Topic: Monster Hunter Rise

I've never played a main series Monster Hunter game, so I'm wondering if this would be a good place to start. I tried the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate demo on 3DS back in the day and just couldn't get into it. It just seemed really grindy, and the underwater section...yuck. my experience with Monster Hunter Stories was much better, though it's a spin-off.

@Northwind @Magician really good explanations you two. Maybe ill just hold off til rise comes out and if I really like it( which they trailer looks solid), then ill go back and snag generations

@link3710
You make a reasonable argument, but here’s the thing. Ultimate versions for other games may not do as well, but that’s not the case with MH. Not traditionally. For every game pre-World, the ultimate version OUTSOLD the base game. And that was as full priced separate entries. World not only sold it for a discount, it was sold as DLC, and still couldn’t match 50% of the base game sales. That’s a clear trend change from previous entries. So for all the examples you could list, The only one that’s truly relevant is the examples we have for Monster Hunter itself with its previous ultimate versions.

And again, I’m not discounting the possibility. I would just assign a higher probability to around 7 million. For now. That could change as we get closer to release if I see videos getting insane numbers of views.

@NintendoByNature
Frankly, no. It’s definitely the easiest Monster Hunter to get into pre-World, but there’s a reason the series had such a high barrier of entry up until World. There’s a lot of mechanics at play and it takes a while before you get to the monster hunting (they ease you in, which is a good thing but the downside is most players lose interest before they even start hunting the monsters). This issue is compounded by the fact the quests are broken up and categorized by rank. You might have 20 quests in each rank but only a small handful are key quests that are required to unlock the urgent quest for that rank, which is like your test to graduate to the next rank level. Without knowing which ones are key quests, you could end up doing a dozen quests before you stumble upon all the right ones, and since they are all gathering quests in the early game it leads to burn out. There is an app on Android called MHGU DB (database), and it tells you which quests are key quests for each rank. You can also find this information on wikis. It makes the game much easier to get into but a lot of people don’t know about it. It’s also very helpful for knowing which items and monster parts you need to craft each set of armor and weapons. And it even tells you the maps and monsters you have to hunt to obtain those items. Or you can put a certain armor set on your wish list and it will tell you the full list of all the items you need and how many of each and where to find them.

But the truth is, you should probably wait for this game, MH Rise. It’s best to get into the series with friends who can hunt with you and help show you the ropes, plus this game will be way easier to get into because it’s going to have all the quality of life adjustments of MH World and, probably even more on top of that. You can play the single player on your own to get the feel of the game, and then hop online with friends here. I’ll hunt with you if you want. The game will also not have the convoluted key quests that aren’t clearly marked. World changed that. So all the quests that are optional are listed separately under “optional”.

But once you DO get into the series, and you reach a point that you’re finally ready to put the game down because you’ve played it for 600 hrs, that’s when you should pick up MHGU. Because once you’re into the series and you understand the appeal, and you understand all the game mechanics, then you’ll be able to play it without losing interest or getting burned out or anything of that nature. You’ll appreciate it in its fullness.

@Tyranexx
Read my above response also. But ya, the older games are hard to get into with just a demo because you don’t understand the mechanics. You’re just button mashing and wondering why there are these long animations in between every few button attacks. Every weapon has a certain sequence of attacks that links into a combo, and there are ways to loop said combos into infinite combos, so that you don’t have long animation pauses in between (which is common for rookie hunters), and this has to be learned before you can truly be efficient with your weapon. But every weapon is so in-depth that even veteran hunters have only mastered a few weapons each. Your number one goal is finding a weapon that feels like an extension of your body and then learning to master that weapon like the back of your hand. New hunters should stay away from ranged weapons because ranged rapids require a special ranged armor set that has half defense. World did change this to where you just take a stat penalty as ranged Hunter, but either way you’re better off starting with something like the long sword. Heavier weapons are slower and should probably be reserved for more experienced players. Dual blades are quick, but they don’t have any reach and therefore cannot cut off monster tails and the like, and because they’re so fast they get dull really quickly and you have to sharpen more which is also not good for a new player. Other weapons like charge blade and switch axe and insect glaive are very complex and require a mastery, or at least a commitment to mastery, to properly use. I started with the long sword and the hunting horn. But the long sword is what I really got into the series with back in MH3U on Wii U. Once you learn your weapon and you learn how to dodge and you learn how to dance with a monster and wait for a proper opening, hit them a few times and then dodge roll out of the way and sheath your weapon, run around the monster and dodge attacks while you re-position, then get a few more hits in, once you can do all that and find your rhythm, the game starts getting really addictive because you realize you’re actually taking down this monster yourself. You start laying traps and setting off barrel bombs, using the crafted tools to your advantage. And that’s when it clicks.

Jumping into a demo in a game this complex is the absolute worst thing you could do. Of course you couldn’t get into it. It’s like getting thrown in the middle of a Dark Souls game and then wondering why you’re no good and you’re not having fun. Not that this is anywhere near that difficult, but it’s still hardcore just because of the complexity and how many mechanics are at play.

World did wonders for getting new players into the series, and this looks like it’s going to be just as good as MH World in that respect. Let me tell you that Monster Hunter is my favorite series of all time, and there’s never been a Monster Hunter game I’ve played that I didn’t put at least 400 hours into. It took me a while to get into MH3U- what helped is having a friend I worked with who I would hunt with online, and he knew what he was doing and he kind of carried me through the early hunts. Hunting with friends is so insanely fun and I recommend you do so when you’re learning. They can help you and you can watch and learn just from observation as you’re playing. You follow them as they’re running through the map and you see the spots where they gather items and you see how they attack, etc.

Water fighting, underwater that is, is gone. That was only in the 3rd gen. A lot of people didn’t like it, although I grew to love it over time.

It is a grindy game, but that’s a good thing when you’re actually into it and you’re good at it and you feel the addiction set in. Fighting the monsters are so fun, and because no fight will ever play out the same way twice, it’s like a game of infinite boss fights that challenge your skills to the very core. It never gets old, and the thrill of taking down a monster a few times and using the carved items to craft their entire armor set and a new weapon... its beyond comparison. The adrenaline rush of seeing a powerful new monster crash the party and you have to take off running for your life because you know he can one shot you... it’s incredible. And World did a lot to lessen the grind and make it easier to obtain all the items needed for an armor set. Each game seems to get a bit more lenient in that regard. Drop rates for the rare gems are a bit higher. 2% becomes 4% becomes 8% (and the rare gems aren’t needed for a while, only later in the game for more advanced stuff you usually need one gem somewhere in the armor set). You should really give this game a try. I have no doubt this will become not only my favorite game of the generation but quite possibly my favorite video game of all time, just based off MH World and MHGenUlt.

@JaxonH Well, here's the thing. It's literally impossible for Iceborn to outsell World. Unlike previous entries, the absolute best Iceborn could do was match the base game if every consumer bought it. If someone bought the game for Iceborn, they still bought the main game as well after all.

But on top of that, previous Monster Hunter games attracted a very strong core demographic. I'll admit, I'm one of the many people who has only bought reversioned versions, (namely Tri Ultimate, 4 Ultimate, and Generations Ultimate). But there's a big reason for that. 4 didn't even come to the west until Ultimate, Tri Ultimate came out on a system that was basically dead and focused on an entirely different demographic (Wii), before getting a double console release that encouraged double dipping via save transfers and Generations came out just as 3DS sales started to noticeably decline, while Ultimate was released at a prime time in the Switch's life for sales. I don't know much about prior titles, but I do think that with Monster Hunter World tapping into the mass market with 7-8x the normal sales, knowing how the mass market usually reacts to reversions and DLC is probably more important than knowing about the core fanbase's behavior.

@link3710
Perhaps, but either way, the fact this is releasing on a different platform than World released on, that barrier is going to prevent a lot of people who were retained as core fans from buying in. I would wager there’s only 10 million core fans of World that are retained and who will buy future entries. 8-9 million of them are in the west. We need at least 33% of them to migrate to see double digit sales, accounting for the Switch audience already. Whether they can pull that many new players into the fold across platforms, I’m not sure.

Again, I’m not saying it’s impossible. Just less likely than a number like 7-8 mil, which is in its own right an astoundingly high number for a 3rd party exclusive.

@JaxonH very helpful info as always. Thanks for the tips. Honestly the way you describe generations it doesn't seem for me. With that said, im happy to wait on rise. Because rise really does look awesome, and like you said, playing at the same time as everyone else will be a huge help. Appreciate the reply.

@JaxonH Thanks for the detailed explanation! Honestly I thought this was a series I could happily skip - fighting underwater aside, I try to avoid games that are excessively grindy these days - but my experience with MHS piqued my interest in the world of MH as a whole. I knew a thing or two about the series going in, but I still wonder if I would've gotten more out of the game with adequate exposure to other series entries. Add in the intriguing trailer for Monster Hunter Rise, and I'm certainly willing to give this one a shot.

@Tyranexx @NintendoByNature
That’s fantastic guys. I look forward to seeing you adapt and improve when the game comes out. And remember, the MH fanbase is the most helpful fanbase out there. All we want is to help new hunters get into the series. It’s not like the Souls fanbase with the gitgud nonsense. Veteran hunters are always willing to help and even hunt with you to help show you the ropes.

@Ralizah I definitely agree that SMT items were for me the best treat but that this was the best partner showcase with content. At least in my opinion.

I'm sooooo excited for SMT III!

Pff, you weren’t even there with the Wii?

I prefer how Rise looks over World. The latter has too much detail, which removes a bit of the focus in a hunt. There Is only one part in the trailer which looked a bit bad imo.

@Spanjard
I’m still a 3rd fleet Hunter! Even if I didn’t get in on PSP or Wii (or even with the Mac daddy of OG hunters, on PS2). It doesn’t feel that long ago but, 3rd gen MH was still well before it had blown up, even with the popularity MH4U brought. Playing on Wii U was a very niche experience that only the diehards partook in, but that’s what made the community so great. Because there really weren’t any casual hunters everybody who was playing was a serious, diehard monster hunter fan. And as a result the community just became so closely knit. I feel proud coming from the 3rd generation of hunters. Truth is I did try it out on the Wii, but I didn’t really know what the game was about back then, and I just remember seeing a lot of text and reading in the beginning which caused me to turn it off within 20 minutes. But I wasn’t really that into gaming back then either and had a pretty short attention span. In fact, I had never even played a turn based game in my life, just to give you an idea of how close minded I was at the time.

I take it you’re a 3rd fleet Tri Hunter then? Did you play MH Portable 3rd? Because this game really reminds me of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Yukumo and the Japanese setting seem very similar to this, which is also a very Japanese setting. I love it.

Anyways, Rise does look great. While world is absolutely stunning in a visual sense, my problem was it felt too cluttered, Which is pretty much what you’re saying with too much detail. The coral highlands were just too busy, and the ancient forest was a nightmare to navigate. It’s like the team got too excited with the new powerful hardware and what they could do and they just went overboard with the size of the map.

I feel like MH World was the beta test, and now they’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and they’re moving forward only using the things that worked well, and learning from World’s mistakes. The environments are still seamless as an open map but the areas aren’t so cluttered, and are a little more open, almost reminiscent of MH3U maps on Wii U, in the Moga Woods. Except way better looking and with insane verticality.

There are definitely some spots that look a little rough around the edges, some ground textures and pop in... but overall, the full picture as a whole looks fantastic. They really are squeezing every ounce of juice they can from the Nintendo switch hardware. I am dumbfounded how similar this game looks to world visually, yet doing so from a handheld gaming system. My my how far we’ve come from Freedom Unite on PSP and MH3U on 3DS. Who would’ve thought we would ever get a handheld Monster Hunter that looks this good. Heck, even a CONSOLE Monster Hunter that looks this good would have been unthinkable before World released. So to see it on a handheld is all the more impressive.

Collector Edition live on GameStop website. Not sure if exclusive but, World collector edition was GS exclusive, and the amiibo are GS exclusive, and this contains an amiibo. So you decide

https://www.gamestop.com/video-games/switch/games/products/mo...

So which version should I get...Collector's, Deluxe, or the regular version?

@psychoBrew
Depends how much of a fan you are. If you’re like me, you’ll want the collector edition. It’s $40 more, comes with an amiibo and nice collector box, and some digital goods like layered armor, poses, etc.

If you like the digital goods get the deluxe for $10 more. If you don’t care about that stuff and just want the game then just buy the game.

Just a standard copy for me. I'm not into amiibo.

And all those folks complaining about Rise's exclusivity will quiet down once World 2 arrives on PS5 and XSX in a few years.

That's wishful thinking since Switch portable feature will more or less tamp down psx/xbox releases.

@SwitchForce Considering the first World never made it to Switch I imagine the other consoles will continue to get MH content that is more multiplayer/community focused like World while Switch gets more single-player/contained multiplayer-centric content. Capcom always said no when questioned about World coming over to Switch but Rise looks pretty cool regardless

Honestly World is a weird game for me, I feel it's artstyle is much less inspired and unique, a lot of it is just a mish-mash of things with foliage and particle effects to give people that "next gen" feeling. That's beside the point that it made Monster Hunter far too streamlined and 'western', for a lack of a better word, in my eyes.

This game looks like a combination of things that made the previous entries great with its own strong artstyle and a lot of colour and atmosphere. Seriously, to me this game looks far more impressive not from a technical standpoint but just from an art perspective. World was very uninspired compared to this. I have the same gripe with the recent FFXVI trailer. That game looks like western fodder and not at all impressive or 'Final Fantasy'.

I really hope they bulk this game up because it looks like it will occupy a good chunk of April for me. One of my favourite series and I am beyond hyped.

Yeah I enjoyed world but it to me did feel like it lacked the colorful charm that I like from 4 onwards. Honestly the main things that brought World down for me was the bare bones and samey roster and that I hated the armor and weapon designs in the game. Killed any drive for me to grind in it when I knew all I was getting was the same weapon skin

Yeah I started on the Wii, a fantastic first experience that was. It quickly became one of my most played games on the system. In some ways it is still the best online experience I have had in the series or any online game for that matter. Combining the hunt with a keyboard and chatting about while you anticipate every attack on a instinctual level was somehow just bliss.

Excited to learn more about this new game.