I’ve always been a fan of the Monster Hunter series, but when I heard that it was coming to the Wii, I was apprehensive of the move. The Monster Hunter series has been something that emphasizes online multiplayer – something that the Nintendo system sorely lacks. Well, when I finally got my hands on it, I was fairly surprised at what I found. Expecting a dumbed-down, laggy mess, what I was given was a game that stays true to the series, providing all the depth, online functionality and core gameplay that I’ve come to know and love from the original.

As I picked up and played the game, it was immediately familiar to me. It’s still very much a “RTFM” sort of game, but it’s been made a bit more approachable for the Wii. Another touch to help ease the transition over to Nintendo’s console is that it’s compatable with the new Wii Classic Controller Pro, giving players access to a controller layout similar to the PlayStation installments of the series. When I jumped into the game, I was treated to a four-man co-op mode, where our mission was to simply destroy a monster. Of course, there was far more to this than what the mission description let on.

This particular experience really reminded me of how good Monster Hunter can be. It was almost like a raid in World of Warcraft, where everyone needed to be in sync and know what roles they’ll be playing. The game demands teamwork – when we started with the battle, things where chaotic, but as we started communicating and working in tandem, we were beginning to hold our own. Along with that, we were all armed to the teeth with a great arsenal of gear to make sure we could tackle any obstacle. However, our adversary wasn’t as easy as a straight-forward melee – there’s a bit more to it than that.

Our enemy was able to conjure up smaller creatures to keep us occupied, while moving to different zones, keeping us on our toes through the whole experience. Not only that, this creature was able to call in support from a gigantic dragon that, when called into the fracas, would be devastating to our assault. However, true to Monster Hunter form, there’s always a way around this. To compliment the game’s customization features and depth to the gameplay, there are ways to stop our main opponent from calling in help altogether. That is, if you’re paying enough attention and have the right gear equipped.

Along with all this, the different roles you can play in the game is really impressive. It’s all based on the gear you have. I was taking a ranged role, but I was able to switch to different ammunition types, each of which had different levels, allowing me to inflict damage, or even take on a healing role, if my comrades-in-arms needed it. So long as my gear layout allowed for it, I was able to take on a variety of responsibilities, keeping my team alive, while making sure the opposition was held at bay. I was truly impressed by this four-man mode as not only did it give a great, epic feel and required a great amount of strategy and teamwork, helping it seem far greater than the usual rabble that appears on the Wii.

The big unveil during my time with the game was the two-player split screen mode. Should you want to undertake a quick mission with a friend, this is the way to go. Though, it doesn’t have the same scope or size of the four-man skirmishes, it really manages to bring a small dose of the game to audiences. What I played had my partner and I going into a small arena and simply killing everything in sight. It was a bit more simple than what was found with the larger missions, it still provided a good deal of fun, just in a smaller dose. I imagine this is the component catering to those who don’t have the time to participate in a giant battle, but at the same time, it gets the job done.

The truly impressive thing about all this is that all the multiplayer functionality works rather well. Obviously, the split screen mode will be just fine, but the online portion of the game ran with little to no lag at all. It seems that Capcom wants to make sure this game gets a fair shake, as it’s taking over the online service, providing its own servers to the game, allowing Capcom itself to ensure a stable experience. Another brilliant and welcome touch is that Capcom is making sure Monster Hunter Tri is not only compatable with Wiispeak (the new voice chat service for the system), and USB keyboards for text chat, it’s also doing away with friend codes. Rather than using Nintendo’s friend management system, you’ll be able to create a six-digit “Hunter ID” which will be tied to your gamesave, essentially acting as your core account. Once you’re in the game, if you want to add a friend, it’s merely a matter of highlighting a given character and choosing the “add to friends list” option and you’re good to go. “The team wanted to make the online up to the standards gamers expect nowadays,” said Shawn Baxter, Community Manager at Capcom. “Tri does all of that and more.”

It’s certainly looking like Capcom’s on the right track with this new Monster Hunter. Everything that makes the series so memorable is present and accounted for. Add the fact that Capcom’s going the distance to make sure that the online components of the game are up to snuff, and it’s looking like Monster Hunter Tri will be a worthy installment to the series. Keep an eye out for our full review when the game launches this April.