I want to get into Monster Hunter, and I have several avenues through which to do so. Unfortunately, I can't decide which avenue to take. Can you help me? My options are as follows.

1. Buy a Wii U, pro controller, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
2. Buy Monster Hunter Tri and classic controller for the Wii that I already own.
3. Play the PS+ version of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PSP) on the that Vita I already own.

I would very much appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

Edit: I should mention that I am in North America.

I could be wrong but Monster Hunter 4 is coming out early 2015. You could wait if you are really looking for people to play with since player count will probably be high when it comes out. My recommendation if you want to play right now is go for the Wii U version if you can spare the cash since that seems like the definitive version of 3. On that point if you have a vita you might want to read up on the game "Freedom Wars" it recently got localized for the US / EU market and people have been comparing the gameplay to MH. It sounded pretty cool and I'd probably play it but I don't have a vita / playstation tv to play it on.

If there are still people playing on Wii U (I bet there aren't) it's definitely the best option. A large part of monster hunter is the multiplayer and the online for MOU is fine. Really had a lot of fun with it.

I'm in a similar situation but after looking at the options, I'll most likely just wait for whenever Nintendo decides to bring the new 3DS model to the west, along with that version of MH.

@pyrodactyl said:

Really? Do you think the player-base has moved on? Oh, and what is MOU? I don't think I've heard of that.

@blakdeth: MOTri:U

Played the demo for 3 and i loved it so much but i'm going to wait for 4 since it has online multiplayer! Basically just wait for MH4

Also the game plays fine on the control pad

considering the options you gave I'd say it's either getting the Wii version or the PSP one, can't say much about the PSP MH since I never played it, but TRI for the wii is great, well it's pretty much MH3U on the wiiu(and 3DS) but with worse graphics and a couple of missing features that were added just for 3U, I bet you can get it for very cheap, plus I played a fair bit of it using a wiimote and it's very serviceable, so it's not exactly necessary for you to get a classic controller just for that, swimming without a second analog stick is a major pain in the ass though...

Unless you have something else on the wiiu you want to check out and have the cash, then go for the wiiu for sure, best MH currently available.

And as other people have said already another option would be to wait for MH4, that of course means you'd have to get a 3DS, which opens a third option for playing right now that is getting a 3DS and it's version of MH3U, 2 problems with this

1) there's a new 3DS version coming so getting a 3DS now would not be advisable (seems like the Australian version is to be released by the end of this month, according to wikipedia)

2) MH3U for 3DS has no online play, unless you have a wiiu, in which case you're better off just playing the wiiu version anyway...

I had to make this choice a while ago and went for the Wii U version, i think the standard controller (with the screen) works just fine, i haven't felt the need to get a pro controller for the game (but it's your choice). Monster Hunter is a really long game so I'd say its worth the investment in one you can play on a big screen with your preferred controls. Having tried the demo for 3 on my 3DS it was a bit of a pain not having a second stick, especially if you're interested in any of the ranged weapons. (Get a new 3DS because you don't want to get a circle pad pro)

Kinda sad that there's not been an announcement (to my knowledge) of a console version, but perhaps they'll do what they did with 3 to 4.

My favourite version of Monster Hunter is the version of Freedom Unite for IOS. I can hook up a PS4 controller and play the game portable while still holding the best controller out there right now. THe game is only $14, you can hook your iPHone up to a TV and play in 1080p (the WiiU version cannot even do that), has a camera lock-on enemy option (the only version with this), the only version with proper NA style online multiplayer (lobbies, voicechat, and everything), extra monsters, the addition of G-Quests (this series version of Heroic dungeons), and many other improvements that are taken from MH4.

Play the PS+ game first! no point in a buying a WiiU before you know if you'd like the way the game plays and if you have a 3DS then wait till 4 comes out.

If you're just looking to see if you like the series, just go with the PSP version. Hopefully you can assign the camera controls to the second stick but if not just realize the terrible camera controls wouldn't be an issue on the Wii U or the 3DS, assuming you get a circle pad pro or the New 3DS.

As far as I am aware, you can only tether a Playstation controller if you have jailbroken your iOS device. As a newbie to the series, I found Freedom Unite to be a very unforgiving game. The iOS version is the best version by far, but regardless of which platform Freedom Unite is on, it's not easy for new players to get into. Monster Hunter Tri (or Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate) is much easier for a new player, the tutorials are much better at explaining the basics and the monsters in the early zone are more manageable. It's where I recommend most people start with the series.

The Wii U and 3DS versions of Monster Hunter 3/Tri are the same as the Wii version but with more stuff (that you'll likely never see anyway). You can pick up the Wii version for about $9 at Gamestop and give it a go. Even if the multiplayer is dead or dying, you can at least have a good time in the early stages of the game and get a good understanding of the mechanics. It'd be a good primer for when Monster Hunter 4 comes out early next year. Just don't expect to get anything substantial accomplished for the first 10 hours or so.

Thank you for all the great replies. Keep 'em coming.

@asilentprotagonist: I have found that the best time for me to play a game is when my enthusiasm is high, especially when that game could take over 100 hours to complete. Therefore, I am perfectly content to try MH3U in advance of MH4. I have yet to see a release date for MH4 so I suspect I would be waiting at least three to four months to pick up that title.

@monetarydread: Thank you for the suggestion. I hadn't considered the iOS version because I didn't know one could use a PS4 controller with it. Can you confirm that this does not require a jail-broken iPhone or iPad? I use my iOS devices for work and I am reluctant jail-break either of them.

@evan223 and @bane122: That is a great point. I have a feeling I will like this style of game. I played and completed Dark Souls and Dark Souls 2 and I love the deliberate style of combat. From what I understand, folks that like the Souls series will find a lot to love in Monster Hunter.

@chiablo: I appreciate the suggestion to play the Wii version. Thank you.

@chiablo: @blakdeth: You have to jailbreak the device, but there really is no downside of that though. Just make a backup of your device, go to Pangu website (en.pangu.io), then click the button. I have not noticed a single issue... actually thats a lie, there was a couple of times that I was forced to restart my device when I normally wouldn't have but that issue was a bug that was fixed. If there are any issues that you are not a fan of, you can just hit the restore backup button on iTunes and your device will be EXACTLY like it was before the jailbreak. There is zero risk of damaging your device.

Also, if you JB your iPhone you can download screen capture software and record a 60fps video of any game you want (as long as the game can actually run at 60fps).

Edit: Oh, and apparently I lied twice when I mentioned that there were no issues. One thing that I find is that I have a hard time going back to playing games with touch controls after this. I have always been one of the most fervent supporters of mobile gaming on this site and even I admit that the same games are better with a PS4 controller. Its to the point where I actually get a little discouraged when a game is released without MFI controller support.

Edit 2: If you do not like the idea of Jailbreaking your device, there are a lot of official MFI controllers available to play with. They were too expensive last year, but nowadays the bottom is falling out from under them and you can find some good controllers for under $50. I don't know about where you live, but HORI (The Japanese FightStick company) has a top-of-the-line MFI controller for $60 in Canada.

I'd go with the cheapest option to see if you get sucked into the series at all. No point dropping money on a Wii U primarily for MH3U. While the gameplay changes are fairly meaningful to someone who's played through the other games, if you're new you won't really notice much of a difference. If you end up really enjoying the game then I'd suggest just waiting for 4U when it comes out next year.

@ichthy said:

Is the lack of online multi-player in MHTri going to make a big difference? As I understand it, there are quests that are specific to the online mode. Is it true that MH3U allows one to play these "online only" quests in single player mode?

Last I checked the online community for MH3U was still going strong.

MH3U is a fun game, though it got a bit too grindy for my tastes. If you ever want help with stuff, the Monster Hunter community is one of the most welcoming and supportive communities for a game I've ever seen. Just go online ask for experts and within a few minutes some high level gods will join your game and kill anything you ask them to. It's pretty sweet.

MH3U does allow for you to solo the multiplayer quests, but you can bring in your 2 cat companions to help a little. (you do need to progress through the story to get both)

I only played the MH Freedom Unite and the stellar MH3G on the PSP. If you have a psp laying around, just dump freedom unite on it for a feel of the game. I really started to like the game when I switched from flailing a greatsword around to cracking skulls with a hammer. The game has a steep learning curve though.

If you can afford it, get MH3U. The majority of the English monster hunter community is there, and will still be there long after MH4U comes out, because that is not coming to a console. MH3U is the best monster hunter experience you can have right now, considering the breadth of content and player base. The Wii version of MH3, last time I played it, had plentiful framerate dips during hunts, in addition to it being just kinda blurry and ugly looking. The Wii U version has much, much more content a stable framerate, mostly staying at 44ish fps, sometimes dipping down to 33. Unless you have a keyboard, I'd actually recommend sticking with the gamepad, instead of the pro controller. You are going to want to be communicating with people during your hunts, and the gamepad allows you to type using the touchscreen (or talk, using the built in mic, but most people do not use the microphone).

As someone who loves (and tries to keep loving) the Monster Hunter series I found Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the Wii U to be really fun. Yes, a large part of the Monster Hunter games can be played online but you don't really have to ( you should though since it seems like a lot of fun). I played through all of the normal quests (solo/offline) in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and got around to the Hard quests before stopping. The few complaints I have of it are the long animations for healing and the RNG to get one specific item you might need. I spent around 4 hours trying to get a piece from a monster just to get a full set of a creature's hard mode armor.

I got monster hunter 3 on the wii u a while ago free when I bought Mario kart or was it 3d world ?
anyway I played it a wee bit and quite enjoyed it but as always happens these days just stopped playing it for no real reason.
Maybe get it on wii u and try get a few fellow giantbombers to join you.
Id be willing to give it another go as I really did enjoy it but just lost interest in it for some reason.

I went ahead and purchased a Wii U and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. My wife is a big fan of Mario Kart and I would love to give Bayonetta a shot, so it seems like a decent purchase. I am currently working on the introductory quests and getting used to the controls. I do have an issue with the sensitivity of the camera and the size of text though. Playing at 720p from a distance of six to eight feet is a bit of a strain. Unfortunately, a new TV is not in the budget right now.

I appreciate all of the advice and I look forward to playing MH3U. Thank you!

@blakdeth: I found that playing on the gamepad made the text slightly more readable.

@zidd: For the time being, I am playing on my computer monitor. It's 1080p and I sit two to three feet from it, so the text is razor sharp. It's an acceptable compromise.

I wish ya luck. I own it on 3DS for over 8 months and it still seems difficult for me to get into. I keep street passing people who play it, kinda want to grab them and have them explain the game to me.

@crithon: It certainly has its quirks, I'll grant you that. I'm working through some of the one star offline quests to test out the various weapons. I've tried the dual-blades and long sword thus far. Targeting (or lack there of) smaller creatures is a little weird.

@blakdeth:

I semi-recently got into the MH series and I'm pretty hooked. The most rewarding game I've played in a long time. I'm in the High Rank quests for single player right now but have not touched the multiplayer quests (still HR1). I would be very down to play with you (or anyone else reading this. Seriously, I'm dying to play this with other people and not just join random games online). I'm a LS user primarily. Purely FYI, just let me know. NNID: SAC-99

@sac: MH3U really clicked for me last night. I was on my first low-level solo quest to defeat the Great Jaggi. I will keep your offer in mind if/when I get to the higher level quests.