19 replies to this topic

[Phanto]

Hello all,

I am a long time JRPG fan, from all the way back in the 80's. Today's RPGs are a far cry from the epic adventures they used to be, so I haven't bought a new one since... I think Golden Sun. It's been a very long time. I would love to give some more modern action RPGs a chance, so I downloaded the demo for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and I'm not impressed. Actually, to be perfectly honest I was severely disappointed. For a series that gets so much hype, I've never been so bored.

In an effort to really understand the appeal of these modern-day action RPGs I'm asking you, the fans, to please explain why this series has gained so much attention. What is it that appeals to you?

To be honest, roaming aimlessly around a vast land scape and beating an animal to death doesn't scream "fun." Maybe that's just me?

Thank you,
Phanto

Edited by Phanto, 26 February 2013 - 03:47 PM.

[Big Boss]

I have no idea how to play Monster Hunter, so that's why I got bored of it.

[Structures]

the demo basically doesnt have any rpgs elements to it whatsoever the actual game has character progression and quests

[Crispy Bacon]

Yeah, I downloaded the demo, played it and walked away disappointed too. I won't give up on it yet though. I'm sure there is much more to it.

[Colinx]

I also downloaded the demo was a bit clueless.

[SPG]

demo was horrible imo, i would rent it from gamefly or soemthing.... or blockbuster if it still exists

[YoshiGamer9]

Idk, I suck at it...

[Mitch]

Yeah I got the demo and was quite lost.... and that bunny of doom is really tough o_e

demo was horrible imo, i would rent it from gamefly or soemthing.... or blockbuster if it still exists

Could always go to Family Video :3

[xile6]

I plyed some on the psp back in the day.It was ok but it seems like what your doing is hunting animals and getting there parts to make items and meds for other people.

I may check it out on the 3ds and see.Or maybe just dig out my psp and play that some more to get a better understanding.
i only played it for like 20mins

[Scizor]

First of all, Monster Hunter isn't an RPG, and I'd hardly consider it modern, since it's followed basically the same formula since the first game and is very different from current action adventure games.

The main appeal of Monster Hunter is its challenge. Maybe you beat the Lagomi (or did you?) just by whaling away at it, but that won't work for most monsters. Most weapons require good timing and prediction, so when you're fighting monsters that are much faster than you, it can get pretty tough.

Another appeal is multiplayer. Online monsters are tougher than they are in single player, so you need good teamwork and weapon diversity to take them down.

One last thing I really like about Monster Hunter is that your character has no stats, so the only way to improve is through practice and observation, not grinding like your typical RPG. You can make better weapons and armor, but these are useless if you're a bad player.

Edited by Scizor, 26 February 2013 - 05:35 PM.

[3Dude]

Its not an rpg. Some people would argue it is, but if you use their logic, EVERY game is an RPG.

Story is inconsequential. And tri has the most in depth story in the series. And its irrelevant.

There are no levels, no experience points, no grinding for character stat improvements to make monsters easier.

All stats are directly tied to the armor worn, and the armor can pretty much only be aquired by killing monsters and then wearing them as armor.

You are not a badass like in other games, slaughtering oversized underpowered lobotomized enemies by the hundred with no effort required.

You hunt the badasses. You are small, fragile, slow, and weak. Like a human compared to any real large animal. Your power comes from the fact you are smarter than animals.

Because you will NEVER be stronger than them. No matter what (almost what) equipment you have, the lowliest monster will still destroy clueless hunters. Because youbare not the badass. The monster is.

Like in the demo. Those armors and weapons are INCREDIBLY high ranking, and the monsters are low level 2 star mission monsters. And they are kicking a lot of butts.

Hell one armor and weapon set is made from the boss of monster hunter tri's single player campaign.

Which is where the appeal in monster hunter lies. Its HARD and there no tricks, no cheats, and no easy way outs. You HAVE to have the skills, or you will not advance.

This makes each victory over a new monster a monumental acheivment that feels incredible, a feeling that you will simply not find in other games. Because you dont actually acheive anything in comparison.

Past that are things like combining items to discover new items, enhancing stats through armor and gem customization, unlocking skills like the ability to run longer, attack faster, do more damage, poison immunity etc, by mixing and matching armor skill points and using gems in armor slots.

Gathering resources to properly prepare for hunts, (gathering the raw resources to make potions etc), mining ore required for various reasons, and building up the cities economy (which basically makes hunt preperation go much, much, faster).

[The Lonely Koopa]

Its not an rpg. Some people would argue it is, but if you use their logic, EVERY game is an RPG.

Story is inconsequential. And tri has the most in depth story in the series. And its irrelevant.

There are no levels, no experience points, no grinding for character stat improvements to make monsters easier.

All stats are directly tied to the armor worn, and the armor can pretty much only be aquired by killing monsters and then wearing them as armor.

You are not a badass like in other games, slaughtering oversized underpowered lobotomized enemies by the hundred with no effort required.

You hunt the badasses. You are small, fragile, slow, and weak. Like a human compared to any real large animal. Your power comes from the fact you are smarter than animals.

Because you will NEVER be stronger than them. No matter what (almost what) equipment you have, the lowliest monster will still destroy clueless hunters. Because youbare not the badass. The monster is.

Like in the demo. Those armors and weapons are INCREDIBLY high ranking, and the monsters are low level 2 star mission monsters. And they are kicking a lot of butts.

Hell one armor and weapon set is made from the boss of monster hunter tri's single player campaign.

Which is where the appeal in monster hunter lies. Its HARD and there no tricks, no cheats, and no easy way outs. You HAVE to have the skills, or you will not advance.

This makes each victory over a new monster a monumental acheivment that feels incredible, a feeling that you will simply not find in other games. Because you dont actually acheive anything in comparison.

Past that are things like combining items to discover new items, enhancing stats through armor and gem customization, unlocking skills like the ability to run longer, attack faster, do more damage, poison immunity etc, by mixing and matching armor skill points and using gems in armor slots.

Gathering resources to properly prepare for hunts, (gathering the raw resources to make potions etc), mining ore required for various reasons, and building up the cities economy (which basically makes hunt preperation go much, much, faster).

What he said,I Iiked the demo but I guess I also played tri on the wii even if I only played online since I didn't consider myself good enough to solo a monster but that being said the demo's bunny was actually for me pretty easy haven't tried the hard mission yet.

Edited by The Lonely Koopa, 26 February 2013 - 06:50 PM.

[Phanto]

First of all, Monster Hunter isn't an RPG, and I'd hardly consider it modern, since it's followed basically the same formula since the first game and is very different from current action adventure games.

The main appeal of Monster Hunter is its challenge. Maybe you beat the Lagomi (or did you?) just by whaling away at it, but that won't work for most monsters. Most weapons require good timing and prediction, so when you're fighting monsters that are much faster than you, it can get pretty tough.

Another appeal is multiplayer. Online monsters are tougher than they are in single player, so you need good teamwork and weapon diversity to take them down.

One last thing I really like about Monster Hunter is that your character has no stats, so the only way to improve is through practice and observation, not grinding like your typical RPG. You can make better weapons and armor, but these are useless if you're a bad player.

Ok. This makes more sense. I can see how this would work as a game, and I didn't know this wasn't an RPG because I was told specifically by a GameStop employee that it is an Action RPG. I guess those guys don't know what they're talking about sometimes?

I think I will rent this game and see how I enjoy the full adventure. So, there are no RPG elements in it?

Edited by Phanto, 27 February 2013 - 09:19 AM.

[Joshua West]

Honestly Xenobade is probably a better way to get into modern RPG's

[Joshua]

That demo for Monster Hunter was a terrible way to introduce someone into the franchise. The game itself is much more than what that demo offers. I reckon CAPCOM should have put more effort into it.

[3Dude]

Ryozo Tsujimoto-

"We've got a very clear vision of what a Monster Hunter game is," Tsujimoto said. "If we were to change the game system and what we believe is Monster Hunter to something else, then we don't have to name it Monster Hunter. We would just call it something else."

"In order for it to be Monster Hunter we are obliged to keep the essence of Monster Hunter, but at the same time make some innovations so it doesn't stagnate."

"We don't want to betray the existing fans for the sake of getting new people in."

One aspect of Monster Hunter some have complained over the years is its sometimes brutal difficulty, but Tsujimoto refuses to budge on this.

"At the end of the day, Monster Hunter is an action game," he said. "It's got to be challenging. It's got to be solid in that sense. Not to the extent that it's heartbreaking. But it's got to have significant points to it.

"You have a breakthrough. You hit a wall. You ponder for a bit. And then you breakthrough again. There are significant steps where you are satisfied in each, but it's never heartbreaking. It's a matter of balance in that sense."
 

[BanjoKazooie]

I love challenging games like dark souls and super mario bros 2, but this game wasn't even fun. It's basically mashing a button a bunch of time. I'm guessing was just a very bad representation of the game. Hopefully it gets better.

[Alex Wolfers]

The best part about MH is the multiplayer. Don't get me wrong it's still fun without it but being able to play with others really elevates the experirence.

[KingBoo]

I love challenging games like dark souls and super mario bros 2, but this game wasn't even fun. It's basically mashing a button a bunch of time. I'm guessing was just a very bad representation of the game. Hopefully it gets better.

smashing a button for you maybe. take away the crap load of supplies the demo gives you and see how much you just "mash a button". 

[ChrisD]

3Dude's post is excellent and said pretty much everything that needs to be said in terms of explaining the game.

 

I love challenging games like dark souls and super mario bros 2, but this game wasn't even fun. It's basically mashing a button a bunch of time. I'm guessing was just a very bad representation of the game. Hopefully it gets better.

 

Ohoho, that's definitely just the demo there. Starting off in Monster Hunter can be brutal if you just button mash. Two~three attacks will kill you if you're not careful, so you MUST learn when to dodge. To do that you have to observe the enemy. From there on you have to learn how to combo your dodges with your attacks. You don't have time to button mash whenever you're running for your life.

 

The demo really is a bad representation. Dropping out any signs of harvesting or weapon/armor crafting was silly of Capcom, as that's a vital part to the game. This demo in particular would be great in Japan where it was made, but they should have made America/Europe their own.

 

The best part about MH is the multiplayer. Don't get me wrong it's still fun without it but being able to play with others really elevates the experirence.

 

It's like multiplayer was born for Monster Hunter.