So, im a week into the game, started playing last saturday, and even tho im very much enjoying most of it, I cant shake the feeling the final product feels rushed. Gonna write a lot because I wanted to wait until I had played a substantial amount before giving an opinion - So feel free to do your TL:DR thing if you feel like it.
Im coming from MHW, which I've played for nearly 500hours, so have a little patience with me, that game has a HUGE amount of content and coming to a new MHW that just released its a very agressive change of pace. Maybe im being harsh on the game, I tend to do that, but I have somewhat strong opinions regarding the new features, but mostly regarding the features they didnt include in the game that couldve benefitted it a lot.
Currently im HR5, doing high rank missions to hunt Rathian, Bishaten, Puke Pukei, etc. Its weird, but you can only play High Rank missions in the Gatheringhub, you cannot take them in the village. Doesnt change much, i just feel its a bit weird.
I feel theres a clear focus on having the player finish everything quicker. You dont have to track monsters anymore. Farming map items gets you the 3 items at once. Palamutes make your movement through the maps MUCH faster, wirebugs and wall walking make exploring MUCH faster. So in general the game moves faster and I feel thats a double edge sword. I personally wouldve preffered if exploration was encouraged in a different way. Less hurried.
On the positives, palamutes are a fantastic new adition, maybe my favorite new adition - And I hope they come back for future instalations. They do add dynamism for both fighting and exploring, even if they make every faster/quicker. I wish you could customize them more tho, but im assuming layered armors for palamutes will come with events or something of the sort. Im not interested in hiring a new palamute every time I feel like changing the coating, so thats a no-go for me, would've been nice to have a feature for it. Im assuming buddy armors/layered armors would do the trick.
The Asian aesthetic fits well and its really pretty.
The variety in both - combat gameplay and aesthetics of the new monster is great. As of this moment Mizutsune is my favorite new monster. Somnacanth and Goss Harag would come in second place. Im loving the variety In types and looks. This is great.
Farming monster parts to craft decorations is a better mechanic than just having them drop randomly as it was in MHW. Its also the laziest way to do it, but at least you get what you want.
Wirebugs get a mixed reception from me, a lot of games have a "hook-type" mechanic in their gameplay, I dont think this one is particularly great (or bad, for that matter) but this particular game shouldnt needed it. Combat-wise, I prefer the clutch claw. But thats just me.
Riding and making monsters fight each other also gets a mixed reception from me, at first I thought it was fun, cause it feels like a lot of fun, but then every single time ive done it its always the same dynamic- and feels the same - making it less and less special, which feels a bit lazy tbh, it got old really fast. I am glad the mechanic exists tho, as a new feature, and they didnt sacrifice an old feature for it, like turf wars, for this - speaking of turf wars, I thought there wasnt any but yesterday I saw my first turf war in a week (Tetranodon vs Lagombi) so I guess they are harder to trigger? Or maybe im just having bad luck.
Im also glad theres no underwater fights. When I saw leviathan monsters were back I imagined there'd underwater fights like in MHTri but im glad theres isnt any, that was a horrible feature.
On the negatives, the game is easy, maybe way too wasy, I was feeling weird at first when my hunts were ending before the 10minute mark. Thats not great.
Exploration is not as encouraged as in previous games, no scouting monsters anymore, they even mark the monsters right when you start the hunt, which is a bad new feature IMO. Scenario design as a whole, while not bad, cant hold a candle to MHW's maps, which to me was probably the biggest let down. These maps are pretty but those maps were gorgeous.
Rampages. Dont have much to say, i just genuinely dont like them or find them entertaining. For me, they are the worst new feature easily.
Armor design. I dont get why the armors in high rank are the exact same as they are in low rank - plus a small color swap in some small parts. what is it with that? Im not in the endgame yet, so i dont know if theres more to it, but its those little lazy details that make me feel the game was rushed. I hope when they release the Ultimate version/Expansion they add 2 diffent base models of each armor set like they did in MHW, that'd be swell.
No "investigations" which is a shame, they were a nice little feature to speed up item farming in MHW. Wouldve been very useful in this game since now you have to farm monster parts to craft decorations.
I also feel theres a lack of sub-features that usually build the atmosphere of the setting of the game. For example, MHW's concept of entering a new world had you discovering and enlisting lynians of different tribes, and level up their gadgets and have them aid you mid-fight. Theres nothing like that in here, its just rampages and... relic/message-hunting? Thats not very fun, its not a very rewarding and feels like a lazy way to encourage exploration.
Its also weird that theres Jaggi, Zamite and Jagras but not Great Jagras, Zamtrios and Great Jaggi? Wouldve loved to fight Zamtrios, always liked it, im assuming/hoping they'll be added later.
Im assuming my opinion on the lack of atmosphere building will change later with the big patch coming late april and when events start and other cuztomization options become available, like layered armors. I heard they are adding Chameleos, and other apex versions of monsters that werent at launch do the game being rushed. Theres almost no Elder Dragons as of now, I believes theres only 2 until Chameleos arrives, which gets me a bit shaky when it comes to reaching the endgame, because thats what I want in the endgame, Elder Dragons.
Also, this is the only Switch game so far that make me wanna play it docked, its just more spectacular that way. I keep my switch in portable mode for almost every other game.
Sorry for my bad english.
