Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

                Okay first I have to do a disclaimer. This is the first Monster Hunter game I have played to great depth. My history with the series is about half way through the single player mode of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS. The reason why I didn’t do the multiplayer is because I don’t own a Wii U and thus I could only play via local and I didn’t have any friends who were playing it at the time. The reason why I stopped playing the single player is because other games I was more interested in came out and thus I put it down. Having said that I have had a thorough experience with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, I have beat the single player campaign and am well on my way to my G rank multiplayer quests. So here is my review on the newest addition of Monster Hunter.

                So what is Monster Hunter…..well exactly what it sounds like, it’s a game about hunting monsters. Set in a pre-historic setting you are a rookie hunter looking to prove your worth so the guild will trust you to hunt more dangerous monsters……why do you want to hunt dangerous monsters you ask? Well your character is mute so make something up. You join this caravan where the caravan leader wants to inspect the mysteries of a jewel he found; too lazy to do anything himself he hires a brigade of characters which includes you. The other characters include a cat who can cook, a big blacksmith whose soul point is to make you better gear from the monsters you hunt, a girl who hands you quests, and another girl who can craft decorations for your armor, while you do what it is that you do best which is hunting down the monsters. All the while the caravan leader sits on his hands……some leader.

                The game will primarily have you hunting these larger than life monsters which range from giant raptors, to dragons, to sharks with legs, to giant sandworms, even something that looks like a rabbit crossed with a polar bear. The monsters here are the true stars of the show and are a marvel to look at. My personal favorite is Gore Magala, a black dragon that looks like it came out of a nightmare. Early on you will bring down monsters no problem however eventually you will have to really study the monsters attack patterns, if you don’t you will pay the price, this game is punishingly difficult. Fortunately the game allows you to die 3 times during a quest so it’s okay to make a mistake every now and then, this is good because most of the time when I met a new monster I would die at least once before I got the hang of the monster’s attacks.

Please don't eat me Gore Magala!

                Preparation is also a key here. Sometimes you will go on missions just to collect items so you can combine them with other items and together they can make better potions or traps. Most of the time however you will grind specific monsters over and over again in order to make the appropriate gear, this may sound tedious but it isn’t as bad as it sounds as most of the monsters are a blast to fight. An ill prepared party will often meet their doom; hell even if one player is under prepared it can spell doom as that player will more than likely die all 3 times and cause the mission to fail. Skilled players however may be able to get by without grinding for gear but they will miss out on a lot of the cool stuff and let’s be honest, the cool stuff is why your hunter hunts.

Like this armor? It can be yours at the low price of killing Rathalos 10 times.

                Perhaps what Monster Hunter does best is the sense of accomplishment and reward. Some of these monsters are the hardest bosses you’ll ever face in an action game making it all the more satisfying when you kill them, and to those who take their time to get the best gear will never be disappointed. You will also find that as you get better gear your skill will also increase because Monster Hunter is a continuous learning experience from beginning to end, even if you’re fighting Rathalos for the fourth time, you are more than likely still learning something new every time you fight him, and the next time you take him on he will be even easier because of your newfound knowledge. Other players will know just by looking at your high level armor that you are truly a badass among the community, because unlike other grindfests, no matter how geared you are; because the way the game was masterfully designed, you still need a high skill level in order to best the majestic beasts. Monster Hunter has found that happy medium between gear level and skill level and doesn’t rely too heavily on one or the other.

HOLY !@#$ RUN!!!!!

                 Monster Hunter can be played alone or with friends. It is highly suggested you do both. In order to unlock all the features in town you need to progress pretty far into single player. For example in single player you can unlock a vendor who can multiply items for free, this feature cannot be unlocked via multiplayer. Also in single player you can go on expeditions which in turn will unlock Guild Quests for multiplayer as well. As for why you should do multiplayer……well it’s fun to play with a friend for starters but there are also quests and monsters that cannot be accessed in singleplayer. While it is possible to solo a multiplayer quest, just bear in mind that the monsters were scaled for four people and thus have a lot more health and deal more damage as well, soloing these quests will be the hardest thing to do in the game.

                 Monster Hunter is great fun, my only criticism is it isn’t a big leap forward from what I played in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Other than new bosses and two new weapon types, literally the biggest difference is Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate had underwater missions while Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has areas that require much more climbing. I am really happy with what’s here but I hope this isn’t just a series that rehashes itself over and over again like some other game franchises, “coughCallofDutycough.” I hope to see something truly amazing in Monster Hunter 5.