Topic: Monster Hunter: World

Oh, I realized why they made potions craftable with only 2 herbs instead of an herb and a blue mushroom — they wanted one herb pickup to equal one potion. That lends to the frenetic run-and-hunt feeling introduced in 4 with that running ledge jump animation.

Also, I think you can craft potions with only one herb while in town (or in a tent?).

I'm finding this just as addictive as MH Tri if not more so. Even when I'm not playing it I'm still thinking about it.

Monster Hunter is always addictive.

But even this one doesn't have me gripped like my first one. MH3U had me staying up 2 days in a row, hunting all night long with randoms from Germany farming Cloudy Moonshards.

I think I'm enjoying it more though. But it's like chasing the dragon. No MH game will ever top your first.

@Tsurii
The graphics and environments are nice, but at the end of the day, it matters little in terms of entertainment value. It's why I could enjoy games on 3DS as much as games on PS4 (although I think we've reached a point where 240p graphics actually are a detriment to your enjoyment- as of today I think as long as the game is HD you can get as much enjoyment out of it as the best looking game out there)

The real crux of this game that lets me enjoy it more than past games, is the absence of tedium. It's going to be a shorter game than previous entries, but a leaner game as well. They've taken all the stuff that made it a drag and either changed it or removed it entirely. That makes it a much more pleasant experience. Armor sets don't feel like such a chore to craft anymore. Gathering (oh my goodness, gathering). Gathering has been made easy. Crafting, I will admit- the single herbs to make potions is a nice change. Potions were never the bottleneck anyways. So it's nice being able to grab a few herbs on the go and make potions right on the spot.

That's what I enjoy most about this game. To be perfectly honest though, I think the monsters were actually more fun in some of the past entries. Don't get me wrong there are some really great standouts- Anjanath and Nergigante come to mind. But a lot of the rest just don't seem as good- Tobi-Kodachi doesn't compare to Zinogre, Kula Ya-Ku is nowhere near as fun as Qurupeco, and the big elder dragon was cool, but Jhen Mohran was better. I will say Pukei-Pukei is better than Gypceros though. Anything is better than Gyceros.

But that's ok. Because it just feels good tracking and seeing multiple monsters out in the environments. And with most of the tedium removed it's hard not to be satisfied with the direction they've taken.

edit

You know what I miss though? Monster themes. That's what's missing from this game. Gosh dang... the adrenaline would just PUMP whenever Astalos came crashing in. Or Zinogre with his confident stride. It made the fights epic. If this game had monster themes... I don't think I could muster anything else to say about it.

I didn't notice there weren't palico sets for Tzitzi and Girros. I actually haven't hunter a Girros yet even though I'm in high rank.

It was disappointing that the high rank armor looked the same, then was either recolored or had the most minor of blademaster/gunner version differences in the alt version. Also the incomplete small monster sets are weird. I've really liked some of the armor designs this time though...

And I don't understand why Monster Hunter hasn't had unique themes for at least all of the new monsters in every game past Tri. It's a really weird budget thing. I will say that there are some fantastic unique pieces for the monsters later on. I'm hoping that that will be the rule, not the exception when I reach the endgame chock full of elder dragons.

Decided to go on Youtube and listen to some of the battle themes...and, eh....they're more of a hit or miss thing. I dunno, they just don't feel as epic as past themes. Also they have way too many quiet parts...

MHW has reached top spot in the UK chart despite releasing on a Friday scoring the best first week for Monster Hunter ever in the UK.

https://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/lates...

So it begins. You beat me to it. In the Individual Charts, the PS4 version was #1 and the XB1 version was #2.

http://www.siliconera.com/2018/01/29/monster-hunter-world-top...
I feel dirty having supported the death of my favorite game series as I know it (with the rationalization of "it's not going to sell nearly as good as previous games").

While both results are surprising, I'm more surprised at XB1 version being 2nd rather than a lower position but I guess we're seeing a Wii U effect with XB1 where the severe lack of new games is making people pick up games they wouldn't usually pick up.

Well it was on two platforms (3 by Fall if Capcom is to be believed). The combined base is higher than 3DS's by around 30 million. Doesn't help that the 3DS is on its way out.

Also, following two games like MH Gen and MH XX and being billed as a flagship title definitely helps its case. That being said, it remains to be seen if its an extremely front loaded game or if it will actually have any legs.

EDIT: Didn't they actually bother to advertise for this one as well?

The game has sold 5 million copies already. Remember when it was a mistake to switch platforms and that it was doomed to fail? Lol(not necessarily anyone here but over the internet)

Some of the dlc seems overpriced, and I’m saddened we have to pay for some of this stuff. Aw.

@Grumblevolcano Remember, For Honor dominated charts, even in Japan for two or three weeks before plunging into an abyss of absolute failure.

MHW will have more legs on XB1 like you said...which is cool. PS4 has SO much flooding out of the gates the people dipping their toes will flee, and the hardcore (mostly existing Nintendo owners) will stay.

Great game.....largely reaching the wrong audience. Maybe it will surprise, but I think that's the launch hype more than endurance we're seeing. On the plus side that maybe means sales will be sooner

That's close to what I predicted, considering it's talking shipped copies, and digital sales, and across both platforms. I figured the game would do 5 mil total, worldwide. They're counting shipped, so that number likely won't go up over the next month because people who buy it will just be buying it out of that shipped number. Of course, I never factored in digital because nobody really tracks that stuff.

But ya, that's great. It's about as good as you could feasibly hope. If it sold through 80% of its shipment then it's probably at 4m sold (incl. digital). If it sold through 60% it's at 3m sold (incl. digital). So yeah, after the dust settles and the PC version releases, I'm guessing 6m total. Which would make it the best selling entry to date. Of course, they'll release an Ultimate version and keep the cash rolling in.

What I want to know though, is where does this leave their portable entries. I think we all know they are not going to just stop making games for portable systems. There is a huge market for this game series portably-moreso in Japan, but with the rising popularity of Switch in the west, and World bringing in new western players, I think there's a pretty sizable market for a portable entry in the west now also. The question is, do they continue following the old formula and simply cash in on easy money... or, do they make the next portable entry with a higher budget, following the design set forth by World?

I sincerely hope they opt for the latter. The problem is, to do that they're going to have to leave 3DS behind. And while I don't doubt a new game like World could do 4 million on Switch alone, it would require a much higher budget and design ground up. And if you're doing all that work and spending all that money, why not just port it to the other consoles also. Do away with "portable" and "console" entries and just do console entries, but include Switch to offer the game portably.

What do you guys think... Does this mean Capcom pushes a new exclusive portable entry with higher budget, does it mean Capcom makes the next game a multiplatform entry across PS4/NSW/X1 with a higher budget, or does it mean Capcom sticks to making console only entries with higher budgets, and does easy cash-in's for the portable market?

@JaxonH I hope we can see some kind of cross play exist between the other consoles and Switch. Sony doesn't currently seem keen, but hopefully their standpoint will change. Be great to get a cut back Switch edition that I can use with my character file on the go.

I think how World does in Japan will decide. If it does extremely well compared to the handheld games, I think either multiplatform PS4/Switch/XB1 or multiplatform PS4/XB1 with no Monster Hunter on Switch. However if it doesn't do that well compared to the handheld games then multiplatform PS4/XB1 and Switch following on from the MHXX approach (e.g. Japan exclusive).

@Grumblevolcano I'd say if it manages to sell 1.0-1.5 mil in Japan they would have done alright.

For reference, the last main line title, MH4 sold 2.6 mil in Japan alone.

EDIT: Nevermind, it was 3.44 mil. I was looking at MH4G sales before. I forgot that MH4 only sold in one region.

Let's compare to past entries. So. Past games reached 4-5 million on one platform, with lower budget. This game released on 2 platforms with a much higher budget, but is also selling for 50% more. But we need to estimate physical copies sold.

It's hard to say with shipped numbers and digital being counted, because we need sold physical copies as the usable metric. Let's say 20% bought the game digitally, and there's 75% sell through rate on the shipment. These are just educated guesses here- it could be that only 10% bought it digitally, or maybe 30% bought it digitally. I hear digital sales on PSN can reach as high as 30%. And it's possible it only sold 50% of its shipment, or, it could be 90%. We just don't know.

But using those reasonable, educated guess estimates, I'd put MH World at 3 - 3.25 million copies sold physically for its first 3 days. And physical copies sold is a reliable metric we can use to make comparisons. Monster Hunter 4 and Monster Hunter Generations sold 4.1 and 4.3 million physical copies worldwide. So I don't think it's yet surpassed the status quo. It will, however, likely gain an additional 50% copies sold over time. So my prediction lands it at 4.5 - 4.9 million physical copies sold. Then we have to factor in the PC version. If the game sold 3 - 3.5 on PS4 and Xbox One, including Japan, then I'm going to assume the PC versions does 0.75 - 1 million copies sold, although these would all be digital sales. Which puts my grand prediction at 5.25 - 5.9 million physical and PC copies sold worldwide.

Just focusing on consoles though, that's 4.5 - 4.9 million physical copies sold worldwide. Which would indeed surpass the status quo, and potentially match Monster Hunter Portable 3rd on PSP with 4.9 mil.

Granted, it will have required an enormous increase in their budget and manpower to deliver the game. But that increase will be somewhat offset by the 50% increase in revenue via $60 price tag. In the end, it doesn't seem that out of the ordinary given historical precedent. My estimate puts it at about what previous games did- on the higher end to be sure, but cost significantly more to produce, required multiple platform development and substantial marketing cost.

So to the question- was it worth it? I'd say yes. Because they still have PC which will be on top of console sales. And, it doesn't necessarily have to replace their portable entries. It can be in addition to. And if that's the case it would most definitely be worthwhile. Instead of releasing mid-gen spinoffs that sell less, simply alternate between high selling portable entry and high selling multiplatform entry. They now have an engine and game to build off of, so we can expect future entries to follow up on PS4/X1. Their portable entries will need the same ground up treatment World received, though. So I actually think it would be better to move their B-team to PS4/X1 and start working on the next console entry, get those guys some experience developing for those platforms, while the A-team uses their skill to do what they just did with World- build a new game ground up for NSW, which can then be used as a base to build from in future entries.

Someone needs to teach Capcom what lip-syncing is. Anyway, Geralt of Rivia and his trusty Catman buddy are off on an adventure.