As far as we're concerned, we've been hoping for a new Monster Hunter for 8 years. After completing the Tri episode on the Nintendo Wii, we waited for the European release of Frontier Online on Xbox 360 but to no avail. With the arrival of a new generations of consoles in 2013, we kept our fingers crossed but we had to wait until E3 2017 to finally see the announcement of a new episode on PS4, Xbox One and PC. For console players, the wait is finally over, and believe us, it was worth it. Monster Hunter: World is fantastic, as proven by our verdict inside.
PC version update:
When Capcom announced the system requirements for Monster Hunter: World, there were good reasons to worry. In the end, the game is indeed demanding, but a bit less than what we expected. That being said, playing in 4K above 30 fps won't be possible with a single GTX 1080 Ti and even in 1440p minor drops can still occur when the game is maxed out. Thankfully, there are enough graphics options to meddle with to adjust the game's visuals while taking the frame rate into consideration. Playing with a keyboard and mouse is functional, though we chose to stick to our good old gamepad. All in all, the wait was worth it for PC owners as they can now enjoy the game with improved visuals and higher frame rates.
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Note
: Most of the full review (in French) is based on our experience on the PS4 Pro version of the game, but Driftwood (who is a newcomer to the franchise) captured some (unpatched) Xbox One X footage during the 15 hours he has been able to play the game so far. The footage which is not available in 4K was recorded with the mode that prioritizes graphics. Aprt from the side by side footage, only one video was captured with the Framerate mode on (the analysis one). Screenshots are from the PS4 Pro version.
Verdict
The year has just begun and we already have found a potential GOTY for 2018. No need to beat about the bush, we just love Monster Hunter: World. Back when it was announced at E3 2017, we were thrilled, but then we started to worry about what Capcom would do with this episode to appeal to a wider audience. In our worst nightmares, we imagined it would become a Free 2 Play or that it would at least become a lot more casual. Thankfully, we were wrong. Gameplay is just as excellent and demanding as in the past, with a pretty impressive number of different mechanics, more open environments and mindblowing content. Monster Hunter has managed to evolve without forgetting what it originally was, the best monster hunt title ever released.
On the plus side
Monster Hunter at its best
Addictive and exciting gameplay
Epic fights, alone or with friends
Great learning curve
Top-notch OST, again
Fantastic game world, lively and and entertaining
Looks pretty good for the genre
Choice of voices and subtitles
So much content you won't see all of it before long
No more loading screens during hunts or expeditions
5 beautiful open maps
Traversal is smooth and fast outside of combat
Many improvements over previous episodes & some new features
Online is well-integrated to the single-player mode
Monsters fighting each other, always impressive
No microtransactions and free content to come
On the downside
Never totally smooth, neither on PS4 or XB1X
A few technical issues
Camera angles aren't always good
No pause, just like in Dark Souls (but some will love it)
The Scout flies can be a tad capricious at times
System specs
i7 6700K @ 4.5 GHz 16 Go RAM (DDR4) Windows 10 INNO3D iChiLL GeForce GTX 1080 Ti X3 Ultra
Trying various settings in 4K
4K performance during combat in the ancient forest
Thanks a lot for the great review, videos and images.
Just read EuroGamer's review as well, MH:W got an "Essential". Seems like it's an excellent game. Now to wait for the PC release, though from everything Capcom has said about it, it will probably be a very well optimized version.
I prefer to wait months for an actual proper PC version than to get the game now, but in a very bad state like many PC ports of many games we got throughout the last decade, which sours and may even ruin the game for a lot of people who would have loved the game otherwise. Plus by then Capcom will have made many changes, fixes and polished the game even further, as well as adding many of the upcoming free content.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now, but waiting for things has become very easy for me. I work, get home, enjoy my free time with loved ones, sleep, hence and repeat. Weeks pass fast, so does months, etc. Then one day what you were waiting for is out.
I also need to go through my backlog, there's a lot of other excellent games to play while I wait. I still need to play: Hollow Knight's The Grimm Troupe DLC, SteamWorld Dig 2, Gorogoa, Lost Sphear, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Battle Chef Brigade, Doki Doki Literature Club, Danganronpa v3, Injustice 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, The Silver Case, etc. I doubt I will even be able to finish all of these before MH:W's PC version comes out, not that I won't try.
Commented on 2018-01-25 11:58:33 In reply to Sdarts
- PC players have to wait until next Fall
Yeah that kinda sucks, but i'll wait for it. Without doubts it'll run/looks better than what i would get on my ps4.
Posted by Sdarts
I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now, but waiting for things has become very easy for me. I work, get home, enjoy my free time with loved ones, sleep, hence and repeat. Weeks pass fast, so does months, etc. Then one day what you were waiting for is out
Same here. years ago i was like, omg i need to get xx game asap and got hyped much easier. Now is different as you have mentioned above. :)
Commented on 2018-01-25 13:14:09 In reply to Sdarts
Posted by Sdarts
I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now, but waiting for things has become very easy for me. I work, get home, enjoy my free time with loved ones, sleep, hence and repeat. Weeks pass fast, so does months, etc. Then one day what you were waiting for is out.
and once it is out i don't end up buying it anyway because i have other games i have that need completing. so hype and excitement all becomes quite meaningless really.
there are a few exceptions of course. i WILL buy spiderman, god of war and last of us 2 day 1...i don't care what i'm playing at the time.
Loakum
Ugh….scratch that previous comment. The upcoming Game of Thrones video game is a F’in mobile phone game. Why can’t they came an open world GoT game, like Witcher 3 or God of War? (> 3 Months ago)
Loakum
By FAR, the upcoming Game of Thrones King’s Road was the Game of the Show! It plays like God of War Ragnarok! :) (> 3 Months ago)
Loakum
@Driftwood Awesome! I’m loving it! It does show a much crisper picture and the frame rate looks good! I was playing Stella Blade and Dragonball Soarkling Blast! :) (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
@Loakum: enjoy, the one Sony sent us will be there on launch day. Coverage will follow asap. (> 3 Months ago)
Loakum
*takes a large sip of victorious grape juice* ok….my PS5 pro arrived early! So much winning! :) (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
@reneyvane: non ils l'ont publié le 1er octobre et je crois que tu l'avais déjà linkée. ;) (> 3 Months ago)
reneyvane
Factornews à joué à KingdomComeDeliverance2 au Gamescom 2024 mais ne publie sa preview que maintenant ? [url] (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
Download is now functional again on Gamersyde. Sorry for the past 53 days or so when it wasn't. (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
Another (French) livestream today at 2:30 CEST but you're welcome to drop by and speak English. I will gladly answer in English when I get a chance to catch a breath. :) (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
GSY is getting some nice content at 3 pm CEST with our July podcast and some videos of the Deus Ex Mankind Divided preview build. :) (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
For once we'll be live at 4:30 pm CEST. Blim should not even be tired! (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
More Quantum Break coverage coming in a few hours, 9:00 a.m CEST. (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
We'll have a full review up for Firewatch at 7 pm CET. Videos will only be tomorrow though. (> 3 Months ago)
Driftwood
Tonight's livestream will be at 9:15 GMT+1, not GMT+2 as first stated. (> 3 Months ago)
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All comments (7)
Commented on 2018-01-25 11:11:50Just read EuroGamer's review as well, MH:W got an "Essential". Seems like it's an excellent game. Now to wait for the PC release, though from everything Capcom has said about it, it will probably be a very well optimized version.
I prefer to wait months for an actual proper PC version than to get the game now, but in a very bad state like many PC ports of many games we got throughout the last decade, which sours and may even ruin the game for a lot of people who would have loved the game otherwise. Plus by then Capcom will have made many changes, fixes and polished the game even further, as well as adding many of the upcoming free content.
I'm not sure if it's because I'm older now, but waiting for things has become very easy for me. I work, get home, enjoy my free time with loved ones, sleep, hence and repeat. Weeks pass fast, so does months, etc. Then one day what you were waiting for is out.
I also need to go through my backlog, there's a lot of other excellent games to play while I wait. I still need to play: Hollow Knight's The Grimm Troupe DLC, SteamWorld Dig 2, Gorogoa, Lost Sphear, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, Battle Chef Brigade, Doki Doki Literature Club, Danganronpa v3, Injustice 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, The Silver Case, etc. I doubt I will even be able to finish all of these before MH:W's PC version comes out, not that I won't try.
To all console players: Happy hunting!
Commented on 2018-01-25 11:58:33 In reply to SdartsYeah that kinda sucks, but i'll wait for it. Without doubts it'll run/looks better than what i would get on my ps4.
Commented on 2018-01-25 12:18:00You mean Fall 2019 by next fall?
Commented on 2018-01-25 12:56:34 In reply to Loneck
Commented on 2018-01-25 13:14:09 In reply to Sdartsthere are a few exceptions of course. i WILL buy spiderman, god of war and last of us 2 day 1...i don't care what i'm playing at the time.
Commented on 2018-08-08 03:19:13So the end game is just constant stun and that's how you win every fight
Commented on 2018-08-08 19:14:21