I've only ever purchased one Monster Hunter game and that was for the Wii U. I never even got to the monster hunting!
And yet, your review makes me want to give this one a go.

This is a topic where we can throw shit at each other from our trenches and anything I say isn’t anything personal against you. Just so we are clear.

You need to keep apart technically impressive and good looking. 

While MHR might be technically impressive for the hardware I (very subjectivley) still argue that it isn’t the best looking for the hardware. If they would have gone more stylized the game would have masked the hardwares shortcomings better and looked better. This is just in line with what you said, I’m mainly arguing semantics.

Further you say that BotW has basically no textures, while true this is not an negative. Since that game is styalized to look more like a classical Studio Ghibli movie it actually does not need to have that much detailed textures if you look at a movie like Kaze no tani no Naushika or Mononokehime the game nails that look. It is smart utilization of resources.

Technically impressive games that go for ”realistic looks” are still (and will probably never leave) uncanny valley when it comes to depicting humans heck even cinema has this problem (any movie that youthifies an actor suffer from this, they look off and don’t get me started on the latest star wars movies).

I'm not sure if Capcom is going to do that, in that they also have to make games that work for the other consoles and PC. If they made all their games going forward for Switch based hw, then I don't see that as a plus for the other systems, especially PC.

I think this is the part we will always and forever disagree on, but I am of the notion that it is better to make the engine scale to the higher end and then to the lower, not the lower to the higher, because with the latter, it has to be made ultra specifically for the lower end, while the higher end remains completely unchanged, but doesn't get any such bonus either. 

I think the clickbait of your thread title (not that it's bad clickbait, it's just what it is: a title meant to get people to click) detracted from the overall conversation around the review. Then again, it probably sparked way more conversation than just a review itself would have.

Personally I do think Monster Hunter Rise is one of the best looking Switch games, along with Luigi's Mansion 3, Paper Mario: Origami King, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. If we're including games that don't push the Switch at all, I really love the beautiful artstyle of HD Ace Attorney, which I know is a bit divisive in the community. Also probably REmake remastered, though I haven't played the Switch version, just the PC one.

I don't know if it's the #1, but I think I'd be willing to say it is because of the extent it pushes fur and skin textures for monsters, along with how gorgeous a lot of the environments are (the forest levels being a bit inconsistent). Then again I'm biased because of course I love to see a series that's about creating highly detailed cryptoids in highly detailed immersive environments.

They're not going to making all or even most of their games Switch based, stuff like RE9, the next DMC, Street Fighter 6, Monster Hunter World 2, etc, won't be built around Switch's hardware.

I don't think it would hurt though if the rumors are correct about an RE spinoff in the Revelations line being made for Switch. That way they'd make some good money off the Switch's massive and growing base, then get even more sales when they then port that to PS5/XS at 4K/60fps.

DOOO EEETTTTTT.  This is leagues above MH3U, and in a lot of ways, I was pissed they didn't even bring MH4 to the Wii U...

I respect civil discourse, you don't need to worry about presenting your thoughts as long as you are not denigrating the discussion with personal attacks.  Having said that...

Respectfully, sir: no, it is the fact that I merge artstyle and technical prowess together as the definition of "graphics" that offers the most balanced perspective.  Focusing primarily on one or the other is like picking a side, and picking a side usually blinds a person to the other.  There are times, naturally, where other games push technical prowess so far that it is impressive.  There are times, naturally, where Nintendo focuses so much on artstyle in lieu of technical prowess that it is also impressive.  But the fact that games exist in which BOTH are in play (Ratchet and Clank is an easy example to pick) says that my line of thinking is the eventual pinnacle of graphics.  More and more, that is coming to light as well: Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus (I've preordered both, naturally haha) both prove that even in anime-inspired games where artstyle is PARAMOUNT, they are understanding how to use the additional power to enhance the aesthetic.  Code Vein was already a step forward in the artstyle vs graphics arena for JRPG/anime-inspired looks, and it'll only get better from here.

I think your statement is coming from one side, and it is the same side most Nintendo fans come from.  This is why I find that this stems from most good-looking Nintendo games focusing on artstyle that THAT standard becomes the norm.  The only people I've known to disparage Demon's Souls shockingly CG-like appearance are usually Nintendo fans or people who primarily find artstyle more appealing.  Everyone else is impressed by the imagery on show in Demon's Souls, me included.

In a closing statement to this: never at any point have I not said anything about not appreciating a game devs' choice to focus on arstyle.  In fact, you know who I think is besting Nintendo in that department?  Over the Moon Studios with Ori.  Both Ori and the Blind Forest and Will of the Wisps push artstyle HARD, and I absolutely LOVE it.  The experience is naturally enhanced on more powerful hardware because of smoother/higher framerates and higher resolution.

But after all this, I still stand on this hill: MHRise on the Switch is THE best-looking game because it pushes graphics on a level that's unexpected on the Switch.  Just about everyone was shocked this game was a Switch game, or at least running on the Switch, and that should tell you everything right there.  The fact that this technical level was pulled off while pulling off a distinct anime and Japanese inspired artstyle is just that much more impressive.  It only looks "realistic" BECAUSE of the technical prowess!

Erhm, is it really clickbait if I actually said those words verbatim?...  I don't think the thread title is clickbait when my review contains the exact statement made lol

I think I've said everything I can possibly say already in this thread (not that I expect you to read every post, even I'm guilty of skipping pages, especially if it's 5+ pages), but I think the only games that could possibly top this are going to be either MP4 or Bayonetta 3.  I'm worried that MP4 will focus too much on technical prowess and suffer other ways, though.  The GameCube was competent hardware in its generation, the Switch is not.  And that same concern is there for Bayonetta 3.  Bayonetta 2 looked amazing... for a Wii U game.  If Bayonetta 3 looks the same, they've fallen below the bar and while I'm sure the game will be good, it'll also be another graphical disappointment for the Switch where basically only Nintendo fans are saying how amazing it looks.  Everyone else will be muttering "for a Switch game, sure...".

Or in short: Nintendo needs to upgrade or replace the Switch... and I made a whole video that triggered fanboys over it, but I think they need that mid-gen upgrade or something to keep it fresh or it's just going to turn into a Wii situation where it sells great, but no one takes it seriously in the gaming community because despite having good games, it's just too far behind and ends up appealing purely to casuals.

Switch is competent hardware. They used one of the best mobile chipsets available, it's as modern for its time as Gamecube was.

Given that there is actual, factual and technical evidence showing otherwise, I think I'll minimize my response to avoid spawning an argument lol

(they didn't, btw: the NVIDIA Tegra X2 was already available before the Switch released, so unlike Xbox releasing up-to-date with AMD using RDNA2 microarchitecture that released at the same time as the XSX/XSS, the Switch released behind the curve from the get-go)

Let's just leave it at the fact that there's a large enough portion of gaming community that wants a more powerful Switch which is why the topic keeps cropping up over and over again ad nauseum.

The Tegra X1 was still one of the best mobile SoCs around at the time of Switch's development though, and was still absolutely a capable and competent chipset at the time of the system's release. Gamecube was not using the very latest high end hardware for its time either, its GPU was developed from 1998 to 2000, for an end of 2001 release.

Hardware doesn't need to be the absolute most high end piece of silicon in existence to still be competent.

They didn't even choose Xavier, which was also ahead of Tegra X2, so they were two chips behind and well within their usual budget (as Nintendo have been doing since after Gamecube).

Also, yeah, I do want a powerful Switch, without the drift con issues as well if possible (Getting really tired of Ninty trying to skimp on their budget).