In the ever-saturated media landscape, blockbuster franchises are a dime a dozen, andvideo gamesare no different.
With so much for players to focus on, its pretty impossible to experience it all.
Thats kind of the story forMonster Hunter.
Since 2004, ‘Monster Hunter’ has old over 100 million copiesCapcom
From the outside, it might seem like yet another action co-op game that primarily features big ass swords.
Where do you begin?
Heres everything you should probably know about Capcoms cult favorite turned global sensation.
What isMonster Hunterabout?
Monster Hunteroriginated in 2004 with the release of the first game on the PlayStation 2.
These are then used to craft armor and weapons to become stronger and chase the next target.
The steep difficulty was established as another series trait early on.
Teaming up with others meant complimenting strategies, as well as a sense of camaraderie in defeating huge monsters.
Playing with others also highlights another substantial core element, which is the ludicrously sized weapons.
Over time, they all became staples that were iterated upon in future releases.
Each weapon is deliberately different in terms of feel, move set, and role.
How didMonster Hunterget so popular?
If youre unfamiliar withMonster Hunter, it might be surprising to see just how ubiquitous it is worldwide.
Sure, 2020s Paul W.S.
Anderson-directed film adaptation wasnt exactly great, but it also wasnt atotaldisaster, especially for a pandemic-era theatrical release.
But to even get the green light, the interest had to be there.
The originalMonster Huntergame was a cult favorite in gaming circles that remained fairly niche for years.
playing with consoles in close proximity with one another) was something you just did with friends and coworkers.
And it worked.Worldhas sold over 20 million copies in the past few years.
Now,Monster Hunteris surpassed only byResident Evil, with over 100 million copies sold in its entirety.
Should you playMonster Hunter?
The popularity ofMonster Hunteron a mainstream scale kicked off a video game subgenre of its own.
One could argue that even behemoths like SonysHorizon: Zero Dawnhave taken cues from Capcoms series.
Yet,Monster Hunterstill excels at offering thrills, even when it remains familiar.
The experience of playingMonster Huntercan be wildly different depending on what people are looking for.
At the very least, it offers something very different as an alternative to the samey live-service malaise.
Monster Hunter Wildslaunches Feb. 28 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC.
