Have you ever wanted to explore a wild terrain, hunt terrifying monsters and craft armor to become a walking trophy? Then Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate from Capcom is the game you’ve been craving to play on your 3DS. The concept of the series is very simple: you hunt down enormous monsters, make armor and weapons from them, then go after more monsters to craft better armor and weapons. It’s an endless cycle that fans can never escape. Or maybe Capcom hypnotizes Monster Hunter players to keep them playing the same game over and over and over and over and… it never ends.
MH4 U has an actual story line that you instantly become a part of once you’ve created your character. The monsters are slowly becoming infected by a mysterious virus which is making them even more meddlesome for tradesmen. Now you along with three others in a caravan must hunt and solve the problem. Choosing between skin, eye, hair, clothes color and style is standard in most RPG games today, but having that customized hunter appear in this story’s cut scenes really makes you feel like a part of the game.
Once you begin the game, players will recognize the beauty of the graphics. From the detailed plant life to the coloring and shading, this JRPG is bound to please gamers with an eye for art. The beauty comes from the realistic-looking scenery that is only enhanced when the 3D feature is turned on. Using 3D, you can see the depth the areas like Val Harbar–the port town the game begins with–and the monsters in 3D appear ready to lunge from the screen! But the detail is hard to really see on a 3DS screen. Players can see the finished scene, but certain flowers or bugs are often lost on the limited 3DS screen. Capcom should have made MH4 U for the Wii U, so the splendor of the visuals could be properly seen on an HD television.
But it’s the monsters that really make the series special. Finally, brand new monsters like the Gore Magala are introduced to the old hunters of the franchise. There are still a few pallet swapped monsters to battle against, but the variety gives seasoned players plenty to accomplish. With more monsters comes even more armor possibilities. Mixing armor sets has become an art within the MH community. A hunter is instantly judged by their crafting skill among seasoned players. Creating a mixed set is always a time consuming process and new players are always overwhelmed with the game itself that mixing armor is low on their “to do” lists.
If you are new to the Monster Hunter franchise it’s best to find a local or online friend who is willing to teach you the ropes. MH is time consuming for players who are already familiar with the mechanics. New hunters who are trying to learn MH4 U from the ground up will delay their progression.
Unfortunately the online mode of MH4 U is disappointing compared to MH3 U. It’s not a lag issue, or lack of players by any means. The problem comes from the removal of the voice chat. During a quest, it’s too cumbersome to type out messages while you’re trying to take down a Tetsucabra or Rathian. One slight miscalculation of timing, and you could lose the battle. Players enjoyed the ability to talk about weapons, armor, and everything under the sun while hunting. With the voice chat feature taken away, the rooms are all too quite and players are becoming frustrated with trying to talk using the 3DS keyboard.
The online mode is what has made the MH games so enjoyable to play, but it’s not the only reason gamers hunt. (Well it is for some after they’ve finished the offline quests, but you’ll decide that for yourself) It is simply the endless cycle of hunting monsters to create armor to hunt more monsters that keeps fans coming back. In MH4 U hunters can now experience the exploration of an area without the given map in the new expedition quests! The further you progress in the story, the more expeditions will be offered.
Capcom has also included new weapon types/ classes to make sure there is a weapon for every style of player. Contrary to belief of MH4 U’s weapons, the classes are even in terms of power. There is not one particular weapon that outshines the others, and it’s up to the player to decide which is best for them to use.
If you are in the market for a 3DS game that is worth more than the amount you paid for it, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the one for you. The amount of quests and armors/ weapons to craft is extensive and will keep you busy for hundreds of hours. It’s common practice to put in around 500 hours to 1,000 hours in a single MH game. MH 4 U has the most beautiful aesthetics out of the franchise, it’s on the 3DS and an online mode is available for users with Wi fi. What’s not love about this game? So download it today or pick it up in a store, so you too can start hunting monsters today. Happy Hunting!
