@negativegray: I get the point of making the bowgun stationary, but I never found it a fun weapon to use. You may not like that change, but I do.
The problem with paintballs wasn't so much that it used up inventory space, is that it was a barely utilized use of space that felt half-assed. You mark the monster when you find it and then it's basically a worthless waste of space. It was a mechanic that never added anything to the game for me. It was just kinda there, because they needed a way to keep track of monsters and they didn't have any better ideas apparently. This new scout fly mechanic is not perfect, but it is a way more interesting idea to have in the game and I hope they continue to refine it in the future, much like a lot of ideas they have implemented over the years that started out less than perfect.
Rathalos is an apex predator of that map, yes, the very first map in the game, full of low tier monsters. Also considering we have yet to see any see any sign of a Rathian it's very possible the Rathalos has simply taken its place as the low tier dragon of the game. It's also possible the developers were only talking in regards to the demo map, meaning the hierarchy right now is as simple as Great Jagras < Anjanath < Rathalos, which we have already seen in action. Until the game is out this is all conjecture.
Also as was mentioned, everything was apparently tuned down for the demo, not to mention full sets of gear and weapons before even fighting them the first time, so there's that too. Although I can't imagine it was a lot, considering what I've seen hasn't been that different than my experiences with previous Monster Hunter's. You get 4 people wailing on those low tier monsters and the fights are an absolute joke.
@negativegray: Honestly I consider the vast majority of that stuff improvements. The stationary nature of the bowgun, for example, was always the biggest turn-off of that weapon for me, but now I kinda want to use one. (Although you're still stuck in place for your big power shots, on both the bow and bowgun, which is fine.) I'm pretty sure the developers have said the reason for the increased mobility is because the lack of zones means there's no longer safe places to escape to for a breather, and that's a 100% acceptable trade-off imo.
The only thing I'm iffy about right now are the scoutflies leading you to your target. I'm perfectly okay with ditching paintballs, because they were kind of dumb inventory clutter, and I actually love the idea of using actual animal tracking techniques, like footprints, to find your target. I would just like a better middle-ground that's less straightforward, like until you actually find the target you only get a general direction where the monster probably is. But honestly, even if it's exactly as handholdy as it looks that's only a minor complaint. It's not the reason I play Monster Hunter.
Also, your first encounter with Rathalos usually isn't all that tough either. Definitely tougher than Great Jaggi, but I remember the first time I fought one (solo) I beat it without significant trouble. It didn't require anywhere near the preparation of the high rank monsters. (In a group of 4 those first encounters are always stupidly easy imo, which is why I always clear the story solo first.) You also have to consider that this time around Rathalos is in the very first area of the game in seemingly some pretty low tier quests. So regardless of its rank or difficulty in previous games, that doesn't necessarily mean it holds the same tier in World. For all we know Rathalos is newb fodder and there are way tougher enemies later, where you might expect to face a Rathalos normally. It's too early to say anything definitively.
As someone who's been into MH since FU, this looks like Monster Hunter for people who hate Monster Hunter.
My fear is that it is full of scripting and straightforward fights with dumb monsters that are just hitsponges that do a lot of damage. Preparation used to be paramount to do well in the game, with choosing the right weapon, element, armor and items. That seems to have gone mostly out of the window.
I'm glad they at least kept the Whitstone part. It was a pretty crucial part in MH's slow, thoughtful combat. Still feel like it will be too actiony and too little 'watch the monster and learn', though.
Still going to buy this bloody game on day one because I'm an idiot, but I expect nothing good.
I really have no idea how you can possibly claim this based on the limited gameplay that has been shown. Limited game footage of early game monsters I should add, which are always pretty simple fights to ease people into the game. You can't possibly claim a Great Jaggi (or whatever equivalent you want to name) requires any notable amount of preparation to take down. All things considered, that Anjanath actually seems to have more complex behavior than your average early game monster. Every MH game lets you pretty much solo your way through the story with only minimal consideration for preparation. (I know because I always do exactly that.) It's not until you get to the high ranks where that stuff actually becomes paramount.
Even if they are doing a few things here and there to make the game more accessible, the vast majority of this game seems to be literally identical to previous games. Frankly I think there's zero chance someone who actively hates MH could ever like this game. The only people who I can see liking this one that have not done so before are people who were already on the verge of liking it. They just needed a small push. (For example, I think Brad could end up liking this one, but Jeff still most likely won't.)
And even as someone who does like MH, most of these changes are things I'm quite happy to see and in many cases things I've wanted from the series for a long time, like open-zones, or actual interactive ecosystems. Not to mention the reaction from hardcore fans who got their hands on it at Gamescon seems to be overwhelmingly positive, so you should probably avoid speaking for the Monster Hunter fanbase as a whole.
On the subject of "tanking", that has never really been a thing in MH before, that I'm aware of, but it might be in World, thanks to that new challenger mantle that focuses all attention on the person wearing it. It seems like people have mostly been viewing it as a way to lure monsters where you want them to be, but giving it to a sword and shield, lance, or even a hammer user while everyone else wails on it from behind (or shoots at a distance, or buffs the party with the hunting horn) could prove to be a pretty effective strategy. Especially if coupled with that mantle that reduces damage and stagger.
The only problem is that I believe the challenge mantle deactivates as soon as you take damage, so your "tank" would need to be damn good at avoiding damage. Also I don't know if blocking with a shield would also deactivate it. I hope not.
This is definitely my most anticipated game on the horizon. I've been waiting soooooo long for a proper console Monster Hunter. The last one was basically Tri on Wii, but even that was a less than ideal platform to capitalize on the series strengths.
@pyrodactyl: Unless you have a slow reaction speed it is entirely possible to react to obstacles in a Sonic game. At least in classic Sonic. More recent Sonic games have suffered from that problem, which is one of the reasons they've been bad, but if you had that problem in Sonic 1 that's kind of on you.
Yes, they have their share of canned running sections where it's a largely a hands-off showcase of speed (which basically never have obstacles) , but those are a small minority in a good Sonic game. The vast majority is spent at a more moderate speed with reactable objects or the more deliberate platforming sections where you can't possibly not see the obstacles.
"Gotta go fast" is actually more of a modern Sonic marketing slogan. Everyone forgot that old-school Sonic was not actually that fast most of the time. It knew it needed to slow down sometimes and that's why it worked. Modern Sonic games only remembered the "fast" part and introduced more and more canned running sections and unrealistic speed.
Even with the positive buzz I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to play this, but seeing it in action it is surfacing some long dormant Sonic feelings and urges. It has reminded why I always liked Sonic more than Mario.
Sonic may have spent most of his life in the ditches, but if they can finally make a Sonic that gets me excited about Sonic again then props to them. That's more than I can say about some other platformers.
This sounds like this might be a bit too depressing and raw for me right now, but his was hardly even on my radar before and now there's a good probability I'll give it a try someday.
That's a sign of an effective review. Great job Brad.
@ivdamke: I'm not talking about things like business management. Those are the long form grindy side things they should only dabble with at most. (Hostess clubs would be a later series example.) I'm thinking more of the more straightforward quests like the dominatrix or Miracle Johnson. Those don't take up that much time and would often lead to some of the best moments in the series. They shouldn't avoid stuff like that. Things like bowling, even though it led to one of the funniest scenes in the whole game, I'm glad they didn't grind it out themselves.
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