Japanese video-gamers love monsters, and they’ve got the franchises to prove them. Pokemon has been successfully transplanted to the point where it might be considered an American icon as much as Japanese, and Monster Rancher enjoyed a brief period of success. Monster Hunter is a more mature series than either of those, and coincidentally also the one that hasn’t caught on as easily. Monster Hunter 2 for the Playstation 2 did have some success, but something still wasn’t clicking. Now comes Monster Hunter Tri, and this time might be the charm.The most obvious thing about the game is that it is big, in so many ways. First, there are the monsters you’ll hunt. The models fill the screen and provoke wonder and fear (I have to kill that thing?) in equal parts. An early encounter with a Wyvern named Lagriacrus makes this point for the game very succinctly. The game’s scope is also huge. Considering all the exploration and customization possible, it’s very easy to spend over a hundred hours with the game. And that’s not even counting online play.Much of your time will be spent gathering materials (some of which you’ll have to kill) to create your weapons and armor. Unlike most traditional role-playing games, you won’t find yourself traveling from town to town, or even leveling up. However, more money and better weapons are necessary as you progress through the game, so you will spend time running quests.There’s no turn-based combat system here. Instead, you have to fight naturally, timing each swing and strike and aiming for the most vital points. It can be difficult, and it can be tiring, but it increases the sense of accomplishment a hundredfold. To increase the realism, there aren’t any health bars. Monsters near death will start to drool or act strangely, but this doesn’t mean they’re not a threat.Monster Hunter Tri is definitely a game that requires patience, but it’s also one that’s rewarding, fun, and more epic than anything on the Wii, especially when you take it online. For that, Americans might want to take a look.