To celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the Monster Hunter franchise, Capcom has released a special video highlighting all of the series’ titles over the years. It starts from Monster Hunter, which hit the PS2 in 2004, all the way up to Monster Hunter XX in 2017 and Monster Hunter World in 2018 (with the Iceborne expansion coming this year). Check it out below.

It’s interesting to see the franchise’s evolution. New iconic monsters have been introduced over the years, the graphics are massively improved, and several new gameplay mechanics (like Monster Hunter Tri’s underwater combat) have also joined the fray. However, the core gameplay of hunting monsters and mastering different weapon types as you scrounge up materials and resources for better gear remains the same.

Monster Hunter World has at least one major free update coming with Arch-Tempered Nergigante this Spring. Iceborne will be releasing in Fall 2019 and includes new gear, new moves, a new region with several locales to explore, and of course, new monsters. It’s coming to Xbox One and PS4 first, with a PC release happening later.

Everything about the game was simply radiant. The multi-level environments which held untold possibilities for both discovery and hunting; the sheer ecosystem that these levels offered with various monsters fighting for turf when their paths crossed; the in-depth weapon system and sheer dedication required for mastering each type; the upgrade system which offered a strong amount of flexibility along with a clear path of progression; and most importantly of all, the hunts themselves.

"However, it felt like at the time – and now even more so – that the geniuses behind this stellar re-imagining for the franchise were running out of ideas."

Whether it was a story mission, an Arena quest, a 9 star quest or an Investigation with incredibly overwhelming odds, Monster Hunter World‘s hunts were (and still are) simply fantastic. The excellent feedback behind the combat system combined with the attention to detail and sheer diversity that many large monsters offered with their move sets was simply incredible. Yes, I found certain elements like roars, slight brushes resulting in knock-backs and interrupts to be incredibly annoying. When a Tempered Azure Rathalos easily dispersed of me, there was a good modicum of rage to be had.

But that was also part of the appeal for Monster Hunter World. Its challenge didn’t feel arbitrary – it was organic and seemed to progress in line with my own character’s power increase. So in the midst of all this praise, it’s probably funny to sit here and criticize this game which I’ve played for several hundreds of hours.

I haven’t played Monster Hunter World since embarking on yet another playthrough in the PC version which launched in August. That’s because, for all intents and purposes, I was done with the game. I felt like I had experienced everything it had to offer. Considering that Final Fantasy 14’s crossover event, which added Behemoth as a large monster to Monster Hunter World, was going on for consoles, it felt a little strange to be done.

However, it felt like at the time – and now even more so – that the geniuses behind this stellar re-imagining for the franchise were running out of ideas.

"More experienced, Tempered monster tracks for Investigations, currency, Gold Crowns – there seemed to be something available to grind out and feel intrigued by in the early going."

When Monster Hunter World first launched, there were so many things about it that we didn’t understand. The monsters, how they functioned and interacted with each other, how to manipulate the environment against them, how elements worked, what skills worked best, how to farm Investigations, Streamstones, melding and so on and so forth. It’s not like the game became any less deep when we fully grasped these concepts either. If anything, the full extent of what was possible in terms of combat builds was exposed.

Capcom would release Deviljho in March, bringing the stampeding and relentless brute into World for the first time. It was our first introduction to a new set of monster interactions, armour and weapons. The Tempered Deviljho quest still remains one of the toughest till this day. Meanwhile, several adjustments were being made to the various weapon classes, balancing them to feel better and eliminating any annoying bugs.

In April, Kulve Taroth arrived. This was fundamentally different from anything in the game till this point. Kulve Taroth introduced a new type of quest – the Siege – which required gathering tracks, breaking off parts and raising the Pursuit Level enough to effectively corner her. Once that was done, players had to progress through four different stages of the fight and finally break her horns. The quest took on deeper meaning when 16 players, four in each instance, were working cooperatively to bring about Kulve’s ruin. Random weapons were doled out, some being better than base game weapons and others presenting interesting new options for those who didn’t want to spend hours farming for a Light Bowgun or Greatsword. These new “Melded Weapons” sometimes carried cool bonuses and increments that weren’t present in base weapons.

It’s also worth noting that Capcom was adding different Event Quests in between for Layered Armour and new gear based off of properties like Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Horizon Zero Dawn and whatnot. More experience for one’s Hunter Rank, Tempered monster tracks for Investigations, currency, Gold Crowns – there seemed to be something available to grind out and feel intrigued by in the early going.

"The Arch-Tempered monsters felt more damage-spongey than challenging with the increased damage feeling like a cheap challenge."

In May, Lunastra arrived. This Elder Dragon functioned differently from others as she fought alongside her mate Teostra. Aside from their team-up attack that was essentially a double Supernova, Lunastra also kept players on their toes with her tendency to leave fire everywhere. Oh, and her ultimate attack was like a massive damage-over-time from hell. It was awesome and along with some great gear with plentiful slots, Lunastra weapons would become some of the best in the game. They further introduced cool concepts like weapon skills – you could essentially use bonuses like Guts or Razorsharp from sets like Bazelgeuse and Xeno’jiva on a weapon. This changed up preexisting builds by a significant margin.

Then E3 2018 arrived in June and Monster Hunter World‘s presence was kind of…low-key. Yes, we got the announcement of Behemoth coming as a crossover event but no other information otherwise. Capcom had taken to introducing new Arch-Tempered Elder Dragons to keep fans busy. Arch-Tempered Kirin and Vaal Hazak came with their own Gamma sets and Layered Armour options. The sheer one-shot death risk of the former along with the environmental hazards and involvement of Tempered Odogaron in the latter made them feel interesting and challenging.

However, they were far from the G-rank beasts encountered in, say, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. They didn’t possess new attacks or patterns. Instead, they had more health and did more damage. You could point to any speed-running attempts by experts and see how trivialized some of these fights became. However, for the majority of players, they were a chore. The Arch-Tempered monsters felt more damage-spongey than challenging with the increased damage they could deal feeling like a cheap addition to their arsenal.

Of course, Behemoth would arrive in August. The mechanics behind his fight were interesting and something unseen in Monster Hunter World till that point. Players had to actually take on designated roles, draw the monster’s aggro, avoid its Ecliptic Meteor and the certain death it brought and so on. This was a group activity but soloing it didn’t feel terribly difficult. Again though, for many players, this felt like a fight with too many different elemental attacks, negative status effects and other nonsense to deal with compounded by a boss that did tons of damage and had tons of health.

"Many will point out that Monster Hunter World lacks a large selection of monsters like previous games and that hinders its replay value."

Extreme Behemoth seemingly doubled down on everything that made the regular version aggravating. While Behemoth did offer a good weapon and armour set, that was essentially it. Anyone who didn’t use an Insect Glaive could still utilize the set for interesting builds. But this was far from the influx of new items that Kulve Taroth, Lunastra and Deviljho brought in (unless you count new Layered Armour). It also didn’t help that Behemoth is a timed event while at least Lunastra and Deviljho are permanent additions to the game.

Heck, even the Arch-Tempered monsters failed to really ignite the loot pool with interesting new possibilities, forget memorable new mechanics. Teostra was next and functioned pretty much like regular Teostra except – you guessed it – more damage and health. Kushala Daora was also the same except – what a surprise – more damage and health. The scenarios weren’t even slightly altered to make the fights more interesting. Sure, Arch-Tempered Kushala came in to harass Arch-Tempered Teostra that one time but come on, Capcom. We’ve seen that trick already, especially among Elder Dragons.

Many will point out that Monster Hunter World lacks a large selection of monsters from previous games and that hinders its replay value. The fact that most of the best skills and weapons are restricted to certain monsters doesn’t help. If the gear pool was opened up to make almost everything viable in their own unique ways, we’d probably have something. If transmog was a thing, allowing players to actually create their own unique cosmetic looks from any monster’s armour, we’d have something. Maybe we just need more outlandish concepts for monsters like Valstrax from Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate.

However, this wasn’t huge problem in the beginning when Monster Hunter World was doling out interesting new fights and scenarios every month. Much as I disliked Behemoth, it was something new. When it came two months after Lunastra, the gap didn’t feel so pronounced. It’s now been more than two months since Behemoth’s addition and the solution for new, interesting scenarios seems to be just bumping up the damage and health for Arch-Tempered Elder Dragons. Cue the impending arrival of Arch-Tempered Lunastra and Arch-Tempered Zorah Magdaros (which should be interesting but only because he’s more of a scripted mission than actual hunt. Plus, aside from increased damage and health, a preview of Arch-Tempered Nergigante is probably all the intrigue it’s going to offer).

"Maybe Capcom has an entire end-game structured and ready that will keep players occupied for the better part of the next 12 months."

For the record, I’m happy that Capcom continues to support the game. I’m happy with the vast amount of content in the base release and how fun it can be. It’s great that you can invest so much time into the game learning so many different weapons and build combinations. The topic of something to grind towards or a proper end-game like G-rank continues to surge in the community and while that would be welcome, I believe the base package is well worth experiencing for many hack and slash fans.

However, Monster Hunter World seems to be lacking lately when it comes to interesting ideas. For me, being able to experiment and try out new things, further livening up hunts – both old and new – in interesting ways is what keeps me coming back. It also helps when grinding for gems and Streamstones.

Maybe I’m just being paranoid and there’s a whole well of new content on the way like a new area (and new ways for existing monsters to interact with it). Perhaps there will be new mechanics, new and returning monsters and even more interesting skills to grind towards. Maybe Capcom has an entire end-game structured and in development that will keep players occupied for the better part of the next 12 months. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll receive some new content that forces us to play a little differently rather than simply throwing a higher damage-dealing target with tons of health to hack and slash at.

It certainly doesn’t seem like Capcom isn’t busy. After all, just when things seemed silent following the game’s console launch in January, we received near monthly updates, Event Quests and Seasonal Events. If things have been relatively low-key for this long and the development team is simply churning out tougher versions of existing Elder Dragons to keep players busy, it has to be for a reason. Hopefully, that reason comes to light sooner rather than later…and it isn’t just an Arch-Tempered Nergigante and the inevitable Winter Festival as we head into the game’s first year anniversary.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Ultimate 3 falls in that latter category, being an expanded port of the 2010 breakout Wii game; what makes it harder to review, however, isn’t that, but the fact that Ultimate 3 also has a much more featured Wii U port as well, which has enhanced HD visuals, an online mode with full text and voice chat support, as well as an expandable control scheme that supports the Wii U Gamepad, Wii U Pro, Wii Classic Controller, Wii Classic Controller Pro, and even USB keyboards; none of these features are present in the 3DS game.

How, then, do you go about assessing Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the 3DS? Do you compare it with the Wii game? Do you compare it with the Wii U game? Do you assess it for what it is, or for what it isn’t?

One way to do it is to simply assess the 3DS game in isolation: view it independently of the Wii or Wii U game, and as just another addition to the 3DS library. That is what this review does, it attempts to, as much as is possible, evaluate the 3DS version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate with as little comparisons to the Wii U or Wii games as possible. Before we proceed, however, in the interests of full disclosure, it is important that you know: if you have a Wii U as well, then get Monster Hunter on that instead, unless portability really matters a lot to you. The 3DS version, as we will see, is a highly accomplished port, but the extra features of the Wii U port, including online gameplay most of all, elevate it to an entirely different level.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate follows pretty much the exact same setup as previous games in the series: you are a hunter who moves into a small village, and then take on jobs from the locals to take down gigantic monsters in the vicinity that are terrorizing the countryside. That is literally all the context that the game provides; storytelling is neither something the game is good at, nor is it really necessary.

Monster Hunter plays as an action RPG, but unlike other games in the genre, there are no levels or stats. Instead, all character progression is defined by the gear and equipment you have. You start with some really rather basic and rudimentary gear, which you upgrade as you hunt down monsters. Once they’re dead, you mine their carcasses, taking on bones, meat, fur, or whatever else might be necessary to craft new items for yourself, or to improve existing ones. Pretty soon, then, the entire game follows a circular path: you are killing monsters so you can have better gear. You need better gear so you can kill more monsters.

Monster Hunter is characterized, predictably, by its fights with monsters. These epic confrontations with the titanic beasts are insane, and pretty much each fight in Monster Hunter can be classified as a boss fight. Each fight can last for 30-45 minutes at a stretch, and the monsters are truly terrifying. Towering beasts, they attack aggressively, and when they are cornered, they run, they run across the entire field, and even flee into surrounding areas. There are no health meters in Monster Hunter for the enemies, so you have to rely entirely on observation to see if you are making any progress. A telltale sign like a limp, or a stagger, and you know your enemy is fatigued and close to death.

The fights are difficult to begin with, because the monsters that you are hunting truly are formidable beasts, and also because of a lack of any assistance from the UI that you would expect in other games, but the fight with the monsters often degenerates into a fight with the controls. Now, Monster Hunter has always been known for having some rather, shall we say, eccentric, controls. The problem lies in the fact that Monster Hunter is almost always on a system with only one analog stick, meaning that camera control is delegated to some esoteric fixes, such as the D-pad. 3 Ultimate actually addresses that issue, better in the Wii U version, but to a noticeable degree in the 3DS game too; you can control the camera with either the D-pad (not recommended) or the touch screen (recommended), and there is even a pseudo lock on function that centers the camera on the monster you are battling.

While this setup is less than ideal, it mostly works very well. The problem occurs when you go underwater later on in the game. Controls then become absolutely maddening, and at that point, it is recommended that you play with a dual analog setup at all costs, either by transferring and continuing your save on the Wii U version, or by playing it on your 3DS with a Circle Pad Pro.

Other than the controls, there are other barriers to entry. The game has a complete lack of context, and just throws you into the world. The first ten hours or so are what ostensibly serve as tutorials, by gradually easing the player into the world’s mechanics. While these aren’t exactly boring, they aren’t a whole lot exciting either, and considering most modern games are shorter than ten hours, a lot of people might just have lost interest by then. It’s a shame, because after that, the game picks up, and it becomes so thoroughly engrossing as to literally consume your life. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours can be lost to Monster Hunter, and the new game is no exception.

Monster Hunter shines in multiplayer, and it is here that the 3DS version suffers most with respect to the Wii and Wii U games. The lack of an online mode, and the relative lack of popularity of both the franchise and the 3DS in the west mean that you will be hard pressed to find someone else with a 3DS who also likes Monster Hunter and has a copy. Assuming you do, though, you are in for a treat, as when playing with friends, Monster Hunter becomes a different beast entirely.

Ultimately, it is an incredible game, a great game, hindered, as always, by some rather baffling design decisions made by Capcom, that undoubtedly appeal to eastern sensibilities more than western sensibilities. However, quirks and eccentricities aside, it also has some poor design decisions, such as the controls and the camera.

And in spite of all of this, this is still a must play game. It is just absolutely sublime, and if you have any patience whatsoever, you are in for one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo 3DS.

Capcom has released a new video of their upcoming 3DS game, Monster Hunter Tri G. The game looks really good, as expected. But then again, what Monster Hunter game doesn’t look good?

The video shows some interesting gameplay footage, and some other not so interesting parts. But we’re really excited about this game, given the recent track record of this series.

Monster Hunter Tri G is an expanded version of Monster Hunter Tri, the third major installment in the series, released exclusively on the Wii some time back. It’s supposed to be better and bigger than that, if that is even possible. I bet now you’re excited.

Monster Hunter Tri G releases on December 10 in Japan, though a release for western markets isn’t planned.

Monster Hunter 4 was also announced for the 3ds- exclusively– some time back. We covered the story here.

To begin with, the Wii has become notorious for its shovelware- while no one is for a minute denying that there are good games to be found on the system (some of this generation’s best games are to be found on Nintendo’s little white box, after all), the problem that they are so greatly outnumbered by buggy and glitchy half assed titles that going shopping for Wii games is literally like finding a needle in a haystack.

The problem is further compounded when one considers that quality third party support on the Wii is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Although we still get gems like No More Heroes 2 and Monster Hunter, most developers and publishers are increasingly washing their hands off the Wii, claiming any kind of success on the console is hard to be had. They do have a point, though: quality third party games on the Wii have, with few exceptions, bombed hard. Add to that the fact that the Wii is considerably weaker than the other current gen consoles and the PC, and one can see why most developers refrain from releasing any of their popular multiplats- like Red Dead- on the console.

The final problem that the Wii faces, of course, is WiWare. It’s a great service- in theory. But Nintendo’s archaic online policies have been the bane of the service, with WiiWare missing out on so many quality games that it’s not even funny. Some ridiculous restrictions- like the 40 MB size cap- have ensured that most indie developers give WiiWare a miss entirely. The few gems that are to be found on the service almost never make their money back, simply because Nintendo cannot be bothered to promote the service, or its titles.

With so many problems to face, ans the competition becoming increasingly competitive- both in price, and in the motion sensing capabilities on offer- the Wii went into 2010 facing its toughest year on the market ever. Was 2010 the year when the Wii finally lost relevance, fading into the background to become the shortest lived mainstream console ever? Or was it the year when against all odds, the little white box gained favor with the fickle hardcore crowd? Read on…

Q1 2010:

Travis Touchdown kicked off 2010 for the Wii in style

The Wii was in a largely comfortable position coming into 2010, at least from a financial perspective- Q4 2009 had been its most successful tenure on the market, and it was riding on the blockbuster success of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, a title that perhaps single handedly salvaged 2009 for Nintendo, as far as software sales for their flagship console were concerned.

Its lineup for 2010 looked interesting, if somewhat niche, and it certainly looked better than the pathetic 2008 and 2009 that the Wii had suffered. The Wii kick started 2010 silently, although with a showing of strong third party support. Within the first three months, the Wii got several quality titles that silently swelled its library to surprising proportions- and barring one, not a single one of them was a Nintendo title.

So, from January to March 2010, we got Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the atmospheric and chilling reimagining of the original Playstation Silent Hill, No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, the sequel to the stylish 2008 game featuring wiseguy Travis Touchdown, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, a crossover fighting game that, against all odds, had somehow managed to find its way overseas, and outside of Japan,  Endless Ocean: Blue World, Nintendo’s sequel to its unusual ocean exploration game, Sonic and Sega: All Stars Racing, Sega’s surprisingly competent take on the mascot kart racing formula and Red Steel 2, Ubisoft’s sequel to its 2006 launch title that righted all the wrongs of the original game, and made good on its promises.

What was even more surprising about these three months was the unusually strong showing exhibited by WiiWare- the service that is oft neglected by most developers saw some genuinely good games hit it in this timeframe that simply could not be missed. So, in this period, we saw WiiWare getting the definitive version of Cave Story, the darling hit PC indie title, Mega Man 10, Capcom’s continuation of its retro reinterpretation of its robotic mascot, and  of course, Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 5, which for many provided the return to the Golden Days of Lucasarts’ adventure games that they had so long been yearning for.

Clearly, this was an unusually strong quarter for Nintendo, as far as software was concerned. Quite a lot of titles hit the system in this period, and while most of them were too quirky to truly be mainstream (and hence achieve commercial success), they were all excellent and well made games, that ensured that the Wii’s library would have several gems when all was said and done.

Q2 2010

Behold one of the highest rated (and arguably the best) rated games of this generation, and of all time

But surely the Wii was running out of steam by now? After all, what major announced title for the system was left for release? A couple, that would be done with in the coming three months, and then what? Would the console be done?

Q2 2010 demonstrated that Nintendo had different ideas about where its system was going. Clearly pissed at the Wii’s perceived lack of hardcore games, these three months represented Nintendo jamming themselves into the drivers seat, and pushing down the pedal hard.

The Wii started Q2 2010 in style, with Capcom’s long awaited third entry into its divisive Monster Hunter series hitting the system exclusively in April. Critic scores were favorable, for once, and the response from the audiences was receptive- here was a third party game for the Wii that demonstrated quality, and achieved proper success, both critically and commercially!

As far as third party support is concerned, the Wii saw a respectable quarter. It got Trauma Team, which was the series’ debut on Nintendo’s motion wielding console, the Motion Plus enabled Tiger Woods PGA 11, and multi platform titles like Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (arguably the best on the Wii), Green Day Rock Band, and LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4. On its part, the WiiWare service continued to host some good games, with the most notable being Bit.Trip Runner.

However, these three months will be remembered not for what the third parties managed on the Wii, but for what Nintendo did. First of all, of course, was Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy 2. The first direct sequel to a console Mario in over two decades, Super Mario Galaxy 2 had been unveiled at E3 last year to a lukewarm reception at best, with many leveling allegations that the game was a glorified expansion pack. Of course, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth, as it eventually turned out. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was not only a breath of fresh air in a stale genre, it also was the best produced, best made Wii game, best 3D platformer ever, in the running for best platformer ever, best Mario game ever, and out and out in the running for best game ever. Critics went berserk awarding the game perfect scores, citing its variety and its creativity. Gamers went nuts purchasing the game in large numbers, as the game managed to sell in excess of five million units in a very short time. Super Mario Galaxy 2 represented Nintendo at its best, and delivered a very strong message- the Big N was back.

Clearly, because they followed up the success of Super Mario Galaxy 2 with a stupendous E3 showing, which revealed a lineup of several blockbuster Wii games all due in 2010- but we’ll get to that later.

Q2 2010 also had Nintendo following up on the success of Super Mario Galaxy 2 with a much less significant, although no less unique, game- Sin and Punishment: Star Successor was the sequel to the N64 cult hit, a shoot em up game that was as quirky as it was fun, and that (shock! horror!) represented a genuine effort on Nintendo’s part to implement online in a self published game.

The Wii, which had looked to be on the verge of fading into irrelevance, had bought itself time, and had gained some momentum with the release of one landmark title- would it be enough to tide the Wii over for the rest of the year?

Q3 2010

Also behold the most controversial game of 2010. Yeah, the Wii was where it was at in 2010.

Q3 2010 probably represented the quietest bit of the year for the Wii- probably it was the lull before the storm (but more on that in the last section).

These three months were marked with the release of a grand total of one major title on the system (two if you count the somewhat subdued Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock). However, that one title was controversial enough to keep things moving, and moreover, to keep things exciting on a system that was largely ignored by the gaming media.

The game I’m talking about is of course Metroid: Other M. Now, Nintendo has always been known to experiment with the Metroid series- no two titles are ever truly alike, and all of them do something new, whether its the forced challenge of Metroid II, or the first person view of Metroid Prime. With Other M, Nintendo and developers Team Ninja decided to take a dramatic step in a direction no one had foreseen- they decided to make the Metroid experience more guided, more cinematic.

So, in a shift from tradition, we had a Nintendo produced game heavy on the cutscenes and on voice acting, and a Metroid game that held the player’s hand and showed him where to go. Naturally, such a change was met with stiff resistance from the fans, who cried foul, claiming that the spirit of the series had been compromised.

However, the single most divisive aspect of this game was perhaps its portrayal of famed series heroine Samus Aran. With little or nothing to go by, fans had, over the years, formed a mental construct of who they believed Samus really was- a stoic, silent, brooding survivor, who was on a mission to help the galaxy. Naturally, when the portrayal of the game differed from their own interpretation, they screamed- nearly three decades of pedigree had been staked here.

In a year when there were MANY controversial games, Metroid: Other M stands out for the risks it took with one of the most hallowed franchises in gaming. Was it a good game? Sure. Was it a good Metroid game? That depends on where you stand, and on what your definition of a Metroid game really is. Be as it all may, Other M was the lone standout for the Wii in a rather quiet Q3 2010.

Q4 2010

Donkey Kong. 'Nuff said.

And at this point, I officially give up.

Q4 2010 can be described using two words as far as the Wii is concerned. One word is Oh. The other is F**k.

Remember how I’ve been hinting at a ‘storm’ and ‘Nintendo taking charge’ all throughout this article? Well, this, buddies, is it- this is when shit hit the fan. This is when Nintendo unleashed the Wii in a bellow of fury at everyone around, bolstered by jaw dropping third party support, to prove, once and for all, that the Wii was relevant, that it was here to stay, and that the competition better watch out.

There are so many games to list out! Beginning with the adorable and fresh new take on a beloved character with Kirby’s Epic Yarn, to the return of the undisputed king- I mean Kong- of gaming, with Retro Studios’ finely crafted Donkey Kong Country Returns, to the re imaging of one of the most beloved games of all time in Goldeneye 007,  to the triumphant return of Sega’s mascot in Sonic Colors, the game that finally got Sonic in 3D right, to Warren Spector’s finely made yet divisive epic, Epic Mickey, to Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops, which for once represented a third party game not compromised on the Wii, to the surprisingly party title Wii Party, to the sequel of the dance hit, Just Dance 2, to the return of a much loved SNES classic in NBA Jam, to Nintendo’s blast from the past with Super Mario All Stars, to the third hurrah of star music game series with Rock Band 3…

And even WiiWare got in on the fun. Whether we talk about Bit.Trip Fate, the last entry in the retro rhythm game series that truly was a fitting farewell to the beloved saga, or of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1, which was Sega’s attempt at taking Sonic back to his roots, the downloadable service was in full form these three months.

I mean, what were they smoking? How can one console see so many worthwhile and un-missable releases in so short a time frame?

If this is where the Wii picks up from in 2011, then well, I’m gonna have to throw my cynic hat away.

CONCLUSION

There’s a reason why so many people proclaim the Wii ‘won’ 2010- the console was a beastly juggernaut. Just look at that list of software. It’s not even half of what the console had to offer. Many worthwhile releases had to be trimmed down from this piece, just because this article was running so long.

2010 is the year when Nintendo took charge- it’s the year when they returned to their roots. Even as Microsoft and Sony began to chase after the fickle casual crowds with their own takes on motion control (with, I may add, varying degrees of success), Nintendo finally acknowledged the hardcore gamer, and gave him his due.

2010 was the year when the Wii’s library swelled to epic proportions. At this point, anybody who buys a Wii really has no right or reason to complain- there are too many darn games to play on the system!

2010 was the year when third parties game appeared on the Wii, and they actually sold. It was the year when Nintendo ditched the motion control act, and went after the traditional way of gaming. It was the year when the WiiWare service finally came into its own. The year when Nintendo’s sales, ironically, slowed down to such an extent that even company head honcho Iwata expressed concerns.

As always, it was a year riddled with contradictions. But, for the first time, it can also well and truly be said that this, this was the year of the Wii.

Up until now, MH Tri was only though to be coming to the Wii, but because this is only a rumour, don’t get your hopes up too much.

Stay tuned to GB for more.

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