Having said that, I never would have guessed that I would randomly pick up and play Monster Hunter: World. Perhaps it was said realisation that I don’t play as many games as I used to, or perhaps I just longed to get lost in a magical world of monsters and slaying once again (i.e. Skyrim). Whatever the reason, Monster Hunter: World has been an interesting experience, one that I have several opinions about that are not all positive.
Certainly the game is addictive. ‘Hunt’ monsters. Equip their body parts. Get better at stuff. Repeat. Admittedly, I found this cycle to be a bit unusual at first, perhaps having never played a Monster Hunter game before. Having actively decided not to hunt real-life animals ever again, I was immediately put off the idea of killing innocent fauna in an environment I was clearly invading. Then, using their various organs and limbs as decorations was somewhat psychotic and just a little disturbing. For a clearly Japanese made game, it perhaps explains why they still have no problem with mass whaling.
The combat mechanics of MHW I also initially found frustrating. Depending on weapon type, you get locked into ludicrously long animation swing times that you cannot cancel, usually resulting in a whiff followed up by getting hit by the monster in question. Against certain larger foes, this process can prove fatal, resulting in gameplay that is very hit and run and timing based that I found far too slow and static for my liking. It is perhaps no wonder that I locked onto and stuck with Dual Blades, the most free flowing and fastest weapon type in the game. It has its downsides, but lack of boredom and keeping of sanity are easily its best perks.
Anyways, long story short, I managed to punch through the game’s story and eventually hit endgame which I can honestly say is also a little disappointing. Unlike games such as Diablo 3, Path of Exile and even Skyrim, there is very little to do besides farming the game’s ‘bosses’ - Tempered Elder Dragons. For me, running a rather predictable tanky and sustain build, this was not overly challenging, despite people on the internet claiming it to be. This leads to another thing …
The online console community is crap. There is little to no consensus on what is good or what works and how best to play the game. Some may think this is a good thing, but when people don’t know or care about basic game mechanics or zealously believe that whatever dumb, stupid thing they are doing is the only way to play, it becomes a serious problem. There is an elitist perspective of “just dodge everything” which is just terrible advice for newcomers. My tempered elder dragon kill times are almost as fast as people stacking full damage, the difference being I clear them 100% of the time without dying. Often forum posts asking legitimate game mechanics questions will be answered by idiots telling them about irrelevant information with no definite answer. Compared to the almost scientific approach that players use in games like D3 and PoE, testing, evaluating and comparing models with room for debate, MHW discussions are a cesspool of ignorance and elitism which makes no sense considering the kind of game that it is.
Perhaps I am just getting old and bitter, but such things I have little time and patience for. I will probably fire up MHW again if considerable endgame content comes out and maybe even again if it comes out on PC. The latter will make the game incredibly faceroll – aiming with a controller is non-existent – but we shall see. Until then.
