Hopelessly Hooked on Hunting | Monster Hunter Rise REVIEW

This is my review of Monster Hunter Rise. I...really like this game.
If you like what I do, please consider supporting me on Patreon!
/ arlostuff
TWOOTER: @ArloStuff
BOOKFACE: ArloStuff
This video was edited by the excellent Yoshiller!
/ yoshiller
Additional gameplay footage provided by CharlesCBernardo and PraisedScooter.
"Reloaded Installer #11" by LHS.
/ @lhschiptunes

[@ArloStuff]

Since recording this review I have played so much more and I am now an insect glaive user for life.

[@lukiepoika5140]

Ok

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

yes

[@aaroncampbell586]

Nice, I share a main with Arlo

[@kevinjr6650]

Ben waiting for this 😬

[@plopperson]

Glaive users rise up. Been maining it since it came out, and it's better than ever in Rise 🤟

[@handoroxpurooskotto2771]

Seeing red sharpness in the video multiple times hurt my soul

[@GreyWandererXD]

Yeah, reminds me of the RGT 85 Review of Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. I hated seeing the red sharpness and him talking about hunts taking forever.😅

[@-siranzalot-]

As did the frequent uses of normal LBG ammo and overall low tier Equipment against stronger monsters like Narga or Almudron.

[@TheTrains13]

It was hilarious how he didn't seem to notice that low sharpness causes bounces, he only mentioned damage numbers, he also ran real low tier HH.... FUNNY

[@070279381]

shows he is noobs

[@mekudu-man3804]

@@-siranzalot- uff

[@OtherMomo]

It's funny how in rise, I can be connected to a large map with four other people for as long as 50 minutes at any one time, multiple runs on any given day, but at my internet peak, smash tells me the connection is too weak to even try connecting.

[@samboi123]

Imagine if they tweaked the concept of Smash Run and changed up the maps’ size and selection. That’s a perfect online co-op idea!

[@rowellbeast]

Before that, MHGU was the only game that worked fine online.

[@zackmhuntr25]

Nintendo is just not that good when it comes to online. thank god MH is made by Capcom.

[@skimaskedabi]

@@zackmhuntr25 street fighter 5's netcode is as almost as bad if not worse than smash's netcode they did good with this game though it seems but historically capcom handling the netcode isnt something to be excited about

[@buragi5441]

@@rowellbeast 4U had a good online too. I dropped out of the session only a few times and that was because my internet is utter garbage.

[@Bimbus225]

“One thing I don’t like is the weapon-sharpening mechanic” *weapon is 80% orange*

[@matthewmuir8884]

Yeah; I'm brand new to the game and I noticed that as well. I also noticed that he keeps letting his max stamina go all the way to the minimum amount. Does he not eat a single ration or energy drink?

[@extraemontamontes3618]

@@matthewmuir8884 thats his editor

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@extraemontamontes3618 Ah. That makes sense. Still; that means that the editor hasn't noticed the stamina bar depletion.

[@Bimbus225]

@@matthewmuir8884 he probably did notice but was able to play well with it anyway. More power to him

[@jennifergriel861]

You see that name in the top corner? That’s his editor Yoshiller. This isn’t his footage.

[@BlueBobOmbs]

I can't believe Arlo talked about how the music was forgettable while playing footage of a Khezu hunt - he has the best theme in the series!

[@YojimboJames]

Honestly though, the narga remix and the desert and volcano themes slap hard.

[@WolfLykaios]

Sometimes I want this meme to die, sometimes I want to meme harder.

[@lajk85]

🤣🤣🤣🤣👌

[@miketaggard309]

The music starts when a monsters sees you but Khezu is blind so he has no music :)

[@rexthesheep]

Zinogre's theme is stuck in my head at the moment. JX's Sonic Battle remix of it certainly hasn't helped.

[@matthiasweaver7810]

"There's nothing to collect in the maps" Each map has 12 hidden messages to go find on the map, and if you find them all it gives a hint to find a rare creature.

[@USZDF]

I’ve heard of the rare creatures you have to take pics of but what’s the point of finding them?

[@Lutyrannus]

@@USZDF just for fun. They're cool as hell.

[@USZDF]

@@Lutyrannus fair enough, just something else to collect in the game lol.

[@SeddyAm]

Me completing all rare creature before able to complete the notes and 3 locals I've only completed and with the 1 notes of each local I yet to complete.

[@davidmcc9141]

@@USZDF Also just to add, you can do gestures to them and they interact with you. It's just a fun little thing you can do that adds a little flavor to the local. Just don't shadow box.

[@jib4622]

Ah, yes... Monster Hunter has claimed another soul...

[@TheKingRiku]

Shout out to Simpleflips

[@SabirTheHuman]

This review has made me interested in the series and my soul has been claimed as well due to the demos.

[@khanhnguyen-tt3ff]

Lol I used to remember my first monster game were I used iron weapon first tier to fight kuku and barely kill him off. I think that one was two on the ps2(sadly I rent the game cant finish it in time)

[@marioalbertomoreno3819]

another Dark Soul... ok no, bad joke

[@JMrealgamer]

I don’t know about that. We were once hunters before. Now we can hunt again. Virtually.

[@stevenn1940]

I disagree with your assertions about sharpness being unnecessary: there's a massive difference between different colors, and the fact that different weapons have differe t amounts of the different colors adds more layers to preperation or execution to maximize your effectiveness. For example, the hi ninja sword (the 100% affinity sword and shield they recently added). It has a massive chunk of green sharpness. You can either 1) get the most benefits of having green (bludgeoner 3, mind's eye) and be content knowing you'll never need to sharpen, or 2) get a few points of handicraft to push it into a tiny sliver of blue sharpness, and get skills and fight to peraerve that tiny bit of blue (razor sharp, master's touch, protextive polish, using the shield basher move since shield attacks don't use sharpness, etc).

[@roughjuff]

Agreed. Planning around sharpness, negative/positive affinity, slots, etc. differentiates weapons and prevents some power creep. If sharpness wasn't a factor, some weapons would never be used. For me it feels like the weapons are actual weapons. Like weapon A has high sharpness but the metal breaks easily but weapon B has sturdier metal but cant get as sharp. Or something on the lines of that since not every weapon is metal.

[@bagodrago]

I kinda get that it adds more to the strategy in terms of planning what types to bring and use, but why does the act of using it actively take you out of the action? If something like that was automatic and took a single button (or button after scrolling through menus, whatever is best) to use? Like, instead of making you sit out for several seconds, if it immediately took affect, you could still have the strategy and constant vigilance the player needs to maintain their weapons during battle, but it wouldn't make the game actively less fun by forcing you to stop in the middle of the action to do it...

[@stevenn1940]

@@bagodrago to put it bluntly, to let you decide when you want to do it. That's why most weapons have a variety of colors. Let's say you have a weapon with a fairly small section of white sharpness, and a decent sized portion of blue. You're early in an engagement, but you've gone into the blue portion. You knock the monster down: do you want to press the advantage, getting in damage while it's down? Or do you take part of the short window to sharpen up? And just because it does fall into lower colors doesn't mean you "have" to sharpen. You can keep fighting, doing lower damage however. Maybe it's almost over, and you just need to push to the end, or you can tell the monster is going to run soon which will give you time to freshen up. Or maybe you're low in sharpness and health, and since you're so low in HP, you can't risk the exposure that sharpening would take, so you run, to sharpen and heal up. Besides the fact that if it didn't have an in-hunt factor, it would be a pointless mechanic. For example, protective polish. You can have something with barely any white, and take a whetfish or speed sharpening dango, or speed sharping skills (gee almost like there's quite a few ways to sharpen faster), so you only sharpen in one or two strokes, making it quicker than drinking a potion. It adds complexity. Complexity and depth that sets it apart from other, mindless, hack and slash games. You have to think about what you're doing, keep in mind various elements. That's the point. Planning, preperation, performance, it adds more to each.

[@stevenn1940]

@@bagodrago also, if your sharpening in the middle of a fight, you've made a mistake, either in your planning, your preparation, or your performance. You should have to only sharpen *after* a fight, this mechanic exists to punish people that don't take it into consideration by making them do less damage in a fight or sharpening in the middle of one, and rewards those who plan and prep by allowing them to do more damage for a longer period.

[@robertjif6337]

He is new, he will understand one day, capcom did not explain anything about it in this game, and ur weapon rarely bounces

[@ppleakage2785]

The reason it took so long for this review to release was because Arlo wouldn’t stop playing Monster Hunter Rise

[@T-Dawg75]

I know it’s a joke, but I think it’s actually the truth

[@someguy9052]

@@T-Dawg75 It’s both, he actually mentioned this in a previous video lol

[@T-Dawg75]

@@someguy9052 I know, I watched that video

[@jackgarcia5926]

Understandable, have a nice hunt.

[@KairuHakubi]

i don't blame him one bit. Funny too how nintendo's online services have blown chunks for so long, and now theyre finally good because they upgraded their servers. I wonder if Capcom gave them a nudge.

[@ZetaNiGHT]

I believe the intent of the sharpening system, and I make no claims that it was successful, but I think the idea is that it contributes to the balance factor between weapons? Some weapons are very strong in terms of their raw numbers but their sharpness is very finite, so in order to maintain that DPS you have to either sharpen frequently or use armor skills that mitigate the need to sharpen as often or at least make it easier. The alternative, of course, is to get weapons that have really long sharpness, and there are absolutely at least a few in every weapon type but you can get through a hunts with a single monster without having to sharpen. It's not the most fun mechanic to be sure but it's one of the ways that you can tailor your experience in 1 way or another

[@cassplss]

It also helps balance between the ranged and melee options. In the first monster hunter games, you had a limited number of sharpens/whetstones per hunt - and a limited amount of ammo if you were bringing a ranged weapon. In World, they gave melee weapons infinite sharpening, and they gave ranged weapons infinite ammo in the ability to access your item box at camp. You're not wrong, there's just an additional element to it

[@ZetaNiGHT]

@@cassplss yeah absolutely that too!

[@Rakrune]

Yeah, I play great sword, and the main reason the goss harag is the highest damage in the game is because of sharpness modification

[@cassplss]

@@Rakrune Goss Harag great sword also has pretty high base to be fair

[@tzzz9590]

Yeah that's pretty much what I think too, and I personally think it works and honestly, adds to the experience for me

[@mathewhaight]

A note about the whetstone. I believe it's intended design was to balance out the hunters, because of the consistency of Good Hunter teams just knocking a monster around and killing it before it gets a chance to run. Just like how the monster gets tired and has to eat or sleep, the hunter has to eat and sharpen his weapon.

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

But when the monster runs nothing change, you just sit down... and knock them around again. The only thing it does it let people use traps more often... but the effort needed generally isn't worth it.

[@mathewhaight]

@@Buglin_Burger7878 What let's you use more traps? I'm talking about the function of whetstone.

[@smaug131]

I thought it was to deepen the experience, because you have to know the monster fairly well to find the time to sharpen your weapon, and it's a large risk if you don't. Or you could just run away to do it of course, but then you'd be lame :P

[@mathewhaight]

@@smaug131 it very well could be and probably is, this is how I was always interpreting it since I started playing the series years ago. It just makes sense to me that it would start as a balancing mechanic.

[@KairuHakubi]

the only part that bugs me is that's not what whetstones are for, that's what _honing steel_ is for. constantly re-honing your edge to preserve sharpness longer. a whetstone is a long process that grinds away part of the weapon, that should be a thing you do back home instead.

[@Eman1182]

"The most I've ever had to grind a monster was, like, four times." Me over here who had to brutalize 24 rathalos before I got a single plate drop.

[@lewa3910]

That, but with Almudron's gold orb

[@Aro-Baro]

that but for a zino claw

[@hurgcat]

@@lewa3910 64 almudron kills for 3 orbs. Once the first two good luck charms, it will be easy they said. But now rocking 3 gl charms i get orbs every 2 or 3 hunts

[@jimmycumbest6877]

I grinded Roly Coly lanterns for an hour just to get some Kamura tickets

[@-siranzalot-]

@@jimmycumbest6877 there is quicker way to do that with local item upsurge in the lava caverns. Check out Gaijin Hunters guide on Point farming, it nets you 10 - 20k points in like 15 minutes EDIT: I just realized I misread your Post and did not get you were talking about Tickets, not points. Excuse my stupidity.

[@darklordshiro9856]

The game sort of treats the weapons like characters in a fighting game where they want you to try one too learn combos in training mode and find a main

[@litessbu]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@EQOAnostalgia]

Capcom were always great at boss fights, and fighting games. They put that together in a sense, with RPG elements and probably also took a good look at Phantasy Star Online and said "We do it!"

[@rollo890]

I've been saying this for a long time. The best tutorial a Monster Hunter game could have is another person that has played it before. Instead of information overload in your face, another player can just bring up necessary information as they become relevant. Bit by bit, you'll understand why this and that are the way they are. And with the way multiplayer hunts works, they can play and teach at the same time. Playing together with them is really the best way to learn the game

[@dwinters6291]

I like how he mentions "muting the music" while A Khezu was on screen.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

To be fair, I wanna mute the game itself while a Khezu is on the screen because I feel like that roar would give me nightmares worse than Resident Evil would.

[@NoLuckJustSkill1337]

I wonder if this was even intentional

[@emerald3616]

I never realized how true it is that you just need someone to explain the game to you for 10 minutes and then you're good. I remember trying Monster Hunter for the first time and not really getting it so I dropped it, but then like a couple of months later I saw a video that gave a fast beginner's guide and I completely understood it from that. I think it shows that the series isn't too complex for new players, it just has never made a good tutorial.

[@lewa3910]

I honestly believe World has the best introduction to the series. It doesn't bombard new hunters with (as many) tutorial boxes as rise does, and it's story pulls you along at a more natural pace, introducing you to each of its mechanics in more spaced out sections to allow breathing room, imo atleast. I love what Rise is doing to shake things up even more, but if i could get a port of World Iceborne on switch, with all the new quality of life changes from rise such as faster gathering and a controllable mount, plus all the character creation options from Iceborne, that would be my perfect monster hunter game

[@juantsu2000]

@@lewa3910 ufff I think that's asking a bit too much. I don't think the Switch could handle World tbh. Would be dope tho.

[@solomon9655]

I equate Monster Hunter to a tabletop game in that regard. Ignore the pamphlet, get someone to explain the rules and you’ll pick it up much faster.

[@zackmhuntr25]

@@lewa3910 The thing is Rise just has more needed mechanics than world/iceborne. In world/iceborne, stuff like clutch claw and mantles are very optional and you can play the game without those. Also world is much more story driven, where the tutorials are provided with each story quest that you have to take in order. World also has a much slower pace than other MH with all the investigations and scoutflies. In Rise, they dedicated tutorial quests for wirebugging and wyvern riding, then that's it, time to hunt monsters. No story here, learn as you go by choosing a quest then hunt monsters. I very much prefer that Rise removed all the "slowness" of world and of course older MH (which has LOTS of gathering quests early game) but I can see how a new player can get confused when trying Rise out.

[@lethauntic]

I agree. To me, the game doesn't look so complex that a new comer couldn't just spend a little bit of brain power to figure out enough to play with no problems. Basically you pick a weapon that looks cool, hunt a monster, make some armor or something, repeat. The tutorial could be way, way better, but it's not like one needs to learn algebra or anything.

[@aaronpalmer2763]

PSA: the attacks when wyvern riding auto aim. You do not have to be facing the other monster. You just have to be close enough and locked on.

[@KairuHakubi]

yeah the one he said whiffed.. put the monster to sleep.

[@TheOrangeBanjo]

You either quit at HR2, or you stay long enough to reach HR100. Once you’re in, you’re here forever.

[@litessbu]

It’s like a gateway drug

[@Zeihara]

I stopped at HR20 lmao

[@david_8916]

@@Zeihara why?

[@Zeihara]

@@david_8916 I'm not good at mh

[@david_8916]

@@Zeihara If you aren't good then how did you beat the apex arzuros and ibushi rampage quests? They are harder than chameleos

[@Cheatscape]

Think of sharpening your weapon as the hunter "recharging" just like the monsters do after they've been fighting for too long.

[@hyliandoctor]

Sharpening and keeping your stamina up, too, since you do need to eat something after a single bout against a monster.

[@imerremi973]

In my interpretation I think they made the sharpening system because they want you to attack weakspots more than non-weakspots. You can do more damage to a monster and save a lot of sharpness in a long process.

[@conormaccarthy249]

@@hyliandoctor yeah half the video was Arlo on 10% stamina capacity haha

[@conormaccarthy249]

@@imerremi973 That's true, plus it's another dimension to picking a weapon to craft

[@woldemunster9244]

And part of weapon stats is the sharpness and there are multiple skills to keep it sharp longer.

[@Veggiewokker]

Just in case you haven't been told yet: when your stamina bar gets shorter you can replenish is with rations, energy drinks or meat. A lot of the clips in the video showed a severely shrunk stamina bar.

[@matthewmuir8884]

Yeah; I noticed that too. Incidentally, this was my first MH game, and I first noticed the stamina bar depletion when doing an expedition (as I decided to the expeditions before doing the quests in order to have a better sense of each area and what's in it), so I always made sure to pack rations and energy drinks.

[@clap2973]

27:35 yeah wow I can’t imagine fighting a Rajang of all monsters with that little stamina.

[@ghostballs1874]

I want to play this game but I fucking suck

[@ItsYuhBoyyyy]

@@ghostballs1874 you'll only get better if you play it tho😭

[@ghostballs1874]

@@ItsYuhBoyyyy I know I bought two copy’s of it too so I can play co op with my girl and she sucks worst than me. I like the double swords and she uses the light bow gun but she keeps dying.

[@Daigon95]

Reason the online quality is so great with MHRise compared to other games on Switch, is because Nintendo is using a brand new server architecture. They havent used a new architecture since the very start of their venture onto online gaming and services. Rise is the 1st one tht will use it. So newer games tht arent already late into development will benefit from this. Sadly it cant be retrofitted onto previous games in the Switch's library since tht basically will take more than a simple patch. Basically hav to re-work the games code.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

Can we all just give a great big THANK YOU to Capcom for thoroughly pulling Nintendo's heads out of their asses for finally doing this? Like seriously, other than their fighting game division taking a stumble recently (and given SF6's development troubles, they absolutely know it and are out to correct it), everything else they do has been golden. We finally have our "they can do no wrong" Capcom back between Mega Man, DMC and Resident Evil while Monster Hunter gets to quite literally rise from cult classic status to blowout mainstream hit. ...Now if only we can get Konami to stop fucking people with pachinko.

[@willyjum]

@@UltimaKeyMaster was it also Capcom that requested the switch have more RAM? Or another studio?

[@baileypalmer103]

@@willyjum it was Capcom. The RE engine needed more in order to run.

[@bartowo]

Sounds believable

[@stevecosmolove1045]

This comment section had made me a HUGE Capcom fan now. Move over SEGA, CDProjekt, there is a new favorite developer in my heart

[@DreamArtisan02]

Wyvern "why Vern" 🤣 you kill me Arlo

[@buragi5441]

"am I missing something here??" Yes, you missed Somnacanth putting Zinogre to sleep.

[@michaelr3077]

Oh poor Arlo, he's definitely one of those hunters that attacks a sleeping monster.

[@RustyhairedAlp9575]

@@michaelr3077 ... rather than sleep-bombing them.

[@ghostballs1874]

I suck at Thai fucking game

[@justinc.5591]

Okay I’m convinced that Arlo just wants to make everything Breath of the Wild.

[@joshuabean7805]

its pretty much his favorite game at this point so makes sense, that said i think he would very much enjoy World

[@SystemBD]

Well... Breath of the Wild took some gameplay elements from Monster Hunter, Dark Souls, Shadow of the Colossus, and several open world games and added them on top of a very successful framework. Not everything in the resulting game worked, but the vast majority of the elements did... and now it is difficult to play one of the games it took gameplay elements from, because you miss having some ability or feature (I, for example, often find myself wishing I could climb any surface in Dark Souls).

[@jaydeejay4166]

Dark Souls 4: breath of the wild

[@geostar1610]

I agree with all his points on the paper mario series 100% but pretty much anything that comes out of his mouth about breath of the wild... I'm just confused. Thousand year door, a game with a good length, fun characters, good catchy music, and STUFF happening vs a game that is designed to be so long as too FAR overstay it's welcome but can also be beaten stupidly quick, with most of the game being a yawn inducing wander around fields that look unfinished with no music, forced to see the same shrines, enemies and boss battles for over 100 hours. This is a game that rewards you with poop for getting 900 korok seeds, which is nintendo's way of saying "Here's a poop for being overly obsessed with a game now please get a life... seriously what's wrong with you"

[@jaydeejay4166]

@@geostar1610 because they didn't intend for most players to actually complete everything There is also a lot that comes from how much freedom the game gives the player Having the ability to make choices and see how they benefit you or get you into trouble or otherwise craft your individual experience has value to a lot of players The linearity of every mario rpg I've seen does not satisfy that.

[@PaleoSteno]

24:19 "The music though, I'm pretty indifferent" I don't know how I can be so offended by that, but I am. Even listening to the background music in this video of all the different themes is reminded me how amazing this game's music is.

[@missgolgistain5801]

Took me a while to even just make it past the title screen.

[@shibuskii9942]

I was also so weirdly offended i think MHR has one of the best game soundtracks out there right now

[@sleepwellmychild]

Yeah same. It was an extremely weak critique.

[@heromedley]

"the music in forgettable" *magnamalo and arena theme living inside my head*

[@traviswilliams2348]

Sandy plains theme got the whole planet boppin.

[@iamglassthingy3373]

Mizutsune and Ibushi's themes got me changing all of the hub area's music to them, and popping off when they're on screen

[@Atlas_Found]

A.) I'm glad the difficulty curve is good for new players even if as veterans some of us find it it to be easier than we'd like. B.) Weapon sharpening may seem pointless at first but it's actually an essential mechanic for balancing various end game weapons and builds. If you find yourself frustrated by it like Arlo I'd encourage you to explore some of the decorations available to you.

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

It doesn't balance stuff though, it mainly alters your playstyle. Low durability for weapons means the player will flee often and heal often... never losing. High durability for weapons means the player will not flee and not heal... losing more frequently. Sure maybe with teams of 4 but for single players it is a detriment.

[@Atlas_Found]

@@Buglin_Burger7878 I'm making an assumption that you're relatively new to MH games based on the fact that you referred to sharpness as durability. I may be wrong and I mean no disrespect. It's just a necessary assumption I have to make in an attempt to understand your perspective. If that is in fact the case It would require a lot of text for me to thoroughly explain why not only myself but many other long time players of the franchise would disagree. So to save you from reading a super in depth analysis of the games systems in essay form I'd instead point you to a popular weapon that was introduced in the patch. The "Hi ninja sword". KZbin a guide for it, the Arekkz gaming video is short and sweet. You should be able to see how sharpness alone allows for multiple build paths that open up a variety of possibilities from gear and deco selection to the actual combos you use. Lemme know your thoughts.

[@KingWalrus179]

@@Buglin_Burger7878 sharpness acts as a way to make weapons choices more interesting by adding pros and cons, for example do you take the nargacuga weapon with the natural white sharpness and high affinity but relatively low raw damage or do you take the rathian weapon which only has blue sharpness naturally but has the benefit of higher raw plus poison as an added benefit. it;s not the only way the game does this, for example differing levels of base damage or even high or negative affinity both achieve this effect as well. sharpness can just do so a bit more since it's not just a matter of does this weapon hit blue/white but also how many hits of blue/white does the weapon have.

[@quarreneverett4767]

@@KingWalrus179 yeah if I recall u can use sharpness to cut certain things

[@CDUPE]

"I am now a monster hunter fan". Nothing makes me happier than to hear this from new monster hunter players

[@UncleAlShow]

I kind of had like the opposite thing happen with MH and Dark Souls lol. I got really into Monster Hunter World it kind of laid the groundwork for me to get into the Souls games. Glad you had a good time with Rise! Haven't picked it up yet myself, debating if I should, because I know I'll be hooked...

[@plumokin5535]

I wasn't expecting to see you here! My friends just spent the last few hours playing video games and quoting the canned coochie videos 😂

[@jordanchicksen]

If you want to just spend money on one game for a while, and not buy multiple games for a while, get Rise! It will keep you very busy!!

[@elastichedgehog6339]

Same thing for me man.

[@D1ab0lical]

I played Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate first and loved it to death, though I had the same poor reactions to the 3U and 4U demo. Then I jumped into Dark Souls 3 a year later and didn't have any issues learning it, though to be fair DS3 is by far the easiest souls game.

[@BlaizeTheDragon]

Funny enough I love monster hunter but hate dark souls. The fighting in dark souls feels more like an annoyance than something that's been expertly crafted like in monster hunter.

[@valoric4767]

Personally LOVE the Japanese theme. The music is wonderful IMO. And for the lack of breadth, this is basically what world had before Iceborne. I guarantee that’ll be rectified with a big expansion two years from now. Oh and tons of free updates.

[@KairuHakubi]

at the very least it's a refreshing change after the rest of the series. it's neat each area has something unique. this is a ninja village full of people swinging on bug vines, World was a steampunk town full of pulleys to ride on and everyone carries personal slingshots, Tri was very tribal and primitive and used little clay-pot-helmet pygmies as their pets instead of cats..

[@jasonarreguin1047]

@@KairuHakubi mhgu: wanna watch me blade beam that rathalos out of the sky? And then go pet a moofah?

[@Jaycan]

He said he only has had to fight something 4 times to get a certain material?!? This guy has never needed a Purple Magna Orb....

[@bulkypigeon]

I got two on my first high tier magna kill. I don’t know how either.

[@Gigachoungus]

I've been needing to kill Sam monster 20+ times now for 2 drops of same part that has a 1% drop rate

[@archmagetyler]

Rare materials: got on my first or second fight Easy to get material break stuff: GOD FUCKING DAMNIT GIVE ME THAT TAIL!!!

[@giannicolamatteo8155]

Try getting a lagiacerus plate in mh Tri, i hunted so many of them things that they should bè extinct just to get one, and i needed 6......

[@Jaycan]

@@giannicolamatteo8155 oh I know! Check my channel out! There’s a video talking about how much MH I’ve played. Tri was my first game! That Barroth beat my ass back in the day!

[@coolguy082]

Arlo: Alright, I gotta make a review for Monster Hunter Rise. I guess I should play it to refresh myself. *ONE MONTH LATER* Arlo: Must... hunt... monsters...

[@TheKingRiku]

This video made my mind up. I will never have a visa metal card powered by crypto.

[@frenchcroc5065]

that ad makes me want to blow my brains out

[@TheKingRiku]

@@frenchcroc5065 big same.

[@austinobst8989]

Even if it's made of metal?

[@mysticalquilava]

Wait what is this about?

[@jasonarreguin1047]

@@mysticalquilava the visa metal card; powered by crypto ad being played so fucking much. At least back then. I dont think I've seen it anymore since a month ago

[@swukpuff3320]

I'm so glad you've had such a positive experience with the community! This is my favorite game in the series so far, and I'm really not sure what it would be like for new players to try the older games, but I have this feeling of "if you liked 100+ hours of THIS game, just think of the 100+ hours you can get out of each of the other games in the series!" It's really easy for me to think it would be worthwhile, but it could also simply be good enough to just play the new games as they come out. In much the same way that the games have been refined over time, playing them refines your understanding of them over time, so whether you're going forwards or backwards in the series, you'll find it easier to make sense of things and you'll find more opportunities to deepen your skills. And if you're like me, you'll still be nowhere near as good as some people, even after 2000+ hours with the series. That's a good thing!

[@DirectorOfChaos9292]

Who'd want to go back to the old archaic games? They're shit compared to Rise

[@yosup7400]

@@DirectorOfChaos9292 Honestly? I kinda prefer the stiffness of the combat pre-world. Gen Ultimate and before, the combat felt tighter and more rewarding in mastery than World and Rise. Don't get me wrong, I love both to bits. But I honestly find the old combat more fun. I think Generations perfected the pre-world style combat. World and Rise are much smoother, but it feels like the skill ceiling is lower.

[@swukpuff3320]

@@yosup7400 I basically agree with that! When World came out I was like "this game basically forces you to feel cool, but you can be AS cool in previous games but it's harder to do so." I enjoyed World a lot but went back to the older games as soon as I beat the final boss (pre-Iceborne). With Rise, I feel like... Something about it is way more fun than World for me, and even though there's no need to master anything in order to beat it (compared to MHGU and prior), I still feel comfortable saying I like it just a little more than those games. But it won't ever invalidate the older games, there will still always be reason to play them because they offer a different kind of experience.

[@deathlight4210]

@@DirectorOfChaos9292 Have you played them ?

[@korok7523]

I tried it a while ago (more than a year) And diddnt like it. Then again, a lot of people said the game won’t explain itself well and I never really understood what it was teaching me or how it would actually help

[@willmckean8424]

You are the only game reviewer I know that shares my hatred of “forced co-op” crap in games.

[@AKAJustaGh0st]

So it sounds like you also might want to go back and try Monster Hunter World. It has a lot more of the cinematic feel, and really tries to make tracking and finding the monster part of the whole experience. Glad to see you're enjoying the series!

[@joefrench9316]

Cinematic feel is always important. Helps me hate on the handler without complaining about anything else.

[@thechugg4372]

Legit all the things he complained about are different in World so he would have loved that game.

[@phantomraimundo]

on what can you play Monster Hunter World and how much does it cost ?

[@AKAJustaGh0st]

@@phantomraimundo Sony, Xbox, and PC. I know it's on ps4 and xbone, not sure about current generation

[@Gigantopython]

@@AKAJustaGh0st World is available for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, its more optimized too.

[@lewa3910]

Uploading this a day before the next Monster Hunter Digital event (basically their nintendo direct equivalent) is an interesting move

[@SmootchCat]

Another interesting move was the fact that this whole video is filmed before the 2.0 update haha.

[@thepikminbrawler1746]

@@SmootchCat there’s footage of a Teostra hunt at one point but it’s possible it was added late in the videos editing

[@SmootchCat]

@@thepikminbrawler1746 I think of the editor's personal footage. Maybe. Just going off of what Arlo said. He was 100hrs into the game at the end of April, just before 2.0 dropped. His pinned comment says he's played much more since the video was made.

[@matthewmuir8884]

16:06 What seasoned hunters? The only hunters in the village (as far as the story's concerned) are either retired, have a nearly career-breaking injury, are from another village and don't understand how the wirebugs work, or are the player character. Yeah; a story about a lone hero in a multiplayer game is an old contradiction, but still; the story does say why the player character is the one doing all this stuff.

[@LeightonsLibrary]

Several of the characters that are "out of commission" for one reason or another are accessible in Rampage quests as limited-time defenses, and they're buff as hell.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@LeightonsLibrary Yeah; they're available for defending the village because everyone needs to pitch in, but they're not available for going out hunting: 1. Elder Fugen is both retired and over 70 years old. 2. Hinoa and Minoto are quest givers. They did undergo hunter training only to discover that Hinoa burns through rations too quickly due to her appetite and Minoto is too indoorsy to handle going out to hunt. 3. Master Utsushi is an instructor.

[@KairuHakubi]

that fits well with the samurai theme too. there's a reason that shit has so much overlap with westerns. it's all about a tough place full of tough people but life's been just a little TOO tough on them and it takes one good-story-conducive hero to save everything.

[@kylebeguhl8516]

@@matthewmuir8884 where does it say that Hinoa eats everything in sight?

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@kylebeguhl8516 1. Who said she "eats everything in sight"? I said that she goes through the rations too quickly because of her appetite. 2. To answer your question: Hinoa, when you select "chitchat" when interacting with her, will sometimes mention that she and Minoto considered becoming hunters but decided not to after Minoto proved too indoorsy and Hinoa burned through the field rations too quickly because of her appetite.

[@sambarris9843]

Plot twist: Vern at Best Buy is actually a wyvern.

[@Nosidda]

I for one congratulate Best Buy on hiring more wyverns. They need to make a living too, ya know.

[@lethauntic]

8:19 I don't know, Arlo, it's pretty necessary in my eyes. It's another thing that you need to keep tabs on. Imagine playing Breath of the Wild but with weapon durability turned off; the balance would be all out of wack. Sure, it could be altered and all that, but sharpening is part of the danger and critical thinking of hunting. 'When' and 'where' to sharpen are important questions to ask, because you might miss out on valuable damage by leaving at the wrong time, but take too long and you'll start bouncing off and doing nothing. What they mean by sharpening being 'less annoying' than earlier games is that it's no longer limited. Before you had to supply your own stones before a hunt with a max of 20 [If I remember right]. It was annoying because entering a hunt without enough stones, or fighting in extremely long fights, effectively causes you to fail outright for clear reasons, though considering that you can refill at camp at anytime now... Needless to say that that's no longer a concern anyways (it also introduces new problems). At the same time, you could easily just leave a zone and be safe from harm most of the time, so there are trade-offs, not that it matters much. My problem with Rise (and World), is that they dumbed everything down too much. Don't let someone make you think that people like me only say such as though we're elitist about it. It's too much to go over, but to me, there are things that improved over time and things that got worse. It's not a simple thing to talk about. One thing is the fact that they actually do let you know how weak a monster is (mostly). Sure, you do have to pay attention to the fight, but both your Palico and the monster icon in the top right tell you when they're almost dead. Effectively making capturing require no skill, wherein before you had to pay attention to the features of the monster itself. Again, that's only one point and there are things that I kind of prefer, so it's not like I want to go back to the old ways or anything, but we did lose a lot in the process. It's a very deep conversation I think, but to go back to the whetstone thing: yeah, I do think that it's necessary. It's a level of complexity that, while on it's own seems relatively superfluous, creates a deep combat system that required a lot of attention and allows for more ways to tailor your own experience. Take one thing away and what's stopping you from taking away something else, like ammo amounts (though you can resupply at any time, so they kind of did in a way). At some point you lose the DNA of the series. Not to say that that leads to an objectively better/worse game, but my point is that Monster Hunter was about careful planning, attentiveness, and skill, with the grinding simply being the gameplay loop. Not all of that is gone of course, but it's different that's for sure. I'm happy that more people are getting into the series, but some part of me always goes back to the old days, not simply because they were better, but because it stands on it's own. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, that is all.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

Thank you for being someone who while preferring the far more careful planning and more rigid gameplay doesn't act like a dick to World+Rise creating a giant influx of new fans or old fans giving the series a second look (more like myself given I had dabbled in Freedom Unite and 3 Ultimate on Wii U). The old guard of the series could use more like you.

[@lethauntic]

@@UltimaKeyMaster Well thank you for saying so. I didn't want to sound too harsh about Rise, considering that I was also hooked to it I'm just happy that a game series that I played as a kid, that I thought would always be in obscurity (like Armored Core, how I wish that would come back), actually became as popular as it is now. As I said, even if it changed a lot over the years, the dev team seems to really care and it's still very much Monster Hunter at the end of the day. I felt like I needed to say more about Rise that I really liked, such as the wirebug (it's so much fun to use), but I got lazy what with how much I've typed about this in the past, but I did want to make it clear that there are those of us who criticize out of love. Though I'm sorry that you encounter those who dampen the enjoyment. I just feel like this conversation is hard to have what with players existing on both sides who have a sort of animosity to one another, but thankfully that seems to be the minority of the fan base. Plus I feel like I have to write an essay to get my feelings across about it all, because it is that complex of a thing to me. There's nothing better than to see more people enjoy one of my favorite series'. I've always played solo, but considering the outpouring of love for Rise I might give it a try at some point. Happy hunting!

[@buragi5441]

@@UltimaKeyMaster "The old guard of the series could use more like you." While true, it goes both ways. Oh boy did I meet a lot of new players who are just horrible (I don't mean their skill at the game).

[@faerieknight2298]

I don't entirely disagree with you. However I do think that making whetstones an infinite use thing is a good thing. Similarly, I really like the auto crafting systems that were introduced in World and used again in Rise. Other things, I'm not so sure about. Having to hunt down where your target is was always a big part of the series, until World. As was having to remember to hit your target with a paintball, otherwise you'd lose track of it when the target flees. World had a nice compromise with you having to study spoor and learn more of it's movement and habits in order to track down a new monster's location. Rise's just showing every large monster on the mini-map is kind of a let down to me.

[@DirectorOfChaos9292]

@@faerieknight2298 the paint balls were ANNOYING AND POINTLESS

[@blueberrykodiak5843]

If u find sharpening a hassle look into crafting a few Speed sharpening decorations. It really helps. been looking forward to the full review, thanks for making it.

[@tehflamingninja1997]

The Japanese setting is actually my favourite part of Monster hunter rise

[@loganc.2824]

I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a buddy or just a video explain to you for 10 minutes how stuff works in Monster Hunter when you’re starting out. I started with Generations Ultimate, and if I didn’t have my friends helping me out with the game I NEVER would have been able to get into Monster Hunter as much as I am now. Having someone helping you out is really really nice when you’re new to the series.

[@ChunkyTheClown]

11:13 You're making a perfectly reasonable point about mounted damage, but in that clip specifically, you are actually right about missing something. The attack you had Somnecanth perform doesn't deal damage, instead it instantly puts a monster to sleep. Sleeping monsters are completely helpless (which gives you time to sharpen, heal up, and prepare to re-enter combat whenever you feel ready) and the first attack used to wake them up deals 50% more damage, all of which has the potential to be way more impactful to your hunt than a single mounted attack would normally be, especially if you stack bombs and/or wake them up with a large hit, like a Greatsword slash. In terms of monsters that aren't Somnecanth, it's important to remember that each monster's attacks do different things. Some are slow and require good timing but hit for a lot of damage, some cover a wide radius and are easy to hit, some are fast and light, some hit multiple times if you wait for the animation to fully complete, and some deal low physical damage but have hidden effects, like inflicting statuses on the opposing monster or only achieving their peak potential when the monster you are riding is enraged. Not to mention that some monsters are simply weaker than others. It would be weird if a Great Bagi did the same damage as a freaking Rajang, after all. Finally, it's important to keep in mind that you (and your team) are more or less completely invincible while you have a monster mounted and that you end a mount by knocking down the opposing monster, thus opening it up to an immense amount of free punishment. It would be kinda unbalanced if the monsters did meta-build levels of DPS while you were on them, especially with how long you can make some of them last if you hold off on performing the Mounted Punisher until the last second.

[@Pascll]

just so you know, the thing you mentioned of wishing you could encounter a monster in their den or something like that is kindoff done in world. there's a lot more nest areas in that game that are mainly used by only one monster. also, world allows you to encounter monsters before you're ready to fight them. you could encounter a rathalos right after beating the second monster, and you can encounter a diablos right after unlocking the second area. it's a small thing that I wish rise kept. don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "world good rise bad". both are fantastic games. I'm just mentioning some things you'd probably be kindoff happy to hear I guess.

[@HardToBeAPoopGod]

THE RAW IMPATIENCE I HAD FOR THIS REVIEW TO COME OUT ♥

[@evajulia2121]

There's something I miss so much from the old MH gameplay: the farm

[@DasMessedUp]

It gladdens me so to see a series i grew up with to blossom into such a refined and overall enjoyable experience. Happy hunting arlo!

[@nerdsquad117]

I like how he's complaining about the sharpness and uses clips where he's using some of the worst weapons in terms of sharpness, yes only having 40 points of yellow sharpness is gona feel really bad haha

[@firenze6478]

Also he defends botws exploding weapons which is way worse

[@MrMoon-hy6pn]

@@firenze6478 ehh, I don't mind the system. You get so much equipment and so many rupees anyway that having to find more is a non issue

[@firenze6478]

@@MrMoon-hy6pn it’s still far worse than sharpening. And I can’t find anything good about it, it may be ignorable but it doesn’t add anything fun and makes finding a new weapon feel like finding ammo. I’m a zelda original formula lover and a botw hater so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[@DirectorOfChaos9292]

@@MrMoon-hy6pn but the weapons are STILL made of wet paper and CONSTANTLY BREAK

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

@@MrMoon-hy6pn The problem isn't finding more... the problem is once you sneak into Hyrule Castle at the start and pick up those royal weapons why fight anything? You end up weaker if you fight... From those weapons there it is enough to beat the final boss or even use them for the divine beasts... and makes fighting everything but Major Tests/Guardians pointless. From there you get the Ancient Armor set and just use Major Test weapons for the highest damage, you could just Ancient Weapons but the cost and effort to make... only for them to break isn't worth it at all. (Not to mention spears are worthless compared to two handed weapons, while swords are good for shields if you can't dodge for whatever reason.) Sure I can find a crappy boko bat but that won't cut it against stuff near the corners of the map making the center of the map exploration a test in how much you want to run away or travel back to get actual good weapons.

[@marcoasturias8520]

Just wait until he discorvers protective polish, razor sharp and master´s touch...

[@michaelr3077]

and speed sharpener

[@KairuHakubi]

@@michaelr3077 yeah IMO you need speed sharpener to go with protective polish or it just becomes another dash juice albatross around your neck. as if chugging drugs at the beginning of each fight isn't already kinda old

[@samboi123]

A couple notes/comments I have: - Shrine Ruins’ battle theme is the best imo. - The Argosy theme (video intro) is also a bop. - Sliding south from Lava Caverns’ first sub-camp, my personal record is just under the cave entrance between 10 and 12. What’s your best? - My character’s voice lines are hysterical. My favourite is the carving line ‘Daddy needs a new pair of boots!’ - I love the chaos of hearing every character’s voice in multiplayer. “I like it when the cats do things.” - Alpharad And finally... Hammer go bonk

[@kristalgic1534]

Kamura village is, in my opinion the most efficient of the 4 games I've played. It is a HUGE upgrade to the town in MH World which was huge and had an elevator and multiple levels. It was ridiculous. Also, all of the Monster Hunter games have kind of a feudal Japan aesthetic. The sharpening mechanic makes slightly less sense in modern MH. In the past, the games were as much about being prepared as they were about fighting monsters. Thing like pickaxes, fishing rods, and whetstones were items you had to put into your item box before each quest, and whetstones were consumable. There was no way to switch equipment, transfer items, or eat at camps. Now that there is no need to think about those items until you use them, it does seem unnecessary, but the sharpness mechanic is important and wouldn't work without the need to sharpen weapons so they couldn't just get rid of it

[@LaughingBat]

I know he said “Review copy provided by capcom” but what I heard was “The first hit is always free.”

[@thekoolkrab3226]

This review is making me wanna buy monster hunter rise, seems like fun

[@YojimboJames]

If you’re still unsure, definitely try out the demos and see what you think!

[@logged6607]

Get World instead. More streamlined, looks better, and you can use an xbox controller to play on pc

[@ThorAxiun]

@@logged6607 Rise is better

[@deathlight4210]

@@logged6607 BOTH games are great. I didn't know one needed good graphics to enjoy a game 🙄

[@jasonarreguin1047]

Rise isnt as slow and methodical as everyone says it is. Many people who claim this are newcomers who are used to balls to the wall hack n slash games where your life is never in danger. Rise is pretty fast paced and is the most comfortable to play out of all monster hunters. Its probably the most anime too so if you want cool powerful moves or moves with lots of I frames and fast movement rise has it. All in all you'll probably have fun playing rise even if its slower than what you're used to. Now if you go past rise to generations ultimate and further, that you may not like.

[@nanoff815]

That intro about the 3DS game hurt me. 4 Ultimate was what got me into the series.

[@jazzratoon]

Same.

[@NovaBushido]

Yea.. got to me to

[@randommindz6782]

same...hope to fight Gore Magala again!

[@DonSerrot]

A friend tried to get me into 3U and it just wasn't clicking, but I really liked the concept and wanted to see if 4U could make it work for me. 4U still reigns supreme for my all time 3DS play time.

[@BruteTigrex21]

I feel that dude. I know the demos aren't great as introductions but I'm not sure what he was expecting at the time. Something more like Devil May Cry I suppose. At least Dark Souls helped him realize the idea of more methodical combat

[@FrostyHeir]

It makes me so incredibly happy to hear so many new people getting into the series and im happy to see a new hunter enjoy it so much. I hope 3.0 treats ya well. Cant wait till you see what other cool monsters we have in store for you

[@dannysexbang2033]

I feel like some of the issues Arlo has with Rise are rectified in Monster Hunter World and would be a great game to get into if he wanted a bit more immersion or get a little bit of a different experience while being eased in with general battle mechanics he has learned in Rise. There is never a “too late” when it comes to monster Hunter so I’d say play whatever entry sounds the most fun may it be World, Generations, or even the older titles.

[@sirspanks69]

Rise is my first game and I am debating if I should go into GU or World next, what's your opinion?

[@juantsu2000]

@@sirspanks69 It depends on what you really want from the game. World is by far the most immersive Monster Hunter in terms of feeling like an actual, living world (pun intended), but GU has by far the most amount of monsters in the franchise. It’s insane how much content it has. I personally think World is much easier to get into coming from Rise due to all the quality of life changes World brought in that GU doesn’t really have.

[@samboi123]

There’s never a too late for anything unless it’s Miiverse. I finally ordered a copy of Disney Infinity 3 earlier today!

[@joshuabean7805]

i was thinking the exact same thing, i think Arlo would absolutely adore World.

[@dannysexbang2033]

@@sirspanks69 as another commenter stated, world is the next best transition straight from Rise as it was created alongside Rise, so the design of combat is somewhat similar along with QoL things that reduce grinding and material farming. It might sound like GU is inferior to World and Rise, but that is not the case. GU has an insane amount of variety and customizations due to the sheer size of its roster that pulls almost every monster they’ve made with a few exceptions. The problem with the size is that if you actually want to “complete” the game, you might be stuck playing it for the next couple years, so there is that if you are a completionist. GU is an anniversary title that celebrates all of monster Hunter up until then, so there is very little handholding and is made for veterans of the series. GU has so much charm and general fun that you can look past the graphics and such. I don’t want to scare you away from this title when I say “veterans”, but it will take a lot more effort on your end to understand the gameplay, such as looking up weapon trees to craft the weapon you want or finding exactly what you’re looking for that the modern titles don’t have too much issues with. World is certainly an experience with any decent PC. The load times and frame rate issues are a problem if you’re playing on previous generation consoles (XBONE/PS4). I do not know if issues are similar on the upgraded versions of the previous gen consoles, but it is for sure nowhere near the speeds of a gaming PC. TL:DR - World is an easier game to get into and will slowly make you a better Hunter, while GU will throw you into the thick of it once you get past trivial gathering quests in village. So pick the game that sounds the most fun to you, neither choice is a bad one.

[@thomasreadling6311]

Arloooo good job on the Scott the Woz feature!!! Happy for you and everyone else who participated!!!!

[@stevecosmolove1045]

Not only is this one of the best Arlo reviews but the explanations of major MH systems is phenomenal, best on KZbin atm

[@oregano2771]

Hey Arlo, I really enjoy your videos! Your reviews are always really thoughtful and the Nintendo news roundup is something I look forward to each week.

[@Kaden970]

Arlo lore confirmed: Arlo uses the hammer to give monsters the ole ‘wham-skabunk’

[@DarkMeridian0]

"whipping out the whet stone does slow the pacing a little" congratulations Arlo, you are now a monster hunter fan

[@4trym]

Arlo the battle music is amazing!!!!

[@talonsaurn5764]

Welcome to the Club Arlo, Used to be a Hammer user myself, but turned into a Great Sword user.. its amazing how different weapons click with different people.

[@laythalsibai9848]

The thing with Whetstones is to help with not overwhelming the monster in the game because if u never got hit u would never disengage and monsters couldn’t deal with it so it’s to help sway the momentum of the fight

[@Buglin_Burger7878]

If you never got hit... and disengaged then when you fight the monster again you'll... still just not get hit. ...in fact this ensures even more that I will not die if I do get hit. HP is your disengage point, to force a player to disengage normally is with super attacks. Think the Lyenols from BotW when they do the fire explosion around them or KH2 boss phases where they require you to evade.

[@rexthesheep]

Also, hearing you talking about trying a new weapon has encouraged me to give others a try myself after sticking with Dual Blade for almost the entire game.

[@milangeerling7940]

Grab a switch axe

[@zionich]

My sweet summer Arlo.... So glad you are enjoying Rise =)

[@basedghostcoasttocoast]

Sweet non-skippable ads! My favorite!

[@jennifergriel861]

Arlo: “One thing I’ve learned about Capcom over the years is they know how to make a polished game!” Capcom Fighting Game Fans: *cry*

[@PrimmsHoodCinema]

Who would win in a fight? Arlo or Grover?

[@miketaggard309]

Joe

[@KairuHakubi]

regular Grover or Super Grover?

[@miketaggard309]

@SleepyWolf Joe Mamma!

[@EQOAnostalgia]

@@miketaggard309 FLASHBACK 1992!

[@Angani_Giza]

The wyvern joke at the start actually cracked me up, thank you for that :>

[@PSelver]

Very good review. Highlighted the major points while not overlooking the various shortcomings.

[@KnightsDisillusion]

I'm so happy to see you've gotten into Monster Hunter! For a series about Killing powerful beasts, it's strangely therapeutic. Welcome to the hunt!

[@Blade2145]

As someone who's played the series since Monster Hunter 2, I can say without a doubt that it's a fun series, at best, when you play with friends. While I can see why some online experiences with randoms have been not as great; they have their moments! As for the OST, while I can understand the music isnt EVERYONE's cup of tea; there are moments when the music, or lack thereof, can really make the moment. For an example, (for those new to the series) look into a monster by the name of Amatsu.

[@ElTaitronAnim]

That unboxing at the end was like seeing a kid on Christmas! :)

[@budhisnerdstuff7735]

i love that you can shoot photos from monsters and place them in your hunter notice for that Monster

[@jhart6764]

Monster Hunter and Dark Souls... I don't get why, but these series have the oddest string that always connects them weirdly. I only got into Dark Souls because of monster hunter, but I know some people who only got into monster hunter because of dark souls.

[@comoestanquepaso123]

The combat is very similar in both series, the slow, commiting animations that make you think before you swing really stand out amongst other action games where you kinda just mash attack whenever you can, nowadays that kind of combat has gotten more popular, mostly because of the huge impact dark souls has had on the gaming industry, but a few years ago Monster Hunter and Dark Souls were the only ones of its kind.

[@GreyWandererXD]

That is because the game designers were inspired by Monster Hunter on the original PS2. They enjoyed the weighted combat system and the interaction between players that the Demon Souls team makes this dynamic. The difference is that Demon Souls has the emphasis on brutal conditions with players being able to help or destroy your progress. Unlike Monster Hunter, the development team of Demon Souls went onto to make a game to enter the mainstream. While the Monster Hunter team essentially had a hard time entering the Western Market until Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. But then the massive explosion of popularity within Monster Hunter World solidified it's place just like the Souls series.😊

[@mrWendybird]

It was this very analogy that made me want to play Monster Hunter, and it's why I plan on jumping into Dark Souls when I get the chance

[@solomon9655]

Monster Hunter is technically Soulsborne’s grandpa and I mean that in the best way possible. The more the merrier in this methodical action rpg genre!

[@TheOrangeBanjo]

I’d pay good money for a Dark Souls x Monster Hunter DLC Crossover or cameo quest.

[@heroic_teddy]

Should also be noted-- this game also inspired a craving for chicken sandwiches at 1am in the morning. Also, hey, thanks for the shoutout!

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

Uhhhhhhh. Personal experience I take it?

[@kingbishop5426]

“One of us, one of us, one of us.”

[@gleipnirrr]

what I love from this review is that Arlo, as a new-er player, focused on exactly the things that drew me into the series ages ago: the crisp combat with completely different weapon types, and the monsters feeling so damn alive and well designed.

[@thecanadiandane7262]

Wyvern riding may feel like free mindless damage, but it really helps to be strategic, timing your counters, flinches, and knockdowns most effectively, especially so that your finishers are as affective as they can be

[@tohaneploho9009]

Welcome to our wholesome MH fan club! Everyone is nice around here ✨

[@Aro-Baro]

just don't get into arguments about meta sets cause that shit gets pretty violent

[@gmachat]

The Blair Thumb reference in the beginning was greatly appreciated

[@tyloschsosas]

I've been waiting, thanks Arlo :) Now I just have to wait a couple more days for that glorious 3.0 update....

[@themediaangel7413]

Was that a Blair Thumb reference?? Wow. The memories.

[@phreshmark]

The Dango are sticky rice balls

[@OMEGA521]

Love the content arlo!

[@BloodedBleiz]

Seeing The Blair Thumb reference at 2:12 was priceless

[@WolfLykaios]

About the story. In Monster Hunter, you have a flagship monster, right? The one that appears on the box. You get in the game, you are just a starting hunter. The townspeople are like "You are a hunter now! Go hunt some things". But then the town gets endangered by a really strong monster. Which one? The one on the box! So now you have an objective. You train, get stronger, and finally face that monster. You defeat it. You finally feel like a fully fledged hunter. And that's the point. The flagship monster is supposed to give you that feeling of "I'm an actual hunter". But its the gathering hall that gives you the "savior of the world" feeling. That is where the world destroying monsters are and you realize the game is much deeper and longer than you initially thought.

[@michaelr3077]

Too bad no game has ever passed how great this structure was handled in 4U. The pacing and tension overall was handled so much better and tied all the new mechanics it introduced together so well.

[@MailmanSSB]

I have some serious concerns if you think Monster Hunter music is just okay

[@sirspanks69]

True, I really enjoyed a lot of the music in rise alone not to speak of the entire franchise

[@kappinr-m80s23]

It's a matter of taste though I personally think 3 had the best soundtrack overall.

[@robo-roger7815]

Not everyone is into epic cinematic orchestra music

[@monophonicinverse6185]

@@robo-roger7815 That's World's Music though

[@rexon31]

@@robo-roger7815 yet hes into zelda which uses just that

[@andrewmon4792]

Amazing review! Basically all my thoughts on the game as well! Gameplay really feels so fluid and intuitive!

[@teditube1971]

Thanks for the great work as always!

[@agentofxehanort]

The online in Monster Hunter has always been on point in my experience.

[@briskal7996]

I looked into what the dango is a while ago. In short, balls of rice flour dough boiled. You put things in or on it.

[@DeoxTew]

Arlo, just a good tip for the sharpening problem. You can sharpen while unsheathed by using the whetstone via the Radial Menu. Makes things a lil bit faster paced.

[@Kevin-iu8hl]

As an old hunter from the PSP days (Freedom 2 and onward), it is always good to see a new hunter join in.

[@Ry22futbol]

Finally, a review from someone who isn’t as familiar with the series! Thank you!

[@Haunting_Hyena]

Something I noticed while watching your gameplay is you really need to start eating rations and steaks. Seeing you with only enough stamina to do a single dodge before running out of stamina is painful.

[@Oniphire]

I'm pretty sure it's his editor's footage

[@mysticalquilava]

It’s his editors footage

[@Opti-Miser]

I started with MH4U on 3DS, and hearing your MH journey has just put a big nostalgic smile on my face, happy hunting!!

[@yakumorisuke9403]

Somehow it feels like it's been a long time since we last got just an ordinary review of something...this was nice. Not that I don't love your other videos too! Just a sign of the crazy past year, I guess.