I feel like Monster Hunter is one of those game franchises where the first game in the series you ever get into is the one you'll probably like the best.
It's kind of like sports games or FPS type game franchises, they tend to feel too samey despite the new features and graphics. So there are always going to be mixed opinions by old fans who may:
A. Like it because it's been 15+ years since they've done Monster Hunter.
B. Like it because it's the second game in the series they ever played.
C. And this is the most likely - feel kinda bored with it because of the "been there, done that" feeling, without the nostalgia of the original game they played.
I'm projecting myself onto C a bit, because I'm the type of gamer that tends to rarely like imitations or sequels that are too similar to existing games unless I didn't get enough into the older ones. I'm not saying that samey sorts of games shouldn't exist, as if I was going to be a new Monster Hunter player, I'd likely have the best time with the more recent games, not from the era I started in: 2 and 3. But for me, 3 is always going to be the top one, because of the sheer amount of time I spent on it, and the office lunchtime group we had in the 3DS port of it - and we never really replicated that with 4, even though 4 was objectively better. Smash Bros was another series I found similar, after playing a ton of the N64 version, the much more popular Melee (where many new fans got into it for the first time) didn't make much of an impression on me.
Also, IMO, once you've done Monster Hunter multiplayer on handheld, then single/online play on home console becomes an empty/depressing experience. Kinda like being a kid at the playground when no one else is there - great experience if you've never been to a playground before, but once you've spent months there jamming with your friends, you don't really want to be there alone anymore.
I describe myself as a little dose of toxic masculinity.
Essay Pro