You know, I’ve always wanted to get into the Monster Hunter series for the longest time, even before World came about… But it was always rather difficult for me. I mean, the series felt like it was meant for me. Cool monsters which are essentially just boss fights, hard to master gameplay, making better equipment with said monsters and getting your numbers up to a ridiculous level…
But the one thing that really kept me back was awful, awful controls. I’m talking about that shit with no analog stick on that craphead of a handheld the 3DS. Even with the New 3DS and it’s small ‘nib’, I just couldn’t get used to it.
…So I waited for World. I waited and I waited and finally, when World came out I finally got the Monster Hunter experience I was always waiting for – Tight-ass controls, the most satisfying gameplay loop ever, cool ass monsters and CATS! So many cats! I’ve put over 150+ hours into World and I still come back to it from time to time; it’s one of my favorite co-op games and it’s pretty much made me a huge MonHun fan.
So now that a “new” Monster Hunter game is out on my currently favorite console (Which happens to be used primarily as a handheld), and it doesn’t have a disgustingly poor control scheme or horrible 240p screen, I’m already sold.
Keep in mind that this game is essentially a port of 3DS game – This game is also kind of a final celebration of Monster Hunter since World was just on the horizon, so it won’t have the same quality of life features or monsters – I’m not really sure on the previous entries of the series, but as far as I know, this game has some of the most content ever featured in the franchise, so just on a content front, I can say that this game trumps World without a doubt – It’s almost like this game can last a dude a lifetime and a half with enough commitment.
So now that that weird history lesson is out the way, let’s get more into the game – So if you’re coming from World, then you are gonna have a bit of trouble with this bad boy for a little while; I know I did! The main thing that I struggled with was the lack of mobility as well as combining and item management.
Once you get used to that, as well as some of the locales and other items and their properties you’re good to go!
One of my main issues with this game though is that it takes longer than even MHWorld to keep things moving along. I shit you not, a whopping 10 hours into the game I finally got into the meat and potatoes of it… And sure when things pick up they pick the fuck up, but the slog, in the beginning, can break an experience more than make it.
One of my favorite things about this game though is the addition of Hunter Styles and Arts – This shit cranks the gameplay up to 11 and I really hope that the next big mainline entry will add this to the gameplay since it’s so much fun; essentially it’s a way to customise your combat style further with flashy skills and finishing moves. For example, if you want to be mounting monsters and dealing lots of damage go for the Aerial Style that completely changes how you dodge in the game; using a Great Sword and value quick charging and dodging? Use Valor. In addition to that, you get special moves that you can activate after a bar is filled called Hunter Arts, which can buff the party, deal stupid amounts of damage, or increase elemental effects up the wazoo.
I’m part of the “Charge Blade Master Race” myself, and rock the Adept Style so the guard points really pay off. Now, you may be asking to yourself “What the frick are guard points”? Well. that’s just one thing that you have to learn along the way as you get better… See, this game, like other MH games tell you a whole lot on what to do, but then they also leave you in the dark about a whole bunch of other stuff that REALLY ups your game when you start getting better – It’s still as satisfying as ever timing your swings just right and breaking monster parts.
The icing on the cake for me is that it’s all portable – Like, sweet Jesus himself wanted to blessed with a game literally made for me and I finally got it… But then again this is all my opinion in the end, and, in my opinion, a lot of people will still be put off by how hard to get into these games are… But give it some time. Let it grow on you, and soon you’ll be hunting monsters with the rest of us
+ Satisfying gameplay loop
+ Performs great
– Not for the uninitiated
– Lack of quality of life options to streamline gameplay
With that all said, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is pretty much the OG Monster Hunter experience. If you’ve put a shit-ton of time into World like I have, you’ll forgive the slow start and lack of convenience just so you can just start killing some monsters again. That being said, MHGU is a great game and everyone should at last try it before they knock it.
I give MHGU an:
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