Monster Hunter: World

[KSubzero1000]

Can’t map Dodge to Circle?

No, I wish I could!
I'd love to swap Cross and Circle, as well as L1 and R1, but the game just doesn't allow it.

On a separate note, I’m finding that I’m playing a lot of games recently where you have to figure out the systems and mechanics and that’s a large part of the appeal.

Here's the thing: I don't necessarily mind figuring stuff out through experimentation in a fast-paced game. But it's this specific combination of the sheer quantity of stats and systems as well as the amount of uneventful downtime that I find so frustrating.

I've spent hours on the Souls wiki trying to understand various mechanics for example, but this tedium never translated into the games themselves. The HUD is clear, you know where to go, NPCs aren't spamming voice lines, etc... Even if you don't know how resistance or the weapon forging works, you can still make progress. The base game itself is perfectly direct and responsive.

[Todinho]

I think if I was trying to do what you are I would be enjoying the game way less, Im basically ignoring all that stuff I just go for whats the most damage and the armor that gives me some skill that I like, if I tried to figure out all those menus I would make no progress.

I do like how the weapons work however and I think they are on the right side of complex, like I said it's like picking a fighting game character and trying to figure it out, in games like souls whatever weapon you pick it only changes slightlly how you play but here it changes it completelly especially as someone who's switching between insect glaive and Gunlance, also I really like how weapon upgrading allows you to roll back any upgrade you do and gives you back all the materials.

The one thing Im bothered is that the armor pieces have all set skills meaning if you want to get the most of a skill you have to mix and match, you cant even glamor how armor looks like in Nioh, so Im left in a position in that I really like how that Radobaan set looks but it gives me no usefull bonus so Im just stuck wearing this weird mix match set that's usefull, also after watching a video on late game gear I dont think Im gonna enjoy end game all that much, from what it looks like it gets really grindy and min-maxing and I never enjoy that in games...

[Todinho]

But oh yeah one thing that I really hate is how item crafting works it's so convoluted and that bothers me because in the beta you already start with alot of usefull itens that are important like traps and, attack power,knifes. In the main game however you have to craft all of those and I cant figure that out at all, not only there are an fuck ton of itens to make but it's also super convoluted to do it.

[Suits]

I’ve jumped in.

Went for the Xbox One version, over my slightly preferenced PS4 version as I have slightly more Xbox mates who are up for this.

[KSubzero1000]

[Suits]

Mate, honestly I was leaning PS4, purely due to the hunting enthusiasm of this place, then my old Xbox crew were chirping up about this, so I went that way.

Interestingly, some of that lot were talking about only playing it if it was in the Xbox Game pass - platforms, within platforms now !!!

[KSubzero1000]

Hahahaha I'm just messing with you, man.

I wasn't planning on investing too much time in the multiplayer anyway. Hope you enjoy it more than I do so far!

(But it's funny how a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it?)

[Suits]

(But it's funny how a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it?)

That's a powerful image man .

[KSubzero1000]

I think if I was trying to do what you are I would be enjoying the game way less, Im basically ignoring all that stuff I just go for whats the most damage and the armor that gives me some skill that I like, if I tried to figure out all those menus I would make no progress.

I think the issue is that I'm a very intense and perfectionistic kind of player who likes to dedicate a lot of time and attention to any single game I play. I need to understand and discover everything a game has to offer. It means that I'm getting a lot of value out of short and polished games with high replayability, but it also means that I'm getting easily overwhelmed or burned out when playing bloated games with tons of mechanics. If the key to enjoying something like MH is to just straight up ignore three quarters of the data it throws at you, then that's not good design in my opinion.

I've played some more, and I just wish they had gotten rid of the Astera base and all the pointless NPCs entirely. Give me a Peace Walker style menu-based hub from which I could alter my equipment and select the missions (or free roam). You could still have the core loop of Varied Combat > Boss Fight > Equipment / Loot Upgrades even without all the busywork. If the basic structure was closer to Nioh than to Xenoblade, I think I would be enjoying this a lot more.

Not trying to rain on anybody's parade, I hope long-time fans won't take this the wrong way. But I feel like the game's strength clearly lies in its combat system, diverse weapon handling and the thrill of going after these huge and scary monsters. I hate to see it being buried under so much junk.


Edit: Also, a dedicated whetstone button would do wonders, instead of having to frantically juggle between it and healing items out of a tiny menu in the middle of the fight.

[Todinho]

I dont disagree with anything you said mind you, despite being the most acessible and playable Monster Hunter game yet it does a piss poor job communicating it's deeper mechanics and it's something even veterans agree from what I've seen in reviews. I think the game still has alot of bagagge despite streamlining and modernizing many things, it also has a very picky fan base from what I could see especially when World was first annouced so the devs must be kinda of scared to make drastic changes.

[Chopper]

Edit: Also, a dedicated whetstone button would do wonders, instead of having to frantically juggle between it and healing items out of a tiny menu in the middle of the fight.

You have to sharpen your weapon during a fight? I may have overestimated the appeal of this game.

[KSubzero1000]

You have to sharpen your weapon during a fight? I may have overestimated the appeal of this game.

Yep, it's clearly meant to be a frequent, timing-based mechanic, much like reloading would be in any given shooter. Which I don't consider to be inherently a problem, but I just think they should have made it more intuitive to access.

[Stanshall]

There are quicker shortcuts available with L1/right stick but you'll get used to using such a wide range of items at some point that a whetstone button won't make much sense later on. Also, your weapons will have greater durability/sharpness when you upgrade them further, i.e. bigger green bars, etc.

Oh, in other news, I've been absolutely hammering Monster Hunter: World and it's the most fun MH game I've played.

I do totally appreciate that it's an info overload, though. I don't really know who is where and what exactly I'm supposed to do for them in the hub. It's quite overwhelming compared to the compact Generations hub. That said, you don't need much early on: Get quest, have lunch, twat a monster, guts for garters. Rinse and repeat.

Once you feel like you need more, you may need a bit more. Check the Wiki or the in-game tutorials. If anyone wants to twat monsters with me, I'm stanshall on PSN. I did think about the One X version but I heard it's no different to the Pro, plus the MP isn't working right now.

[Todinho]

So pro tip here, I highly recomend everyone that's playing this game go out of their way and find the Grimalkyes(cats) tribes in each area of the game they all give your palico new itens to use in battle, so you start of with the vigorwasp and they can give you stuff like a horn that your palico uses to give you various buffs during combat, etc.

The most important of these tribes however are the plundererers in the Rotten Vale because the Item they give you allow your palico to increase the drop of monster parts, not only are more parts of the monster gonna drop while you're fighting him but at the end of the quest plus yout rewards your palico will have also have gathered monster rewards too, I found this today and it's been super good! I found then in area 13 of the Vale( the Odogaron lair) and from there you just need to do the little quest and you're set!

[Todinho]

Also I saw this review making the rounds, from Waypoint describing Monster Hunter World as a "colonialist fantasy" I do recommed people read it but I think the author really misses the mark and ignores basic points about the world and story that are clearly explained in the game: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article ... rld-review

After entering High-rank today(the same point his review was written)Im kinda of baffled someone could have that take on it, I mean I understand not paying attention to the story, it's not that compelling but c'mon. Anyway Spoilers(but not really):

Spoiler: show

So this whole argument that you come to settle and colonize is just wrong right of the bat, the group you're apart of is called "The research comission" it's in the name they are there to study a new weird phenomena of migration that never occurred before, they arent there to settle or to explore resources they are there to study, hell you beat the final mission the guy says "Well I guess we did our jobs might as well pack and go home" I mean they've been living there for 40 years and when they think their mission is done they are ready to leave.

Second there are no natives to exploit here, the only creatures that could qualify are the Grimalkyes and once again they dont even trade with them, their only interest is to learn more about then and their culture, this is really important because it's at the core of what colonialism is which is to exploit the native population, that doesn exist here Cortez wasnt intersted in learning the nuances of Inca language or their customs, he wanted Gold and territory and meanwhile in Monster Hunter all the guy asks you to do is to help the Grimalkyes so he can better understand their culture, almost like an antropologist would. It's not comparable it's simply not.

Now the people that hold the articles view might say that well, the game story might say one thing but the mechanics reinforce plundering the wildlife and resources, that might be its best defense, however if you look at the itens you gather and materials it all serves to improve your hunter and to prepare you for tougher fights, you're not selling that for profit you cant even trade with other players what you hunt/earn is what you get. That is much closer to a tribal mindset then a colonial one, in tribal societies hunter do it out of necessity and they often adorn themselfs with the skin of the beast they killed which is very different from how hunting in colonial days.
More importantly however is that tribal societies, unlike colonial ones, have a deep respect for the animals they hunt and that is very well translated in Monster Hunter World, I dont know about anybody else but I think the monsters are no doubt the stars of the show in this game, how well they animate, how they fight and tough they can be, how you have to learn each of them. You're not slaughtering them without giving it a thought, each fight is an ordeal a davi vs goliath and when you win it's an acomplishment but much like in nature you cant get overconfident because if you do the next monster can quickly destroy you.

Im so baffled by the affirmation in this review because this is one of the few games where I feel very aware and connected not only to my enviroment but also to the wildlife around me, to be honest since MGS3 I cant remember a game to quite evoke that from me, if Monster Hunter is fullfilling any fantasy is that of being a tribal hunter(which actually makes the Horizon event really appropriatte) so to read this review and see someone say "No, you're actually being a western colonizer" and Im like "WHAT!?" , Im not one of those "get politics outta my vidyagaems" people, quite the opposite but I think this take is just wrong.

I think I said pretty much all I think about on the subject on the spoiler section but if you played the game and read the article, do you agree or disagree or you simply doesnt care?

[Stanshall]

I think Austin Walker overreaches quite often. He writes evocatively about mechanics and environments, excusing his approach of 'why use a hundred words when a thousand will do', but the attempt to claim sight of a bigger picture is wearing, not least when it's already a well-worn running joke in MH circles. I don't know anyone in videogames journalism who wears their 'academic' badge so conspicuously. Imagine getting swept up in Monster Hunter and then deciding that your review needs more crowbarred references to the American political climate. It reminds me of marking literature essays where students make increasingly dubious grand claims near the end of a piece of work, to try to finish on a high note and blind the examiner with ambition. Stick to the sources and justify your claims with evidence if you're aiming for the top band, Austin.

[Pitwar]

The Monster Hunter series is always one I've wanted to get into, and have tried previous entries on systems like the PSP and 3DS, but never really invested.

However, based on the fact the series is now back on the home consoles, and due to a number of friends picking up the PS4 version I decided to take the plunge again.

After initially thinking I'd made a mistake, and feeling the game was too big and complex to me I'm now finding my feet, and really enjoying the little amount I've played.

I'm really looking forward to cracking on with the game, and it's been some of the most fun I've had playing online with friends in a long time.

[Chopper]

The follow-up to the last video I linked to (MHW for fence-sitters ) has been posted. Interestingly (in light of the separate discussion on Shadow of the Colossus) the author is feeling some pangs of guilt at hunting down these innocent monsters.

I actually picked up a physical copy of the game this morning, using a combination of gift card/trade in logic that makes it essentially free and should result in a risk-free trial. Looking forward to being bamboozled by it later.

[skidoosh]

So, I picked it up day one on the PS4 and I have to say this game is crack to me. It's my first MH and so far it has just the right combination of action, numbers, challenge, collection and progression. I've been playing for nearly 40hrs this week, I don't even know how I found 40hrs. I've just spent about 3 hours fighting the cover monster before I move on so I can get it's set before moving to the next.

The combat is exquisite. Been maining the Charge Blade since I gave it a blast yesterday. It's a really technical weapon and LOADS of fun to learn. It lets you stay mobile, while at the same time letting you combo into the charge axe when you have an opening to dish out "MASSIVE DAMAGE".

The Battlefield 1 re-balance dropped this week too but I haven't been able to pull myself away to play it!

[Stanshall]

I've only managed ten hours or so as it's been a full on week but I've loved every minute so far. They've really hit the spot in terms of challenge, for me. I have beaten most monsters so far without too much trouble but every battle has felt like a close victory. The animation and visual cues are very impressive and give the creatures a lot of personality. I don't especially sympathise with them as I did with Sif in Dark Souls, but I haven't killed anything fluffy yet! One thing I especially love is the jaunty tone, I haven't touched Xenoblade Chronicles 2 since it came out because it offers something similar in terms of lighthearted atmosphere and sense of scale, both of the maps and the beasts. Obviously, they're very different games beyond that but there is something so attractive about a very cheerful game like this. I'm now using hammer the size of a Nissan Micra to shatter massive skulls.