[Review] Monster Hunter Generations
Posted on July 13, 2016 by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews
System: 3DS
Release date: July 15, 2016
Developer: Capcom
Publisher Capcom
The more that I sit down and think about it, the Monster Hunter series has always been in this kind of gray area for me. I’ve never quite held it as one of my favorite franchises, but since I’ve discovered it, I’ve undoubtedly sank hundreds of hours into the various entries. With every new game there’s always new monsters, tasks, weapons and worlds to explore, so saying that I wasn’t excited to spend a ton more time on Monster Hunter Generations would be a straight up lie. Having said that, will this title be a great enough collection of the series’ best to change my outlook and finally put it into my favorites list, or will it just give off the same one note impression it’s always left on me?
The first thing any player should be aware of before diving into Monster Hunter Generations (or any other in this series for that matter) is that it requires your constant attention from the minute you start your long, long adventure. Before each mission you need to know and perform numerous tasks to assure that your time is spent doing the most productive and crucial things – such as, what materials you need to look out for and which armor to wear, or what meal to eat beforehand and where to sell your excess items. This desperate need of your attention in hand plays a big role in creating the essence of what makes this series great, but only if you’re willing to work for it.
The gameplay remains largely in line with previous Monster Hunter releases. You start a mission by being provided with few of the utmost basic tools – if even – and then head out on a quest to slay large beasts while making the most of the equipment you’ve already concocted. This time around, the developers added Hunter Arts, of which you can equip up to three, that act as either strong attacks or quick maneuvers to help you dodge out of a sticky situation. This is a very welcome change as it adds another layer of customization to a game already oozing with it.
Once you’ve past the iffy first few hours (we’ll get to that in just a bit), you’ll often find it’s you against the world as you’re left to discover which monsters drop what and who spawns where. It’s this lack of hand holding combined with the blissfully simple mechanics that help create the most euphoric feeling that has grasped at gamers’ hearts since the concept’s inception. It’s the reward. By conquering the beast you’ve selected, you obtain rewards that you can use, ultimately helping you take on bigger creatures you never thought possible before. Yes, it’s a feeling that’s been present in this series since it launched over a decade ago, but a feeling all the more prominent this time around.
Of course, you could sink time into the arguably more fun multiplayer quests. Doing so allows you to meet up with three other players as you tackle on the same enemies that are scaled up to match the players collective skill of the group. What’s really nice about the feature is that it requires absolute teamwork and focus from each player, so the payoff at the end feels that much more incredible. Each person seemingly fits into their own role with minimum conversation, and watching each player work in tandem to one another often feels like watching clockwork.
Which is a good thing, because now more than ever the large amount of weapons to choose from means there’s something for just about everyone. I found myself sticking with the classic sword and shield while going through Generations, which is arguably the most vanilla of the options at hand. Though, there are weapons for those who want to hit much harder or much faster, and each weapon and armor piece are as uniquely adjustable as the ones that come before it. A new edition to the game even allows the player to take control of a Palico and take on specified quests up to four players, so there’s that option as well.
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed as Monster Hunter Generations wants you, the player, to become invested and start slaying beasts as soon as possible, it attempts to describe everything in paragraphs instead of actually having you go out and do stuff. But you can’t have tons of dialogue without making it interesting, right? So with a bunch of dialogue comes a bunch of characters, and if you gotta add characters you gotta add interesting ones, and to add interesting characters you gotta have connections, and to have connections you gotta have likable characters, and to have likable characters you need jokes and… you get my point. It’s an over complicated and drawn out process and that can easily push away at newcomers from what really is a great series.
In other words, what could’ve easily been “Hey, go talk to that girl over there to get your missions!” and then having the option to delve deeper into their lore, you’re presented with “Hey, go talk to the mission girl to get started! She’s a bit of a nut. She’s likable, though! Her parents died when she was seven. She likes blueberries!”. Just to be clear, I’m not knocking the game for having a story, because later on everything simmers down into a proper balance and is actually quite good, but it’s just that there’s so much exposition in the beginning that it’s a bit difficult to process everything and stay intrigued.
Finally, it’s definitely worth noting that the attention to detail from a visual perspective is stunning, especially compared to that of a 3DS game. I spent my entire journey playing Monster Hunter Generations on a New 3DS, so keep that in mind. However, the large landscapes and all the vastness they encompass only help add to the epic feeling that hopping on and slaying beasts provides. An also wickedly loud and bold soundtrack only emphasizes this.
Monster Hunter Generations is clearly the best addition to this long running series the 3DS has ever seen. Plus, If you’ve already spent tons of time in previous entries, there’s a lot of new things here, along with Capcom constantly sending out quests for Arena mode that provide the player with collaboration goodies and more. With great new areas and beasts (and fantastic returning fan favorites), the most customizable armor and weapons to date, and the incredible sound plus feel help make this the greatest hits collection that fans of this series have been in desperate need of.
Monster Hunter Generations may not be the best choice for gamers who don’t have a whole lot of time to spare, as there’s a ton of meaty gameplay. However, if you’re a fan of long, awarding experiences, it is undoubtedly a worthwhile expenditure. The game can feel like a bit of a lull during the first few hours, but it quickly picks up and becomes one of 3DS’ best.
