Out of all of the different developers that have worked on Nintendo's 3DS handheld, Capcom may be the best — in fact, for the most part, Capcom's only real competition on the 3DS seems to come from Nintendo itself. Series like Resident Evil, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and Street Fighter IV have all seen success on Nintendo's handheld ... but there's one series in particular that stands out from the rest.
Monster Hunter has always been one of the best action-RPG experiences in the industry. Its blend of weighty combat, giant monsters and crafting is still unique in the industry — long story short, you won't find anything quite like it anywhere else. Also, despite what the overall sales numbers may imply, the series has always been top-notch.
The latest game in the series, Monster Hunter Generations, is almost like a Greatest Hits album. Characters, monsters, weapons and environments from the entire franchise have come together to create a showcase for the series as a whole ... but after the stellar experience that was 2013′s Monster Hunter 4U, is a callback to prior games really enough for fans to get excited?
After playing through the first dozen hours or so ... well, it's still hard to tell.
Unfortunately, the story of Generations is something of a step backwards for the franchise. Players take on the role of a nameless Hunter, one tasked with helping the villages of a particularly monster-infested lands. It's a story that the series is well-acquainted with, and it's extremely simple ... in fact, it's too simple.
Few fans would ever claim that Monster Hunter has pushed video game storytelling forward, but the last 3DS title did a fantastic job of introducing players to the world of the game through a cast of lovable, goofy characters. Monster Hunter 4U wasn't just about slaying monsters, it was about pushing forward, exploring exotic lands and helping people in need. Simply put, it felt like players were leaving their mark on the world.
Sadly, Generations doesn't feature anything like that throughout its opening hours. Completing quests is more about checking boxes off a list — there's no sense that fighting off monsters and helping villagers out is actually making an impact on what happens next. Compared with earlier entries in the series, it's pretty much par for the course — but considering that Capcom absolutely nailed the sense of progression in last game, Generations' step backwards is an odd one.
With any luck, the game's narrative will improve over time — but judging from the first several hours of play, Generations features a much weaker storyline than its predecessor.
In the end, the strength of any Monster Hunter title is in the gameplay. Thankfully, Generations doesn't try to fix what wasn't broken: the vast majority of the tried-and-true Monster Hunter gameplay mechanics have returned untouched, and the few new additions generally add to the experience.
The basics of monster hunting remain the same: pick a weapon, pick a quest and go to work. Combat in Generations is slower than some may expect — there's a real sense of weight to the different weapons. Considering their size, it makes sense, and the heavy focus on timing adds a layer of complexity to the relatively simple combo list.
Generations' biggest addition to the gameplay are new Hunter Styles. Instead of simply picking out a weapon, players can now choose one of four different fighting styles that subtly change how combat works. One style may focus on high-flying acrobatics, while another will focus on quickly charging special attacks, and it's up to players to decide which style works best for them.
The only real problem with Hunter Styles is that they don't do enough to change up the gameplay. These are subtle tweaks more than anything else: longswords are still centered around combos, hammers are all about getting up close and hunting horns provide parties with a support class. Hunter Styles certainly don't break the flow of combat, but their addition doesn't drastically change the game, either.
At the end of the day, Monster Hunter Generations is a great game. Grabbing a sword and charging headfirst toward a giant armored toad is just as fun as it always has been, and Monster Hunter remains a unique action-RPG experience and an excellent handheld experience.
However, throughout the first dozen hours of the game, Generations takes a few steps backward. Grinding through uninspired fetch quests isn't fun, especially when there's no weight or gravity to the story. Hunter Styles are a novel idea, but they don't do enough to change the gameplay. Combat and traversal still feel fantastic, but there's nothing in the first few hours that takes advantage of them. It's an incremental step forward at best — and given the fact that it's been three years since the last game launched, that may come as a major disappointment to some fans.
As a result, Monster Hunter Generations can be hard to recommend. Again, it's a great game, and there's a lot of fun to be had — but compared with the last entry in the series, it can feel like a step in the wrong direction.
Monster Hunter games tend to get better the more you play them ... hopefully, the same holds true for Generations.
