcom, I finally got a copy of the Monster Hunter Tri demo disc.

For the uninitiated, this is MONSTER HUNTERRRRRRRR (after the jump): 



Essentially, the goal of the game is to kill increasingly difficult monsters of all shapes and sizes in order to harvest their innards for items that are converted into weapons and armor. An action RPG, if you will.

There are a variety of weapons to choose from - long sword, switchaxe (which is a transforming sword/axe combo), hammer, crossbow, and so on. Your weapon of choice dictates how you approach each boss as well as your controls. For example, a crossbow allows you to go into a first-person mode and fire at your enemies, while a long sword offers a couple of a special moves not tied to the general attack button.

So, how does it play? It's really fun IF you are a fan of kicking the shit out of beasts, and you do not mind taking your lumps.

Your attacks are "queued up" in a way. One you start an attack, you can't really do anything until the animation plays out. Once the attack ends, you are free to continue the chain of attacks (like another swing of your sword) or run away/roll out of the way to avoid attacks. Careful examination of the enemy's attack patterns is one of the keys in defeating them, and you should never be afraid to stop your attack chain to go heal up or back off from an impending attack. It's not that dissimilar to a boxing match - you wait for your opening, strike, pull back and regroup.

I fought and defeated both the Great Jaggi and the Quropeco. That second one is a tough sumbitch, but not because he's especially hard or strong. It's due to his specialty in mimicking the calls of OTHER monsters, which results in those types of monsters coming to kick your ass. It could range from regular ol' Jaggi's (think raptors) or a GIANT FRICKIN' DRAGON OF DEATH (he spits giant fireballs!).

What's really cool about the monsters is that they're pretty smart. They're attack patterns have a good variety, and they will even run away to another section of the overall area in order to avoid being pummeled to death.

The game is playable with the Wii remote and nunchuk, but it's not the recommended way to play. I've found two faults with the control scheme that really hamper things.

First off, the lack of a second analog stick hampers the efficiency of the player. There are ways to deal with it (pressing C on the nunchuk centers the camera behind you, and the d-pad can act like an analog stick), but it will be frustrating at times.

Second, item usage is tied to either holding the C button and selecting with A or just pressing the 1 button (which activates the item you currently have selected). I appreciate that the 1 button exists as a shortcut for items, but it sucks that it's so far down the Wii remote. It's just awkward.

Other random notes:

- You cook your own meat in order to raise your stamina. The more stamina you have, the longer you can run and roll.

- Items - like flash bombs and traps - are awesome. Use them.

- If you "die," you get shuffled back to a starting location. The enemy's damage stays the same (unless he heals himself), so you get to try again immediately.

- Your weapons will lose sharpness over time. Keep an eye on the glowing blade in the upper left corner of the screen. If it loses that glow, it's time to sharpen your weapon once more. Ammo-based weapons need not apply.