Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - Nintendo 3DS

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.

This is my very first time playing monster hunter. I like the fact that you slice up the monster and use their skin as gear. I enjoy playing online and getting help to build up my HR. I so recommend this game. Some monsters are hard to beat.

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!

Where can I begin with this game? The content within is almost ridiculously high, with 93 different monsters to hunt, hundreds of different armors and weapons to craft, and with the availability of the online mode, questing with friends (or even complete strangers!) has never been easier. It sounds cliche, but this game is the definitive Monster Hunter entry in my eyes now. The new features, like mounting and the two new weapon classes, add some flavour to the mix, but the base formula still stands strong; hunt monsters, craft weapons and armor, hunt stronger monsters, craft stronger weapons and armor, ad infinitum. While this may seem like it would eventually become a bore, the sheer breadth of content prevents that before somewhere around the 120-hour mark for most people, with many other, more serious players pouring as many as 300+ hours into this game. If you're still apprehensive, the Nintendo eShop has a demo of the game available that I would highly recommend for beginners.

Monster Hunter! A game franchise that has been around for the past 15 or so years as of this review. The gist of the game is this. You, as a "monster hunter", are tasked with taking down or capturing some of the deadliest creatures to roam the fictional world. You are given a choice of weaponry, ranging from the Great Sword to the Heavy Bowgun for the ranged fighter. You'll find yourself facing against monsters such as the relatively easy Great Jaggi to the tougher, meaner monsters such as the Brute Tigrex or Black Gravios.... Or even worse... However! As you hunt and travel, you will come across a wide variety or materials that you can use to bolster your defenses, heal yourself, monster traps or even build new weapons and armor! Most armor sets in this game are based off the monsters you come across so you may find yourself fighting them over multiple times to get what you need. Armor is unique in that they grant specific bonuses such as extra attack power or the ability to negate the loud roars of certain monsters, which will cause your character to freeze momentarily. The game's difficulty stems from the fact that your character isn't very mobile when using the heavier weapons although it is possible to defend with some of them, the Great Sword and Sword and Shield being notable examples, and with faster weapons like the Dual Blades, you give up defensive ability in exchange for being a monster killing machine. Either way, the monsters are no joke, especially when enraged. Enraged monsters attack faster and significantly harder and makes them tougher to avoid altogether, as they can strike in quick succession and get you "carted". "Carting" is a term affectionately used by the Monster Hunter community to describe the act of fainting (your health bar running out and being carted back to your base camp). Faint three times in any given quest and it is game over for you, but you can always get right back to the action, after replenishing your supplies! All in all, this is a great game for the "hardcore" gamer. The in-game tutorials are much more informative this time around compared to previous entries but I wouldn't recommend to those who are easily frustrated or lack the patience this game will require.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate provides countless hours of content and fun, especially with the extra DLC the game keeps getting each month. For those who are new to the series, there is a very steep learning curve, so it may take some time to get a hang of the game. However, those who are returning to the series will be able to jump right in and have a blast with the game. Like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, you take on missions by the monster guild, where you do things like hunt down monsters, deliver eggs, or craft something using things you find. Online/local multiplayer hunts as well as explorations bring even more replay value and fun to an already great game! MH4U can be pretty challenging as you progress through the game, too, especially near the level 4 and 5 quests; personally, I love the challenge the game offers! The only downside i've had with this game is controlling the camera, as I have a 3DS XL and need to use the L button or the touch screen to move the camera. Those with the "New" 3DS XL should have an easier time, though, as the "New" 3DS XL has the c-stick that can be used for camera control. Overall, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is a fantastic 3DS game. Any returning Monster Hunter fan will definitely appreciate MH4U, and newcomers are sure to have a blast after overcoming the steep learning curve the game has.

Games do not get any higher caliber than this on the 3DS system. MH4U is an action-rpg that revolves around learning monster's behaviors and striking with your weapon's strengths when you have an opening. Mistakes are expected to cost you, and once you reach the upper tier G-rank levels a single mistake could mean death. Successful monster hunts reward you with monster materials which you can then use to craft armor and weapons with models (and stats) based off the monster which provided the materials. This is the first Monster Hunter game to have a decent single-player campaign which provides a decent story and introduction to the gameplay. Most people however will find themselves enjoying the multiplayer/online component, which allows you to play with 3 other hunters offline or online. I have to give Capcom credit; the game runs online quite smoothly, with only extremely rare issues (random disconnects, etc.) even when playing with people on a different continent. To top it off, Capcom also provides free monthly DLC releases which are composed of special event quests which include monster hunts or equipment rewards you wouldn't have access to otherwise. If you're jumping into the game late, don't worry, all the previous dlc is still available for you to download.

Monster Hunter is a game that's long struggled for recognition outside of Japan, but each game has come closer to achieving mainstream appeal, and with the recent popularity of games like Dark Souls and the strides made in properly teaching and guiding new players through the game, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is certainly the most accessible the game's ever been. By no means does that mean the game's been casualized though. All the same stuff from games past is still there, with new weapons, new mechanics, and new monsters. Mounting adds a new level of strategy to the play, and positioning vertically matters an awful lot now. There's plenty of little convenience features too, like item sites help immediately restock for the next hunt. Overall a nice, if not huge, improvement on the formula.