Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

+++ My credentials +++ I'm a Monster Hunter veteran since 2006 in the time of the ancient PS2 network adapter. I've beaten and clocked over 200 hours in every North American game in the series. The only exceptions are 70 hours for Stories because it's a shorter spin-off, and 60 hours for World because although I enjoyed it, it was easier than previous games in the series and lacked the content at launch to keep me playing. My absolute best co-op memories are from playing this series with my husband and friends. I love MH so much, I have a tattoo of a Felyne! +++ What is Monster Hunter? +++ The Dark Souls before Dark Souls was used to describe games with a high difficulty curve ;) MH is a challenging action role-playing game where you play as a Hunter with gigantic melee and/or ranged weapons. The game is quest-based, giving you timed missions to different environmental maps to slay and/or trap various monsters, many of which are wyverns. It's all about learning perfect timing -- when to attack, when to dodge, when the monster will do the same. Fail to adapt, and you will get brutally punished. There are no experience points for leveling up -- player skill coupled with monster carves, map resources, and quest rewards allow you to craft better equipment, and thus hunt more powerful monsters. MHGU can be played solo or up to 3 other players via local wireless and online co-op. +++ Note to players who have only played MH World +++ The "quality of life" you may expect from World is not in the previous games. For example... There will be no glowing bugs guiding you -- you'll have to learn monster spawning locations and habits. And for Congalala's sake, use your dang paintballs. You will have to bring pickaxes and whetstones because they're not on you by default. You will have to choose one weapon before you start a quest and git gud -- you can't change your equipment at base camps. You will have to choose between blademaster and gunner armor because the game balances giving you higher defense for melee and lower defense for ranged. There isn't a skill for preventing tripping by other players :( Rajang exists :O EX MISSIONS EXIST! ... That being said, this game is bigger and more of a challenge! Welcome to G-rank, motherfelynes. +++ MHGU Review for the Nintendo Switch +++ This iteration of MH has the most monsters of any game in the series, bringing 93 monsters to the hunt. YES, NINETY-THREE! Compared to around 30 in World at launch, that's a massive amount of content. Some are brand new and some are returning favorites. Some are "shiny" variants, special deviants, and even hyper versions of others. These infamous cousins have extra moves and/or different stats, including weak spots, damage output, hit points, and elemental attributes. There are also around 30 different maps compared to approximately 10 in World at launch. All 14 weapons return, as well as six Hunter Styles -- expanded from four in MHG -- with brand new Hunter Arts and a brand new concept called SP Arts. All of these add fun new ways to play with classic weapons. I can't put into words how satisfying it is to dodge a wicked-fast raging Silverwind Nargacuga three times in a handful of seconds with Valor Style then smack it in the face! Beloved Palicoes also return with a wide variety of weapons, armor, and abilities for your Felynes and Melynx! You can choose up to two Palicoes to take with you on quests, or go all out in Prowler Mode and be a fierce Palico yourself! This game retains the traditional setup of requiring players to fight through Low Rank, High Rank, and now G-Rank and EX quests. This means the same monster from Low Rank will hit much harder, have higher HP and defense, rage more often, and possibly have new moves in High Rank, and again at G-Rank. For World players who've fought Tempered monsters, know that they are not the equivalent of G-rank. Tempered and G-rank monsters hit harder, but G-rank monsters have higher HP and defense to match. And EX monsters? They kill in 1-2 hits with fully upgraded G-rank armor with mega armorskins, talismans, etc. There's now also Hunt of the Day! Extra rewards are given for hunting specific monsters every day after 5am and 5pm. MHGU has the most tutorials of all pre-World games through Training quests, Low Rank quests, and menu guides. But the best way to learn is playing with others -- it's how I learned in MH1 and it's how I've brought more players into every generation of the series. There's no argument that World was the easiest and most accessible of the MH games; however, thanks to the rapid growth of the MH community (Reddit/Twitch/YouTube/Discord/etc) after the wildly successful World, it's now easier than ever to find other players to learn and hunt with. In fact, I encourage everyone who has only played World to try the previous games now that you have a better understanding of the mechanics of the game -- this will open up sooooo many new monsters and maps for you to enjoy! Please note there is no "best" set of equipment. The Twitch/YouTube community came under scrutiny from the MH community when streamers tried to convince others there was a "meta" set of weapons/armor. While end-game weapons/armor have better stats, your gear should ultimately reflect your play-style by selecting a combination of weapons, Hunting Styles/Arts, and armor/Skills that compliment each other. If you want to do more research, please seek reputable sources such as the Kiranico Database and the YouTuber Gaijin Hunter. MHGU's graphics have been updated from MHXX on the 3DS, so everything is more detailed and the game runs as smooth as Nerscylla silk, even undocked. It won't look like World on PS4/PC, but it doesn't need to; graphics are not correlated to great gameplay, as the massive indie and retro gaming revolution has proven. To be honest, I'd rather have a MH with PS3 graphics that never lags on my Switch than have a MH that lags on my PS4, as was unfortunately the case with World. And just like with the PSP and 3DS games, there's something really special about being able to just pick up your system and go play with friends anytime, anywhere. I've enjoyed every single MH game to date, but overall -- with vast amount of monsters and maps; the sheer quantity of customization options via weapons, armor, Skills, Hunting Styles, Hunter Arts, SP Mode, and Palicoes; and the priceless capability to easily play together in real life -- this is my fave MH game thus far! +++ PSAs +++ If you've played MHG on the 3DS, you can download the MHGU Save Data Transfer App to bring your progress over to the Switch game and focus on the new content. I highly recommend checking that your Joy-cons are up-to-date before playing. Timing is crucial in this game, so if they don't respond as soon as you press a button 100% of the time, then go to System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Update Controllers. If that doesn't fix them, then get a Switch Pro Controller or contact Nintendo for repairs/replacements. +++ Conclusion +++ Monster Hunter demands time to learn monsters and maps. It demands practice to master weapons and dodging. It demands grinding to get the rare drops necessary for better equipment. No exaggeration -- my husband and I fought Azure Ratholos 47 times in MH3U to get the Rathalos Rubies he needed for his armor set. But MH has a dedicated worldwide following for these very reasons, and it's possibly the most satisfying and fulfilling co-op game ever. The immense sense of accomplishment I feel when "Quest Complete" flashes across my screen and the victory music plays -- especially after taking down a particularly hard monster in a full 4-player hunting party -- is what keeps me playing year after year. No other notoriously hard game has ever given me that same high -- not Dark Souls, not Ikaruga, not Bloodbourne. Not everyone will like this game. Some will prefer this over World, while some will prefer World over this, while some will simply not have the time or skill for this challenging game. But regardless of the direction Capcom takes with this series in the future, please respect the series, its roots, and each other. We are all Hunters now.