46 hours. Mathed out, thus far I've spent about $5 an hour towards my investment in a New 3DSXL with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. That ratio is pretty great already. It'll get much better not only because I will end up putting many, many more hours into MH4U, but because there are a number of 3DS games I haven't played that are waiting for me too. Right now, though, it's all about Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.
Monster Hunter has been around for awhile. It started on PS2, has been on PSP, PS3 (HD Port), Wii, Wii U, and 3DS. I didn't really get play until Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP, and even then I wasn't "into" it that much. That really happened with Monster Hunter 3 on the Wii. I put a lot of time into that game, then even more into Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for Wii U/3DS. We're talking 400+ hours. So what clicked? What made me fall in love with this series? Nothing has fundamentally changed since the series started, but it was finally understanding the game that made me enjoy it as much as a do. I'm not really going to do a full rundown of the game. I'm just going to talk about Monster Hunter as a series and what the game is at its core, for those that don't know. There are a lot of reviews out there for people that want more information.
To say Monster Hunter can be obtuse is an understatement. There are a number of things they do poorly, and up until MH4U, teaching the player how to play the game was chief among them. Honestly, there is still a ways for them to go, too. There are a lot of moving parts to understand, and without someone having explained them to me, I probably would not have gotten into the series.
I realize that there may be some people that don't really know what Monster Hunter is. The easy explanation is Dungeon Boss Fight: The Game. You and up to three friends gear up and go fight giant monsters. A more complicated explanation is that its a lot like boxing. It requires patience, understanding your opponent, knowing when to jab versus when to go in with the haymaker. Maybe MMA with it's large variety of fighting styles is actually more accurate. Either works as an analogy.
In both of those sports, pattern recognition is a major part. Fighters will study tape of their opponents, and watch for certain tells that they have. "When leans back with his left shoulder, he's trying to get me to move in so that he can swing at me with his right," is something one might notice. Some might call it a tell. They'll then come up with a way to react to that situation if it comes up during the fight. At it's core, this is what Monster Hunter is. Knowing a monster, and how to react. Each monster has it's own patterns and tells. Each weapon type you can use has it's own attack speed and combos. Every item has it's own timing for using during a battle. All the armor sets provide more than just extra defense. What you do with this information can win or lose you the fight.
It's worth noting that Monster Hunter is not an easy game. You're probably going to fail learning a monster before finally winning, and this is part of what makes the game great for me. I have probably shouted more in both anger and joy at Monster Hunter than any other game I've played. The frustration of failing a quest whenever the monster is already injured; the exhilaration of killing a monster you've been bashing your head against a few times. It's a feeling rarely matched in gaming. In fact, the only other time I've been as excited about finally overcoming a boss in a game was being in the first group in the guild I was in that took down The Lich King in World of Warcraft after weeks of trying. Monster Hunter provides that feeling regularly.
Next week, I will talk a little more about Monster Hunter, and give some protips that I learned from people which helped me when I started out. They also give a better picture of the game, too.
Currently Playing: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Games Completed: 3 (The Longest Journey, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Hyrule Warriors)
Games Purchased (SP/Narrative): 1 (Majora's Mask)
Other Games Purchased: GRAV, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Net Total: +2
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