Same. I tried picking up mhgu and just didnt have that click. Fast forward a few years and having a few friends that play rise i clicked almost instantly with the game and started my journey with my Bug Stick
Not entirely true. Got into the series with Tri: I struggled for a LONG time in very early low rank: Barroth was a god. Went on to love the game anyway. 3U Dropped, and OH BOY, I was still hooked. 4U dropped: Hooked, but unfortunately during the release, I went on vacation and put the game aside: never ended up finishing it or getting back to it. Got Generations on the 3ds: never played it. Bought it for myself as a Birthday gift, but... well, I was deep in other games at the time, and... yeah. I eventually got around to it before Generations ultimate's release on switch: turns out the cart I had bought on playasia didn't actually work... The thing was sealed, so I just assumed it was defective from the start, or something messed it up from being in the box too long? World: instantly hooked. Like, GOD DAMN. All the way until the end of Iceborne's post release content, at which point, I was satisfied with my journey and put it away. Generations ultimate: Started it, and unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it after world's massive improvements. Can't move while drinking/eating and such just aren't things I enjoy anymore. BUT ESPECIALLY loading zones. An open world map makes SUCH a different IMO. Rise: Due to real life circumstances, despite buying it day of release... I didn't play it until months later. Mostly as a self-inflicted punishment. It was fun, but on the lite, I couldn't get into it until post sunbreak's release, which was recent, and after getting an oled switch for my tv. Currently in early Master rank, but my god is it so much better on a bigger screen. Also recently bough the switch pad pros, which I'm going to use to play hand-held but with comfier pads and a nice oled screen. That said: since world, I can't go back to the older games. The gameplay is too slow and limited, regardless of just how much I loved Tri/3U. They feel clunky nowadays, but hey, I still love them for how damn good they were for the time. I'll definitely at least TRY out Generations Ultimate again after I'm done with sunbreak: maybe on the big screen or at least handheld oled, after a few hours, I'll get back into the swing of the older gens. That said: as long as they stick to world/rise mechanics in terms of free combat/open world maps, I'm definitely sticking to the series. Hopefully they don't release when I'm neck-deep in other games and can give them the attention they deserve!
same. it took me about 5 attempts at monster hunter 3 ultimate on wiiu for me to get into it. i found the game so boring, hard, clunky, bad graphics. but for some reason i kept telling myself to try again and again.. then next thing i know i was hooked. overall took about 1.5yrs before i got hooked on the game.
Rise is my first game, and I used dual blades for low rank because I thought they looked cool and well, weren't complex to learn. Now I'm pretty much a gunlance expert with 700+ hours, super excited about Sunbreak's 3rd Title Update!
As someone with a minor hand disability Monster Hunter was really nice to get into because I wasn’t expected to memorize fast button combos and inputs to do well. Everything felt slow and easy to register and understand and I could adapt happily, just swinging my giant weaponized musical instrument and successfully bludgeon a mammoth to death somehow. My general love for biology also just likes this series.
Then you may not like Rise as much, if you haven't tried it already. It's significantly more fast-paced, although Hunting Horn (the weaponized musical instrument) did get easier to use. Instead of having to memorize five or more strings of four or more notes, you only need to press two of the same button in sequence to trigger one of three songs, or play one of each note and then hit another button to do a thing that activates all three songs at once. Hunting Horn isn't the damage king, but it's great at support while still doing respectable damage.
@@JanusHoW Rise and Sunbreak are very fun and I have reached pretty much the end game. It’s noticeably faster than GU but everything still has recognizable patterns and behaviours. Plus the general combat for Horn isn’t that complex as well. Not a lot of wiggling the left stick, just point and swing and it kinda just works out.
@@JanusHoW As someone who never got into fighting games, should I start w/ MHW instead of Rise then? Most of my recent exp are turned based and easy arpg games like Diablo so fast paced combos and timing sounds quite intimidating unless that's just the learning curve...
Monster Hunter truly is one of those games people absolutely need to come back to if they don't get it at first. If it wasn't for Xbox game pass I don't think I ever would have came back to World when I dropped the game. As soon as I got into High Rank proper the game clicked with me. Something in my mind was unlocked. Something most video games don't achieve for me. True satisfaction. Next thing I know I'm making full counter builds for the Elder Dragons and Fighting my way to Xeno'jiiva. Almost 800 total hours in Iceborne and I don't regret it in the slightest. That's just one game Now I've gone back and have experienced almost every generation. This is a forever game for me now. A franchise I wish I had the Honor of growing up with as a kid. I remember seeing the Viking commercials on TV the ones that parodied Deadliest Catch. I loved playing it so much I got an actual Wii to experience what I missed out on... I love Tri. I love 4U I even love Dos and Stories. I love Monster Hunter. And I feel like Monster Hunter loves me too.
This series is honestly the most beautiful series I’ve played and shaped me to the person I am today, so I can’t wait to get sunbreak. Thank you Monster hunter, never end.
Honestly, I felt the same way when I started in the series with generations (not GU) Monsters beat me up, until I was about 100 hours in (I remember I was even afraid of facing nakarkos). But decided to slowly learn the game. And here I am now with more that 3k hours on the series (gen, 4u, 3u, world, GU, IB, and Sunbreak) and I learned to love the games. (Especially 4u, that lv. 140 double apex rajang quest greatly improved my timing on the games I played after) The series also shaped my preferred games, I like grinding on games as long as it's rewarding. Which the series deliver exceptionally
nakarkos was my first wall in monster hunter, I had to call in for back up after failing (a lot). I’ll never forget the moment I made my first lobby in that game and these perfect strangers showed up to help me. They were magnificent, it still brings a tear to my eye. Thanks guys, wherever you are. 🥲
Those last two sentences I agree with completely. My love for monster hunter is mostly the reason I love dead cells. It's rogue like but it rewards you tih constant progress, of which you can choose which way to expand it. If I didn't love monster hunter as much as I did, I wouldn't love dead cells as much as I do.
You guys don't know the feeling when i first pick up my Hammer in World... It is like, i found another piece of my soul. My world changed forever and my heart blazing whenever Proof of Hero starts.
In Rise, I tried dual blades for most of low rank, but later realized they weren't my style. I then tried insect glaive for the hub quests, but got bored pretty quickly. But then, I tried gunlance. And it clicked. I quickly became attuned to it's movement and combos, and I've mained it ever since.
Greatsword main here, nothing quite like lining up a full set of charged slashes perfectly and seeing the monster weep. The greatsword is a monster all on its own, hard to tame but powerful all the same.
I can remember my very first time experiencing Monster Hunter. It was on a demo disc of all things. My friend had it, and we decided to try the "cool game where you get to hunt dragons"! Imagine the arena quests where you have to use the armor pre-set and weapon load they give you, but without the arena. We absolutely hated it. Could not figure out the controls. The monster was way too fast for our giant oversized weapons. There was NO HEALTH BAR!?!? We never tried it again after that one single time of getting owned. Fast-forward a few months. I remember I had a particularly good report card, so my parents decided to reward my efforts with a new game. To this day, I can't tell you what made MHTri stand out to me. Even with the horrible experience we had from the demo disc. Something said to give it another shot, a real shot. So I did. It was the best decision I had ever made. It quickly became my favorite game of all time. I have played every single MH game since Tri available to me, and even went out of my way to play MHFU on my PSP. I have made some of the closest friends I've ever had through playing online. It has been a huge impact on my life in many ways.
A friend from 5th Grade first showed me MHFU while he was grinding Rathalos. Never played the games until 2 years ago when the memory came back to me, now I can't leave this series alone 😁
the intro was incredible to hear because pretty much I experienced the same thing, only having a way longer time between trying out TriUltimate as a kid, World on launch and coming back to World this July. Theres alot of soul put into these games, but that comes with a demand that you also put in the work to enjoy it, its not an easy series to fall in love with. That being said, I'm planning on finishing Rise, then GU and probably dig my old Wii and TriUlti out again.
I had heard about monster hunter from some soulsborne content creators but I never had the hardware to play it so I didn't give it much attention. Then the E3 trailer for MH World came out and I knew I had to get it. I still remember before the launch of the game I saw that some streamers had access to the beta and the first streamer I tuned into was using the insect glaive. Again I knew right away that would be my weapon. When the game launched I fell in love right away. It took me a long while to actually use the glaive optimally, but I didn't care because I have having tons of fun. It is always interesting for me to hear how people got their start in monster hunter because I seem to be one of the few that got into it right away.
You nailed it couple minutes in. This game, pushes you outside your boundaries just enough when you think, oh, that’s intimidating, I can’t do that and then makes you realise, you can. It’s a masterpiece.
my story about monster hunter is about the same. i bought the game during a steam sale because i heard good things about it. played about 2 hours of it didnt get it and didnt touch it for another year. then a couple of my friends bought it and we played untill the end of base game world. then it finally clicked for me when i got iceborne. 500+ hours in and a year later i still love this game series.
Honestly I only got into Monster Hunter once i got tired of being competitive game after a series of unfortunate shit that happened to me with groups. Its liberating to play it and enjoy it. Especially with friends. I started playing for only an hour or two then it was in my library gathering dust. And one day I finally decided to play it. And I'm enjoying it just farming endemic life alone and doing SOS quests. Building new stuff. Making new sets. Farming more layered. Its fun thats REWARDING.
I was a teenager when I saw monhun 1 in a store and bought it just because of the cover art, got home booted it up and I instantly fell in love, been playing the series ever since. Later I got 3 of my best friends into the series and we spent a good chunk of our teenage and early 20s hunting monsters together as a group, those are some of the best video game related memories I have. Playing rise today I can`t get a group together anymore, but I still love to play it solo anyways. I can`t even explain the conection I have to this series... It`s been in the background of my life for such a long time, through shit jobs, relationships, traumas, friendships.. every time I need it, its there, and it never gets old
Yep, I bounced off 4u and got hooked in generations. Can't even say what changed but it seems like such a consistent experience to bounce off this series at least once before getting hooked
Started with World currently playing mh3u and i gotta say i think so far mh3u is my favorite mh title something about the hub and the first monster encounters in that game felt super cool
I started with 4U, but very late back in like 2020 or something. Everything clicked for me almost instantly, actually. I fell in love with the gameplay loop you mentioned, and I think the game had a fantastic learning curve that really rewarded my drive to improve and challenge myself. I was clumsy with the sword and shield I started with at first, and got hit by so many attacks, but in my repeated fights against Great Jaggi to get its sweet armor and weapon I really got a feel for how things were played, and it’s all thanks to the fact that I didn’t just fight it one time. It got addicting very very quickly!
That’s the monster Hunter effect for you. You’d think Rise would have less of this problem with it’s pace, but even I had to get over that fierce learning curve to get to love the series so much. Now I can’t get enough of it.
Some stuff that helped me enjoy the game more: Monsters aren't your regular boss fights, their animals from specific species, there are loads of these animals, different sizes and all, so technically you're not always Fighting the same one. For the loot part, the fun is on breaking different parts to increase your chance to get different loot pieces, you gotta break the head, cut the tail, break wings, claws etc before you kill it, so it brings a cool dynamic.
I actually got into MH early in high school with Freedom 2 on the psp. A friend showed me some gameplay of his and I was blown away! The same day I went to go buy myself the game and I've been playing ever since. Over 15 years now.
When you mentioned how, you initially felt drawn to this game series, and as soon as you got to play it for the first time, It took less than an hour for you to go, “wtf? I don’t get it. I’m out”. And yet, found yourself still drawn back. I love this, because I swear, that’s almost every fan of monster hunter. Mine was Freedom Unite 2. Kept looking at the case at EB Games. Eventually got it. Played for 30 minutes and was frustrated my character was always getting tired and everything felt sluggish and I was getting no Exp. Stoped after 25 minutes or so 😅 ….then came 3 ultimate on my 3DS. That was played a lot longer than 25 minutes
It's always nice to see other people's personal stories in how they come to eventually like Monster Hunter. I swear it's one of the most common reactions: Being repelled by difficulty/sluggishness/grind/slow gameplay loop or whatever it may be, only to then later "get" how everything fits together and appreciate the better aspects while understanding the most controversial ones. For me the main roadblock was thinking that the single player experience was meaningless. It was mostly because I was utter crap at playing the game, tho I never felt that the game or myself were at fault, I just thought that was how it was designed (as in: Characters are slow and not balanced for single player).
Me and a friend of mine have started playing older monster hunter games after getting hooked ond the franchise with world and rise. We challenged ourselves to beat MH Dos' s village quests without ever searching anything online, and only asking each other for help, it' s been quite fun so far. I played about 15 hrs before getting to the Plesioth and losing badly to it by time out, twice. After that i decided to grind a bit to get some better gear and settled on congalala armor, since it has pretty high stats, a useful atk up skill and i can comfortably kill a kongalala without using any consumables pretty quickly. I am now at 30+ hrs played and i have 1 of the 6 congalala hair i would need to fully upgrade the armor. I think I'll retry the Plesioth without upgrading it lmao
The key to really racking up the hours and loving it is getting into a team of hunters and just helping each other with whatever grind they need. Cooperation in hunting makes this game truly a joy. And the game loves you back by providing nearly endless hunts to enjoy. Team up hunters
The funny thing to me is that the original Monster Hunter game clicked for me immediately. The ebb and flow of fighting large monsters was super satisfying. And I found doing milk run quests to gather resources in preparation for my next big hunt to be relaxing. Even the grind didn't bother me too much. Then again, I'd long been a fan of JRPGs. So grinding was nothing new to me.
Glad you persevered. I got into Tri for similar reasons. At first, I found it terribly frustrating until it eventually made sense. Easily my favorite online multiplayer experience on the Wii.
I started playing MHW and chose the longsword as a weapon, game just didn't feel that good. The ecology and designs were still interesting, but it wasn't enough.. It took quite some time to get to Nergigante, because I used to take big breaks after playing the game and when I killed him I basically stopped playing I went back just because I had nothing better to do and decided to start another character. I chose lance as something that is quite different from what I already used. It felt slow and clunky, but for some reason I just couldn't stop playing and kept getting better. Fast forward a few days and I'm in love with the game and playing it non stop The thing that just bound my soul to lance forever is a Zinogre fight. It's a dance!
This video hits hard, man. My experience was very similar My first game was 4 Ultimate, which I bought at insistence of my cousin, who was a big fan since 3. And... I ended up selling it one month later. It was a mix of many factors: the first weapon I picked was the Switch Axe, which I never fully understood how it worked, got annoyed at the long time it took to do stuff like healing, my reflexes were (and still kinda are) awful, the Great Jaggi made me triple cart like five times and, most importantly, my cousin invited me to a Gore Magala hunt with his friends where I was, to say the least, a burden. I felt like dead weight and it was a hit to my self confidence, so I quit. Years later, I meet a girl (now girlfriend) who was deep into Monster Hunter, and trying to understand her tastes better, I get Generations Ultimate, and this time I went in with a lot more thought behind, starting by testing every weapon with every hunting style. The moment I grabbed the Dual Blades and picked Aerial Style, it felt... Fun. Really, really fun. Began climbing trough the ranks, little by little getting better, and even gave myself a self imposed challenge: can't move on to the next Quest until you can do the hunt without carting once. And then came the Glavenus fight. By the end, I had no potions left, no rations, I didn't eat beforehand (took a long time to learn about eating cus I was hoarding money like a Kulve Taroth) and had a sliver of health left... But Glavenus was also drooling and limping. Then it bites its tail, preparing for the spin attack. I time the vault, and it connects at the right time. And it was the killing blow for the monster. It was on that day that I finally felt it. The thrill of the hunt. That day the game finally clicked completely, and it was beautiful Now I am playing Rise, having a blast, and my favorite monster has to be Nerscylla. I can say I am a fan and learned to love it.
The first time I fought Malzeno in MH Rise I took it on without any player help, and while I carted 3 times and failed my first attempt, when I tried again later using a different weapon (insect glaive my new best friend) and better prepared, I managed it with 0 carts.
I got into the series through Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Kinda… I started out through the demo, and I played that demo constantly. I learned how to play the game through the demo. And I even learned it all the way up to beating the boss on the game. Gore Magala. I remember asking my dad if he could buy it because growing up, I didn’t really ask for much. It was $40 and at 10 years old in 2013, it was one of the few but also last game my parents bought me before I started to save up to buy them myself. I remember getting into the multiplayer like no other game. I became so immersed in the game that I had dreams about playing in the game and felt so realistic as it was like watching the cinematic opening of the game. My favorite monster was the Dah’ren Mohran. I didn’t progressed far into the game because I wasn’t very good at it 😅. Plus I only did village quest and didn’t understand the different system of the hub quests. Also Monster Hunter Generations was announced and I was very excited for it. I was also really upset that Generations Ultimate (Double Cross) didn’t come to the west for the 3DS. The same week I thought about getting it for the Switch, MHRise was announced. I think I might still buy it to play more traditional MH, but man I’d love it if MH4 Ultimate was ported. I didn’t get to play World because I didn’t have a traditional console. I prefer to play portable consoles. So Rise was my first open world experience and I love it. I got bored after playing so long with the Charged Blade, I learned to enjoy it again through picking up the Great Sword. Currently loving it 🤌
Monster Hunter starts feeling like you're being asked to drive a jet blindfolded, but eventually, something just clicks and you start to get what the game is doing. From then on, all the mechanics that felt like arcane rituals become almost natural to you and you're hooked.
Glad you gave it another chance! Been hunting since MHFU on PSP, so trust me when I know it’s a game most people don’t immediately gel with most of the time!
I can honestly say Monster Hunter is the game that let me hone my skills across any game. The weapon variety, build variety, movement tactics. All things I learned to be comfortable with over the 14+ years i've played the game. Skills I learned in MH have helped me in nearly every single game i've ever played and I don't know if I'd play the same if I didn't pick this game up when I was 11.
Very well done. Trying to get my friends into this series, especially with RISE coming to Xbox Gamepass and previous failed attempts at playing MHW. THIS video should help!
I'm fairly new to the series , ( about a year going on now!) and I always knew I wanted to get into this series, but found the combat intimidating. What drew me in really was playing world and telling myself "Okay, just study the one weapon type you like the most. If other people can do it, so can you." And I DID!! : )
The funny thing is how the time limit basically becomes nothing as the series goes on (until things like World's investigations, which can shave that timer down to as little as 10 or 15 minutes). At first, yeah, you'll probably time out as you increase in Rank, and are forced to learn entirely new monster behaviors. But with experience, you might even meet a new monster and still take it down in under ten minutes... though soloing an end boss can still run your timer (I did Shara Ishvalda with a Lance and beat it with about 24 seconds left on the clock). When World first dropped, I checked out the Giant Bombcast discussion. Jeff Gerstmann never really liked the series, but finally got to a point where it began to click when he was able to solo a Legiana in about 45 minutes, and finally succeeding after so much time investment feels like an accomplishment. But for me, by 2018 I'd already been a hunter for ten years, and taught myself at a time when there really was no wiki, and UA-cam was still very new. So I'd already gotten over that phase and was able to solo brand new stuff in around 5-10 minutes. It's really one of those games where the more you try and the longer you play, _you_ gain experience instead of your character. Additionally, your skills transfer both forward and backward. Having taught myself on PSP, getting into Tri and 3u was much easier, and even 6 years ago, going back to the Freedom series on PSP was much easier with the experience I now had. Though I can say Rise/Sunbreak is my *least* favorite, they're all still wonderful games.
My relationship with Monster Hunter was similar to yours until Monster Hunter World. When I was a teenager I picked up Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on PSP and it didn't click for me. Part of the problem was the fact that I wasn't a huge handheld gamer. I always expected I would enjoy it, but I didn't have much access to Nintendo consoles after the Gamcube so I didn't get to try a console entry until Monster Hunter World. That finally got me into it.
The part about you being the one who level up and grinding made me remember certain week, the MH i played the most is 4U, i wanted a brachydios LS because blast is cool and brachy weapons are are too good looking. I wish i was kidding,it took me 67 raging brachydios to get the reactor, spend an entire week killing brachydios and sometimes doing other quest with people. The best part was, I got so good at brachydios that i the farm like fighting the final boss of some souls game to singing while whooping him with GS, CB, bow or bowguns since yeah, i had to change weapons to change a bit the gameplay. Far from being a speedrunner but you really get better at fighting those monsters while grinding and it makes you feel good, even more when you get to make the weapon or armor you wanted in the first place and you feel like you deserve it.
I've put hundreds of hours in monster hunter, but I've never really been able to enjoy my time in it. Every time I pick one of them up I just end up extremely frustrated and I'm forced to put it back down again. But I think this video helped put things in a better light, however simple it seems.
I think if I hadn’t looked at user reviews that talk about the grandiose parts of 3 ultimate I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but that anticipation for that gameplay loop kept me involved through the first couple hours of grinding. Once I hit that great jaggi fight I was hooked in and haven’t been let go to this day
I always had admired the series from afar but never got around to trying it. Then I picked up GU on Switch to give it a whirl and boy was I not having any of that lol. Combat didn't feel like anything I had played before and not in a good way. The vast number of front loaded tutorials and "talk to this guy" bubbles was very overwhelming too. I noped out within a couple hours, bummed that MH "wasn't for me". Fast forward to the launch of Rise and I had become determined to try again. While a lot of the same things were there, I watched soooooo much YT to get an idea of what all this stuff is that the game was throwing at me. Then with the combat, I did an expedition (as to not pressure myself with a timer) and fought an Arzuros over and over until the combat clicked. And I am so glad it did. MH has quickly become a top 5, maybe 3, series for me now. I love it so much.
I love it. One of the action game where i can put 60 hours and still havent learned all weapon and there's always still something to learn about your main weapon's move
My first Monster Hunter was World. What put me off was the lack of a pause feature. It's a great game, but it sucks that I have to set aside a specific time to play it so I don't have to worry about getting screwed during a hunt because I have to step away to take care of something important.
I also feel like the weapons themselves have as much learning and personality as the monsters. Be swift and fast with the duel blades or devastatingly precise with the Giant Sword. It’s such a beautiful experience! Thanks you for your thoughts!
Greatsword definitely about timing and learning every monster moves will be very advantageous,i still find CB very hard to get into that weapon is extremely complicated
@@ariusxander2684 yet, the CB clicked instantly on my mind, to the point all of the other, with the exception of maybe IG, feel incredibly boring in comparison
@@ariusxander2684 I killed my very first anjanath using CB. I had dropped World fir about a year and I was finally starting to love the game. I had no fucking clue how to use chargeblade or what I was even doing, but I still killed him, and the dopamine rushes continued since
Got into MH in Gen1 (Shoutout the First Fleet). I can confidently say I've put in easily 8k hours into the series. What got me into MH was how immersive and methodical the game was. Finding a monster wasn't following some scout flies; you had to check zones and keep your camera panned to the sky, if you ran out of potions/bombs for the hunt you'd have to forage to craft more, all while the clock was ticking. I'm not complaining at all about the quality of life changes in later generation (World is my Favorite title) but those are the things that drew me into the series. MH:World was the exact direction I was hoping they would take the series since the day I played on the PS2. If VR takes off then that's the next frontier. TLDR: 1) Series is immersive and methodical 2) Love the direction of World took the series 3) VR could be amazing.
Something I noticed since playing monster hunter , the time flies so fast while doing a monster that I forget everything arround. To the point of grinding rare materials u guys from the 5th fleet (players since world/rise) don't know the struggle of the old games... *looking at you rathalos 💎 gem* I hunted almost 50 rathalos and got 2 gems.
Your story mirrors mine in a lot of ways, but for me it was first trying Freedom Unite on PSP, getting 3U on the WiiU (and 3DS) and then falling in love with the series, going back to PSP and actually playing Freedom Unite once the series clicked for me.
I first heard about this game called Monster Hunter, through whispers of a conversation my friends were having in the background(this is during the PS2-PSP era). Fast forward a year later and I manage to get my hands on the game. Only 2 of everyone that i knew of who owned a console and/or PSP knew about it, had played it and didn't like it. In my case, Instant love. Didn't know it at that time but I was already besotted with the game. Proof of this was; It took me three months to break past Khezu in MHFU. While rocking Giaprey dual blades and armor. Yeah i know. Took me 45 mins of ass clenching no damage plays and the best of 20-30 tries to kill the damn thing. I still remember having potions but no more wheststones and no space to carry a pickaxe. So what happened was, I was applying my existing typical jrpg knowledge to it. Higher stats always best. Status, skills and consumables is secondary. Dual blades mean more attack power and also element which is always bonus, no matter what the type, is an advantage. Also didn't have access to good enough internet to look up yt guides(this is dial-up era and only affluent people had broadband, DSL was closer to a myth and only governement establishments or high powered office buildings had those). No one else I knew played the game either. Didn't matter and the immersion it brought similar to how a real hunt would be was something special. Granted that type of grind is probably not possible at my age now and I prefer the way World and Rise offer QoL improvements. Still, idk much about Capcom as a whole but tbf, MH series doesn't really have any competitors in its genre. But goddamn if they didn't go above and beyond with World. One of the best series and possibly the crowning jewel in its entire litany of entries.
I've been playing MH since the original came to the west all the way back on the PS2. I first found out about it in the small afterthought section of Play Station Magazine where the author was doing nothing but tearing apart how bad of a game it was if you didn't have the ability to go online and play co op. I didn't care though I saw big monsters looking like dinosaurs and knew I had to play this game. So I bought a cheap copy on ebay and was hooked instantly. I didn't play with others until it came to the PSP, and when I happened to find a local play group they were all amazed at my set of Monoblos armor complete with a Lance made from its horn, as at that time Monoblos was an offline exclusive monster so none of them had ever seen it before. I was like a shining example of what a hunter could be if you truly immersed yourself and learned the ins and outs of each monster.
One addition to the Loot System. You showed the Table, but didn't elaborate on an important aspect: Part Breaks. Sure, Rise and Sunbreak have streamlined even this, but if you really want that Claw, the best way to get it is to break it on the Monster. Which sometimes forces you to adapt to tackle a Monster in a different way. Maybe another weapon is actually better at breaking that specific part. Still doesn't save you when the infamous Desire Sensor wants to screw with you. 14 Rathalos, including Head and Back breaks with Tail Carve, to get that Mantle... But these are the exception, not the rule.
I would add, at least based on my own experience, if you're new to the games you should at least wait until you reach high rank before you play with friends or online. What happened to me was I jumped into World right off the bat with higher level friends, got carried through low rank with barely any effort, then tried to go into high rank by myself... Needless to say I struggled horribly, hit a big wall by the name of Black Diablos, and got frustrated and gave up. It was only later when I restarted the game solo that I actually got a feel for how it works, and actually earned my victories, that I really fell in love with the series.
I think most of the players who have been playing monster hunter for years loved the game when they tried it for a second time. I started out as seeing my friends play freedom unite in their psp, saw rathalos and got amazed of how cool it looked. Tried playing the first game and I didn't liked it. But there's something about that game that makes me wanna go back and learn how to play. So I started playing again, this time I tried their third installment and oh boy I fell in love with the longsword and tigrex and wanted to see more unique monsters and fight them over and over again until I learned their attack patterns. Didn't realize I have a lot of items and can make many armor sets now and damn, the styles of the armors made me fall in love even more to this game. I remember grinding for that Azure rathalos armor set cause it looks good and has a nice set of armor skills After that, I got hooked on this game and played almost all of their franchise except rise. I was blown out of how good world/iceborne is, and still tops my personal tier list for all monster hunter games
I had a friend in college who was in to Monster Hunter. A bunch of us each had a 3ds, so I, and a few others, got 3u. He briefly explained the weapons. I remember one friend wanted to try Heavy Bowgun, and I chose the Hunting Horn. And yeah, it was tough. I never got past the village Lagi, and I put the game down. I picked up 4U a while later and again didn’t get very far. It hadn’t clicked yet. Then, a few years later, I saw Generations Ultimate on the Switch eshop so I grabbed it. Tried and tried and tried again. Hit my head against the wall for a while. Then got bodied by something, don’t actually remember what monster, and uninstalled. Then I got the spark. I said to myself, “ this is such a cool game. I want to get good at it.” And the next day I downloaded it again, started understanding, and completely fell in love. The rest is history
What made monster Hunter really “click” for me was the first time I learned a monster’s movement system. It felt like a dance between the monster and I, a fight to the death. MHFU was my first.
I really enjoyed monster hunter world but I used defender gear never learned how to craft anything just relying on vigorwasps. When I hit iceborne I started losing to everything. once I met barioth nargacuga glavenous and the huge wall that made me quit was Tigrex. I thought I’d never play but one day I started viewing guides out of curiosity. Once I understood what I was doing it became so much more fun. Also after watching the weapon explanation video I realized longsword fit my playstyle. Now I love facing aggressive monsters like tigrex cause I’m like attack me I dare you😂 love the counters and I feel so accomplished. Just recently I beat master rank kirin who kicked my ass. I had to use a great sword to do it but man the feeling of beating it was awesome. To me that joy of overcoming difficult monsters or seeing the improvement as you level up skill wise is what truly makes this game great.
I started with generations ultimate and didn't read which really didn't allow me to think I was the type to enjoy it, but then with friends and getting world on my 3rd attempt to play it, I've finally gotten into it
"passion for the hunt" is such a simple and great way to put it, its monster Hunter not monster killer, you have to be able to respect them as combatants and really absorb the strengths and weaknesses of each individual to get properly into the game
This is one of those games that you really need to know what you're getting into before you dive in. My first MH was World, but I really did a deep dive into what MH was, and what to expect prior to playing it. I think that prevented me from getting bored and or frustrated, and quitting early on, I knew it started slow, but hopefully would be worth it if I stayed with it. Now it's maybe my favorite franchise. You're not alone though, a lot of the biggest promoters of MH, in fact most I'd say, hated it the first time they played it.
unfortunately, monster hunter follow into the genre of "it gets good only when you git gud", and to make things worse (way worse) it doesn't teach you shit, especially the older games but when you finally reach the point the game clicks, i never found anything else like it i feel you, i only had my cousin (badly) explaining stuffs to me but it was definitely worth the effort crazy fun and good combat system once you finally get into the right mindset
My first time playing MHF1 was as such, my brother chose the option where you skip the tutorial 1 star quests, and put me against the Velocidrome with no experience at all, I chose to use lance didn't know about flash bombs and it took me 4 hours until I was able to take down the Velocidrome. Well after that I was able to make steady progress on the game.
In many ways the design is basically as honest as they can be with the tile. You are a Hunter that hunts Monsters. HUNT, not just fight (despite the modern inclination to balance the other way a little bit). Hunting is not grappling hand-to-hand with a bear, it's knowing how to get it done. And as much as any student may absolutely and sometimes justifiably hate repetition, repetition is one of the most reliable ways to raise skill. In short, grinding makes you better at it... The problem is if you are already good at it, grinding will burn you out if your objective is to advance, not learn while doing it.
I really feel like an outlier when it comes to my entry story. I got the 4 Ultimate demo on 3DS and was instantly hooked, then got 3 Ultimate because of the Meet The Monsters thing on the eShop. I played it and played it and played it, it just hard coded itself into my brain so now I feel like my mind actually works different to how it used to before playing these games. Monster Hunter has been my favourite series ever since I played it, and I'm glad more people are getting into it (though I wish the games didn't diverge as much from what hooked me in the first place).
Monster Hunter is great for many, MANY reasons. I believe every gamer can find something they will connect with. For me, it's the wide variety of unique playstyles and how the vast majority of the game consists of tough boss battles.
I'd forgotten how HORRENDOUS of a job old MH did in introducing new players. It literally took me YEARS to properly get into Freedom Unite and I only kept coming back because I liked the concept of the game so much.
Yeah.. everything that u said is true it happens to me too there is something that bring me back to the game and the way the game teach u each fight again and again the feeling that u never get on other games and thats what makes Monster Hunter unique . Its a good video keep it up✌️
MH3 Ultimate was my first MH game too first it didnt really click for me but after I saw some videos on it from youtube on the basics of the game. I was instantly hook.
Funny enough my mom bought me freedom unite, god eater burst, and persona 3 back when gamestop had all the psp games in the center carts and baskets for like $10 each and i just fell in love with them all
I myself just started learning about the monsters getting tired and possibly hungry from fighting them in the arena in sunbreak. I don't really get to notice it that much when you fight them in the wild because the monsters will leave to eat and such.
I got into the series with World and while I love it and Rise, going back to try Generations Ultimate on the switch was just painful. Main all the missing QOL improvements around gathering and crafting
I had to repeatedly brute force myself to enjoy monster hunter through the course of a couple of years. Wasn't until the rise demo where I found it as a good environment to test weapons and immediately fight bigger hunts. I recommend the demo to anyone now cause the progression at first could be jarring.
the first timeI saw my buddy play mph3rd for psp I got hooke I think he was fighting the Jhen Moran when I saw it. After that got myself a copy get killed by Bulfango the big one a couple of time then by the Arazuros and the Great Jaggi or pretty much all the monster in the game but still I continued playing till this day
This all checks out with my own experience, very well worded. Saying that YOU level up as a person is what I tell every friend I try to get into MH. Now do one for Elden Souls, I see the games and I want to like them but I don't get it. What do?
A difference between tri and 3 ultimate, is that in 3U, at least in the western release, started you off with 50 base defense, so it made low rank monsters not as hard. I learned that after playing tri after 3u.
The newer games are easier to like becuase they do away with some of the pointless bullcrap, but still have the same combat philosophy and challenge although newer MH games have more of a difficulty curve than a precipice. The old ones were amazing too don't get me wrong. just a lot harder to like. MH Tri was my first Monster Hunter game too. but after that didn't play one til World, now I'm into it again.
I completely get the “oh I hated it at first but now it’s my favorite game ever” perspective, although I feel like I’m the only one who was hooked from the get go. My friend owned a copy of 4u and I was like “monster hunter? Sounds badass.” I played the tutorial in the middle of the night while he was asleep and immediately downloaded the demo on my own 2ds, snagging the actual game when it went on sale. I was like 11 so I didn’t know how the fuck to play it, but I played it anyway. If I remember correctly, I didn’t upgrade any of my shit until halfway through low rank because I didn’t know how, and I never got a complete set of armor until I got a new 2ds to replace the one that broke a couple years after that lol. Still a huge fan 8 years later. Edit: funnily enough, that friend who owned the game never actually got into the series until a couple months ago. It took me 8 years.
i started on mhfu and was pretty young and stupid kept trying to play the game for a year on and off failing and failing i also didnt wanna read all the boring stuff and the first struggle i had was not knowing i didnt HAVE to use the terrible sword and shield! second struggle i had I WAS DOING THE GUILD HALL QUESTS BY MYSELF I DIDNT KNOW THE GRANNY HAD VILLAGE QUESTS!! DX
my first time was on 3u, a friend came to me and said, look this game is dope, but this monstre is super strong ( it was royal ludroth ) he gave me the console to see how I would handle it, not knowing hot to fight, nor the weapon moveset nor the monster's moveset, and I first tried it, after this I knew the game was made for me, so I'm still playing it currently, with like around 3k hours on the serie, and I want to play the older game, so I just started Freedom ( on emulator ), and it wasn't that bad
started with Freedom 2 on the PSP took a good 20 hours over years to understand how things worked properly and then another 120 hours before i stopped learning new mechanics. probably would have quit if i had any other games, i think i logged over 3000 hours in freedom 2 and freedom unite.
I was 14 when I tried MHTri for the 1st time and I had similar thoughts as u when grabbing the game. lol But I was at Gamestop and just browsing wht to get with my Trade-in money. I went through the game like 2 or 3 times from beginning to slaying Ceadeus. Later got MH3U on my 3ds (stopped around HR 5 or 6 in the multi hub) and a couple yrs later grabbed 4U. Which tht entry sealed the deal for me on being a longtime fan. I didnt hav access to guides, tutorial vids, etc. or anything till I got 4U at launch which is the same year I had my own internet. So Tri and 3U was all learned by jumping in blindly. Recently went back and gave MHFreedom1 a try. Its filled with BS but I made it to early "G-rank" in the online hub via offline mode. and yes this is via emulation and mapping the pad to the right stick, so I didnt hav to exp the Claw hand position. lol Also a few weeks back I finally 100% MHRise. Took me about 900+hrs. My 2nd MH title tht I 100%, which the 1st one was 4U. (tht took around 1.2K hrs lol Getting the crowns from Oroshi Kirin and White Monoblos was brutal, especially the latter since it was exclusive to the Guild system. So I b lucky to get a decently lvl'd quest and hope to get a crown b4 it reached the 130-140 lvl difficulty. lol)
monster hunter is just that series where when it clicks, it clicks forever.
Same. I tried picking up mhgu and just didnt have that click. Fast forward a few years and having a few friends that play rise i clicked almost instantly with the game and started my journey with my Bug Stick
Not entirely true.
Got into the series with Tri: I struggled for a LONG time in very early low rank: Barroth was a god.
Went on to love the game anyway.
3U Dropped, and OH BOY, I was still hooked.
4U dropped: Hooked, but unfortunately during the release, I went on vacation and put the game aside: never ended up finishing it or getting back to it.
Got Generations on the 3ds: never played it. Bought it for myself as a Birthday gift, but... well, I was deep in other games at the time, and... yeah. I eventually got around to it before Generations ultimate's release on switch: turns out the cart I had bought on playasia didn't actually work... The thing was sealed, so I just assumed it was defective from the start, or something messed it up from being in the box too long?
World: instantly hooked. Like, GOD DAMN. All the way until the end of Iceborne's post release content, at which point, I was satisfied with my journey and put it away.
Generations ultimate: Started it, and unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it after world's massive improvements. Can't move while drinking/eating and such just aren't things I enjoy anymore. BUT ESPECIALLY loading zones. An open world map makes SUCH a different IMO.
Rise: Due to real life circumstances, despite buying it day of release... I didn't play it until months later. Mostly as a self-inflicted punishment. It was fun, but on the lite, I couldn't get into it until post sunbreak's release, which was recent, and after getting an oled switch for my tv. Currently in early Master rank, but my god is it so much better on a bigger screen. Also recently bough the switch pad pros, which I'm going to use to play hand-held but with comfier pads and a nice oled screen.
That said: since world, I can't go back to the older games. The gameplay is too slow and limited, regardless of just how much I loved Tri/3U. They feel clunky nowadays, but hey, I still love them for how damn good they were for the time.
I'll definitely at least TRY out Generations Ultimate again after I'm done with sunbreak: maybe on the big screen or at least handheld oled, after a few hours, I'll get back into the swing of the older gens.
That said: as long as they stick to world/rise mechanics in terms of free combat/open world maps, I'm definitely sticking to the series. Hopefully they don't release when I'm neck-deep in other games and can give them the attention they deserve!
same. it took me about 5 attempts at monster hunter 3 ultimate on wiiu for me to get into it.
i found the game so boring, hard, clunky, bad graphics. but for some reason i kept telling myself to try again and again.. then next thing i know i was hooked.
overall took about 1.5yrs before i got hooked on the game.
Rise is my first game, and I used dual blades for low rank because I thought they looked cool and well, weren't complex to learn.
Now I'm pretty much a gunlance expert with 700+ hours, super excited about Sunbreak's 3rd Title Update!
@@somebodyspecific2410 you have to go back and play MHGU! If you’re brave enough, MHFU is one of my favorites.
Monster hunter really is a game where you gotta learn about it to like get fully into it
As someone with a minor hand disability Monster Hunter was really nice to get into because I wasn’t expected to memorize fast button combos and inputs to do well. Everything felt slow and easy to register and understand and I could adapt happily, just swinging my giant weaponized musical instrument and successfully bludgeon a mammoth to death somehow. My general love for biology also just likes this series.
Then you may not like Rise as much, if you haven't tried it already. It's significantly more fast-paced, although Hunting Horn (the weaponized musical instrument) did get easier to use. Instead of having to memorize five or more strings of four or more notes, you only need to press two of the same button in sequence to trigger one of three songs, or play one of each note and then hit another button to do a thing that activates all three songs at once.
Hunting Horn isn't the damage king, but it's great at support while still doing respectable damage.
@@JanusHoW Rise and Sunbreak are very fun and I have reached pretty much the end game. It’s noticeably faster than GU but everything still has recognizable patterns and behaviours. Plus the general combat for Horn isn’t that complex as well. Not a lot of wiggling the left stick, just point and swing and it kinda just works out.
@@JanusHoW As someone who never got into fighting games, should I start w/ MHW instead of Rise then? Most of my recent exp are turned based and easy arpg games like Diablo so fast paced combos and timing sounds quite intimidating unless that's just the learning curve...
Monster Hunter truly is one of those games people absolutely need to come back to if they don't get it at first. If it wasn't for Xbox game pass I don't think I ever would have came back to World when I dropped the game. As soon as I got into High Rank proper the game clicked with me. Something in my mind was unlocked. Something most video games don't achieve for me. True satisfaction.
Next thing I know I'm making full counter builds for the Elder Dragons and Fighting my way to Xeno'jiiva. Almost 800 total hours in Iceborne and I don't regret it in the slightest. That's just one game
Now I've gone back and have experienced almost every generation. This is a forever game for me now. A franchise I wish I had the Honor of growing up with as a kid. I remember seeing the Viking commercials on TV the ones that parodied Deadliest Catch. I loved playing it so much I got an actual Wii to experience what I missed out on... I love Tri. I love 4U I even love Dos and Stories.
I love Monster Hunter. And I feel like Monster Hunter loves me too.
This series is honestly the most beautiful series I’ve played and shaped me to the person I am today, so I can’t wait to get sunbreak.
Thank you Monster hunter, never end.
Sunbreak is awesome! If you liked Rise then you're gonna love it
Haven’t gotten rise yet since I was playing mhgu first, so I’ll get it by the end of this year
Honestly, I felt the same way when I started in the series with generations (not GU)
Monsters beat me up, until I was about 100 hours in (I remember I was even afraid of facing nakarkos). But decided to slowly learn the game. And here I am now with more that 3k hours on the series (gen, 4u, 3u, world, GU, IB, and Sunbreak) and I learned to love the games. (Especially 4u, that lv. 140 double apex rajang quest greatly improved my timing on the games I played after)
The series also shaped my preferred games, I like grinding on games as long as it's rewarding. Which the series deliver exceptionally
Hell yeah I was the same way! Glad you got into it eventually!
nakarkos was my first wall in monster hunter, I had to call in for back up after failing (a lot). I’ll never forget the moment I made my first lobby in that game and these perfect strangers showed up to help me. They were magnificent, it still brings a tear to my eye. Thanks guys, wherever you are. 🥲
Those last two sentences I agree with completely. My love for monster hunter is mostly the reason I love dead cells. It's rogue like but it rewards you tih constant progress, of which you can choose which way to expand it. If I didn't love monster hunter as much as I did, I wouldn't love dead cells as much as I do.
Same with FU, completely forgot about the series until World came out
You guys don't know the feeling when i first pick up my Hammer in World... It is like, i found another piece of my soul.
My world changed forever and my heart blazing whenever Proof of Hero starts.
I can relate, fellow hammer main. Spin to win baby :)
Bonk is love, Bonk is life.
That's how I felt about the charge blade.
In Rise, I tried dual blades for most of low rank, but later realized they weren't my style. I then tried insect glaive for the hub quests, but got bored pretty quickly.
But then, I tried gunlance. And it clicked. I quickly became attuned to it's movement and combos, and I've mained it ever since.
Greatsword main here, nothing quite like lining up a full set of charged slashes perfectly and seeing the monster weep.
The greatsword is a monster all on its own, hard to tame but powerful all the same.
I can remember my very first time experiencing Monster Hunter. It was on a demo disc of all things. My friend had it, and we decided to try the "cool game where you get to hunt dragons"! Imagine the arena quests where you have to use the armor pre-set and weapon load they give you, but without the arena. We absolutely hated it. Could not figure out the controls. The monster was way too fast for our giant oversized weapons. There was NO HEALTH BAR!?!? We never tried it again after that one single time of getting owned. Fast-forward a few months. I remember I had a particularly good report card, so my parents decided to reward my efforts with a new game. To this day, I can't tell you what made MHTri stand out to me. Even with the horrible experience we had from the demo disc. Something said to give it another shot, a real shot. So I did. It was the best decision I had ever made. It quickly became my favorite game of all time. I have played every single MH game since Tri available to me, and even went out of my way to play MHFU on my PSP. I have made some of the closest friends I've ever had through playing online. It has been a huge impact on my life in many ways.
A friend from 5th Grade first showed me MHFU while he was grinding Rathalos. Never played the games until 2 years ago when the memory came back to me, now I can't leave this series alone 😁
the intro was incredible to hear because pretty much I experienced the same thing, only having a way longer time between trying out TriUltimate as a kid, World on launch and coming back to World this July.
Theres alot of soul put into these games, but that comes with a demand that you also put in the work to enjoy it, its not an easy series to fall in love with. That being said, I'm planning on finishing Rise, then GU and probably dig my old Wii and TriUlti out again.
I had heard about monster hunter from some soulsborne content creators but I never had the hardware to play it so I didn't give it much attention. Then the E3 trailer for MH World came out and I knew I had to get it. I still remember before the launch of the game I saw that some streamers had access to the beta and the first streamer I tuned into was using the insect glaive. Again I knew right away that would be my weapon. When the game launched I fell in love right away. It took me a long while to actually use the glaive optimally, but I didn't care because I have having tons of fun.
It is always interesting for me to hear how people got their start in monster hunter because I seem to be one of the few that got into it right away.
Monster Hunter is either the game you grow up with or its the love of the first sight
You nailed it couple minutes in. This game, pushes you outside your boundaries just enough when you think, oh, that’s intimidating, I can’t do that and then makes you realise, you can. It’s a masterpiece.
my story about monster hunter is about the same. i bought the game during a steam sale because i heard good things about it. played about 2 hours of it didnt get it and didnt touch it for another year. then a couple of my friends bought it and we played untill the end of base game world. then it finally clicked for me when i got iceborne. 500+ hours in and a year later i still love this game series.
Honestly I only got into Monster Hunter once i got tired of being competitive game after a series of unfortunate shit that happened to me with groups.
Its liberating to play it and enjoy it. Especially with friends.
I started playing for only an hour or two then it was in my library gathering dust. And one day I finally decided to play it. And I'm enjoying it just farming endemic life alone and doing SOS quests. Building new stuff. Making new sets. Farming more layered. Its fun thats REWARDING.
I was a teenager when I saw monhun 1 in a store and bought it just because of the cover art, got home booted it up and I instantly fell in love, been playing the series ever since.
Later I got 3 of my best friends into the series and we spent a good chunk of our teenage and early 20s hunting monsters together as a group, those are some of the best video game related memories I have. Playing rise today I can`t get a group together anymore, but I still love to play it solo anyways.
I can`t even explain the conection I have to this series... It`s been in the background of my life for such a long time, through shit jobs, relationships, traumas, friendships.. every time I need it, its there, and it never gets old
i see monster hunter video essay about the game i click on and give instant thumbs up
I appreciate it!
Yep, I bounced off 4u and got hooked in generations. Can't even say what changed but it seems like such a consistent experience to bounce off this series at least once before getting hooked
Started with World currently playing mh3u and i gotta say i think so far mh3u is my favorite mh title something about the hub and the first monster encounters in that game felt super cool
I started with 4U, but very late back in like 2020 or something. Everything clicked for me almost instantly, actually. I fell in love with the gameplay loop you mentioned, and I think the game had a fantastic learning curve that really rewarded my drive to improve and challenge myself. I was clumsy with the sword and shield I started with at first, and got hit by so many attacks, but in my repeated fights against Great Jaggi to get its sweet armor and weapon I really got a feel for how things were played, and it’s all thanks to the fact that I didn’t just fight it one time. It got addicting very very quickly!
That’s the monster Hunter effect for you. You’d think Rise would have less of this problem with it’s pace, but even I had to get over that fierce learning curve to get to love the series so much. Now I can’t get enough of it.
I enjoyed this video, and as such, I will be subscribing
My favourite weapon in the game is the hunting horn. An elegant weapon for an inelegant purpose.
Some stuff that helped me enjoy the game more:
Monsters aren't your regular boss fights, their animals from specific species, there are loads of these animals, different sizes and all, so technically you're not always Fighting the same one.
For the loot part, the fun is on breaking different parts to increase your chance to get different loot pieces, you gotta break the head, cut the tail, break wings, claws etc before you kill it, so it brings a cool dynamic.
I actually got into MH early in high school with Freedom 2 on the psp. A friend showed me some gameplay of his and I was blown away! The same day I went to go buy myself the game and I've been playing ever since. Over 15 years now.
When you mentioned how, you initially felt drawn to this game series, and as soon as you got to play it for the first time, It took less than an hour for you to go, “wtf? I don’t get it. I’m out”. And yet, found yourself still drawn back.
I love this, because I swear, that’s almost every fan of monster hunter. Mine was Freedom Unite 2. Kept looking at the case at EB Games. Eventually got it. Played for 30 minutes and was frustrated my character was always getting tired and everything felt sluggish and I was getting no Exp. Stoped after 25 minutes or so 😅
….then came 3 ultimate on my 3DS. That was played a lot longer than 25 minutes
It's always nice to see other people's personal stories in how they come to eventually like Monster Hunter. I swear it's one of the most common reactions: Being repelled by difficulty/sluggishness/grind/slow gameplay loop or whatever it may be, only to then later "get" how everything fits together and appreciate the better aspects while understanding the most controversial ones.
For me the main roadblock was thinking that the single player experience was meaningless. It was mostly because I was utter crap at playing the game, tho I never felt that the game or myself were at fault, I just thought that was how it was designed (as in: Characters are slow and not balanced for single player).
Me and a friend of mine have started playing older monster hunter games after getting hooked ond the franchise with world and rise.
We challenged ourselves to beat MH Dos' s village quests without ever searching anything online, and only asking each other for help, it' s been quite fun so far.
I played about 15 hrs before getting to the Plesioth and losing badly to it by time out, twice. After that i decided to grind a bit to get some better gear and settled on congalala armor, since it has pretty high stats, a useful atk up skill and i can comfortably kill a kongalala without using any consumables pretty quickly. I am now at 30+ hrs played and i have 1 of the 6 congalala hair i would need to fully upgrade the armor.
I think I'll retry the Plesioth without upgrading it lmao
The key to really racking up the hours and loving it is getting into a team of hunters and just helping each other with whatever grind they need. Cooperation in hunting makes this game truly a joy. And the game loves you back by providing nearly endless hunts to enjoy. Team up hunters
The funny thing to me is that the original Monster Hunter game clicked for me immediately. The ebb and flow of fighting large monsters was super satisfying. And I found doing milk run quests to gather resources in preparation for my next big hunt to be relaxing. Even the grind didn't bother me too much. Then again, I'd long been a fan of JRPGs. So grinding was nothing new to me.
Glad you persevered. I got into Tri for similar reasons. At first, I found it terribly frustrating until it eventually made sense. Easily my favorite online multiplayer experience on the Wii.
Monster Hunter United for the PSP changed my life. It was so unique to me and me and a bunch of kids bonded over it. We are still friends to this day.
I started playing MHW and chose the longsword as a weapon, game just didn't feel that good. The ecology and designs were still interesting, but it wasn't enough.. It took quite some time to get to Nergigante, because I used to take big breaks after playing the game and when I killed him I basically stopped playing
I went back just because I had nothing better to do and decided to start another character. I chose lance as something that is quite different from what I already used. It felt slow and clunky, but for some reason I just couldn't stop playing and kept getting better. Fast forward a few days and I'm in love with the game and playing it non stop
The thing that just bound my soul to lance forever is a Zinogre fight. It's a dance!
This video hits hard, man. My experience was very similar
My first game was 4 Ultimate, which I bought at insistence of my cousin, who was a big fan since 3. And... I ended up selling it one month later. It was a mix of many factors: the first weapon I picked was the Switch Axe, which I never fully understood how it worked, got annoyed at the long time it took to do stuff like healing, my reflexes were (and still kinda are) awful, the Great Jaggi made me triple cart like five times and, most importantly, my cousin invited me to a Gore Magala hunt with his friends where I was, to say the least, a burden. I felt like dead weight and it was a hit to my self confidence, so I quit.
Years later, I meet a girl (now girlfriend) who was deep into Monster Hunter, and trying to understand her tastes better, I get Generations Ultimate, and this time I went in with a lot more thought behind, starting by testing every weapon with every hunting style.
The moment I grabbed the Dual Blades and picked Aerial Style, it felt... Fun. Really, really fun.
Began climbing trough the ranks, little by little getting better, and even gave myself a self imposed challenge: can't move on to the next Quest until you can do the hunt without carting once. And then came the Glavenus fight.
By the end, I had no potions left, no rations, I didn't eat beforehand (took a long time to learn about eating cus I was hoarding money like a Kulve Taroth) and had a sliver of health left... But Glavenus was also drooling and limping. Then it bites its tail, preparing for the spin attack. I time the vault, and it connects at the right time.
And it was the killing blow for the monster.
It was on that day that I finally felt it. The thrill of the hunt. That day the game finally clicked completely, and it was beautiful
Now I am playing Rise, having a blast, and my favorite monster has to be Nerscylla. I can say I am a fan and learned to love it.
You get nice girlfriend
The first time I fought Malzeno in MH Rise I took it on without any player help, and while I carted 3 times and failed my first attempt, when I tried again later using a different weapon (insect glaive my new best friend) and better prepared, I managed it with 0 carts.
I got into the series through Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Kinda… I started out through the demo, and I played that demo constantly. I learned how to play the game through the demo. And I even learned it all the way up to beating the boss on the game. Gore Magala. I remember asking my dad if he could buy it because growing up, I didn’t really ask for much. It was $40 and at 10 years old in 2013, it was one of the few but also last game my parents bought me before I started to save up to buy them myself. I remember getting into the multiplayer like no other game. I became so immersed in the game that I had dreams about playing in the game and felt so realistic as it was like watching the cinematic opening of the game. My favorite monster was the Dah’ren Mohran. I didn’t progressed far into the game because I wasn’t very good at it 😅. Plus I only did village quest and didn’t understand the different system of the hub quests. Also Monster Hunter Generations was announced and I was very excited for it. I was also really upset that Generations Ultimate (Double Cross) didn’t come to the west for the 3DS. The same week I thought about getting it for the Switch, MHRise was announced. I think I might still buy it to play more traditional MH, but man I’d love it if MH4 Ultimate was ported. I didn’t get to play World because I didn’t have a traditional console. I prefer to play portable consoles. So Rise was my first open world experience and I love it. I got bored after playing so long with the Charged Blade, I learned to enjoy it again through picking up the Great Sword. Currently loving it 🤌
Monster Hunter starts feeling like you're being asked to drive a jet blindfolded, but eventually, something just clicks and you start to get what the game is doing. From then on, all the mechanics that felt like arcane rituals become almost natural to you and you're hooked.
Glad you gave it another chance! Been hunting since MHFU on PSP, so trust me when I know it’s a game most people don’t immediately gel with most of the time!
I can honestly say Monster Hunter is the game that let me hone my skills across any game. The weapon variety, build variety, movement tactics. All things I learned to be comfortable with over the 14+ years i've played the game. Skills I learned in MH have helped me in nearly every single game i've ever played and I don't know if I'd play the same if I didn't pick this game up when I was 11.
This channel is criminally under rated
Very well done. Trying to get my friends into this series, especially with RISE coming to Xbox Gamepass and previous failed attempts at playing MHW. THIS video should help!
This video really did a good job of reframing my conception what monster hunter is all about
I'm fairly new to the series , ( about a year going on now!) and I always knew I wanted to get into this series, but found the combat intimidating. What drew me in really was playing world and telling myself "Okay, just study the one weapon type you like the most. If other people can do it, so can you." And I DID!! : )
Monster Hunter is a game that I got into simply because I was running out of interesting games to play. One year ago it wasn't even on my mind at all. I knew about it but it didn't look like something I'd be into, I just kept brushing it away. When I finally gave it a chance, man did I feel like I missed a lot. It quickly became a top 10 game for me. I didn't think I'd enjoy a grindy game but when the grinding is fun, it's fun. I do like games such as Diablo and Borderlands, but the thing about those is that I don't have to collect materials and craft for myself. Crafting is something that I just hate in every game that has it, so much that I just ignore it, but in Monster Hunter it just works!™ (© all rights reserved to Todd Howard)
The funny thing is how the time limit basically becomes nothing as the series goes on (until things like World's investigations, which can shave that timer down to as little as 10 or 15 minutes). At first, yeah, you'll probably time out as you increase in Rank, and are forced to learn entirely new monster behaviors. But with experience, you might even meet a new monster and still take it down in under ten minutes... though soloing an end boss can still run your timer (I did Shara Ishvalda with a Lance and beat it with about 24 seconds left on the clock).
When World first dropped, I checked out the Giant Bombcast discussion. Jeff Gerstmann never really liked the series, but finally got to a point where it began to click when he was able to solo a Legiana in about 45 minutes, and finally succeeding after so much time investment feels like an accomplishment. But for me, by 2018 I'd already been a hunter for ten years, and taught myself at a time when there really was no wiki, and UA-cam was still very new. So I'd already gotten over that phase and was able to solo brand new stuff in around 5-10 minutes.
It's really one of those games where the more you try and the longer you play, _you_ gain experience instead of your character. Additionally, your skills transfer both forward and backward. Having taught myself on PSP, getting into Tri and 3u was much easier, and even 6 years ago, going back to the Freedom series on PSP was much easier with the experience I now had.
Though I can say Rise/Sunbreak is my *least* favorite, they're all still wonderful games.
My relationship with Monster Hunter was similar to yours until Monster Hunter World. When I was a teenager I picked up Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on PSP and it didn't click for me. Part of the problem was the fact that I wasn't a huge handheld gamer. I always expected I would enjoy it, but I didn't have much access to Nintendo consoles after the Gamcube so I didn't get to try a console entry until Monster Hunter World. That finally got me into it.
The part about you being the one who level up and grinding made me remember certain week, the MH i played the most is 4U, i wanted a brachydios LS because blast is cool and brachy weapons are are too good looking. I wish i was kidding,it took me 67 raging brachydios to get the reactor, spend an entire week killing brachydios and sometimes doing other quest with people. The best part was, I got so good at brachydios that i the farm like fighting the final boss of some souls game to singing while whooping him with GS, CB, bow or bowguns since yeah, i had to change weapons to change a bit the gameplay.
Far from being a speedrunner but you really get better at fighting those monsters while grinding and it makes you feel good, even more when you get to make the weapon or armor you wanted in the first place and you feel like you deserve it.
I've put hundreds of hours in monster hunter, but I've never really been able to enjoy my time in it. Every time I pick one of them up I just end up extremely frustrated and I'm forced to put it back down again. But I think this video helped put things in a better light, however simple it seems.
I think if I hadn’t looked at user reviews that talk about the grandiose parts of 3 ultimate I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but that anticipation for that gameplay loop kept me involved through the first couple hours of grinding. Once I hit that great jaggi fight I was hooked in and haven’t been let go to this day
I always had admired the series from afar but never got around to trying it. Then I picked up GU on Switch to give it a whirl and boy was I not having any of that lol. Combat didn't feel like anything I had played before and not in a good way. The vast number of front loaded tutorials and "talk to this guy" bubbles was very overwhelming too. I noped out within a couple hours, bummed that MH "wasn't for me".
Fast forward to the launch of Rise and I had become determined to try again. While a lot of the same things were there, I watched soooooo much YT to get an idea of what all this stuff is that the game was throwing at me. Then with the combat, I did an expedition (as to not pressure myself with a timer) and fought an Arzuros over and over until the combat clicked. And I am so glad it did. MH has quickly become a top 5, maybe 3, series for me now. I love it so much.
I love it. One of the action game where i can put 60 hours and still havent learned all weapon and there's always still something to learn about your main weapon's move
My first Monster Hunter was World. What put me off was the lack of a pause feature. It's a great game, but it sucks that I have to set aside a specific time to play it so I don't have to worry about getting screwed during a hunt because I have to step away to take care of something important.
Yeah, so glad Rise has one and I dearly hope MH6 will as well
As a literal fan from PS2 era I can tell you it lives to it's T ratings little kids won't get it but when I became a teenager I loved it
I also feel like the weapons themselves have as much learning and personality as the monsters. Be swift and fast with the duel blades or devastatingly precise with the Giant Sword. It’s such a beautiful experience! Thanks you for your thoughts!
Greatsword definitely about timing and learning every monster moves will be very advantageous,i still find CB very hard to get into that weapon is extremely complicated
@@ariusxander2684 yet, the CB clicked instantly on my mind, to the point all of the other, with the exception of maybe IG, feel incredibly boring in comparison
@@ariusxander2684 I killed my very first anjanath using CB.
I had dropped World fir about a year and I was finally starting to love the game. I had no fucking clue how to use chargeblade or what I was even doing, but I still killed him, and the dopamine rushes continued since
Got into MH in Gen1 (Shoutout the First Fleet). I can confidently say I've put in easily 8k hours into the series.
What got me into MH was how immersive and methodical the game was. Finding a monster wasn't following some scout flies; you had to check zones and keep your camera panned to the sky, if you ran out of potions/bombs for the hunt you'd have to forage to craft more, all while the clock was ticking.
I'm not complaining at all about the quality of life changes in later generation (World is my Favorite title) but those are the things that drew me into the series. MH:World was the exact direction I was hoping they would take the series since the day I played on the PS2. If VR takes off then that's the next frontier.
TLDR: 1) Series is immersive and methodical 2) Love the direction of World took the series 3) VR could be amazing.
Something I noticed since playing monster hunter , the time flies so fast while doing a monster that I forget everything arround.
To the point of grinding rare materials u guys from the 5th fleet (players since world/rise) don't know the struggle of the old games... *looking at you rathalos 💎 gem* I hunted almost 50 rathalos and got 2 gems.
Your story mirrors mine in a lot of ways, but for me it was first trying Freedom Unite on PSP, getting 3U on the WiiU (and 3DS) and then falling in love with the series, going back to PSP and actually playing Freedom Unite once the series clicked for me.
I first heard about this game called Monster Hunter, through whispers of a conversation my friends were having in the background(this is during the PS2-PSP era). Fast forward a year later and I manage to get my hands on the game. Only 2 of everyone that i knew of who owned a console and/or PSP knew about it, had played it and didn't like it.
In my case,
Instant love. Didn't know it at that time but I was already besotted with the game.
Proof of this was; It took me three months to break past Khezu in MHFU. While rocking Giaprey dual blades and armor. Yeah i know. Took me 45 mins of ass clenching no damage plays and the best of 20-30 tries to kill the damn thing. I still remember having potions but no more wheststones and no space to carry a pickaxe.
So what happened was, I was applying my existing typical jrpg knowledge to it. Higher stats always best. Status, skills and consumables is secondary. Dual blades mean more attack power and also element which is always bonus, no matter what the type, is an advantage.
Also didn't have access to good enough internet to look up yt guides(this is dial-up era and only affluent people had broadband, DSL was closer to a myth and only governement establishments or high powered office buildings had those).
No one else I knew played the game either.
Didn't matter and the immersion it brought similar to how a real hunt would be was something special. Granted that type of grind is probably not possible at my age now and I prefer the way World and Rise offer QoL improvements.
Still, idk much about Capcom as a whole but tbf, MH series doesn't really have any competitors in its genre. But goddamn if they didn't go above and beyond with World. One of the best series and possibly the crowning jewel in its entire litany of entries.
I've been playing MH since the original came to the west all the way back on the PS2. I first found out about it in the small afterthought section of Play Station Magazine where the author was doing nothing but tearing apart how bad of a game it was if you didn't have the ability to go online and play co op. I didn't care though I saw big monsters looking like dinosaurs and knew I had to play this game. So I bought a cheap copy on ebay and was hooked instantly. I didn't play with others until it came to the PSP, and when I happened to find a local play group they were all amazed at my set of Monoblos armor complete with a Lance made from its horn, as at that time Monoblos was an offline exclusive monster so none of them had ever seen it before. I was like a shining example of what a hunter could be if you truly immersed yourself and learned the ins and outs of each monster.
One addition to the Loot System. You showed the Table, but didn't elaborate on an important aspect: Part Breaks. Sure, Rise and Sunbreak have streamlined even this, but if you really want that Claw, the best way to get it is to break it on the Monster. Which sometimes forces you to adapt to tackle a Monster in a different way. Maybe another weapon is actually better at breaking that specific part. Still doesn't save you when the infamous Desire Sensor wants to screw with you. 14 Rathalos, including Head and Back breaks with Tail Carve, to get that Mantle... But these are the exception, not the rule.
Good call, I can't believe I forgot to mention that!
I would add, at least based on my own experience, if you're new to the games you should at least wait until you reach high rank before you play with friends or online. What happened to me was I jumped into World right off the bat with higher level friends, got carried through low rank with barely any effort, then tried to go into high rank by myself... Needless to say I struggled horribly, hit a big wall by the name of Black Diablos, and got frustrated and gave up. It was only later when I restarted the game solo that I actually got a feel for how it works, and actually earned my victories, that I really fell in love with the series.
I think most of the players who have been playing monster hunter for years loved the game when they tried it for a second time. I started out as seeing my friends play freedom unite in their psp, saw rathalos and got amazed of how cool it looked. Tried playing the first game and I didn't liked it. But there's something about that game that makes me wanna go back and learn how to play. So I started playing again, this time I tried their third installment and oh boy I fell in love with the longsword and tigrex and wanted to see more unique monsters and fight them over and over again until I learned their attack patterns. Didn't realize I have a lot of items and can make many armor sets now and damn, the styles of the armors made me fall in love even more to this game. I remember grinding for that Azure rathalos armor set cause it looks good and has a nice set of armor skills
After that, I got hooked on this game and played almost all of their franchise except rise. I was blown out of how good world/iceborne is, and still tops my personal tier list for all monster hunter games
I had a friend in college who was in to Monster Hunter. A bunch of us each had a 3ds, so I, and a few others, got 3u. He briefly explained the weapons. I remember one friend wanted to try Heavy Bowgun, and I chose the Hunting Horn. And yeah, it was tough. I never got past the village Lagi, and I put the game down. I picked up 4U a while later and again didn’t get very far. It hadn’t clicked yet. Then, a few years later, I saw Generations Ultimate on the Switch eshop so I grabbed it. Tried and tried and tried again. Hit my head against the wall for a while. Then got bodied by something, don’t actually remember what monster, and uninstalled. Then I got the spark. I said to myself, “ this is such a cool game. I want to get good at it.” And the next day I downloaded it again, started understanding, and completely fell in love. The rest is history
What made monster Hunter really “click” for me was the first time I learned a monster’s movement system. It felt like a dance between the monster and I, a fight to the death. MHFU was my first.
I really enjoyed monster hunter world but I used defender gear never learned how to craft anything just relying on vigorwasps. When I hit iceborne I started losing to everything. once I met barioth nargacuga glavenous and the huge wall that made me quit was Tigrex. I thought I’d never play but one day I started viewing guides out of curiosity. Once I understood what I was doing it became so much more fun. Also after watching the weapon explanation video I realized longsword fit my playstyle. Now I love facing aggressive monsters like tigrex cause I’m like attack me I dare you😂 love the counters and I feel so accomplished. Just recently I beat master rank kirin who kicked my ass. I had to use a great sword to do it but man the feeling of beating it was awesome. To me that joy of overcoming difficult monsters or seeing the improvement as you level up skill wise is what truly makes this game great.
I started with generations ultimate and didn't read which really didn't allow me to think I was the type to enjoy it, but then with friends and getting world on my 3rd attempt to play it, I've finally gotten into it
"passion for the hunt" is such a simple and great way to put it, its monster Hunter not monster killer, you have to be able to respect them as combatants and really absorb the strengths and weaknesses of each individual to get properly into the game
This is one of those games that you really need to know what you're getting into before you dive in. My first MH was World, but I really did a deep dive into what MH was, and what to expect prior to playing it. I think that prevented me from getting bored and or frustrated, and quitting early on, I knew it started slow, but hopefully would be worth it if I stayed with it. Now it's maybe my favorite franchise. You're not alone though, a lot of the biggest promoters of MH, in fact most I'd say, hated it the first time they played it.
I started playing when I found out cats are your familiars.
unfortunately, monster hunter follow into the genre of "it gets good only when you git gud", and to make things worse (way worse) it doesn't teach you shit, especially the older games
but when you finally reach the point the game clicks, i never found anything else like it
i feel you, i only had my cousin (badly) explaining stuffs to me
but it was definitely worth the effort
crazy fun and good combat system once you finally get into the right mindset
"Older game forces you to grind for it so there's nothing you can do about it" lmao that made me laugh cuz it's so true hahah
The psp and monster hunter got me started on the monster hunter games
My first time playing MHF1 was as such, my brother chose the option where you skip the tutorial 1 star quests, and put me against the Velocidrome with no experience at all, I chose to use lance didn't know about flash bombs and it took me 4 hours until I was able to take down the Velocidrome. Well after that I was able to make steady progress on the game.
In many ways the design is basically as honest as they can be with the tile. You are a Hunter that hunts Monsters. HUNT, not just fight (despite the modern inclination to balance the other way a little bit). Hunting is not grappling hand-to-hand with a bear, it's knowing how to get it done. And as much as any student may absolutely and sometimes justifiably hate repetition, repetition is one of the most reliable ways to raise skill. In short, grinding makes you better at it... The problem is if you are already good at it, grinding will burn you out if your objective is to advance, not learn while doing it.
I really feel like an outlier when it comes to my entry story. I got the 4 Ultimate demo on 3DS and was instantly hooked, then got 3 Ultimate because of the Meet The Monsters thing on the eShop. I played it and played it and played it, it just hard coded itself into my brain so now I feel like my mind actually works different to how it used to before playing these games. Monster Hunter has been my favourite series ever since I played it, and I'm glad more people are getting into it (though I wish the games didn't diverge as much from what hooked me in the first place).
Monster Hunter is great for many, MANY reasons.
I believe every gamer can find something they will connect with.
For me, it's the wide variety of unique playstyles and how the vast majority of the game consists of tough boss battles.
I'd forgotten how HORRENDOUS of a job old MH did in introducing new players.
It literally took me YEARS to properly get into Freedom Unite and I only kept coming back because I liked the concept of the game so much.
Yeah.. everything that u said is true it happens to me too there is something that bring me back to the game and the way the game teach u each fight again and again the feeling that u never get on other games and thats what makes Monster Hunter unique . Its a good video keep it up✌️
Wait your supposed to fight your favorite monster?! News to me. I just love having him bump into my fight to help out
MH3 Ultimate was my first MH game too first it didnt really click for me but after I saw some videos on it from youtube on the basics of the game. I was instantly hook.
Ohh boi.... back in the time g-rank does slap my as* really hard
Funny enough my mom bought me freedom unite, god eater burst, and persona 3 back when gamestop had all the psp games in the center carts and baskets for like $10 each and i just fell in love with them all
I myself just started learning about the monsters getting tired and possibly hungry from fighting them in the arena in sunbreak. I don't really get to notice it that much when you fight them in the wild because the monsters will leave to eat and such.
Helps if you bonk them on the head a lot
I got into the series with World and while I love it and Rise, going back to try Generations Ultimate on the switch was just painful. Main all the missing QOL improvements around gathering and crafting
As for me and my brothers we immediately loved freedom 1 and 2nd G, maybe that's because we also love king's field.
ahhh memories, my first MonHun is MHFU for the psp, had good memories with it! long long ago
love the vid! keeping making vids like this and your gonna make it big! GLHF
My love towards the game was when I used the Bow but the drive to beat the game was or maybe still is made out of pure spite.
I've never tried a bow, I'm more of a longsword guy myself lol. Buy I know exactly what you mean
I had to repeatedly brute force myself to enjoy monster hunter through the course of a couple of years. Wasn't until the rise demo where I found it as a good environment to test weapons and immediately fight bigger hunts. I recommend the demo to anyone now cause the progression at first could be jarring.
This is a nice story! MH provides a lot of quality gaming time 😁
the first timeI saw my buddy play mph3rd for psp I got hooke I think he was fighting the Jhen Moran when I saw it. After that got myself a copy get killed by Bulfango the big one a couple of time then by the Arazuros and the Great Jaggi or pretty much all the monster in the game but still I continued playing till this day
This all checks out with my own experience, very well worded. Saying that YOU level up as a person is what I tell every friend I try to get into MH. Now do one for Elden Souls, I see the games and I want to like them but I don't get it. What do?
A difference between tri and 3 ultimate, is that in 3U, at least in the western release, started you off with 50 base defense, so it made low rank monsters not as hard. I learned that after playing tri after 3u.
I loved MH instantly.
However i also started with World which is was easier to get into.
The newer games are easier to like becuase they do away with some of the pointless bullcrap, but still have the same combat philosophy and challenge although newer MH games have more of a difficulty curve than a precipice.
The old ones were amazing too don't get me wrong. just a lot harder to like.
MH Tri was my first Monster Hunter game too. but after that didn't play one til World, now I'm into it again.
I completely get the “oh I hated it at first but now it’s my favorite game ever” perspective, although I feel like I’m the only one who was hooked from the get go. My friend owned a copy of 4u and I was like “monster hunter? Sounds badass.” I played the tutorial in the middle of the night while he was asleep and immediately downloaded the demo on my own 2ds, snagging the actual game when it went on sale. I was like 11 so I didn’t know how the fuck to play it, but I played it anyway. If I remember correctly, I didn’t upgrade any of my shit until halfway through low rank because I didn’t know how, and I never got a complete set of armor until I got a new 2ds to replace the one that broke a couple years after that lol. Still a huge fan 8 years later.
Edit: funnily enough, that friend who owned the game never actually got into the series until a couple months ago. It took me 8 years.
i started on mhfu and was pretty young and stupid kept trying to play the game for a year on and off failing and failing i also didnt wanna read all the boring stuff and the first struggle i had was not knowing i didnt HAVE to use the terrible sword and shield! second struggle i had I WAS DOING THE GUILD HALL QUESTS BY MYSELF I DIDNT KNOW THE GRANNY HAD VILLAGE QUESTS!! DX
Haha the same thing happened to me with the sword and shield! I didn't realize you had other weapons until I looked it up
my first time was on 3u, a friend came to me and said, look this game is dope, but this monstre is super strong ( it was royal ludroth )
he gave me the console to see how I would handle it, not knowing hot to fight, nor the weapon moveset nor the monster's moveset, and I first tried it,
after this I knew the game was made for me, so I'm still playing it currently, with like around 3k hours on the serie, and I want to play the older game, so I just started Freedom ( on emulator ), and it wasn't that bad
started with Freedom 2 on the PSP took a good 20 hours over years to understand how things worked properly and then another 120 hours before i stopped learning new mechanics. probably would have quit if i had any other games, i think i logged over 3000 hours in freedom 2 and freedom unite.
I was 14 when I tried MHTri for the 1st time and I had similar thoughts as u when grabbing the game. lol
But I was at Gamestop and just browsing wht to get with my Trade-in money.
I went through the game like 2 or 3 times from beginning to slaying Ceadeus.
Later got MH3U on my 3ds (stopped around HR 5 or 6 in the multi hub) and a couple yrs later grabbed 4U. Which tht entry sealed the deal for me on being a longtime fan.
I didnt hav access to guides, tutorial vids, etc. or anything till I got 4U at launch which is the same year I had my own internet. So Tri and 3U was all learned by jumping in blindly.
Recently went back and gave MHFreedom1 a try. Its filled with BS but I made it to early "G-rank" in the online hub via offline mode.
and yes this is via emulation and mapping the pad to the right stick, so I didnt hav to exp the Claw hand position. lol
Also a few weeks back I finally 100% MHRise. Took me about 900+hrs.
My 2nd MH title tht I 100%, which the 1st one was 4U. (tht took around 1.2K hrs lol Getting the crowns from Oroshi Kirin and White Monoblos was brutal, especially the latter since it was exclusive to the Guild system. So I b lucky to get a decently lvl'd quest and hope to get a crown b4 it reached the 130-140 lvl difficulty. lol)