Graphical enhancements
The weapons and armour that the player equips, the monsters and the scenery have been gone over with a fine brush and brought up to a quality never seen on another iteration of the series. The menus have not been touched and the obviously blockiness detracts from the initial "wow" factor.
As another enhancement, MHP3rdHD also supports 3D output if the player has a compatible TV/display. Having that seemingly-literal extra layer to the visuals does little to add to the game but is a bit of fun nonetheless.
Online capabilities
One major feature of both the Playstation 2 and Wii MH games is the online mode which, for those who don't have a PS3, was lacking in the PSP game. Now that the jump has been made to the PS3, Capcom had no excuse not to include a proper online mode. "Oh wait, it's a remaster NOT a remake", thought Capcom, "Let's just tag on Adhoc Party and then we don't need to make much more of an effort." Which is just what has happened. Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii in Japan had dedicated servers and a monthly charge. Elsewhere in the world it was free, but still had its own servers. Adhoc Party relies on Sony and the MH online experience suffers because of it. Players have connection issues and the game crash on them, occassionally some lag but that is nothing like the previous two issues.
When playing with the PSP via Adhoc Party, the player is free to join and drop out of rooms at will without it affecting the PSP game. With MHP3rdHD, the only way to change rooms is to quit the game and go back to the AHP lobby, create/join another room and restart the game. In comparision, MHTri was amazing. Leave one lobby and join another without turning anything off or restarting. Beautiful. In fairness, Adhoc Party let's both players with the PSP game and those with the PS3 game go hunting together, which increases the potential hunting party participants significantly. If Capcom releases a Monster Hunter game made specifically for the PS3, MH veterans can only hope they use the old system and don't rely on AHP.
Download quests are now not limited to a certain number downloadable, and every single one can be acquired ready for tackling, saving a little time and avoiding temporary downloads.
Data Transfer
One feature that definitely has an impact on those who've played MHP3rd is the ability to transfer their character data back and forth between the two consoles via a piece of software also included on the disc. After playing with a PS3 controller, many may wonder who would do that anyway.
Overall
In summation, MHP3rdHD is currently the best overall Monster Hunter experience when it comes to both single- and online multiplayer. Issues online are frustrating but many hours of play are waiting for those with a little patience. There is no word from Capcom currently on an English language version.
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