Preview by: Cole Jones

Monster Hunter has enjoyed cult status on our continent ever since its PS2 debut, but in Japan, it's become a massive system seller with a downright godlike status. As you might have already guessed, Monster Hunter Tri is the third console installment in the Monster Hunter series and this time around, Capcom is looking to strike it rich on the Wii with hundreds of new quests, items, and robust online multiplayer to boot.

My time with Monster Hunter Tri consisted of two separate hunts: one for the raptor-like Great Jaggi, and one for the tricky pterodactyl known as Qurupeco. I was told that in the real game, your class depends on the weapons and items you quest after and create, but in the demo, you're given ten classes ranging from your standard sword and shield, to a heavy blowgun to tinker with. Being a little hesitant about my first quest, I chose my standard Long Sword and set out for the "easier" Jaggi.

After bumbling around the area marked "1" on my map for a few minutes, I made my way over to "2" and started taking out tiny dinosaurs with a few waggles of my Wii remote. In order to lure out their elder, I had to attack and harvest peaceful Jaggi's before the Great Jaggi found me and promptly put in my place with a violent tail thrashing. It took me a bit of time to get used to utilizing the D-pad and the C button to look around/toggle between items, but after I learned a few combos (and slowed down my flippant waggling) I was finally able to beat the Great One senseless.

Since I was brand new to the whole experience, my first major issue with Monster Hunter Tri came in lining up my attacks. Even though I expected the aerial Qurupeco to give me some chase, I didn't know the Great Jaggi would be so tricky to target when you're working on multitasking and lining up your shots. Unfortunately, you can't really change your direction after you've initiated an attack, so oftentimes I would barely miss Qurupeco and keep slicing away at think air.