After several years of good and loyal services on portable consoles (PSP then Nintendo 3DS) and a gaggle of variations, the license Monster Hunter is back on home consoles (and later at the end of the year on PC) with a World episode the double promise: that of proposing a renewal of the franchise capable of both satisfying long-time hunters and attracting a new audience to the series. It must be said that despite more than 40 million games sold since the beginning of the series in 2004 on PlayStation 2, the license Monster Hunter has always struggled to extricate himself from his niche game image, reserved for fans warned. With very specific game mechanics and a farm-oriented progression, the presentation of this action-RPG series probably barred him access to greater success. Today, Capcom wants to shatter this reputation with Monster Hunter World (MHW), an episode that, in its first minutes, breaks the established routine, modifies the codes of a saga to open up to a new audience without however, forget to talk to his veteran players. The series offers much more than a facelift, but a deep transformation and breaks with certain traditions to offer us the next generation Monster Hunter game capable of attracting to him a greater number of players.
An open and epic formula! Our video test of Monster Hunter World
Announced at E3 2017, Monster Hunter World is led by the team in charge of Monster Hunter 4. If it has written at its first presentation its desire to open thanks to many new features, the title is not no more clean slate of the past and especially the DNA of the franchise. Capcom has balanced its proposal, redesigned its gameplay to make it less cryptic, proposed a new grip, targeted a release on consoles and PC end of the year. So many strong messages sent to players in 2018: no, Monster Hunter is not a dark license reserved for regulars, it could even become one of your biggest slap this early this year!
WHEN THE WORLD WORKS FINALLY
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
The Monster Hunter World cards are now open.
When Capcom takes liberties with its formula, it is a license that opens to make the game more accessible to newcomers, but also more digestible for all the old. First change, and size, Monster Hunter World takes the form of a similar open world. No, the saga has not stupidly succumbed to the sirens of the Open World, it operates here a change expected long ago by its players. Finished cutting into sub-areas subject to load times, MHW embraces a construction more open than ever for an experience with a new breath of freedom. This is not a real open world, however, large hunting areas are always subject to a time of initial loading before their access and the map is divided into several environments with a specific graphic personality (the Forest Ancient, Termite Desert, Putrid Valley, etc.)
And by the way, Monster Hunter, what is it?
Famous for having greatly boosted sales of the PSP in Japan, the Monster Hunter series places the player in the skin of a monster hunter operating in several environments in search of challenge and components needed to improve his equipment. The thrill of hunting is the particularly realistic (and violent) behavior of your opponents whose life bar you do not see. It is therefore a question of learning how to analyze the behavior of monsters, who through a series of visual feedbacks, give a glimpse of their state of exhaustion as the fight progresses. Equipped with a solid gameplay as technical as gratifying, the saga has based part of its success on its important multiplayer component. Monster Hunter eventually came on Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, iOS, PC with an episode Online never released in the West and even Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and with several derivative games.
If this episode is not called Monster Hunter 5, it is both to mark this willingness to break on the side of Capcom, but also to emphasize the importance of the world (World) at the heart of his experience. The environment is no longer a mere battle arena, it becomes the major player in this opus. Cards are teeming with items to collect, monsters to fight against, and elements to interact with.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
UN NOUVEAU MONDE POUR DE NOUVELLES CHASSES
Ouf, le début d’aventure de ce Monster Hunter World est moins lent au démarrage que dans les précédents opus. Adieu les interminables quêtes imposées de récolte et de chasse aux petits monstres sans grand intérêt puisque le joueur est plongé sans attendre dans la première zone du jeu face à son premier adversaire, le grand Jagras. Cette réduction volontaire du nombre de quêtes principales par Capcom permet au scénario de gagner en ampleur et surtout en intérêt sur la durée. Il est ici question d’enquêter sur le mystère de la « Traversée des anciens », un phénomène cyclique durant lequel certaines des créatures les plus puissantes du monde migrent vers le nouveau monde. Sur les traces de l’imposant Zorah Magdaros, les chasseurs de votre flotte découvriront bien vite que quelque chose perturbe l’équilibre écologique naturel des choses et attire les Dragons Anciens vers ces terres pleines de merveilles.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
The city of Astera is at the heart of the progression at stake.
Accessible from the city of Astera or via the global map of the game, the different environments of Monster Hunter World are full of life and interaction with the scenery. The subdivision into sub-zones subject to loading times is relegated to the attic, MHW embraces a construction more open than ever for an experience with a new breath of freedom. As useful to the hunt as it is necessary to breathe life into a more credible ecosystem than ever before, Capcom’s meticulous work on creating the different environments of this episode is felt at all times. More sprawling and vertical than ever, maps always offer an element to harvest, an insect to capture, a narrow passage in which to sneak or an index to analyze.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
The five environments of the game each offer a different atmosphere and challenges
The zones are no more than mere static battle zones, they come alive before our eyes, populated by a fauna and flora to use to our advantage during the quests. Here, the creepers of a tree turn into a net able to immobilize a monster, there a bone tip hanging from the ceiling is waiting for a slight impact to fall on your target, the player to discover and use with intelligence all these interactive elements. Day / night cycle, weather effects modifying legibility, elements to be destroyed everywhere in the scenery, Monster Hunter’s place of interactivity. We will be content for the moment with the initial proposal of this episode, five environments and one true city to explore: Astera. Too bad compared to the completeness of most of the previous opus, especially since MHW does not offer a snow map at its release.
A character creation at the level of the rest
As with the richness of the cards, Monster Hunter World’s character creation module sets the bar high. The player benefits from a wide range of options to create an avatar corresponding to his desires. age, sex, hair color and eyes, voice tone, these classic elements of customization are supported by other parameters that many RPGs or recent MMORPGs often go by the wayside.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Orientation of the eyes, eyebrow size, makeup and / or fully adjustable scars, the title uses all the potential of its engine to offer us an excellent and especially very complete module for creating avatars. The Palicos, these little cats that support the player during hunts, are not left out and also have a dedicated personalization interface where you can change their coat, the shape of their ears, their tail, etc.
ALL IN TRACK FOR HUNTING
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Navicioles allow you to locate monsters.
The time is therefore to interact with the scenery, including how to locate your hunting targets. You are a hunter after all, so why not analyze the tracks left by your prey to go back? Scratches on the bark of trees, footprints on the ground, traces of mucus, we now track our targets with the Navicioles, small luminous insects able to memorize the smell of a monster and guide you to other Ecofacts via a ecolocation system.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Blue Navicioles indicate the presence of an Ancient Dragon
The more the player accumulates the evidence, the brighter the Navicioles. We also find other tracks during our hunts, those of other creatures present in the area to hunt if you have the time and the desire. Harvesting this ecological information has a persistent effect; a level of knowledge increases with tracking and allows you to get more information about a creature’s behavior. The monster will be located much more accurately from the beginning of a mission when you have accumulated enough knowledge about his habits. Through tracking, your encyclopedia of monsters turns into a real small wiki accessible via the Compendium, you will find detailed information on the materials to collect on each creature of the game, their weaknesses in the face of elemental attacks and their different areas. damage or cut with your weapons.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Get ready to use the scenery to escape some creatures.
We evolve with a new fluidity in these vast areas open to level design designed to promote tracking. On the arm of our character, a sling also participates in the dynamisation of the formula with a hook to hang on many points to take advantage of the verticality of places and ammunition of different types to harvest on the ground for use later during the fighting. These gameplay developments provide a real joystick in hand with a character who leaps, clings to the branches, slips and explores his environment with much more agility than in the past.
Survival tools, in the form of caps to be donned for a short time, also activate powerful attack or displacement effects. A cloak allows for example to enjoy the heights to hover in the air, another improves your physical defense against attacks or offers the possibility of annoying a monster to force him to attack during the time of its activation. It is necessary to complete some main quests or requests to the stewardship to unlock new ones throughout the adventure.
An intense fight against the Legiana – Gaming Live Monster Hunter World
14 WEAPONS FOR 14 DIFFERENT GAME STYLES
The 14 weapons of the franchise are back and are served by animations with visual effects enhanced by the possibilities of the new graphics engine. If MHW leaves the styles and hunting arts introduced with the episode Generations on the grid, it is in favor of a consolidation of most gameplay mechanics. New movements appear in return to extend the battle panel of an arsenal that has already proved its worth. There will be for all styles of players: large sword, spear equipped with a heavy shield, hammer, sword capable of becoming an ax and vice versa, each weapon offers a unique style of combat and has a curve of very rewarding learning for the player.
14 weapons for 14 different game styles.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Of all the arsenal, it is the weapons at a distance that benefit the most from this new reading of the MH formula. No more aiming both feet screwed to the ground in the first person view, the hunt for the jet weapon (heavy and light Fusarballets) takes place in the manner of a TPS and therefore gains mobility and dynamism. No need to use a set of armors specific to remote weapons to enjoy it because the entire equipment system also benefits from some very nice redesigns. It is for example possible to change the entirety of his equipment during a quest by going to one of our camps. An important evolution that opens the way to new hunting strategies, especially during missions facing several creatures at the same time.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
It will target some parts on the monsters to be effective.
The immutable pillar of the formula, you will never see a monster’s life bar and only a careful reading of his behavior will give you an indication of his state of health. In contrast, Monster Hunter World displays (or not, depending on your options settings) the encrypted damage of your attacks. This information gives new perspectives to the optimization of your gameplay. To know if an element (lightning, fire, ice, poison, etc.) is really effective against a monster, to note the increase of its power over the crafts, to know where to type to cause the most damage, this is a very important fact for anyone who wants to become a good hunter.
Combat against Radobaan, we came across a bone?
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A LAUNCH LODGE WHICH NEEDS TO GROW
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
The bestiary of the game has many new faces.
If the license remains very attached to the great classics of his bestiary, such as the Rathalos, the Rathian or the Diablos, Monster Hunter World’s monster cast is full of newcomers. Of the 29 big monsters available in the game, more than half (17) are original creations specific to this episode. A good effort on the part of Capcom who does not rest totally on his achievements to set the future of the series. More importantly, these new heads are both successful in their design as well as in their on-screen behavior and the challenge they represent. Anjanath, Tobi Kadashi, Nergigante, Radobaan, Bazelgeuse, Legiana, this swarm of little newcomers find without any difficulty a place of choice alongside the most emblematic monsters of the saga.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Prepare to face powerful Ancient Dragons.
Now remains the question of the number of creatures available at the exit of the game. Counting on the presence of two subspecies for the Rathalos and Rathian, the cast is much more limited than most of the previous PSP and 3DS opus. If the life of the title is more than correct with more than 50 hours to predict to overcome its simple story mode, we can not help thinking that a dozen additional monsters would not have done harm to the MHW formula. However, it is important to note that as the « first » episode of the saga on the current generation of consoles, the bestiary of the title can not really be compared to that of Ultimate album releases released in Europe in recent years, secondary versions to the basic titles in the cast much more fleshed out. Capcom to enrich its proposal with updates with new heads, known or unpublished.
Towards free and regular updates
Monster Hunter World will not be a frozen content title after the day of release. As it was already the case with previous episodes, but to a greater extent this time, Capcom’s latest addition will be regularly enriched with additional content via a series of free updates. New monsters (such as the Deviljho already announced for next spring), special events, additional arenas, MHW is only laying the foundations of a formula that should expand over the months.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Our expectations are for example the arrival of new environments (including the famous snowy map), the return of old monsters iconic bestiary or, to dream a little, the introduction of an aquatic gameplay at the Monster Hunter Sort, improved by the fluidity of gameplay of this opus. Do not expect to finish the title and relegate to a shelf a few weeks after completing its story mode since Monster Hunter World promises to talk about him throughout the coming months (or years?)
The clashes are (for our greatest pleasure) much more unpredictable than in the past. Do not be surprised if one or more surprise guests come regularly to join your hunt. Sometimes scripted for the purpose of a quest, these unannounced encounters are related to the reinforced systemic interactions of this episode. These unexpected outbreaks give a new epic breath to most hunts and pace our progress.
Clash of the Titans ! An epic fight in Gaming Live
Loading Monster Hunter World Gaming Live video
A CASUALIZED FORMULA?
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
The assistant will guide you on most of your main missions.
After years of very slight variations of a well-honed, but somewhat rigid, game-playing formula, the vast majority of the game’s mechanics gain (finally) in dynamism and accessibility in order to conquer a larger audience than the traditional ones. veterans. This can be felt from the first minutes of the character’s grip on the field: a simple slope is enough to slide during a sprint, no need to stop your momentum to collect the majority of the objects of the decor or to exhaust your stamina for run out of combat. The title multiplies the small modifications of this kind to offer to the public the most welcoming episode to date. To new players interested in the game, but perhaps intimidated by the liabilities of the saga, we can only advise you Monster Hunter World, it represents the ideal episode to make your baptism of the series. Nevertheless, does this accessibility, which is as necessary to attract a new audience as it is pleasant to get hold of, do not have the disadvantage of reducing the usual challenge of the formula? Has MH World become a casual gamer oriented product at the risk of betraying its long-time fans?
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Your companion Palico is a great help during quests.
In the light of our experience of the game and the wish of its developers, it is neither here nor there to simplify mechanics, nor to casualize or westernize them. It’s all about improving and evolving the game’s formula to modernize it. We understand why the episode was surprising in the eyes of some players, he lands with a ton of novelties in his bag, he messed up a series that had never really changed since its release in 2004. No wonder then that some veterans may have felt destabilized. But that does not mean that World will be the episode of simplicity. Did realizing this opus need to shake things up? For us, it’s obvious. MH World is coming out in 2018, 14 years after the first Monster Hunter on PS2, so it was vital and more than ever before its gameplay evolves in the image of graphic technologies or the vision of its creators.
A PROGRESSION AT THE MAP
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
To properly explore a card rewards the player with different increases in his level of knowledge.
The first part of the game is about traditional guild quests, ranked by stars according to their level of difficulty. Then we reach the missions of expert rank once the first arc script of the game ended; the monsters then become tougher and the rewards higher. But Monster Hunter World does not limit its hunts to timed missions related to the progression of a story, it also offers the opportunity to go on a free quest to explore other facets of the game such as harvest, delivery of eggs, capturing monsters, etc. Most missions of the game can be replayed to the desire, to amass money and materials or for the pleasure of the gameplay. The five environments of the game can also be browsed without time or death in exploration mode, we cross the same monsters and the same materials to harvest, which allows to farm without asking too much question. In addition to the upcoming upcoming events over the weeks and the arenas where to put your hunter skill to the test, the title allows to pin a series of contracts in the quest journal, hunts subject to specific conditions with rewards often more interesting than the classic missions of the game.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Stewardship allows you to make a series of queries to earn Ecopoints
Already tackled at the beginning of the test, the harvest of ecofacts in the field also raises a counter of points to be used later with various NPCs in the city of Astera. We particularly think here of the demands of stewardship, objectives to the map to be made in red thread of your other activities of the moment. Completing them grants research points and opens the door to various improvements for the services offered in the city (canteen, merchants, transmutation of objects, etc.). In short, it is not the occupations that are lacking for a game rich content proposed à la carte.
With the absence of G-rank quests, some veterans feared they would encounter a mixture of breathlessness and lack of challenge once they arrived at a high level. While awaiting the possible arrival of this mode of difficulty via a future update, Capcom sets up a system of « Alpha monsters » which will have to go up the track to unlock the fight. These creatures represent a serious challenge for high-ranking hunters and can only be met once the game’s curated campaign has been completed.
How is a quest in Monster Hunter?
It seemed to us necessary to take stock of the classic course of a quest in the Monster Hunter saga to enlighten the lantern of novice players. The quests are contracts with specific objectives to recover in the city. When it comes to chasing a monster, you have a 50 min delay and three failure permissions to accomplish your goal. To put the odds on your side, it is better to go on a mission with the appropriate preparations: equipment and a weapon adapted to the situation, a series of temporary improvements conferred by a good meal with the cooks and consumables to cope with all eventualities. You then access the map concerned by the current hunt, solo or multi depending on your choice and forward for tracking and fighting! It is possible to harvest materials freely, to hunt other monsters, to fish, to capture small animals during a quest, only counting finishing your goal in time. Once fallen, your target will be skinned and you will receive the mission reward in the form of money and materials to use later to create or improve your equipment. Simple and effective, the Monster Hunter formula is not devoid of an addictive side as its gameplay is pleasant to take in hand.
LESS CRYPTIC, MORE FUN
Between the lack of description of certain talents, the very tedious harvesting phases or a system of craft sometimes puzzle, it was necessary to cling and regularly consult the wiki to have a good understanding of the previous episodes of the franchise. Capcom has finally decided to remedy this with a clearer game in its mechanics, more generous in explanations and with an enriched interface. For example, there is the appearance of a hunting codex filled with useful information on monsters and the terrain, the harvest without dead time and in the middle of the race or even the finally detailed craft interface.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Access to consumables during combat is also fluidized by the arrival of a radial menu that quickly becomes second nature to use. Finished the moments of panic where you scrolled through your objects from left to right at the bottom of the screen while your character was in serious danger, all the necessary is accessible by simply holding the key L1 and a direction of the right stick.
And crafts in all this?
Handicrafts play an essential role in the Monster Hunter series. Forging new equipment is a strong motivation for the player. Always for the sake of readability and accessibility specific to this episode, the interface of craft undergoes a major redesign and now displays, such a wiki, the complete tree of improvements to your equipment. The player also has the option of pinning weapons and armor in a wish list to track the progress of his harvest materials needed for their making. The talent system is also modified for more readability and is now easier to understand without going through online searches.
MULTI TASTE HUNTING
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
All hunts can be done solo or multi.
And how to ignore the other udder of the series, one that has made its reputation among the public, we speak of course its multiplayer mode. The latter also benefits from a discount to the taste of the day of its presentation and accessibility. If hunting alone gives great thrills, a small group trip up to four players is always appreciated, if only to accelerate the farm equipment. Monster Hunter World offers for the first time connectivity between players around the world, without zone restrictions. With friends or strangers, you have the choice to create a multi room from the game menus or to send a rocket of distress in the sky, even in the middle of the fight, to call players to your rescue. Note, however, that the monster’s power will adjust to the number of hunters in the group, but the percentage of health and creature remains the same whether you are two or four players.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
It is easy to create or join a clan.
The majority of the content of MH World can be done in multi. The group game is largely highlighted in this episode with the introduction of a similar guild-like clan system that can accommodate up to 50 players grouped under a common banner in the idea of sharing their gaming session with ease. Each hunter is free to integrate up to 8 clans at the same time to maximize their participation in various events available only through this social feature. Looking to the future and anxious to bring back the game again and again, each daily connection to the game allows you to recover a daily reward and to join your friends in a minimum of time and manipulation
MORE BEAUTIFUL, MORE GOURMET?
If the graphics are not everything and if the series is primarily focused on its gameplay, the release of the game on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and later before the end of the year on PC offers new perspectives to the license. Beyond making the game more beautiful and therefore the exploration more enjoyable, the technique of MH World makes possible things that were not before on 3DS or PSP.
The environment is a pleasure to explore, it is teeming with small details and a level of animation on the vegetation. Monsters enjoy the same realism and reach a degree of credibility never reached in the past in the series. The scales of the dragons are visible, the feathers come alive under the gusts of wind and our attacks damage in a very visible way the general appearance of the creatures. Also welcome the good work of the Japanese studio on the general behavior of the bestiary, rarely taken in default by the artificial intelligence of the title and always able to surprise the hunter with a different action. Some collision bugs sometimes occur on the screen, a monster that hangs for a short moment in an element of the scenery, an unexpected jolt, if these rare concerns of the physics engine do not ruin our gaming experience, they prove that the development team still has a small room for improvement over the next few updates.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Rich graphics, better animations, monsters that seem even more alive, new interactions or more detailed equipment that really pays tribute to the work of Capcom artists. These graphics and technical evolutions result in significant differences between the versions of the game. If the title is capped at 30 FPS on PS4 and Xbox One classic, it sometimes has trouble maintaining the stability of its framerate when many elements animate on the screen, that is to say quite regularly. Falls below 20 fps are sometimes noted, especially in multi mode when all hunters unleash their attacks. We must turn to the PS4 Pro or the optimized version Xbox One X (with load times shorter than PS4 Pro) to unlock three specific display modes: a first favoring the quality of shading and details displayed at the screen, another the framerate and a last resolution with an upscale in 4K. We will privilege framerate mode for an unlocked display between 40 and 60 fps in the least dense areas.
TALK TO MY HUNTER
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
Cut scenes are regular between each mission.
This arrival on living room console of current generation is also translated by the presence of dubbing in several languages for the vast majority of cinematics of the game. The French is of course of the part alongside the Japanese, of the English, of a grappling with European languages, and even the classic language of Monster Hunter: the Wyvernian. Worn by a cast of actors with the sound of familiar voices, the French dubbing is convincing even if the lip synchronization of the whole remains very risky (except for your own character who will remain silent as a Susshook throughout the adventure). Carried by the voice of your bouncy acolyte, the main quest of the game will make you meet a motley cast of old hunt hunters, scientists eager for ecological knowledge and explorers intrigued by the mysteries of the New World and Dragons Ancients.
Monster Hunter World : Le renouveau de la série est une totale réussite !
There are many briefings around Astera’s command table.
To give even more scope to the fierce duels between the hunter and his target, to support the specific atmosphere of certain environments or simply to enjoy a quieter moment, music has always occupied a special place in the saga Monster Hunter. This episode is no exception to the tradition with a rich soundtrack, haunting and regularly epic. The power of the brass emphasizes the intensity of the meetings while the violins play on several registers: calm and soothing in certain situations, they become more nervous during the clashes. Veterans will easily recognize some of the iconic themes of the saga, rearranged here in orchestral sauce with some talent.