If you've played MH3U then you'll absolutely love this entry in the Monster Hunter series, and if you haven't then this will probably be the easiest one to get into.

Love this game! I have the third game as well and while I love that too, this one is better both graphically and control-wise. New weapons, brand new monsters, and the cool storyline have me a little over a hundred hours in so far. Difficulty ramps up pretty quickly in the later section of the game but other than that it's been amazing!

My first experience with Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise was with the PSP Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and that game got me hooked. I played for over 400 hours. I have a sneaking suspicion my play time with this game will exceed that. Now, I played a bit with the Wii MH Tri and the 3DS Tri-G, but for some reason, those games didn't hook me. Perhaps it was the Wii's awkward controls and clumsy multiplayer (and the 3DS's gallant, yet failed, attempt to correct some of those woes). All I know is that I didn't log in 50 hours into those two games combined and I just assumed that perhaps I had outgrown the series. I was wrong. I have 100 hours already logged and I still can't put Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (MH4U) down. First off, this game will not appeal to everyone. If you are a button-mashing, run head-first into danger type player, you'll be punished severely by the difficulty. If you don't like grinding and killing the same thing over and over just to get one item to make a particular weapon/armor set, you'll find MH4U tedious. If you don't like having to keep track of four or five different tasks running in the background of the main game, you'll likely think the game is overly complicated. But if you like a challenge and you revel in knowing ridiculously arcane knowledge about armor skills and weapon affinity or elemental damage, then you'll likely love this game. There are no hit points or experience points. Your armor determines how much damage you can take. Your weapon determines how much damage you can deal. Your personal skill determines how well you succeed and that's what makes taking down fantastically large monsters that much more satisfying. There are no words to describe the white-knuckle adrenaline rush of taking down a monster that has been destroying you for 49 minutes. There is just a ton of things to do in MH4U. From the main story Caravan Quests, to multiplayer Gathering Hall Quests (which is there this franchise excels), to the side tasks of fishing, trading, farming, collecting Palicoes (feline helpers) and sending them out to gather items to craft more armor and weapons. MH4U has recaptured all the fun and excitement of the PSP's Freedom Unite and added heavily to it. And I cannot recommend playing MH4U with the new 3DS enough. The graphics really are improved and the added ZR and ZL buttons are a literal life-saver to help with camera controls. A must-buy for a fan of fantasy action games!

This game is just as amazing as all the previous ones in the series! There is a eShop demo for anyone that's never played before, but I'll be honest it's not an easy game, but it's very rewarding to finally take something difficult down (even better with friends!). Best part about this installment to the series to, ONLINE PLAY! Play with friends local or far, there's a huge community following too so you can always find others that way too.

This game is phenomenal! More of what makes monster hunter great with new weapons monsters and portable online play!