Vagrant Rant M o v i e s . G a m e s . M u s i c . "L i f e".

This guest writing week begins with a returning blogger, the man who wrote that Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate beginner’s guide for this very site a couple of years ago. Returning to one of his favourite topics, its ZaonTheFirst.

—Written by ZaonTheFirst—

—Edited/formatted by Vagrantesque—

So I am back everyone, and I have got another Monster Hunter post for you all! It has been just over a month since the release of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, and let me tell you, it is by far, my favourite Monster Hunter game in the series to date. Honestly, I am glad Capcom have managed to release a game worthy of taking the title of “The best Monster Hunter game” from its previous, long-time holder, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP. These are just some of my thoughts on MH4U as a whole.
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1. Online multiplayer is always fantastic

I cannot stress how important online multiplayer is for a game like this. I say this because the whole concept is that you get into a party of 2-4 hunters (or solo if you want) and strategically take down a gigantic, hard-hitting, and yet majestic-looking beast. It’s so good to see that MH4U has included multiplayer, as opposed to its previous instalment, which to be honest is essentially redundant at this point. Just having the ability to hunt with not just random people all over the world, but your friends as well (Shout outs to all you!) has made the overall gaming experience of MH4U a lot more fulfilling, and I’ve been a lot more motivated to stick with it. To put things into perspective,
– Hours on MH3U on 3DS – 27 hours.
– Hours on MH4U on 3DS – 386 hours and still going
Online multiplayer is the main reason for such a huge difference in time spent on each game. I really think it’s a crucial feature for a Monster Hunter game, so I am glad that they incorporated it into MH4U.

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2. This game will push your boss fighting abilities to their limits

After about two weeks of playing, I finally reached what is called “ Gold Crown G-Rank”, the highest Hunter Rank that the game has to offer, and the boss fights that I have experienced on my journey to Gold Crown G-Rank (let’s face it: EVERY quest in this game is a boss fight) have been some of the most intense, most memorable and most enjoyable boss fights I have ever had in any Monster Hunter game ever… actually scratch that – any video game in general ever. Without giving away spoilers, here are some of my favourite Boss Monsters so far:

– The Chameleos – You can’t hit what you can’t se- OH MAN, THE POISON HURTS.
– The Dahren Moh’ran – I’m on a wooden boat against a gigantic Elder Dragon… I don’t see how this could possibly go wrong.
– The Teostra – Is he 10 seconds away or 2 seconds away from ending his rage mode? Do you feel lucky, punk?
– The Dalamadur – “Omg that’s a giant love-child-of-Zed-and-Shenron thingy. Holy ^&*^ it’s massive” – An actual quote from a friend of mine
– The Gore Magala and every variant of him – HE’S INFECTED. PUT ‘IM DOWN!
– The Gogmazios – a.k.a if Godzilla was capable of flying… nope.jpg
– *@#^ING RAJANG AND HIS MOUTH LASERS AND SUPER SAIYAN 2 AND HIS – oh, I died. Neat.
– Zinogre – THAT MUSIC THOUGH.
– Anything with Apex in its name.

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3. Free DLC

Yes, you read that correctly, FREE DLC. Enough said. In fact, the April DLC pack for MH4U arrived very recently. What’s included in the DLC? Extra costumes and quests, which means more weapons and armour for you to tinker with… Which reminds me, who’s keen to do The Legend of Zelda-themed quests with me? I want that Bow.

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4. Guild Quests and Expeditions are the MH additions you didn’t even know you wanted

For quite some time, people have often compared the ‘slaying monsters so I can get loot to slay harder monsters so I can get better loot’ system to the Diablo games, and with Guild Quests and Expeditions implemented into MH4U, the similarities are a lot more apparent. Expeditions are essentially ‘free hunts’ from previous MH games, wherein you wander off into a map, however this time around the map is randomly generated (just like in Diablo). Your task during these expeditions is to gather, explore and hunt a maximum of five boss monsters. Once you successfully complete an expedition, you have a chance of unlocking a Guild Quest. These are special kinds of “Hunt-x-Monster(s)” quests because the more times you complete them, the harder the boss monster becomes, and the better the chance of insanely good loot. In addition to this, these Guild Quests can be sent to other hunters you meet online. They’re great fun.

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5. The soundtrack is, as always, amazing

There’s nothing else left for me to say on that matter.
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6. MH4U has an AMAZING welcome

The first five minutes of the game has you thrown head first into an intense keeping-yourself-alive scenario. You really hit the ground running. I have played all the portable instalments of Monster Hunter, and I have never felt more welcomed into a Monster Hunter game than those first five minutes of MH4U. It definitely put me in a good mood to see what else the game was capable of throwing at me in terms of overall content.

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So, that sums up most of my thoughts on the game. MH4U is essentially everything I wanted it to be and A LOT more. If you own any variation of a Nintendo 3DS, I highly suggest you give it a try. Now if you’ll excuse me, this has put in a mood to hunt some stuff. I’ll hopefully see out there, and if I do, don’t get wrecked.

If I may indulge in some editorialising, I have put over 30 hours of my own into this game, and I would also add:

7. A surprisingly funny and effective localisation, granting another dimension to single player

8. Genuine attention to deep, layered stereoscopic 3D visuals built on top of a wonderful art style

9. Actual use of the New 3DS’ extra processing power regarding monster textures and such