I think it should say something that this is the only Monster Hunter that has grabbed my attention long enough for me to take it all the way to late game, high rank quests. I fucking love this game, and I think what it does differently than World or any of the other MH games before it is what sets it apart and makes it way more interesting and replayable. I've played a good bit of World, and a good bit of Generations Ultimate, but neither grabbed my interest for as long as this one has.
If you've never played a Monster Hunter before, start with this one. It's absolutely fantastic. Just stop reading and go buy it, find some friends to play hub quests with, and have a blast.
However, if you've never played a Monster Hunter and want more motivation, let me give you this.
At the risk of sounding like a total loser, I've often described Monster Hunter as if you were playing a game like Dark Souls. Both games have a very particular combat system that focuses on intent, knowing your moves ahead of time and understanding your weapon in order to get the most out of it's particular playstyle. And of course, in my opinion, the stars of any good From Software title are the bosses. Often huge, hulking things that dwarf you both in size, and in power. Things that will eat you for fucking breakfast if they get the chance. Now, imagine a Dark Souls boss that has it's own little mini open world to roam around in. It has habits. It likes to patrol certain places, and sleep in certain places, because it's a living, breathing creature that lives out in the forest.
And it's your job to hunt it down, learn it's moveset, understand everything that it can do, and use your very intent-based combat system playstyle to kill it, in it's natural habitat. Clawing for every inch it can get as you slowly chip away at it's stamina.
This isn't a boss encounter you stumbled into, or an enemy that the game sticks you in a room and wants you to learn before moving on.
This is a thing that you have to go find, and watch, and understand. And when you put all of your knowledge together, gather the right equipment (whether that means buying things from the shop, or crafting things in the middle of a fight with endemic life and materials you find in the world), and physically wrestle this thing into submission?
It's a feeling like no other.
If you've never played a Monster Hunter before, start with this one. It's absolutely fantastic. Just stop reading and go buy it, find some friends to play hub quests with, and have a blast.
However, if you've never played a Monster Hunter and want more motivation, let me give you this.
At the risk of sounding like a total loser, I've often described Monster Hunter as if you were playing a game like Dark Souls. Both games have a very particular combat system that focuses on intent, knowing your moves ahead of time and understanding your weapon in order to get the most out of it's particular playstyle. And of course, in my opinion, the stars of any good From Software title are the bosses. Often huge, hulking things that dwarf you both in size, and in power. Things that will eat you for fucking breakfast if they get the chance. Now, imagine a Dark Souls boss that has it's own little mini open world to roam around in. It has habits. It likes to patrol certain places, and sleep in certain places, because it's a living, breathing creature that lives out in the forest.
And it's your job to hunt it down, learn it's moveset, understand everything that it can do, and use your very intent-based combat system playstyle to kill it, in it's natural habitat. Clawing for every inch it can get as you slowly chip away at it's stamina.
This isn't a boss encounter you stumbled into, or an enemy that the game sticks you in a room and wants you to learn before moving on.
This is a thing that you have to go find, and watch, and understand. And when you put all of your knowledge together, gather the right equipment (whether that means buying things from the shop, or crafting things in the middle of a fight with endemic life and materials you find in the world), and physically wrestle this thing into submission?
It's a feeling like no other.