Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate

[Kong Wen]

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, which is an [expanded?] HD port of the 3DS game, is coming to Switch in North America on 28 August.

This Switch version was already released in Japan last year. I guess they figured Monster Hunter World's success in the west finally justified increased localization efforts.

The good news for all you 3DS players is that you'll be able to use your existing save data in the upgraded version of the game.

[Kong Wen]

My thoughts: this is nice for Switch players who missed out on Generations—and I suppose for the rare players who have a Switch but not one of the main consoles—but it'll be tough to step backwards after World's many and various systems improvements.

Personally, I'm interested in seeing how it'll look on the TV, since I'm not going to play MoHu on a portable.

[kitroplious]

I’ll buy this for a second time, though it will be interesting how much they keep on the cart compared to the Japanese version.

[The Shoemaker]

Correct, this is a port of Monster Hunter XX, which was an enhanced version of Monster Hunter X.

That's great news on the save data transfer, that definitely sells me on the experience. I don't want to do all the beginning stuff again so soon after World. Though my friends will be sad they sold their 3ds's to get Switch's. Wouldn't be surprised if they skip it now that they have World.

It will be a downgrade, that's for sure. I take for granted how easy it is to locate monsters now, how quick carving is and many other features introduced in World. I think I'll still enjoy it though, as there are a lot of components that make it stand out from World, and it will be nice to have Portable Hunter again.

[Jordan]

My thoughts: this is nice for Switch players who missed out on Generations—and I suppose for the rare players who have a Switch but not one of the main consoles—but it'll be tough to step backwards after World's many and various systems improvements.

Personally, I'm interested in seeing how it'll look on the TV, since I'm not going to play MoHu on a portable.

I have a very different take on this game.

Where I differ is that I feel like Generations is more like a spinoff of Monster Hunter than a Monster Hunter entry in its own right. The gameplay of Generations is very different from MH4U, and to the best of my knowledge it's very different from World as well. Generations and XX are flashier games with a bunch of goofy ass super moves and weird gameplay styles that change up the movesets of each weapon. In short, the gameplay is more like a strange alternative than a strict downgrade. World has a bunch of things that Generations and XX don't have. That is true. But Generations and XX also have a bunch of absolutely crazy things that no other Monster Hunter games have, including World and probably including any future MH titles. You can do shoryukens with the sword and shield, do over the top counter moves as well as launch into super moves using a burst gauge. The different styles and outlandish super moves that these games have will probably never be in another Monster Hunter game again. I think it might be worth picking up XX, especially if you never played Generations, just for that.

That said, I can't really vouch for the quality of XX. I'll definitely be buying it, so I'll give my impressions in August. I'm still waiting on a PC release of World.

[Kong Wen]

Yes, I'm not talking about straight-up features and combat per se, more like quality of life tweaks that just make existing as a hunter more convenient in this day and age.

I'd be strongly tempted to pick up MHW on PC as well if they would allow cross-play or at the very least cross-save.

[Jordan]

I've been playing this.

It's more like an expansion pack to Generations than a new game. Most of the game is identical to Generations. Unfortunately, my 3DS can't access the eshop and thus I was unable to transfer my data. This means I'm basically playing through Generations again as most of the legitimately new content is locked behind higher quest tiers.

That said, I've been having a decent amount of fun. I really love the styles of Generations. They make trying out new weapons more fun. I think Valor style is great. It took some getting used to, but now it feels so natural. It's really strong for certain weapons. I've been experimenting with weapons and using some that I never trifled with before, such as dual swords, gunlance and charge blade. I feel like Generations Ultimate would be a perfect game if not for the shitty gathering, which saps the fun out of everything whenever it comes into play. Everything else about GU is really enjoyable.

I couldn't get into World. The game did not run well on my PC, or at the very least, online play ran terribly. I also just don't really like the town hub and open world. I didn't feel like playing the game entirely through singleplayer, so I just refunded it and got into GU instead.

[The Shoemaker]

I've got the game ordered on Amazon, so hopefully I'll be playing this week. I'm excited to start a new start a new monster hunter where already have some good weapons and equipment! I'll have to relearn all the hunting styles though.