Hey, it's been a few years indeed! Hope you've been doing well yourself!

I know, when watching that Nintendo Direct I was already super hyped for a new Monster Hunter game and then they just follow that up with a Stories sequel that I never expected to happen due to the poor sales of the original everywhere. Stories truly deserved better hardware than the 3DS and man does it look gorgeous on the Switch. I hope we see more of it soon though, especially what the combat will be like! I do hope completion won't be as tedious though. I didn't get bored of the combat, but farming the necessary monster genes was a slog indeed.

Honestly, I'd say Rise has a very good chance of becoming my favorite Monster Hunter title yet. I love its setting and it seems to fuse the best of the old (theme, monster variety, creative gear design) and new (QoL changes and weapon movesets from World) while adding plenty of new mechanics and improvements on top of all that. The new movement options definitely look like they'll be a gamechanger in how we hunt and should make even World feel outdated in comparison. I fully expect the World sequel to take some inspiration from Rise in turn. Love how we're getting spoiled with a game like Rise instead of having to wait a few years for another entry. I and my group can't get enough of monster hunting, after all. I think I'm closing in on 5000 hours spent over the last decade.

Hah, it's pretty funny that you've finished Monster Hunter Stories for quite some time while I haven't gotten back into it due to various circumstances. The main culprit is definitely Monster Hunter XX, though. It was a rough climb back to where we were in Generations, but we're almost there and ready for the new stuff!

Well, it definitely depends what the grind is ultimately for. If the end result is something that'll give me a great sense of satisfaction, then I'll happily do it. Monster Hunter - of course - fits that bill. Well, most of the time it does. I have yet to properly utilise the gene mechanics in Monster Hunter Stories, so I still have to find out myself whether it's something I like the grind of.

I hope you get a great deal whatever it ends up being!

I actually completely forgot about the demo! It covers a decent chunk of the early-game and you can transfer your progress into the full game too. Yeah, the technical flaws can be a bit distracting but I can easily forgive them given just how good it all looks for a 3DS game and that it's much more open than the main games, which operate in small areas with loading screens everywhere.

Well, Capcom did make a Switch port of Monster Hunter XX, which is the enhanced version of Monster Hunter Generations. Sadly, its localisation is still up in the air and I don't see it happening at this point. Given the Switch's success, I have no doubt that Monster Hunter will be on it down the line. To what extent will likely be decided by Monster Hunter World's performance, so we'll have to wait and see. PS4 should have the biggest userbase, depending on when it arrives on PC and whether it takes off there.

Thanks! I'm sure there are many "potential" fans for the series in a situation like yours. Stories feels like the perfect introduction to the universe without the learning curve that comes with the main games, especially for anyone that likes RPGs and/or Pokémon. I'd definitely recommend it! Monster Hunter World also looks like it will be the easiest entry point for newcomers so far. I can't wait for it myself and will get it on PS4.

thx

{Miqo'te} {Please use it.}