This looks like it's going to be on PS+ this month and I've always been curious about this franchise. Thought about getting the 3DS one in the past but looked like you need others to play with to get the most out of it.

You absolutely do not need to play the older games to enjoy the new ones. They are like Final Fantasy games in that regard. The newer ones are even more welcoming to new players as well. I started up freedom unite once and struggled with the easiest quests while doing fairly well in Monster Hunter Tri. If its going to be free its worth checking out, but don't feel obligated to play the older ones first.

If you have a Vita, it's worth pointing out that you can map the camera to the second stick. It's not impossible to play the 3DS game without a Circle Pad Pro, but it can be frustrating during underwater battles. Both are good games, though, and it's worth checking out if you can get it for free. About playing with others, the 3DS one only has local multiplayer but I believe the new one coming out will have online multiplayer. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite only has local but if you have a PS3 then you can use it to connect with other people online. There's still people playing it, but not a whole lot of people.

Can it be played solo? I'm sure technically it can, but can a person have fun with it solo, or would it be impossible to get enjoyment out of it without hundreds of hours of grinding?

I've actually spent the majority of my time with the franchise playing solo. Playing with others is fun, but I often find beating the monsters solo more satisfying.

You'll be doing some fairly heavy grinding with or without other players though, because that's kind of what Monster Hunter is about. You need to fight monsters over and over to get all the materials you need to make new weapons and armor.

It's fine to play solo. The difficulty actually ramps up if you're playing with other people and can be problematic if you're playing with people who don't carry their weight. But if you're good and you're playing with other people who are good, then it will be easier. Tons of people put hundreds of hours into playing solo, though. The main difficulty comes from being geared properly and learning the patterns, weaknesses and strengths of each monster and countering them.

Cool, thanks for the info, guys. Looking forward to checking this out in March!

Monsters don't get any stronger with more players, and the fact that the monster is only focused on one player at a time makes it significantly easier to get in damage. It's true that one shitty player can ruin a run, but most of the players still playing MHFU are probably going to be pretty badass. Yes, you can solo everything if you're good enough, but when it comes to end-game monsters like Fatalis, very few hunters are good enough.

@starvinggamer: I thought I had read they had more health, but haven't played multiplayer very much. Thanks for clearing that up. I would also guess that it's a bunch of veterans to the game that are online now, but the original post was about it coming to plus and that will probably change once that happens.