“Monster Hunter Generations”
Platform: 3DS
Style: 1-player action/role-playing (4-player online)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Release: July 15
Rating: T
The Bottom Line: 8.75/10
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Concept: Challenge a massive roster of giant boss monsters in a variety of environments while upgrading your weapons, armor, and skills
Graphics: The environments and monsters look impressive for a handheld game
Sound: Roars, slams, and slashes compliment a raucous soundtrack that keeps the tension high
Playability: Tons of mechanics and the precise timing of combat can be intimidating to newcomers, but “Generations” is the easiest “Monster Hunter” title to ease into
Entertainment: Hundreds of hours of entertainment with a compelling hunting and upgrading loop
Replay: High
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You’re out of potions, your weapon is worn down to a blunted toothpick, and poison is ticking at your depleted health. You attempt a last-ditch effort, running up the snowy mountaintop and diving into the massive mammoth with a smashing combination assault that you finish off with a flourish, changing into a powerful hunter-art skill with enough power to slay the beast and finish the quest. The prolonged encounter taxed you and your abilities, but the defiant, exhilarating victory is made even sweeter by harvesting the monster for resources. The next fight will be that much easier as you upgrade your arsenal with shells, bones, and claws.
Big battles are the essence of “Monster Hunter Generations,” a thriving loop of material acquisition, weapon enhancement and customization, and thrilling boss encounters. Sticking with the systems until you learn the delicate balance between timing and attack, and exploring combos (even using the new hunter arts to cap off or begin a combo) is rewarding. Players who don’t give up during their first bouts with challenging monsters will enjoy an addictive cycle of exploration and customization, with new weapons, new armor, and new zones to explore.
Those familiar with the “Monster Hunter” franchise will feel right at home in “Generations,” which adds a bevy of new options and tweaks to traditional elements. Players select from 14 main weapons, choose a hunter style and can master various hunter arts — special moves that need to be charged up before execution in battle. Along with a more robust Palico companion system and a ton of nostalgia-laden villages and environments to explore, these new options make this one of the most content-rich offerings in the entire franchise. The additions don’t substantially change the gameplay, but they are especially compelling for veteran players that want to show off their skills with some of the incredibly precise hunter styles.
When you become skilled with one weapon type, you have plenty of different ways to play with it, with styles and arts that facilitate beginners and masters. The difference between how weapons work is immense; it isn’t a simple “a sword is faster than a hammer” distinction. Each weapon has a signature play style that features different abilities, related support items, and techniques. This adds a lot to the longevity of the game, especially if you’ve played previous titles with one or two weapons and want experience something new.
The Palico system is the best it has ever been, giving the solo hunter more competent and more customizable companions than previous entries. For those who enjoy hunting in a group online, that gameplay remains one of the strongest hooks in the series, as nothing beats joining up with friends or random players and taking a behemoth to task as a unified (or chaotic, depending on the group) force.
While “Monster Hunter” can be distilled down into a basic loop of hunt, gather, upgrade, micromanage inventory and Palico perks, rinse and repeat, the process is quite satisfying as the “boss barrage” continues to serve up interesting encounters across snowfields, volcanos, and lush islands. “Monster Hunter Generations” offers some minor new tweaks to the franchise, but keeps the core completely intact, an easy winner for series veterans and the best point of entry for a new player looking to cut their teeth on some challenging creatures.
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