Topic: Should I get Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate 3DS Through Retail or Download?

[Kairon]

I've decided I will get the game, but I've got a good backlog so I'm not exactly in a rush. This is good because I'm wrestling with an important question: should I purchase a physical copy of MH3U or download it through the eShop?

Some background:
-I played MHTri on the Wii and enjoyed it (not a diehard fan though), but never beat it
-I DO NOT intend to buy the Wii U version and will probably make use of the Packet Relay tool if/when I play online
-I like having downloaded retail games that have Streetpass features or are are suitable for on-a-whim play sessions, or that are titled Animal Crossing
-I own the following full retail games as digital downloads: Mario Kart 7, Style Savvy: Trendsetters, Brain Age: Concentration Training
-If it's a tie, then I'll prefer to get it physical

Also, I'm not that concerned about pricing or sales or whatnot. I just want the option that will suit a Monster Hunter 3 style play habit better. Those of you who are actively playing the game, does it make sense to have the game always with you ala Mario Kart? Or is the game more of a "sit down and binge" experience that can use a cart?

[pokepal148]

ooh tricky... it depends on how much farming you like to do,

[Shaymin]

1) Have you upgraded your SD card (the game is 14,000 blocks).
Yes - Go to question 2
No - Get the cart

2) Do you tend to lose things?
Yes - Go digital
No - Question 3

3) Do you anticipate wanting to take up the cartridge slot with something else any time soon?
Yes - Digital
No - Retail

[Kairon]

ooh tricky... it depends on how much farming you like to do,

Mmmmm... farming... *droooool*

3) Do you anticipate wanting to take up the cartridge slot with something else any time soon?
Yes - Digital
No - Retail

Argggggggg I get to this question and I'm not sure how to answer that. Does a backlog count? I think what I really want to know is if this game is one I'll get the urge to play this game at odd times of the day and for several months to come. It's less about whether another cartridge will come for my 3ds, more about whether whatever that cartridge is will Monster Hunter keep me wanting to bump it out over at least the next three months.

[Adrock]

-I DO NOT intend to buy the Wii U version and will probably make use of the Packet Relay tool if/when I play online

May I ask why?

If you plan on playing online, it requires the LAN adapter which Nintendo sells for $24.99. I'm sure you can find it cheaper elsewhere, or third party (ew...), or used first or third party. I don't know if you already own a Circle Pad Pro, but from what I read, you practically need one to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. If portability is your reason, the Circle Pad Pro makes the 3DS not really portable anymore. That said, I would personally never consider the 3DS version because I'd have to buy $45 of extra hardware just to get the most out of the game. I also just prefer console gaming since I merely tolerate handhelds for games I can't get elsewhere. I only play at home anyway.

If you played Tri, you should already know what kind of experience it is. You didn't really explain what your play habits are. Well, in this thread; you probably mentioned it in another. You mentioned liking StreetPass and on-the-whim sessions (though you don't really get many of those though that's based on my admittedly limited experience with the Wii version). To answer your question, if the StreetPass features are important to you, that seems to be the best choice. How frequently do you get StreetPasses (I don't get many even when I visit my friend who works at a Play N Trade)? Do you expect those people to have MH3U?

[ejamer]

There are two thing that prevent me from suggesting digital outright:
1. Many missions take 30+ minutes, and tougher ones often closer to 45.  That's not exactly a game you just play on a whim.
2. Knowing that Monster Hunter 4 is coming eventually puts some doubt in my mind about which game will be better, and it doesn't seem like you'll need to own both digitally. (Personally, I'm buying MH3U retail because I fully expect that when MH4 comes out I'll want to "upgrade" and have that game downloaded to my 3DS.)

However, the grind heavy nature of Monster Hunter and the literally hundreds of hours of content to uncover makes MH3U a good candidate for digital download - especially since you have experience with the series and know what you're buying into. If you have a friend who owns the game and might agree to local multiplayer, that makes the always available convenience of digital even more appealing.

So I guess my vote would be digital unless you are like me and plan to buy MH4 digital at a later date.

[Ceric]

Monster Hunter 4 is easily a Year away from coming out in the west.  More then likely 2.

[Adrock]

I'm convinced there will be an improved "ultimate" console version of Monster Hunter 4 so I'll wait the X-amount of years for that. I didn't like the underwater hunting in Tri and that's confirmed to not be in MH4.

[Ceric]

I'm convinced there will be an improved "ultimate" console version of Monster Hunter 4 so I'll wait the X-amount of years for that. I didn't like the underwater hunting in Tri and that's confirmed to not be in MH4.

Really.  I thought they keep that.  It needs tweaked and it is annoying but, it does add some variety.

[ejamer]

Monster Hunter 4 is easily a Year away from coming out in the west.  More then likely 2.

Agree that it's probably two years out. But it almost certainly is coming. At that point, will you really want to own both? I won't - especially not if MH4 offers online play without extra hardware requirements. A year from now I'll be selling MH3U or trading for a different 3DS game.


A digital purchase on 3DS is non-transferable forever (unless you want to sell your hardware and any other digital content in one transaction). That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something worth considering.

[Ceric]

*shrug* to each their own.  Even at a dollar per hour of entertainment I've already easily made my money back.

[pokepal148]

ooh tricky... it depends on how much farming you like to do,

Mmmmm... farming... *droooool*

3) Do you anticipate wanting to take up the cartridge slot with something else any time soon?
Yes - Digital
No - Retail

Argggggggg I get to this question and I'm not sure how to answer that. Does a backlog count? I think what I really want to know is if this game is one I'll get the urge to play this game at odd times of the day and for several months to come. It's less about whether another cartridge will come for my 3ds, more about whether whatever that cartridge is will Monster Hunter keep me wanting to bump it out over at least the next three months.

a backlog absolutely counts here..

[ejamer]

...

3) Do you anticipate wanting to take up the cartridge slot with something else any time soon?
Yes - Digital
No - Retail

Argggggggg I get to this question and I'm not sure how to answer that. Does a backlog count? I think what I really want to know is if this game is one I'll get the urge to play this game at odd times of the day and for several months to come. It's less about whether another cartridge will come for my 3ds, more about whether whatever that cartridge is will Monster Hunter keep me wanting to bump it out over at least the next three months.

This will totally be a personal reaction though, right?


I don't like to switch up between games often. If I'm playing Monster Hunter, then it dominates my gaming for weeks at a time with only short diversions (ex: eShop games) breaking that up.  Until I'm done with the game it gets my full focus.  But that's me.  You might be much better suited to splitting time between multiple games.

[pokepal148]

a backlog in general makes me say lean towards digital for many games

[Kairon]

-I DO NOT intend to buy the Wii U version and will probably make use of the Packet Relay tool if/when I play online

May I ask why?

I played MHTri on the Wii and that sorta worked, but for some reason I always found the experience exhausting and time consuming. Ironically, I think (perhaps irrationally) that my ergonomics would be better with a handheld because for that extended period of time I could be in bed, move around the house, etc. I have no problems playing Kid Icarus for extended sessions like this, so I'm working on the theory that sometimes I prefer the same game on a handheld instead of on a TV.

Monster Hunter 4 is easily a Year away from coming out in the west.  More then likely 2.

Agree that it's probably two years out. But it almost certainly is coming. At that point, will you really want to own both? I won't - especially not if MH4 offers online play without extra hardware requirements. A year from now I'll be selling MH3U or trading for a different 3DS game.

A digital purchase on 3DS is non-transferable forever (unless you want to sell your hardware and any other digital content in one transaction). That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something worth considering.

Ooh, two years out? Then I won't worry about it now then, I'm still keen on MH3U. Also, since I don't sell my games back, I'm not too concerned on the non-transferable bit except that I can't lend it out to friends or a brother or bequeath it somehow.

a backlog absolutely counts here..

a backlog in general makes me say lean towards digital for many games

Point taken. Hmmm.... leaning towards digital now...

This will totally be a personal reaction though, right?

I don't like to switch up between games often. If I'm playing Monster Hunter, then it dominates my gaming for weeks at a time with only short diversions (ex: eShop games) breaking that up.  Until I'm done with the game it gets my full focus.  But that's me.  You might be much better suited to splitting time between multiple games.

Yeah, you're right. Honestly, right now I am jumping in-between my eShop games a lot (and lemme tell you, these downloadable titles are NOT short diversions for me!), and of course my Wii U... so MH3 won't be 100% the focus of my gaming life.

I'm definitely leaning towards digital now, but the finality of it being non-transferable does give me pause somehow... I may give myself another day to "sleep on it."

[RABicle]

I am sorry to all the catholics in this thread that I offended when I implied that his holiness the pope endorses digital game sales. The Pope obviously upholds all prior condemnations of video games, physical, digital and spiritual.

[Stratos]

I'm torn over the same question for several games. This and Fire Emblem especially. I can see Fire Emblem being more of an ideal digital title what with the turn-based gameplay making it a perfect 'pick-up-and-play' title. Plus I never really trade off games so the fear of it permanently being attached to the system is a non-issue. I have just always preferred physical copies. Steam has been warming me up to digital purchases but consoles and handhelds are different beasts. Having the cartridge just makes the purchase more 'substantive'.


Monster Hunter was definitely a more 'hunker down and play' experience with Tri. I was planning to buy a physical copy until I just found out you can play the 3DS version online...then I read up and discovered you have to be connected to a Wii U to pull it off. That may cause me to just wait until I buy a Wii U and get that version of the game. I have a LAN adapter (3rd party) but that just seems like a clunky way to get online with the 3DS version. That removes the portability of the online portion of the game and that just means you may as well get the physical copy. If you have to go through the trouble of connecting the 3DS to the Wii U to play online there is no reason to have the digital copy latched to your system unless you see yourself randomly farming by yourself. I tended to be more of a 'social gamer' in Tri and see the same thing happening with Ultamate.


Since you favor physical copies and the online is bound to the Wii U, what is the added 30 seconds of sticking the physical Ultamate game into your 3DS? I say buy the hard copy.



On a side note - I'm surprised that no one has done a 'Project Warp Pipe' for the DS/3DS so that those local LAN games could be played over the internet. It worked well with Mario Kart Double Dash. I could see something like that really benefiting this game.