I think this will be the perfect place to say goodbye mh4u and its community, it was such a blast to be part of. Will always have memories of hunters helping out new people or becoming friends and hunters side by side. Thanks for everything.
Ah, I remember pushing my parents to a shop that was ridiculously outside of a city that we just happened to be visiting. Got the last copy of 4U. Put like 50 hours in that weekend
We need an HD remaster of 4U. Nothing gets changed, just the model and map quality, and giving it a home on more consoles. Replaying this masterpiece with beautiful graphics on a big screen would be amazing. All I ask is that voice acting is left out.
@@SharyK-_0 Only thing with that is that some things like cutscene skip and the world map are locked to touch screen functions. Also the 3DS screen isn't 16:9 so it doesn't fill.
@@D1ab0licalYou can use the touch screen with your mouse if you’re emulating, or as a normal touch screen if you’re playing on something like a steam deck. Also, the map isn’t exclusive to the touch screen. You can move it to the top screen if you want to.
@CaptainEffort I know that, it's just annoying having to take a hand off the controller every time you wanna use it. Also I mean the fast travel map, not the area map.
@@D1ab0lical Ohhh yeah you’re right, I forgot about the fast travel map. You’re right, it’s a little annoying. Not a huge deal tho imo. I’ve actually been emulating it on the Steam Deck myself and it completely resolves that issue tho.
@@alderwield9636 I haven’t played that one since it was Japan exclusive, so I wouldn’t mind if this got a proper remaster too and like you said with a proper G rank expansion.
Not just the best Monster Hunter but one of the best games ever made i love this one so much I played it from 2014 to 2020 and manage to make 17 full relic armor sets It's a game that will always be in my heart since I even find the love of my life playing this and I'm so grateful for that It didn't turn out how I would like to but i will never forget that
Mh4u was my first game in the series. I played the demo countless times because it had no play limits and it was super fun. i still remember how when i first fought nerscylla i super scared because i have a massive fear of spiders and than she slowly became one of my favorite monster in the entire franchise. I sadly had to sell my copy in order to buy gen, but with the 3ds closing i was able to buy the game for $5
4u was my first monster hunter game too. Online friends was begging me to give it a try but it didn’t appeal. But finally in June 2015 I bought it after getting off work 6 in the morning. Let me tell you , since then I’ve loved monster hunter. Importing Japanese monster hunter games (X, XX 3ds, XX Switch.) good times
I had braces for 5 years and got MH4U when I got my first major mouth surgery. I remember sitting in my living room unable to talk or really eat, but happy on my 3DS beginning my 4U journey I have so many good memories attached to this game. It’s the one mh that I really grinded through. Final HR was G Golden 492
Man 4U is such an amazing game. I remember that permanently enraged Chaotic Gore you find in the wyvern nest when he does the ground slam attack the ground gets angled & messed up, & when he rams the ground again it gets even worse, the fight gets so chaotic (pun absolutely intended), it's so memorable & to this day I rarely ever see such a mechanic implemented in a game.
Man... I remember when I first got MH4U. It was by complete luck, my first monster hunter. When I was young, I wanted some more games for my 3ds since I really only had mario kart 7 and 3d land. I remember just going into a store and seeing this game with a dark dragon on it and thinking "holy sh*t, thats the coolest thing ever". I must have stared at that box art for what seemed like ages on the way home. Long story short, it became my new favourite game/series and to this day, the games that I always spend the most hours in. To think, this all happened because of a simple impulse buy, something I never do anymore.
LOL same here man. i was a little kid looking for a new game on PSP, and saw monster hunter freedom 2 on the shelf. no internet, had no idea what it was, but it had a cool dragon on the front and it said it was 4 players. me and my brother impulsive bought them and it became our favorite series of all time. funny how those things happen
This was my 2nd monster Hunter game I ever played and it was the only monster Hunter game where I crafted and upgraded every armor set, every weapon for all the weapon classes, reached max gold once, and had a playtime of around 800 hours. In fact it was the first game I’ve had in general that I put that much time into .
I remember watching my older brother playing M4U on his friend’s 3ds fighting a Zamtrios, and I thought it looked so cool. We both bought the game, and I’m glad we did. We’ve spent countless hours hunting together, and leveling up guild quest like Teostra and S. Magala.
I started playing 4U on an emulator a few months ago and I'm in the middle of high rank. it's definitely a very different experience compared to 5th gen and I liked it. No I couldn't get a legal copy 3DS consoles are extremely rare here and this game even more so.
@@devanpretorius451 at least the modding community on citra is very helpful and welcoming. if Nintendo ain't letting us play the game we will do it ourselves
I remember playing mhfu, and saw the trailer for mh4, and saw how cool the IG and CB were in that trailer. I could dream of playing mh4 but really cant because I dont have 3ds. Years later after I got my first 3ds, I played mh4u with only IG and CB. Still my favorite MH of all times
4u was my 2nd old world game and my 4th MH game. It might be my favorite of all of MH. It has a special place in my heart mainly because if the satisfying combat, awesome roster, and high difficulty.
4U will always have a special place in my heart. I grew up playing the ps2 and psp games but 4u was my first experience playing with friends. I’ll always remember getting a hunt in during lunch
*Me with a physical copy of 4u* :D I first played the 3u demo and sort of bounced off it, and then I got my hands on the 4U demo and obsessively played it - excitedly telling my Dad about the monsters I fought and how fun they were, only for him to buy the full game for me a week later. Being the first time I got a gift outside of my birthday, I was thrilled and never put it down for a week straight. I remember spending 40min hunting black gravios with the rathalos cb due to not knowing how elemental resistance worked.
I disagree with your section about saying 4u has no gimmicks. Shortly after that segment you talk about wystones and the gripes with coating timers. It would be better stated as a more grounded gimmick that super flashy switch skills or tenderizing and slinger.
Even mounting was, at the time, effectively a gimmick. The only reason we don’t consider it to be one now is because it was well received and stuck around.
42:50 just noticed this little bit here, but it is NOT illegal to play games on emulators. it is only illegal to steal the roms off of websites, but using the ease of 3DS modding, and simply dumping the copy of the game and dlc yourself is 100% legal. no matter how hard Nintendo’s trillion dollar legal team try, it is simply not illegal to play your own copy of the game on an emulator, and it should be encouraged for games like MH4U or 3U that have had their servers nuked. the real problem with 4U emulation is that Citra is a fucking beast to run, due to 4U lacking a native “3D off” toggle in the settings, resulting in it running like absolute dogshit on any computer not spec’s out decently.
Before watching the video, I'll just say this: 4U was my first experience with Monster Hunter. When I was around 9 or 10, I got an email from Nintendo offering me a download code for the 4U demo. I told a friend about it, because they said I could get a code for a friend too, and he apparently knew about MH beforehand, because he said it was a really cool game that we should definitely play. So we played the demo, and I was instantly sold on it. I bought the game when it released and played it for about 200 hours, only making it as far as early High Rank with my insect glaive because I did not know how elemental resistances and skills worked. Sadly my friend never bought the game. Fast forward to very recently and I've started playing the game again with my brother, but it just doesn't feel the same. I think it's most likely because I'm so used to regular game controllers now, that playing on a 3DS just doesn't seem to do the game justice. I think I may try to emulate it at some point, to see if I can't get that classic MonHun feel again.
My first mh game was world, and after the kulve taroth dlc, I decided to get 4U, and that is when I truly fell in love with the series. The 3DS MH titles are the best in the franchise imo. They are charming, Goofy, have cool monster designs and interesting gimmicks, the weapons aren't too complicated yet are satisfying, The maps are fun to traverse, music is great, I can go on about how much I love 3U and 4U and how I think those games got the MH formula down to perfection. I cannot wait for MH6, and I hope they bring back some of what made these games special for me, my one wish is to bring back the heal flex, I feel like the slow moving heal is too easy to execute, takes too long, and just doesn't have as much risk, the flex just makes finding an opening to heal feel so much more rewarding please Capcom.
Disagree, only the absolute tiny minority likes the old gen aids and cancer and artifactal difficulty like the gay flex. Most people love the QoL changes, pls Capcom never go back 😊
MH4U was my first introduction to the MH series. I now know that MH isn’t really known for its story (barely) but 4U felt like it had a story and the whole Rivalry with the Gore Magala where both you and the monster grow stronger over time. It was cool. Going to different villages was really cool as you got access to new items and crafting. The subspecies thing was amazing but ever since 4U, the new MH games felt lackluster when climbing the ranks because in 4U (just like stated in the video) had the subspecies be stronger or a variant version of monsters you’ve already hunted. It was cool seeing not only you progressing but it felt like the monsters were “evolving”. It helped they had different weaknesses, different resistances, and different weapons/Armor. The newer games don’t really have that and basically just “fight this again” whereas in 4U, everything is getting stronger not just you. 4U just holds a special place in my gamer world
These games hold such a special place in my heart, and 4 Ultimate will probably always be my favorite. I loved your analysis of it and I agree wholeheartedly that I would want to see a remaster!
the dream for old monster hunter accessibility for me would be a "monster hunter classic hd collection", with mhf, mhfu, mh3u, and mh4u in a collection for consoles and pc. maybe some texture upscaling, but nothing else. other than that, while technically it existed in 3rd gen through charm mining, i did feel that the endgame systems of 4 and 4u were kind of the start of the "endless rng grind-a-thon" that im still mixed on. on the one hand, more stuff to do, but it does feel slightly hollow to do the same quest over and over again for the slight chance of a reward. i definitely agree that the lack of gimmicks (aside from maybe mounting being too easy) makes the game great. i dropped iceborne halfway through the update cycle because of clutch claw. overall, 4u is definitely a worthwhile experience, especially for the village story. personally i still prefer 3 ultimate, the moga village is just a nice place and some of my favorite monster designs.
For the "mh classic collection" idea, I think it's be cool if the collection would give you the ability to transfer your hunter across the different games, so you can start with the first game then end up with the same hunter in 4U, maybe even allowing your hunter to bring their equipment with them while maintaining HR throughout.
I was so nostalgic about this game that I spend hours and hours installing an emulation of it on my PC configurating the settings, and all that crap only to find out my PC was clearly not able to make it run even with the 30 fps cheat cap. This video just adds more pain
This game came out more recently than I imagined. I've only gotten so far into 4U (the tetaucabra quest) but I'll be diving back into it. Decently got all the 3ds MH games before the shutdown.
Got it on my birthday when i was 9 or something and it changed my entire life, i spent 4000 hours in mh4u and i just love this game, i played it for 7 hours every day back then without any breaks and i just love it
Fantastic video. This is like *the* video that 4 ultimate deserved, and it's never too late. The only MH I replayed (2nd time in Japanese ver), with combined 3x the hours of the next longest MH savefile, its story & pre-endgame progression is miles ahead of anything they have made since. Literally hours of things I can share, but your video is already so spot on so only this: there is a reason why endgame hunts in this game had a level of replayability never seen again in the series, I'm talking about combined 1000s of rajangs+zinogres+deviljho etc. before getting bored, and that was popular. The secret lies in 4U's "turn based" combat once you settle in, the real diversity in approaches that different weapon mandates, a level of "getting better" and feedback from it, that GenU, World, Sunbreak didn't have. Never had hopes for a remaster, since Capcom. But oh it's one of those wet dreams of the decade I don't even want to entertain the ideas.
I remember getting 4U at my local swap meet when generation came out on 3ds and didn't get into that time until years later and my god i was absolutely amazes and shock how the graphics look that time and how great the weapon gameplay feel mostly long sword
I still have 4U, was the 1st game that got me playing Monster Hunter thanks to a friend letting me play his a little, While Rise/Sunbreak made me happy since i felt the series was gonna be ended at Gen Ultimate and i'm glad they added 1 more because man i did a LOT in Rise when it came out, way before i got the expansion
I started with MHF2 and had like 2000 hours of playtime in it (when combined with my MHFU playtime after that released). So that game will always have a special place in my heart. But I might have to agree with you on this. MH4U is such a well-made game.
Damn good watch. I'm already playing it on my Steam Deck because I dumped the data from my physical copy and this makes me wanna play it even more than I already am
I credit this game as my favorite game of all time. Getting that gold crown and rainbow armor set was worth the hours I put in. Such a special game. Great video! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Ah my first Monster Hunter game, this game quite literally had an impact on my life and helped make me many friends I still have to this day. Glad I stuck with this franchise and made even more memories
Mh4u was the start of my monster hunter journey and I absolutely love it, I wish I could play it again soon, and I hope that one day capcom will realise how good of a game it was and take ideas from it and put them into the next monster hunter to come
From its new monsters/subspecies to locations to mechanics (frenzy, guild quests, wyporium), 4U has remained the peak of MH quality for me even a decade later. Having subspecies in High Rank/Expeditions was the best thing they could have done for game progression, by the time Apex Monsters were introduced I would have lost interest if the monster variation in HR wasn't done so well. Compared to other MH games I found myself farming triple as many armor sets cause the roadblocks on the first playthrough were interesting enough to make me reconsider how I fought each monster. Even with how much I played this game I'd still buy a remaster. Great retrospective!
I remember getting 4U the summer before high school and putting 1200 hours into it. This game is a must for anyone that hasn’t tried. I played almost the entire game alone and had a blast
4U is the MH game I've put the most time in. I just can't get into World, Rise is okay, 3U is fun but... GU is in second as Gen was my first MH game. Now I have to get back to my CB playthrough of 4U.
I miss the sheer variety of monsters in 4U, from low rank and all the way to G gold crown there was always something new to fight. I still remember my favorite armor sets in that games was an Artian X set and a molten tiggy set, the artian set looked cool and the molten tiggy one had speed eating and earplugs making it very agile in most fights.
4u has some of the best Giant Monsters rosters in the game. Dalamadur alone is still one of the best truly huge giant monsters in the game, and it's a shame it hasn't been in any of the new games since.
I'm going to add one more on to the story part here. At least for me, the whole aspect of being part of a traveling caravan made it feel like you were part of a ragtag family. Traveling and completing hunts supported by each other for the prosperity, success, and survival of the group. Add the Ace Palico on top of everything, a true ace. Generations had me feeling like some underappreciated tourism agent until the airship researchers came by. World made me think it is a 'chosen one' story after I started to question what everyone did until I showed up, more so after meeting the Admiral. Rise got me feeling like my hunter was of something he should be invested in as a member of the village.
I tried the demo and wow charge blade feels really good it’s not as complicated. The long sword doesn’t have any counters or helm breaker and that was the main thing I enjoyed so for mh4u I’m be a charge blade main never thought I’d ever say that
Thank you for this. Never in my life have I put more time into anything, other than maybe my career now, than mh4u. I love this game so much and meticulously 100 percented this game enjoying every single second. I hadn’t thought about it for years until I found my broken 3ds in a drawer cleaning out my childhood bedroom with the game card still in the slot. I immediately went on yt to find out if anyone was still thinking about this game and found you. This was such a great nostalgia trip. Keep it up
38:54 After seeing the flat zones of Rise/SB i don't think this is even a issue. This is a cool feature which allow us to see plenty animation/interaction that monsters have with their environment. At least that's my opinion
You are a hunter who is thrust into dangerous hunts in order to eliminate threats. No village to protect. No elder crossing to solve. No rampage to prevent. This is what I love about MH4U. The game portrays hunters as special class operators that are sent out on missions to hunt. It's so cool!
You have actually made me cry because of nostalgia, because this perfect game was my first monster hunter game. I still think fondly of this master class of a game.
I still have my 3DS copy and play it whenever I'm travelling. This game introduced my favourite monster in the franchise in Nerscylla, and for that I'll be forever grateful. Fingers crossed she makes a reappearance in Wilds.
MHWI and MH4U are tied for my favorite MH game. I like more the overall gameplay of MHWI, I like the investigation quests as they make quest variety potentially infinite (while MH4U suffered from low quest variety in G-rank), the events were amazing, I very much prefer the optimized Guiding Lands as an endgame compared to the Guild Quests from MH4U and Safi'jiiva, Iceborne Raging Brachydios, MR Kulve Taroth, Iceborne Alatreon, Iceborne Fatalis and AT Velkhana were the most fantastic hunts I experienced. The technical jump from MHGenU to MHW is something the series really needed. Only one thing (well two, the bits on sticks weapons) prevents Iceborne from blowing out of the water MH4U: the tenderizing mechanic, which I consider to be even worse than the heat gauge of GL in MHGen. Thanks goodness the last update made this annoying maintenance less frustrating. IMO, Capcom should do one final update were the tenderizing mechanic goes away entirely and the hitzones are rebalanced to their World values/tenderized values, something which would be easy to do and would remove the biggest stain on an almost perfect game. MH4U was the second MH game I played and it was a lesson in humility. My first MH game was MHFU and I did it 100% solo. I expected MH4U to be a walk in the park, only to be obliterated in HR and G-rank. The monsters moved so fast while hitting almost as hard as in MHFU, and much harder for Lv140 monsters. I would consider this game to be the hardest MH overall. Gore/Shagaru Magala are my favorite flagship monsters and I remember the first time I fought Gore for real: "Ok, I fought this guy two times already, I know how to deal with wait? What is he doing with his wings?" Gore pulls out his feelers, the area goes dark and I get destroyed by Gore Magala. The frenzy virus mechanic is IMO the best abnormal statut and the best "super state" for the monsters. Apex was very good (and scary) too, but going a bit too far with the immunity against the elements and the super armor. MH4U introduced IG and CB, my two favorite weapons since (and they were really OP in this game) and the augment system (too bad you could not roll back and get refund). Many of my favorite monsters from MHFU returned (Akantor, Ukanlos, Rajang), this was the first time I fought Zinogre and Deviljho, the monsters who made me put Evade on all my sets. Gogmazios (an XXL Shagaru Magala trading the frenzy virus for tar) is IMO the best MH final boss. An excellent game overall. My only issue was the relic armors/weapons, no night version for all the maps and the Volcanic Hollow being the same map than the Sunken Hollow (even if it was justified in the story). A 5th gen remake of MH4U would be a blast and hopefully, MH6 will be a spiritual successor of MH4U.
Like many others, I bought the 3DS/Wii U monster hunter games, havent gotten to try them yet but hopefully this week I’ll get to it. Also, I think its interesting that 3U and Generations made it to both handheld and consoles while 4U never got a console release, kinda bummed about that personally
3U sold much better on the 3ds than the Wii U because that console was a flop and handhelds are more popular in Japan, which is probably what led to 4U being 3ds only. As for Generation, the expansion in Japan was releasing same time as the Switch which probably motivated a switch port. By the time they localised it for western audiences as Generations Ultimate the 3ds was on its way out, so they only translated the switch version.
MH4U was my first MH game, which made me love the franchise so much I remember encountering hunters in the hub, I love the tavern like hub and seing it bring so many memories And for those that played during this golden age, 3 words... "Je suis monté" - Me, a former french insectglaive main (I traded the baguette for a baguette launcher, I now play LBG) I hope that the new MH games are going to be less arcardy : - No special moves and skills, your own skils are what will decide you fate, having special moves and skills to get out of dangerous situation where you should be punished isn't great, in Rise if you get hit, the second you touch the ground you can just wirebug away from danger, it shouldn't be like that - Makes preparation and strategy a thing again, it is part of a hunt to take the good item with you, to organize them, same with strategies, I used so much of my time creating item loadout to be effective for the type of gameplay I want to play - Make us search the monsters (use World system to find hints but remove the bugs so that YOU have to search and think) - Make monsters hit harder, not be more tanky, it gives more challenge, health tank are just boring at some point while fighting a monster that can kill you in a matter of a couple hit but that can also die more or less quickly can makes a battle more fun - Bring back gunner armor, yeah it means farming two times more for a full set, but they could improve things like when crafting one piece of armor, you get both the blademaster and gunner, same for amelioration, this or they allow of to carve the monsters 2 times more and get more rewards overall (because getting like 4 scales out of a monster bigger than a house is bull****), playing gunner was also pretty dangerous and required skills, because of less defense, one hit and you're out (unless you used evade +3 and became untouchable, that thing is so good ngl) but on the other hand you could attack from range, which made things fair (and now that we can even fire on the move, having as much armor as a blademaster make things too unfair)
The summer i spent playing 4U was one of the best times in my entire life. I remember the last day of school i ditched it and spent it at home hunting nonstop.
It's crazy how much it's not even a contest for 4U/4G being THE best game in the series. -Extremely memorable and charming npcs, making the story all the better -Some of the best new monsters as well as a fantastic ensemble of returning ones -Incredibly well paced Low/High/G rank progression -Great implementation of new mounting mechanic(though it definitely can be cheesy at times) Outside of the new weapon balance oopsies that was CB/IG and some other minor hiccups(some frustrations with Apex monsters), it's really hard to top it. I say that as someone with a heavy bias towards third gen. WE ARE THE ONES TO GET IT DONE!
I didn't play the game in its heyday, but I bought it last year when I was getting into the series. Upgraded from my old 3DS to a New XL just for it and I still play it even after the online multiplayer has been shut down. It's just so peak.
4U is so good. It was the first Monster Hunter game for 3DS that allowed you to play online so that was a really big thing since 3U on 3DS could not play online.
It's interesting that the reason you disliked MHGU is exactly the reason why i really loved it. It's a treat for long time fans that have been playing since gen 1. I was quite ecstatic when i fought Zinogre, a 3rd gen monster in the jungle, a 2nd gen map, or just seeing old 1st gen map rendered in 4th gen style of graphics, it's a nostalgia bait and im happily gobbling it up
Oh no I actually really like GU. It's my third favourite Monster Hunter game actually. It's just there's aspects of the game that I feel 4U does better and make me enjoy it more. I still really like playing GU.
Man i wish i could play this game. The monsters of 4th gen are so diverse and unique. It‘s a crime many of these did not return to 5th gen, they have to fix this mistake in monster hunter 6. We need Seltas Queen, Zamtrios, Najarala and Dalamadur. My 3DS broke down, so if I‘m ever going to play this, it will be via emu.
Rise sells way to well for this to ever happen honestly. Since there are so many people introduced to the franchise via "big screen" releases of the Franchise they are pleased with what they have. You can tell by many things that rise - although being a great game - is also kinda cashgrabby and flawed as heck. The Designs of the new monsters IMO are for the most part pretty lame. 4U was a narrative experience, but thats just not what the majority of MonHun players want, as the World and Rise sales clearly state. Most just care about fast flashy gameplay loops. And I dont like point and blame here, its just a fact.
@@OffscreenkillVA rise was made by the "secondary team" the same on that did GU, they try new ideas wich are in the majority scrapped in teh next mainline release, but its true that the story in mhw and rise was kind of lacking (mhrise stoy is shit) so the next game will probably be something like world with a few new mechanics, and taking into consideration how they pushed the guiding lands in mhi i wouldn't be surprised if the next mainline is an open world
@@JotaPS88 and yknow what if it were to be open world and same as world it probably would take flew more years for it to come out... And we have only like 1 month till the sunbreak is over, and what waiting flew years for next title?
Great video. I love a lot of the points brought up. However I felt I needed to point out that at some point(around the 36min mark), it was brought up how 4U had no gimmicks, I kinda disagree. Every MH has added mechanics and gimmicks. Some stayed in the series, some were only in their original game. 3 had monster exhaustion, 4u had mounting, etc. All in all awesome video. I especially liked the in depth discussion over the post game of 4U, specifically what it does well. Not to mention the similarities and differences 4U holds with many other MH series games.
The world/4gu comparison makes me hyped about mh6, to see if already passing to the new graphic advancement lets them have a better roster and get the best of both worlds
Fantastic video Heavy, been on a bit of a Monster Hunter binge again recently and really love to see these essay videos coming about everything monster hunter. I hope you continue your thing man. Happy hunting.
I recently setup the 3ds emulator for pc while also transferring my saves and am playing 3u and 4u again on pc which also has online functions and resolution upscaling
Hell yeah. If they released a switch port I'd ditch every other game in a heartbeat. I've put nearly 1000 hours in that game alone and would GLADLY go for another playthrough.
I know you said it's only legal to play on 3ds, so I'm guessing you don't agree with emulation, but I figured I'd make this comment anyway. MH4U emulated is *by far* the best way to play. Being able to play at a modern resolution with a full controller makes this imo a perfect MH game. There's also a community driven HD texture pack that overhauls nearly every last texture in the game, and is still being updated to this day. Imo this effectively turns emulated MH4U into the remaster you want Capcom to make (barring gameplay fixes/changes ofc). The work they've done is incredible and they deserve all the praise in the world. PS: I've been playing 4U on my Steam Deck and it runs absurdly well. Seriously it's like the game is running natively.
i still remember when mh4u came out, we (a random group of people who use to gather at a starbucks to play mh3u,.. because back then u couldnt play online) where hyping about the game on why playing mh3u, i thought to my self that we where going to keep the tradition and keep on gathering on the same starbucks, but online make it so such a thing was no longer necessary, how ever that didnt made me stop enjoying the best mh game, and that month i casually dropped around 200hs into the game, it was such a rush to complete everysingle quest while also keeping up with everyone so no one could carry or was to over level, however i will miss those days i use to gather with a bunch of randoms to enjoy what we love and most importantly share that moment something i doubt it will ever happen again
4U is so thoroughly my favorite monhun and this was a treat to watch. Between it's perfectly realized gameplay- the best of the old school variety, to the plethora of challenge content (THAT WAS REWARDING AS HECK TO DO!), and just, so many things a comment can't concisely contain- the game just really is my favorite monhun. Fantastic work on this :) The caravan remains my hunting family forever Iceborne forever because of what clutch did to the game. Ice is great, but I would do anything to return to base World and I can't because of how Clutch was retroactively added to the game. Resent that damn thing. It was fun for a week, then all the issues, the lack of organic phases to combat because everything is enraged 100% of the time because of clutch, the tenderizing nonsense affecting so damn much of what you were doing- It's all been said. I just hate the dang thing. I platinumed World excitedly and with a smile on my face- poured so many hours into it loving every second. I burnt out on and haven't even hunted all the post-launch monsters in Ice because I was entirely dead on the adjustments made by around Rajang's addition. Good game. Whole-heartedly believe that because I loved playing Ice. But man.
This is an amazing review. This has convinced me to install it on my 3DS. Ive been wanting to get into Monster Hunter as a whole. I recently beat world and doing post game stuff, and im also playing Stories 1.
while not quite the same as the later games, I'd argue that jump attacks/mounting and the very effective charge blade and insect glaive are very much 4U's own combat gimmicks
i remember doing a 7th grade project about our interests at the time and i legit said monster hunter and gore magala in the class as if everybody knew what i was talking about 😅 many years later it is still a game i look back at and realize how far i came as a hunter 😎😎 (and a person 😭)
It's actually incredibly funny and sad that out of all of their franchises Capcom is so incredibly bad at preserving Monster Hunter while we've gotten remasters and ports of many of their other franchises to modern consoles and PC. MegaMan (even Battle Network), Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, etc. But Monster Hunter has only ever had HD re releases or ports to other consoles for a couple of games in the series over it's lifespan. Basically just 3 Portable and Freedom getting console releases and 3U having a 3DS and Wii U release. It's very sad.
Yeah, agreed. Seems like Capcom gives them the freedom to decide for themselves if they wanna rerelease/-make/-master them. And they don't feel like it's best for the series, unfortunately. I'd like to add though, how Monster Hunter G was actually ported to Wii in Japan. Double Cross ofc also came to the switch. And the stories games, while spinoffs, are also now on numerous plattforms, as is Rise. Even World saw a PC release so... they're just reaaaally selective, sadly
@@Armbrust210 Rise is also a more modern release. Generally modern released games are multiplatform so there was an expectation going in for Rise to be multiplatform. Even just as far back as MH4 there was no such expectation, especially for a game released on the 3DS. Also keep in mind that the Wii release of Monster Hunter G was not only a promotional thing for Tri (it was released with a demo for Tri) it was also only 4 years after the release of G on PS2. For it's time that's about analogous to World and Rise getting PC Ports a couple of years after their launch.
Because before world, monster hunter was barely making any traction outside of Japan and Japanese typically prefer mobile platforms. Pretty easy to see why there hasn't been a push to remaster these games.
@@mcgruber The Generation 4 games all sold over 4 million units worldwide. Even if we're to assume that about half of those are from Japan (which is far from fair considering we're talking worldwide vs 1 country) that's still over 2 million sales outside of Japan for each Generation 4 entry for games that only released on one platform. That's a success by any metric.
@@765craven4 The west makes up, at most, 1/3 of sales and 4U was the first game to surpass 1 million sales in America/Europe. World has close to 40 million sales Worldwide. We are talking about 2 completely different levels of success. We are also talking about a game designed for a portable system utilising 2 screens. Emulators now still run PCs hard due to the 3D functionality incorporated. Completely different compared to something like DMC or Street fighter.
I don’t completely understand your point about 4U being a game without gimmicks, because it introduced 2 exciting new weapons to the franchise and mounting the monsters through jump attacks. It was so incredibly easy to get a mount and subsequent monster down, that I remember fumbling my way through high rank as kid by spamming jump attacks with the insect glaive. (Before discovering the wonders of the charge blade) But you’re absolutely right, the older games have a more focused feeling that’s almost lost in some of the newer titles. Wonderful video, by the way! As someone that started the series with 4U, it’s a game I’ll always have a real soft spot for! I always enjoy seeing people share their love for the older monster hunter games 😊
Always warms my heart to see 4U praise. Got it back around the time it released but never actually got into it since my kid brain didn’t understand how it worked. Flash forward to Rise’s release and it made me give 4U a second chance. I fell in love. My only regret is not sticking with it the first time. Sad some of the content will be lost due to the eshop closure especially since I found the bonus quests involving returning characters particularly charming. Still a fantastic game regardless of what’s missing or not.
I started in MHGU so that will always be my fav MH game and I know MH4U was the most popular but never understood why but this video is so well put together I finally understand it and MH4U is the most popular for good reason it's such an amazing game I will play it on Citra.. This video is so well put together so thank you..
The peak of the series imo, would love to play it on modern consoles, playing it on 3Ds kinda hurts my hands after extendet periods of playtime, wich keeps me from playing this game more...
MH4U literally saved my life. 2016 was the height of my depression and it wasn't friends or family that stopped me from ending it all... it was 4U. 4U was so so so close to perfect for me, and the idea that the next game in the series would likely be even better was the best possible reason to keep living. Of course, that didn't pan out at all since the series has continuously gone down-hill since then imo, but by that point I had gotten help dealing with my depression.
@@whitefatalis2743 As a heads up, you probably won't like my answer, and may not agree, but that doesn't change how I feel. World was incredibly easy on launch. The ability to restock on items completely removed the potential to have long drawn out hunts where each and every potion use mattered. Those were some of the most satisfying hunts in previous games. Then, with the free updates they went overkill in cranking the difficulty up since that's what players complained about. This was the beginning of "mmo-like" mechanics that just make you fail on the spot if either your damage fell behind for a little bit or you didn't do some gimmick that distracts from the actual hunt. Scaling monsters' HP to the number of players is the absolute worst thing to ever happen to MonHun. MonHun is designed around multiplayer. Multiplayer is supposed to be MonHun's biggest selling point. When HP scaling is added to the game, it makes players who can't pull their weight actually make the game harder for their teammates IN ADDITION to being a liability for failing the quest as they always have been. If skilled players run the risk of having a harder quest because of bad teammates, they simply won't want to play with other players. Multiplayer should ALWAYS make the game easier to keep people playing with each other. Furthermore, the introduction of SOS Flares made the multiplayer experience absolutely awful. No longer would you actually join a room and having meaningful conversations with the people you hunted several times with. No longer would you make lasting friendships with people while bonding over repeated hunts. No, if you want to do that now, you have to use an outside service like Discord. World introduced a ton of quality of life changes that made it more accessible to someone picking up the game for the first time, but almost all of those changes were to the detriment of the lasting experience of the game. Then Iceborne released and made the core gameplay straight-up worse with the addition of the clutch claw. Despite all of that, I did still really enjoy World, but not for many of the same reasons that MonHun had been my favorite series up to this point, and it was my least favorite game in the series up to this point (by a relatively small margin), but much better than the next 2 games in to release (in western release order). Generations/Gen Ultimate are really bad imo. Hunter Arts/Styles are the antithesis of what makes MonHun combat satisfying to me. Things like absolute evasion/readiness, valor style, and adept style are "get out of jail free cards" instead of actually having to respect the monster's patterns. Hunter Arts are cool the first few times you use them, but it ends up feeling like you're doing well because you're hitting the "win button" rather than proper timing/aim/etc. They balanced the game around Hunter Arts/Styles, so armor skills are much more limited compared to other titles, and both Hyper Monsters and Deviants have built in mechanics to encourage you to use Arts. Even if you choose to just not use them, it still just makes the game feel bad. Pretty much every system in the game outside of combat is the worst in the series. There are absurdly long quest chains crammed into the game just to give you an excuse to interact with every character that's ever been in the series. The farm requiring you to cycle palicos is completely unnecessary and all those extra micro managing systems just end up feeling like a chore. The money distribution is so flawed that they had to distribute a ridiculous amount of golden eggs via dlc so that players would be able to actually make anything, and now that they have distributed them, no one should ever need money because they went so overboard, so it's like that whole system may as well not exist. There are a number of other similarly minor flaws that add up to just make the time between hunts feel like a chore. Rise was insultingly unfun. It has the worst aspects of both World and Generations, while further increasing the speed of the game to button-mash, face roll, beat em up levels. It did have some nice additions that I hope will get refined for MH6, but ultimately, it just felt more like Devil May Cry or some shit than Monster Hunter. After playing 200 hours before the first free content update, I had decided I didn't like the game and would just periodically come back to play the new content. Capcom had other ideas though. When they released the first title update they also uncapped our HRs. THE PROBLEM is that they didn't retroactively award HR points like they had in EVERY other game where your HR uncaps at the end of the game AND locked the new content behind climbing to a higher HR. So they wanted me to GRIND a game that I already knew I didn't like, that I'd ALREADY played for 200 hours before deeming me worthy enough to play the new content. At that point I said fuck it and never went back. I've heard Sunbreak fixed a lot of Rise's issues, but I never got over my grudge from the giant ass middle finger that Capcom gave me in Rise, so I completely skipped it.
@@carstan62 World did many things to make the game not a big fucking chore that the previous games were. I do agree however on your difficulty point - nothing happens in this game until the high rank endgame and iceborne. I dont really care about multiplayer aspects of MH as im a solo player. Clutch claw was in my opnion a Great addition, contrary to most people. I like generations solely because of monster variety. Newest titles lack a proper amount of good monsters - its fixed in Iceborne but comes back in Rise and even Sunbreak doesnt fix it. I also like the idea of playing as a cat and going to villages from the previous games. Other than that its too anime for me. Rise is even more anime than generations, feeding my Hunter with some shitty rice balls not even allowing me to have a bushy beard, only some virgin moustache. Monster variety is abbysmal, base game is literally a money grab with NO content (like What are you going to fight - valstrax and narwa all the time? Amusing) and with THOUSANDS of the same, repeating and boring quests. Sunbreak doesnt fix almost anytning, adding a few fun monsters like Malzeno (which i absolutely love) but that's it. No sieges, no big Boss fights (Apart of Gaismagorm which got ONE quest), constant farming of materials for decorations and anomaly upgrades, plus Almudron and rakna kadaki exists. Well most of the points you showed are correct, ill just defend World to the end as its one of my favorite games, ever. I was raised on Freedom Unite and World just made me cum when it came out.
@whitefatalis2743 I started with Tri and made many friendships from across the world that lasted over 10 years to this day. Tri was definitely lacking in content, but the multiplayer experience was second to none. After that, I went back to MHFU and really enjoyed that before importing MHP3 and playing every game to come out until Sunbreak. Like I said, I did really enjoy World, despite its many flaws. It did a lot of things that I think they were on the right track for that just needed to be tweaked. I'd put it right just barely below MHFU, in my opinion. Not BAD, just held back by specific flaws and not as good as what came before. Generations and Rise I will forever say are downright bad though.
Reading the comment chain I do agree that SOS flares ruined the multiplayer experience. I made some great friends on 4u and generations (although I didn't really enjoy generations either) 4u is the ONE!
My first game in the series was World, and while I was planning to play 4U next, I stumbled into Stories (which btw I hope you make a video on in the future). I don't prefer it over World, but as a first experience into the previous generations I enjoyed it very much, and it offered freshness on many fronts. I look forward to playing Stories 2, just as much as I look forward to playing 4U, especially after this video.
I think this will be the perfect place to say goodbye mh4u and its community, it was such a blast to be part of. Will always have memories of hunters helping out new people or becoming friends and hunters side by side. Thanks for everything.
We had an amazing run. I'll cherish those memories too.
Ah, I remember pushing my parents to a shop that was ridiculously outside of a city that we just happened to be visiting. Got the last copy of 4U. Put like 50 hours in that weekend
I bought it on complete impulse. I didn't even like the demo. But it was quite cheap in stores and a lot of people said it was good. Changed my life.
50 hours in one weekend? Long weekend or bad at math?
@@Trinandrhino From Friday afternoon to Monday morning
@@guillermomunoz3422 so you didn't sleep for two days straight, yeah ok. It's ok to exaggerate but keep it balanced.
i remember receiving 4 Ultimate as my 14th birthday present - along with Skylanders Trap Team.
We need an HD remaster of 4U. Nothing gets changed, just the model and map quality, and giving it a home on more consoles. Replaying this masterpiece with beautiful graphics on a big screen would be amazing. All I ask is that voice acting is left out.
You can do that on citra emulator
@@SharyK-_0 Only thing with that is that some things like cutscene skip and the world map are locked to touch screen functions. Also the 3DS screen isn't 16:9 so it doesn't fill.
@@D1ab0licalYou can use the touch screen with your mouse if you’re emulating, or as a normal touch screen if you’re playing on something like a steam deck.
Also, the map isn’t exclusive to the touch screen. You can move it to the top screen if you want to.
@CaptainEffort I know that, it's just annoying having to take a hand off the controller every time you wanna use it.
Also I mean the fast travel map, not the area map.
@@D1ab0lical Ohhh yeah you’re right, I forgot about the fast travel map. You’re right, it’s a little annoying. Not a huge deal tho imo.
I’ve actually been emulating it on the Steam Deck myself and it completely resolves that issue tho.
4s narrative is best and it doesn't even have voice acting. Which goes to show how well music and choreography go into a memorable encounter
LOL narrative? 😂 didn’t know people actually paid attention to what has to be the worst story in gaming
Honestly, I would not mind a remaster for both 4U and 3U, respectively to tie us in before MH6.
3U is good but if I had to choose between either of them, it would be 4U all the way.
What about giving portable 3rd a G rank expansion💀
@@amedeo1098 i would ditch every other game i currently playing for a remaster of p3rd with g rank
@@alderwield9636 I haven’t played that one since it was Japan exclusive, so I wouldn’t mind if this got a proper remaster too and like you said with a proper G rank expansion.
@@alderwield9636 but I need a strong pc to run this especially 4U, but I’m stuck with my laptop. So someday.
This game is the reason I bought a 3DS. I wasn't going to miss out on this gem. Still the best and most memorable MH.
Ditto. This and fire emblem awakening
I got a 3ds for Pokemon, but only continue to use it for MH
same
Not just the best Monster Hunter but one of the best games ever made i love this one so much I played it from 2014 to 2020 and manage to make 17 full relic armor sets
It's a game that will always be in my heart since I even find the love of my life playing this and I'm so grateful for that
It didn't turn out how I would like to but i will never forget that
Mh4u was my first game in the series. I played the demo countless times because it had no play limits and it was super fun. i still remember how when i first fought nerscylla i super scared because i have a massive fear of spiders and than she slowly became one of my favorite monster in the entire franchise. I sadly had to sell my copy in order to buy gen, but with the 3ds closing i was able to buy the game for $5
4u was my first monster hunter game too. Online friends was begging me to give it a try but it didn’t appeal. But finally in June 2015 I bought it after getting off work 6 in the morning. Let me tell you , since then I’ve loved monster hunter. Importing Japanese monster hunter games (X, XX 3ds, XX Switch.) good times
You're Lucky Monster hunter on ps2 was Mine 😂
@@HollowRickMonster Hunter Dos and G were masterpieces, better than MH4U imo.
On top of the wyporium you can in fact bully plesioth with the palico island and eventually unlock green plesioth which gets you it's armor.
I had braces for 5 years and got MH4U when I got my first major mouth surgery. I remember sitting in my living room unable to talk or really eat, but happy on my 3DS beginning my 4U journey
I have so many good memories attached to this game. It’s the one mh that I really grinded through. Final HR was G Golden 492
Man 4U is such an amazing game. I remember that permanently enraged Chaotic Gore you find in the wyvern nest when he does the ground slam attack the ground gets angled & messed up, & when he rams the ground again it gets even worse, the fight gets so chaotic (pun absolutely intended), it's so memorable & to this day I rarely ever see such a mechanic implemented in a game.
Unlocking elder hall and expert rank after g rank blew my mind and I loved it
Extremely hard to do. Congrats :)
It's my favorite game of all time. To this day it is what I play 90% of the time I play video games.
Man... I remember when I first got MH4U. It was by complete luck, my first monster hunter. When I was young, I wanted some more games for my 3ds since I really only had mario kart 7 and 3d land. I remember just going into a store and seeing this game with a dark dragon on it and thinking "holy sh*t, thats the coolest thing ever". I must have stared at that box art for what seemed like ages on the way home. Long story short, it became my new favourite game/series and to this day, the games that I always spend the most hours in. To think, this all happened because of a simple impulse buy, something I never do anymore.
Haha that's a great story
LOL same here man. i was a little kid looking for a new game on PSP, and saw monster hunter freedom 2 on the shelf. no internet, had no idea what it was, but it had a cool dragon on the front and it said it was 4 players. me and my brother impulsive bought them and it became our favorite series of all time. funny how those things happen
Freedom Unite was an impulse buy for me, browsing the PSP store. It changed my life and the way I approach difficult games.
This was my 2nd monster Hunter game I ever played and it was the only monster Hunter game where I crafted and upgraded every armor set, every weapon for all the weapon classes, reached max gold once, and had a playtime of around 800 hours. In fact it was the first game I’ve had in general that I put that much time into .
I remember watching my older brother playing M4U on his friend’s 3ds fighting a Zamtrios, and I thought it looked so cool. We both bought the game, and I’m glad we did. We’ve spent countless hours hunting together, and leveling up guild quest like Teostra and S. Magala.
The only game I ever managed to get a collector's edition for was 4U, it holds a special place in my heart.
I started playing 4U on an emulator a few months ago and I'm in the middle of high rank. it's definitely a very different experience compared to 5th gen and I liked it.
No I couldn't get a legal copy 3DS consoles are extremely rare here and this game even more so.
Same, sucks because playing older games where I live seems impossible or impossibly expensive.
@@devanpretorius451 at least the modding community on citra is very helpful and welcoming. if Nintendo ain't letting us play the game we will do it ourselves
@@eladblaier898 Agreed.
It because 4th gen is the best and peak old MH, the movements are way fluid compare to 3rd gen, while it still balanced
i managed to buy a 3ds off of a friend and i just donloaded the game from the internet onto the 3ds
I love how much personality the palicos has in mh4u, gotta replay this masterpiece game again!
I remember playing mhfu, and saw the trailer for mh4, and saw how cool the IG and CB were in that trailer. I could dream of playing mh4 but really cant because I dont have 3ds. Years later after I got my first 3ds, I played mh4u with only IG and CB. Still my favorite MH of all times
4u was my 2nd old world game and my 4th MH game. It might be my favorite of all of MH. It has a special place in my heart mainly because if the satisfying combat, awesome roster, and high difficulty.
3U/4U Remake or Remaster is truly needed.
A remake isn't even necessary. The games hold up, they just need to be placed on modern platforms.
@@HeavyWings Yes, a remaster is just fine, but maybe with a few QoL additions, like the object sets for 3U.
I'm glad I have an actual hard copy of this game 500+ hours and I haven't finished it. Gotta go back to it ♥️
4U will always have a special place in my heart.
I grew up playing the ps2 and psp games but 4u was my first experience playing with friends.
I’ll always remember getting a hunt in during lunch
I got into Rise, and I very excited to play through the MH games on the 3DS for the first time
*Me with a physical copy of 4u* :D
I first played the 3u demo and sort of bounced off it, and then I got my hands on the 4U demo and obsessively played it - excitedly telling my Dad about the monsters I fought and how fun they were, only for him to buy the full game for me a week later. Being the first time I got a gift outside of my birthday, I was thrilled and never put it down for a week straight. I remember spending 40min hunting black gravios with the rathalos cb due to not knowing how elemental resistance worked.
I disagree with your section about saying 4u has no gimmicks. Shortly after that segment you talk about wystones and the gripes with coating timers.
It would be better stated as a more grounded gimmick that super flashy switch skills or tenderizing and slinger.
Even mounting was, at the time, effectively a gimmick. The only reason we don’t consider it to be one now is because it was well received and stuck around.
Literally the first quest is a gimmick quest. Older MH fans be delusional asf I stg
I've just bought a copy and I can't wait to finally battle dalamadur and give the 'old world' a proper send off before Wilds releases.
42:50 just noticed this little bit here, but it is NOT illegal to play games on emulators. it is only illegal to steal the roms off of websites, but using the ease of 3DS modding, and simply dumping the copy of the game and dlc yourself is 100% legal. no matter how hard Nintendo’s trillion dollar legal team try, it is simply not illegal to play your own copy of the game on an emulator, and it should be encouraged for games like MH4U or 3U that have had their servers nuked. the real problem with 4U emulation is that Citra is a fucking beast to run, due to 4U lacking a native “3D off” toggle in the settings, resulting in it running like absolute dogshit on any computer not spec’s out decently.
There’s a cheat you can use to disable 3D, if you want. It helps performance a ton.
i loved playing this game, insect glaive and charge blade were my absolute favorite weapons in it (especially the kushala ones X3 )
Charge Blade in 4U is the only Charge Blade I really like
@@HeavyWings mhwi charge blade is way better in my opinion
2023 and still regularly playing this shit👌🏼
Before watching the video, I'll just say this: 4U was my first experience with Monster Hunter. When I was around 9 or 10, I got an email from Nintendo offering me a download code for the 4U demo. I told a friend about it, because they said I could get a code for a friend too, and he apparently knew about MH beforehand, because he said it was a really cool game that we should definitely play. So we played the demo, and I was instantly sold on it. I bought the game when it released and played it for about 200 hours, only making it as far as early High Rank with my insect glaive because I did not know how elemental resistances and skills worked. Sadly my friend never bought the game.
Fast forward to very recently and I've started playing the game again with my brother, but it just doesn't feel the same. I think it's most likely because I'm so used to regular game controllers now, that playing on a 3DS just doesn't seem to do the game justice. I think I may try to emulate it at some point, to see if I can't get that classic MonHun feel again.
My first mh game was world, and after the kulve taroth dlc, I decided to get 4U, and that is when I truly fell in love with the series. The 3DS MH titles are the best in the franchise imo. They are charming, Goofy, have cool monster designs and interesting gimmicks, the weapons aren't too complicated yet are satisfying, The maps are fun to traverse, music is great, I can go on about how much I love 3U and 4U and how I think those games got the MH formula down to perfection. I cannot wait for MH6, and I hope they bring back some of what made these games special for me, my one wish is to bring back the heal flex, I feel like the slow moving heal is too easy to execute, takes too long, and just doesn't have as much risk, the flex just makes finding an opening to heal feel so much more rewarding please Capcom.
I agreed on the flex, it was an unnecessary change gameplay wise.
Disagree, only the absolute tiny minority likes the old gen aids and cancer and artifactal difficulty like the gay flex.
Most people love the QoL changes, pls Capcom never go back 😊
@@4lmighty_L0af World wouldn’t even exist without the old gen fans
@@4lmighty_L0af this is just not true because most people haven’t touched the series out side of 5thgen
@@4lmighty_L0af it's okay broddi It's fine to have an awful opinion but never share it publicly like that for a character execution hoorah
MH4U was my first introduction to the MH series. I now know that MH isn’t really known for its story (barely) but 4U felt like it had a story and the whole Rivalry with the Gore Magala where both you and the monster grow stronger over time. It was cool. Going to different villages was really cool as you got access to new items and crafting. The subspecies thing was amazing but ever since 4U, the new MH games felt lackluster when climbing the ranks because in 4U (just like stated in the video) had the subspecies be stronger or a variant version of monsters you’ve already hunted. It was cool seeing not only you progressing but it felt like the monsters were “evolving”. It helped they had different weaknesses, different resistances, and different weapons/Armor. The newer games don’t really have that and basically just “fight this again” whereas in 4U, everything is getting stronger not just you. 4U just holds a special place in my gamer world
These games hold such a special place in my heart, and 4 Ultimate will probably always be my favorite. I loved your analysis of it and I agree wholeheartedly that I would want to see a remaster!
I'm currently replaying that game and I did not realize as a child how great this game is. Might become my favorite
the dream for old monster hunter accessibility for me would be a "monster hunter classic hd collection", with mhf, mhfu, mh3u, and mh4u in a collection for consoles and pc. maybe some texture upscaling, but nothing else.
other than that, while technically it existed in 3rd gen through charm mining, i did feel that the endgame systems of 4 and 4u were kind of the start of the "endless rng grind-a-thon" that im still mixed on. on the one hand, more stuff to do, but it does feel slightly hollow to do the same quest over and over again for the slight chance of a reward. i definitely agree that the lack of gimmicks (aside from maybe mounting being too easy) makes the game great. i dropped iceborne halfway through the update cycle because of clutch claw. overall, 4u is definitely a worthwhile experience, especially for the village story.
personally i still prefer 3 ultimate, the moga village is just a nice place and some of my favorite monster designs.
I think the RNG endgames are here to stay, specifically because Rise didn't have one and it ended up being a major point of criticism.
For the "mh classic collection" idea, I think it's be cool if the collection would give you the ability to transfer your hunter across the different games, so you can start with the first game then end up with the same hunter in 4U, maybe even allowing your hunter to bring their equipment with them while maintaining HR throughout.
I was so nostalgic about this game that I spend hours and hours installing an emulation of it on my PC configurating the settings, and all that crap only to find out my PC was clearly not able to make it run even with the 30 fps cheat cap. This video just adds more pain
This game came out more recently than I imagined. I've only gotten so far into 4U (the tetaucabra quest) but I'll be diving back into it. Decently got all the 3ds MH games before the shutdown.
Got it on my birthday when i was 9 or something and it changed my entire life, i spent 4000 hours in mh4u and i just love this game, i played it for 7 hours every day back then without any breaks and i just love it
They put so much effort into this gem and it shows. Great video.
Fantastic video. This is like *the* video that 4 ultimate deserved, and it's never too late.
The only MH I replayed (2nd time in Japanese ver), with combined 3x the hours of the next longest MH savefile, its story & pre-endgame progression is miles ahead of anything they have made since.
Literally hours of things I can share, but your video is already so spot on so only this: there is a reason why endgame hunts in this game had a level of replayability never seen again in the series, I'm talking about combined 1000s of rajangs+zinogres+deviljho etc. before getting bored, and that was popular. The secret lies in 4U's "turn based" combat once you settle in, the real diversity in approaches that different weapon mandates, a level of "getting better" and feedback from it, that GenU, World, Sunbreak didn't have.
Never had hopes for a remaster, since Capcom. But oh it's one of those wet dreams of the decade I don't even want to entertain the ideas.
So, it's the Dark Souls 2 of MonHun?
I remember getting 4U at my local swap meet when generation came out on 3ds and didn't get into that time until years later and my god i was absolutely amazes and shock how the graphics look that time and how great the weapon gameplay feel mostly long sword
I still have 4U, was the 1st game that got me playing Monster Hunter thanks to a friend letting me play his a little, While Rise/Sunbreak made me happy since i felt the series was gonna be ended at Gen Ultimate and i'm glad they added 1 more because man i did a LOT in Rise when it came out, way before i got the expansion
I started with MHF2 and had like 2000 hours of playtime in it (when combined with my MHFU playtime after that released). So that game will always have a special place in my heart. But I might have to agree with you on this. MH4U is such a well-made game.
Damn good watch. I'm already playing it on my Steam Deck because I dumped the data from my physical copy and this makes me wanna play it even more than I already am
Would be amazing if they release ALL the MH titles on the switch
I credit this game as my favorite game of all time. Getting that gold crown and rainbow armor set was worth the hours I put in. Such a special game.
Great video! Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Ah my first Monster Hunter game, this game quite literally had an impact on my life and helped make me many friends I still have to this day. Glad I stuck with this franchise and made even more memories
Mh4u was the start of my monster hunter journey and I absolutely love it, I wish I could play it again soon, and I hope that one day capcom will realise how good of a game it was and take ideas from it and put them into the next monster hunter to come
From its new monsters/subspecies to locations to mechanics (frenzy, guild quests, wyporium), 4U has remained the peak of MH quality for me even a decade later. Having subspecies in High Rank/Expeditions was the best thing they could have done for game progression, by the time Apex Monsters were introduced I would have lost interest if the monster variation in HR wasn't done so well. Compared to other MH games I found myself farming triple as many armor sets cause the roadblocks on the first playthrough were interesting enough to make me reconsider how I fought each monster. Even with how much I played this game I'd still buy a remaster. Great retrospective!
I remember getting 4U the summer before high school and putting 1200 hours into it. This game is a must for anyone that hasn’t tried. I played almost the entire game alone and had a blast
4U is the MH game I've put the most time in. I just can't get into World, Rise is okay, 3U is fun but... GU is in second as Gen was my first MH game. Now I have to get back to my CB playthrough of 4U.
Played only a bit of 4u, but the quest complete theme still sticks in my head.
Very happy to have the three 3DS MH games on cartridge.
I bought this game yesterday. I just reached the second village and I'm really enjoying it so far
Im literally playing this game on citra emulator android 3 days ago and i got the full set of Tetsucabra. Will continue playing it.
Tetsucabra is the set I always go for too, good choice!
I miss the sheer variety of monsters in 4U, from low rank and all the way to G gold crown there was always something new to fight. I still remember my favorite armor sets in that games was an Artian X set and a molten tiggy set, the artian set looked cool and the molten tiggy one had speed eating and earplugs making it very agile in most fights.
4u has some of the best Giant Monsters rosters in the game. Dalamadur alone is still one of the best truly huge giant monsters in the game, and it's a shame it hasn't been in any of the new games since.
I'm going to add one more on to the story part here. At least for me, the whole aspect of being part of a traveling caravan made it feel like you were part of a ragtag family. Traveling and completing hunts supported by each other for the prosperity, success, and survival of the group. Add the Ace Palico on top of everything, a true ace.
Generations had me feeling like some underappreciated tourism agent until the airship researchers came by. World made me think it is a 'chosen one' story after I started to question what everyone did until I showed up, more so after meeting the Admiral. Rise got me feeling like my hunter was of something he should be invested in as a member of the village.
I tried the demo and wow charge blade feels really good it’s not as complicated. The long sword doesn’t have any counters or helm breaker and that was the main thing I enjoyed so for mh4u I’m be a charge blade main never thought I’d ever say that
Thank you for this. Never in my life have I put more time into anything, other than maybe my career now, than mh4u. I love this game so much and meticulously 100 percented this game enjoying every single second. I hadn’t thought about it for years until I found my broken 3ds in a drawer cleaning out my childhood bedroom with the game card still in the slot. I immediately went on yt to find out if anyone was still thinking about this game and found you. This was such a great nostalgia trip. Keep it up
38:54 After seeing the flat zones of Rise/SB i don't think this is even a issue. This is a cool feature which allow us to see plenty animation/interaction that monsters have with their environment. At least that's my opinion
The thing about the slopes/ledges is that they aren't always bad. But then they are, they're awful
I'm about to start this one for the first time before Wilds comes out.
Funny thing when I saw that you posted this video I couldn't stop laughing because I just started a new file on my 4U cartridge 2 weeks ago
You are a hunter who is thrust into dangerous hunts in order to eliminate threats. No village to protect. No elder crossing to solve. No rampage to prevent. This is what I love about MH4U. The game portrays hunters as special class operators that are sent out on missions to hunt. It's so cool!
You have actually made me cry because of nostalgia, because this perfect game was my first monster hunter game. I still think fondly of this master class of a game.
I still have my 3DS copy and play it whenever I'm travelling. This game introduced my favourite monster in the franchise in Nerscylla, and for that I'll be forever grateful. Fingers crossed she makes a reappearance in Wilds.
MHWI and MH4U are tied for my favorite MH game. I like more the overall gameplay of MHWI, I like the investigation quests as they make quest variety potentially infinite (while MH4U suffered from low quest variety in G-rank), the events were amazing, I very much prefer the optimized Guiding Lands as an endgame compared to the Guild Quests from MH4U and Safi'jiiva, Iceborne Raging Brachydios, MR Kulve Taroth, Iceborne Alatreon, Iceborne Fatalis and AT Velkhana were the most fantastic hunts I experienced. The technical jump from MHGenU to MHW is something the series really needed. Only one thing (well two, the bits on sticks weapons) prevents Iceborne from blowing out of the water MH4U: the tenderizing mechanic, which I consider to be even worse than the heat gauge of GL in MHGen. Thanks goodness the last update made this annoying maintenance less frustrating. IMO, Capcom should do one final update were the tenderizing mechanic goes away entirely and the hitzones are rebalanced to their World values/tenderized values, something which would be easy to do and would remove the biggest stain on an almost perfect game.
MH4U was the second MH game I played and it was a lesson in humility. My first MH game was MHFU and I did it 100% solo. I expected MH4U to be a walk in the park, only to be obliterated in HR and G-rank. The monsters moved so fast while hitting almost as hard as in MHFU, and much harder for Lv140 monsters. I would consider this game to be the hardest MH overall. Gore/Shagaru Magala are my favorite flagship monsters and I remember the first time I fought Gore for real: "Ok, I fought this guy two times already, I know how to deal with wait? What is he doing with his wings?" Gore pulls out his feelers, the area goes dark and I get destroyed by Gore Magala. The frenzy virus mechanic is IMO the best abnormal statut and the best "super state" for the monsters. Apex was very good (and scary) too, but going a bit too far with the immunity against the elements and the super armor. MH4U introduced IG and CB, my two favorite weapons since (and they were really OP in this game) and the augment system (too bad you could not roll back and get refund). Many of my favorite monsters from MHFU returned (Akantor, Ukanlos, Rajang), this was the first time I fought Zinogre and Deviljho, the monsters who made me put Evade on all my sets. Gogmazios (an XXL Shagaru Magala trading the frenzy virus for tar) is IMO the best MH final boss. An excellent game overall. My only issue was the relic armors/weapons, no night version for all the maps and the Volcanic Hollow being the same map than the Sunken Hollow (even if it was justified in the story). A 5th gen remake of MH4U would be a blast and hopefully, MH6 will be a spiritual successor of MH4U.
Mh6 needs to be a spiritual successor of mhw. I feel like that’s what’s going to be the best for mh moving forward
Let’s be honest, WI is mid
@@saturnringer267it should be the successor of 3U
How bout mh6 be its own game?
Finally those hours of pain for making a good image without the logo were worth it
Like many others, I bought the 3DS/Wii U monster hunter games, havent gotten to try them yet but hopefully this week I’ll get to it. Also, I think its interesting that 3U and Generations made it to both handheld and consoles while 4U never got a console release, kinda bummed about that personally
3U sold much better on the 3ds than the Wii U because that console was a flop and handhelds are more popular in Japan, which is probably what led to 4U being 3ds only.
As for Generation, the expansion in Japan was releasing same time as the Switch which probably motivated a switch port.
By the time they localised it for western audiences as Generations Ultimate the 3ds was on its way out, so they only translated the switch version.
MH4U was my first MH game, which made me love the franchise so much
I remember encountering hunters in the hub, I love the tavern like hub and seing it bring so many memories
And for those that played during this golden age, 3 words...
"Je suis monté"
- Me, a former french insectglaive main (I traded the baguette for a baguette launcher, I now play LBG)
I hope that the new MH games are going to be less arcardy :
- No special moves and skills, your own skils are what will decide you fate, having special moves and skills to get out of dangerous situation where you should be punished isn't great, in Rise if you get hit, the second you touch the ground you can just wirebug away from danger, it shouldn't be like that
- Makes preparation and strategy a thing again, it is part of a hunt to take the good item with you, to organize them, same with strategies, I used so much of my time creating item loadout to be effective for the type of gameplay I want to play
- Make us search the monsters (use World system to find hints but remove the bugs so that YOU have to search and think)
- Make monsters hit harder, not be more tanky, it gives more challenge, health tank are just boring at some point while fighting a monster that can kill you in a matter of a couple hit but that can also die more or less quickly can makes a battle more fun
- Bring back gunner armor, yeah it means farming two times more for a full set, but they could improve things like when crafting one piece of armor, you get both the blademaster and gunner, same for amelioration, this or they allow of to carve the monsters 2 times more and get more rewards overall (because getting like 4 scales out of a monster bigger than a house is bull****), playing gunner was also pretty dangerous and required skills, because of less defense, one hit and you're out (unless you used evade +3 and became untouchable, that thing is so good ngl) but on the other hand you could attack from range, which made things fair (and now that we can even fire on the move, having as much armor as a blademaster make things too unfair)
Je n'ai pu jouer que la démo de ce jeu, mais effectivement l'Insectoglaive était excellent :) Ce stéréotype me fera toujours délirer
You know gunners still have less defense than blademasters, right?
10/10 game it cannot be beaten
10/10 no doubt, but nowhere close as good as MHFU, MHF1 and MHP3rd LOL.
@@Ghui2626stop the cap
@@Ghui2626 Better than all 3 any day of the week.
U forgot genU exist
The summer i spent playing 4U was one of the best times in my entire life. I remember the last day of school i ditched it and spent it at home hunting nonstop.
MH4U is amazing. Not only is it my favorite Monster Hunter, it's also my favorite video game of all time.
It's crazy how much it's not even a contest for 4U/4G being THE best game in the series.
-Extremely memorable and charming npcs, making the story all the better
-Some of the best new monsters as well as a fantastic ensemble of returning ones
-Incredibly well paced Low/High/G rank progression
-Great implementation of new mounting mechanic(though it definitely can be cheesy at times)
Outside of the new weapon balance oopsies that was CB/IG and some other minor hiccups(some frustrations with Apex monsters), it's really hard to top it. I say that as someone with a heavy bias towards third gen.
WE ARE THE ONES TO GET IT DONE!
Still play it on 3ds to this day.
Yup, I emulate it and play online regularly
I didn't play the game in its heyday, but I bought it last year when I was getting into the series. Upgraded from my old 3DS to a New XL just for it and I still play it even after the online multiplayer has been shut down. It's just so peak.
4U is so good. It was the first Monster Hunter game for 3DS that allowed you to play online so that was a really big thing since 3U on 3DS could not play online.
It's interesting that the reason you disliked MHGU is exactly the reason why i really loved it. It's a treat for long time fans that have been playing since gen 1. I was quite ecstatic when i fought Zinogre, a 3rd gen monster in the jungle, a 2nd gen map, or just seeing old 1st gen map rendered in 4th gen style of graphics, it's a nostalgia bait and im happily gobbling it up
Oh no I actually really like GU. It's my third favourite Monster Hunter game actually.
It's just there's aspects of the game that I feel 4U does better and make me enjoy it more. I still really like playing GU.
I love Portable 3rd and Freedom Unite the most
But 4U was amazing, i was blown away with what they did on the 3DS
Man i wish i could play this game. The monsters of 4th gen are so diverse and unique. It‘s a crime many of these did not return to 5th gen, they have to fix this mistake in monster hunter 6. We need Seltas Queen, Zamtrios, Najarala and Dalamadur. My 3DS broke down, so if I‘m ever going to play this, it will be via emu.
Rise sells way to well for this to ever happen honestly. Since there are so many people introduced to the franchise via "big screen" releases of the Franchise they are pleased with what they have. You can tell by many things that rise - although being a great game - is also kinda cashgrabby and flawed as heck. The Designs of the new monsters IMO are for the most part pretty lame. 4U was a narrative experience, but thats just not what the majority of MonHun players want, as the World and Rise sales clearly state. Most just care about fast flashy gameplay loops. And I dont like point and blame here, its just a fact.
@@OffscreenkillVA rise was made by the "secondary team" the same on that did GU, they try new ideas wich are in the majority scrapped in teh next mainline release, but its true that the story in mhw and rise was kind of lacking (mhrise stoy is shit) so the next game will probably be something like world with a few new mechanics, and taking into consideration how they pushed the guiding lands in mhi i wouldn't be surprised if the next mainline is an open world
@@JotaPS88 and yknow what if it were to be open world and same as world it probably would take flew more years for it to come out... And we have only like 1 month till the sunbreak is over, and what waiting flew years for next title?
Just play MHFU it's way better anyways, the best game ever made imo.
Great video. I love a lot of the points brought up. However I felt I needed to point out that at some point(around the 36min mark), it was brought up how 4U had no gimmicks, I kinda disagree. Every MH has added mechanics and gimmicks. Some stayed in the series, some were only in their original game. 3 had monster exhaustion, 4u had mounting, etc.
All in all awesome video. I especially liked the in depth discussion over the post game of 4U, specifically what it does well. Not to mention the similarities and differences 4U holds with many other MH series games.
The world/4gu comparison makes me hyped about mh6, to see if already passing to the new graphic advancement lets them have a better roster and get the best of both worlds
The new mh will probably be made based on mhw:I’s direction
Fantastic video Heavy, been on a bit of a Monster Hunter binge again recently and really love to see these essay videos coming about everything monster hunter. I hope you continue your thing man. Happy hunting.
I recently setup the 3ds emulator for pc while also transferring my saves and am playing 3u and 4u again on pc which also has online functions and resolution upscaling
Hell yeah.
If they released a switch port I'd ditch every other game in a heartbeat.
I've put nearly 1000 hours in that game alone and would GLADLY go for another playthrough.
I know you said it's only legal to play on 3ds, so I'm guessing you don't agree with emulation, but I figured I'd make this comment anyway. MH4U emulated is *by far* the best way to play. Being able to play at a modern resolution with a full controller makes this imo a perfect MH game.
There's also a community driven HD texture pack that overhauls nearly every last texture in the game, and is still being updated to this day. Imo this effectively turns emulated MH4U into the remaster you want Capcom to make (barring gameplay fixes/changes ofc). The work they've done is incredible and they deserve all the praise in the world.
PS: I've been playing 4U on my Steam Deck and it runs absurdly well. Seriously it's like the game is running natively.
Definitely gonna check that out. Rise/sunbreak turned out disappointing for me and 4U always holds first place.
i still remember when mh4u came out, we (a random group of people who use to gather at a starbucks to play mh3u,.. because back then u couldnt play online) where hyping about the game on why playing mh3u, i thought to my self that we where going to keep the tradition and keep on gathering on the same starbucks, but online make it so such a thing was no longer necessary, how ever that didnt made me stop enjoying the best mh game, and that month i casually dropped around 200hs into the game, it was such a rush to complete everysingle quest while also keeping up with everyone so no one could carry or was to over level, however i will miss those days i use to gather with a bunch of randoms to enjoy what we love and most importantly share that moment something i doubt it will ever happen again
4U is so thoroughly my favorite monhun and this was a treat to watch.
Between it's perfectly realized gameplay- the best of the old school variety, to the plethora of challenge content (THAT WAS REWARDING AS HECK TO DO!), and just, so many things a comment can't concisely contain- the game just really is my favorite monhun.
Fantastic work on this :)
The caravan remains my hunting family forever Iceborne forever because of what clutch did to the game.
Ice is great, but I would do anything to return to base World and I can't because of how Clutch was retroactively added to the game.
Resent that damn thing. It was fun for a week, then all the issues, the lack of organic phases to combat because everything is enraged 100% of the time because of clutch, the tenderizing nonsense affecting so damn much of what you were doing-
It's all been said.
I just hate the dang thing. I platinumed World excitedly and with a smile on my face- poured so many hours into it loving every second.
I burnt out on and haven't even hunted all the post-launch monsters in Ice because I was entirely dead on the adjustments made by around Rajang's addition.
Good game. Whole-heartedly believe that because I loved playing Ice. But man.
Base world > iceborne is a very unpopular opinion. Iceborne is the best mh experience out there
This is an amazing review. This has convinced me to install it on my 3DS. Ive been wanting to get into Monster Hunter as a whole. I recently beat world and doing post game stuff, and im also playing Stories 1.
while not quite the same as the later games, I'd argue that jump attacks/mounting and the very effective charge blade and insect glaive are very much 4U's own combat gimmicks
i remember doing a 7th grade project about our interests at the time and i legit said monster hunter and gore magala in the class as if everybody knew what i was talking about 😅 many years later it is still a game i look back at and realize how far i came as a hunter 😎😎 (and a person 😭)
It's actually incredibly funny and sad that out of all of their franchises Capcom is so incredibly bad at preserving Monster Hunter while we've gotten remasters and ports of many of their other franchises to modern consoles and PC. MegaMan (even Battle Network), Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, etc. But Monster Hunter has only ever had HD re releases or ports to other consoles for a couple of games in the series over it's lifespan. Basically just 3 Portable and Freedom getting console releases and 3U having a 3DS and Wii U release. It's very sad.
Yeah, agreed. Seems like Capcom gives them the freedom to decide for themselves if they wanna rerelease/-make/-master them. And they don't feel like it's best for the series, unfortunately.
I'd like to add though, how Monster Hunter G was actually ported to Wii in Japan. Double Cross ofc also came to the switch. And the stories games, while spinoffs, are also now on numerous plattforms, as is Rise. Even World saw a PC release so... they're just reaaaally selective, sadly
@@Armbrust210 Rise is also a more modern release. Generally modern released games are multiplatform so there was an expectation going in for Rise to be multiplatform. Even just as far back as MH4 there was no such expectation, especially for a game released on the 3DS. Also keep in mind that the Wii release of Monster Hunter G was not only a promotional thing for Tri (it was released with a demo for Tri) it was also only 4 years after the release of G on PS2. For it's time that's about analogous to World and Rise getting PC Ports a couple of years after their launch.
Because before world, monster hunter was barely making any traction outside of Japan and Japanese typically prefer mobile platforms. Pretty easy to see why there hasn't been a push to remaster these games.
@@mcgruber The Generation 4 games all sold over 4 million units worldwide. Even if we're to assume that about half of those are from Japan (which is far from fair considering we're talking worldwide vs 1 country) that's still over 2 million sales outside of Japan for each Generation 4 entry for games that only released on one platform. That's a success by any metric.
@@765craven4 The west makes up, at most, 1/3 of sales and 4U was the first game to surpass 1 million sales in America/Europe. World has close to 40 million sales Worldwide. We are talking about 2 completely different levels of success. We are also talking about a game designed for a portable system utilising 2 screens. Emulators now still run PCs hard due to the 3D functionality incorporated. Completely different compared to something like DMC or Street fighter.
I don’t completely understand your point about 4U being a game without gimmicks, because it introduced 2 exciting new weapons to the franchise and mounting the monsters through jump attacks. It was so incredibly easy to get a mount and subsequent monster down, that I remember fumbling my way through high rank as kid by spamming jump attacks with the insect glaive. (Before discovering the wonders of the charge blade) But you’re absolutely right, the older games have a more focused feeling that’s almost lost in some of the newer titles.
Wonderful video, by the way! As someone that started the series with 4U, it’s a game I’ll always have a real soft spot for! I always enjoy seeing people share their love for the older monster hunter games 😊
Always warms my heart to see 4U praise. Got it back around the time it released but never actually got into it since my kid brain didn’t understand how it worked. Flash forward to Rise’s release and it made me give 4U a second chance. I fell in love. My only regret is not sticking with it the first time. Sad some of the content will be lost due to the eshop closure especially since I found the bonus quests involving returning characters particularly charming. Still a fantastic game regardless of what’s missing or not.
I'm in the exact same boat as you. It's awesome they put the game at $3 prior to the eshop closure.
I love every entry in this franchise, but there’s something about 4u that makes me play more then any other game besides sunbreak
I started in MHGU so that will always be my fav MH game and I know MH4U was the most popular but never understood why but this video is so well put together I finally understand it and MH4U is the most popular for good reason it's such an amazing game I will play it on Citra.. This video is so well put together so thank you..
The peak of the series imo, would love to play it on modern consoles, playing it on 3Ds kinda hurts my hands after extendet periods of playtime, wich keeps me from playing this game more...
MH4U literally saved my life. 2016 was the height of my depression and it wasn't friends or family that stopped me from ending it all... it was 4U. 4U was so so so close to perfect for me, and the idea that the next game in the series would likely be even better was the best possible reason to keep living. Of course, that didn't pan out at all since the series has continuously gone down-hill since then imo, but by that point I had gotten help dealing with my depression.
why did it went downhill in your opinion? world was great, generations were very good also, rise is the only black sheep id say
@@whitefatalis2743 As a heads up, you probably won't like my answer, and may not agree, but that doesn't change how I feel.
World was incredibly easy on launch. The ability to restock on items completely removed the potential to have long drawn out hunts where each and every potion use mattered. Those were some of the most satisfying hunts in previous games. Then, with the free updates they went overkill in cranking the difficulty up since that's what players complained about. This was the beginning of "mmo-like" mechanics that just make you fail on the spot if either your damage fell behind for a little bit or you didn't do some gimmick that distracts from the actual hunt.
Scaling monsters' HP to the number of players is the absolute worst thing to ever happen to MonHun. MonHun is designed around multiplayer. Multiplayer is supposed to be MonHun's biggest selling point. When HP scaling is added to the game, it makes players who can't pull their weight actually make the game harder for their teammates IN ADDITION to being a liability for failing the quest as they always have been. If skilled players run the risk of having a harder quest because of bad teammates, they simply won't want to play with other players. Multiplayer should ALWAYS make the game easier to keep people playing with each other. Furthermore, the introduction of SOS Flares made the multiplayer experience absolutely awful. No longer would you actually join a room and having meaningful conversations with the people you hunted several times with. No longer would you make lasting friendships with people while bonding over repeated hunts. No, if you want to do that now, you have to use an outside service like Discord. World introduced a ton of quality of life changes that made it more accessible to someone picking up the game for the first time, but almost all of those changes were to the detriment of the lasting experience of the game.
Then Iceborne released and made the core gameplay straight-up worse with the addition of the clutch claw. Despite all of that, I did still really enjoy World, but not for many of the same reasons that MonHun had been my favorite series up to this point, and it was my least favorite game in the series up to this point (by a relatively small margin), but much better than the next 2 games in to release (in western release order).
Generations/Gen Ultimate are really bad imo. Hunter Arts/Styles are the antithesis of what makes MonHun combat satisfying to me. Things like absolute evasion/readiness, valor style, and adept style are "get out of jail free cards" instead of actually having to respect the monster's patterns. Hunter Arts are cool the first few times you use them, but it ends up feeling like you're doing well because you're hitting the "win button" rather than proper timing/aim/etc. They balanced the game around Hunter Arts/Styles, so armor skills are much more limited compared to other titles, and both Hyper Monsters and Deviants have built in mechanics to encourage you to use Arts. Even if you choose to just not use them, it still just makes the game feel bad.
Pretty much every system in the game outside of combat is the worst in the series. There are absurdly long quest chains crammed into the game just to give you an excuse to interact with every character that's ever been in the series. The farm requiring you to cycle palicos is completely unnecessary and all those extra micro managing systems just end up feeling like a chore. The money distribution is so flawed that they had to distribute a ridiculous amount of golden eggs via dlc so that players would be able to actually make anything, and now that they have distributed them, no one should ever need money because they went so overboard, so it's like that whole system may as well not exist. There are a number of other similarly minor flaws that add up to just make the time between hunts feel like a chore.
Rise was insultingly unfun. It has the worst aspects of both World and Generations, while further increasing the speed of the game to button-mash, face roll, beat em up levels. It did have some nice additions that I hope will get refined for MH6, but ultimately, it just felt more like Devil May Cry or some shit than Monster Hunter. After playing 200 hours before the first free content update, I had decided I didn't like the game and would just periodically come back to play the new content. Capcom had other ideas though. When they released the first title update they also uncapped our HRs. THE PROBLEM is that they didn't retroactively award HR points like they had in EVERY other game where your HR uncaps at the end of the game AND locked the new content behind climbing to a higher HR. So they wanted me to GRIND a game that I already knew I didn't like, that I'd ALREADY played for 200 hours before deeming me worthy enough to play the new content. At that point I said fuck it and never went back. I've heard Sunbreak fixed a lot of Rise's issues, but I never got over my grudge from the giant ass middle finger that Capcom gave me in Rise, so I completely skipped it.
@@carstan62 World did many things to make the game not a big fucking chore that the previous games were. I do agree however on your difficulty point - nothing happens in this game until the high rank endgame and iceborne. I dont really care about multiplayer aspects of MH as im a solo player. Clutch claw was in my opnion a Great addition, contrary to most people.
I like generations solely because of monster variety. Newest titles lack a proper amount of good monsters - its fixed in Iceborne but comes back in Rise and even Sunbreak doesnt fix it. I also like the idea of playing as a cat and going to villages from the previous games. Other than that its too anime for me.
Rise is even more anime than generations, feeding my Hunter with some shitty rice balls not even allowing me to have a bushy beard, only some virgin moustache. Monster variety is abbysmal, base game is literally a money grab with NO content (like What are you going to fight - valstrax and narwa all the time? Amusing) and with THOUSANDS of the same, repeating and boring quests. Sunbreak doesnt fix almost anytning, adding a few fun monsters like Malzeno (which i absolutely love) but that's it. No sieges, no big Boss fights (Apart of Gaismagorm which got ONE quest), constant farming of materials for decorations and anomaly upgrades, plus Almudron and rakna kadaki exists.
Well most of the points you showed are correct, ill just defend World to the end as its one of my favorite games, ever. I was raised on Freedom Unite and World just made me cum when it came out.
@whitefatalis2743 I started with Tri and made many friendships from across the world that lasted over 10 years to this day. Tri was definitely lacking in content, but the multiplayer experience was second to none. After that, I went back to MHFU and really enjoyed that before importing MHP3 and playing every game to come out until Sunbreak.
Like I said, I did really enjoy World, despite its many flaws. It did a lot of things that I think they were on the right track for that just needed to be tweaked. I'd put it right just barely below MHFU, in my opinion. Not BAD, just held back by specific flaws and not as good as what came before.
Generations and Rise I will forever say are downright bad though.
Reading the comment chain I do agree that SOS flares ruined the multiplayer experience. I made some great friends on 4u and generations (although I didn't really enjoy generations either)
4u is the ONE!
My first game in the series was World, and while I was planning to play 4U next, I stumbled into Stories (which btw I hope you make a video on in the future). I don't prefer it over World, but as a first experience into the previous generations I enjoyed it very much, and it offered freshness on many fronts. I look forward to playing Stories 2, just as much as I look forward to playing 4U, especially after this video.