Monster Hunter: World - Why People like it

PC Gamer knows the answer to the question "Why do people like the Monster Hunter series?":

Why people love Monster Hunter so damn much

A beginner's primer to Capcom's beloved series.

There's a good chance that Monster Hunter's popularity and fandom has blindsided you. Unless you're entrenched in Japanese pop culture or a huge fan of handhelds like Nintendo's 3DS, Monster Hunter might seem like an obscure series made even more confusing by people wrongfully comparing it to Dark Souls (something I'm ashamed to be guilty of). But with Monster Hunter: World now out on consoles and arriving on PC this fall, the series has stepped out of its relative niche to become one of the most popular games in the West right now.

So what's the big deal? You fight giant dinosaurs with ridiculously large weapons—is that really what has people so excited? Not even close. There's so much more to Monster Hunter than meets the eye. If you're new to the series and wondering if Monster Hunter: World is for you, this primer will walk you through the basics, helping you understand why this game has a fanbase that easily rivals videogame greats like Pokémon—definitely not in size, but in passion and loyalty.

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It's that unique cycle of preparation, execution, and reward that makes Monster Hunter such a fun, compelling experience that inspires players to sink hundreds of hours into each game. Similar to Pokémon, Monster Hunter has a time-tested formula for fun but keeps things fresh by adding new monsters and worlds to explore with each new game. There's so much depth to each system that mastering every weapon and crafting every set could keep you playing for months. What's better, recent Monster Hunter releases have all benefited from a constant string of post-launch DLC that's free, adding new monsters, challenges, and fun crossover armor styles from other games.

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I'll be playing it upon PC release.. it's been a long time since I've delved into an MMO. I need to get game-social again. MMO's usually start out with relatively low reviews, and get better over time. This game is out the gate with high-marks. Looks fun, I want in.

Not sure if you can call it a MMO. It is designed to play solo and coop with others. It will not be "massive" in that regard (if I understand the game correctly).

I also need to wait on the PC version, since I have no console.

Yeah, unless I'm misunderstanding, MH:W is not an MMO.

Not sure about this. I like the look of the graphics and could be up for an action RPG later in the year. But I'm not a fan of spending ages harvesting plants and items to craft essential gear in order to progress.

Farming plants wasn't so bad in Monster Hunter, in most of them you eventually got your own farms or something similar where you could grow them yourself. I don't know how MHW works, but I've heard there are other mechanics that make resource foraging even easier than previous games.

If you get stuck on one of the boss type monsters though you might start farming weaker boss types whose skin makes armor that has a property specifically useful to the creature your trying to progress. That can take a little while, as boss fights are long. But still even the lesser bosses your farming tend to be epic and exciting fights, so it doesn't necessarily seem that much of a chore to do. But your mileage may vary there.

Typo in the sentence: "Japanese pop culture"

it should read "Japanese Crap culture"

This game just screams "grind", to the max… not a fan of that, but I get that many gamers enjoy that sort of thing.

The game is designed to be played with reliable and proficient partners. This changes the angle on gathering resources and even the hunts as coordination works well to improve performances.

SP has little to no interest except to learn how to play and avoid being a burden when joining a hunting party.

I think, though, that all RPGs are essentially a grind loop - complete dungeons to complete harder dungeons, or hunt monsters to hunt bigger monsters. It all comes down to how well you mix it up with different elements to give a sense of pace and discovery.

My problem with this one is that it looks like a series of boss fights - learn the pattern and perfect the dance. That doesn't appeal to me.

Still too far off to get hyped, but I'll be playing it the second it's out on PC

I think there's already enough quality visible to not be pessimistic and make assumptions about how "grindy" it feels.

Don't overthink it! Just grab the nearest weapon, head out into the open world and kill shit for fun. Loot everything, pick up every herb you run past, mine all the ore. All the gathering will happen during the exploration. You'll likely have all the materials you need for your alchemy without ever deliberately seeking anything out.

There are a lot of Witcher3 fans here and isn't monster hunting and alchemy exactly what that game is about too? Just swap out a gruff voiced edgy euro kinda guy and replace it with retarded animae cat people but also include far better Capcom quality arcade gameplay and you're there.

Originally Posted by SirJames
There are a lot of Witcher3 fans here and isn't monster hunting and alchemy exactly what that game is about too?

How about no.
Sure, gwent cards are a sort of pokemon collection, but it's side activity, not the game itself.

Originally Posted by joxer
How about no.
Sure, gwent cards are a sort of pokemon collection, but it's side activity, not the game itself.

xD
You don't collect them; you hunt them. Dead. Wear their skin.

You have to admit the coolest armour has always been that made from monsters, such as dragon scale or ankheg platemail.

Which do you want:
1. Leather Armour
2. Troll Hide Leather Armour!

As an RPG fan, what might you expect troll hide leather to do?

Unless I'm mistaken, there is still trash to kill between the monster boss fights, but the game is more focused on fighting monsters than humanoids and on combat over dialogue trees, but the RPG systems involving numbers are apparently deep enough for RPG enthusiasts to work out some good builds.

…And here's a bonus quote from some random Dark Souls fan on reddit that came to mind for some reason, as though it might be valuable to someone.

But man, as much as I love Dark Souls. MHW really has what I'm looking for. There is still the joy of reading monster tells the dodging accordingly yet there's so much strategy on top of it! So much mindfulness.

Originally Posted by SirJames

There are a lot of Witcher3 fans here and isn't monster hunting and alchemy exactly what that game is about too?

No. This game is about learning how to hunt monsters and be proficient at it. Combat is weak to non existent in TW3 while it is core in this game.

The grinding perception comes from success in combat through overlevelling approach. Itemization is thought as a compensation for a lack of skills.

The margin to deal with monsters is huge (there is a beat the clock challenge feel in it to compensate)
Appropriate itemization is designed to speed up hunts, not to make them doable.

Originally Posted by SirJames
xD

Unless I'm mistaken, there is still trash to kill between the monster boss fights, but the game is more focused on fighting monsters than humanoids and on combat over dialogue trees, but the RPG systems involving numbers are apparently deep enough for RPG enthusiasts to work out some good builds.

There is trash to kill and it can drop things which are important for crafting as well. Sometimes you will have a quest that involves killing 20 a bunch of weak monsters instead of one big one. Usually those tend to be easy quests though, your very unlikely to fail one of those missions. The heart of the game play tends to be killing the big boss monsters, and when I'm doing that I'll usually just run past the little ones unless they get in my way too much.

I picked it up for the PS4 and I'm enjoying it so far. This one has many more significant changes then previous sequels, which is a good thing, as the series had been feeling a little stale. The multiplayer features are a little more front and center this time, but still easy to ignore (I've never had any interest in MH multiplayer, building up my character and working through the campaign on my own has always been the appeal).