As Masaka said, if you're talking about the Offline PS2 creatures, you're dead-on: These are geared for team battles and have significantly more "everything".
If you're talking about the Online versions, then you are mistaken. The ones prior to HR30 that I have fought so far are pretty much the same as the PS2 Pre-HR13 variants. They're arguably weaker, in fact, due to the new special attacks we now have for some of our weapons in MH:FO and the fact that equipment is MUCH easier to get than in the PS2 counterpart, and much stronger in the early levels than the pre-HR13 gear in MH PS2.
When talking about post-HR13 PS2 Online, these things are pushovers. That was "Hard Mode", and all the creatures got even BIGGER buffs. Trying to solo a post-HR13 Rathian was something only extremely skilled veterans could account for (thankfully, I was one of them). Meleeing Fatalis was consider suicide or non-productive (I could melee Fatalis with some degree of success without dying half the time, but I was obviously a hinderance by consequence of my weapon) as the most efficient, sometimes the ONLY, way to beat him was with 2-3 people using Bowguns with 99 Cluster 2s.
This game is incredibly easy by comparison. It's hard adjusting to the new recipies and areas, and some items like Herbs are not readily available, but atleast items necessary to solo are pretty easy to hoard.
