Monster Hunter Generations

 3DS
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Release Date: Jul 15, 2016
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 164 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 126 out of 164
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 164
  3. Negative: 21 out of 164
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  1. Rtheom
    Jul 31, 2016
    7
    The whole thing feels and looks a bit... unfinished. The visuals are less polished than previous entries. I'm guessing they chucked some graphical content in order to try to beef out the monster roster and include all of the different starting towns. Unfortunately, many of the small monsters are very similar and I'm not certain there's actually a point to the different towns other thanThe whole thing feels and looks a bit... unfinished. The visuals are less polished than previous entries. I'm guessing they chucked some graphical content in order to try to beef out the monster roster and include all of the different starting towns. Unfortunately, many of the small monsters are very similar and I'm not certain there's actually a point to the different towns other than getting to choose which you want to use as a "main base", which just means you go there for everything.

    Game play is good and solid as ever. Hunter Arts are interesting and add a neat twist to things, but not enough to justify the thrown together nature of the rest of the game.

    Overall, if you're new to the series, pick up an old copy of Monster Hunter 3 or 4 and give a pass on this. If you're a veteran, this is nice because its largely more of the same, but you're probably also still fine sticking with a previous generation too.    … Expand
  2. Santaros
    Aug 11, 2016
    7
    MHG is a worthy addition to the series, but ultimately is a 'popcorn' game. A lot of fun to be had and it makes various improvements, yet falls down in many areas. I can't quite figure out what they were going for, the game seems aimed at people new to the series, yet lacks the narrative & progression of MH4U to drag people in. The nostalgia factor seems to be aimed at series veterans andMHG is a worthy addition to the series, but ultimately is a 'popcorn' game. A lot of fun to be had and it makes various improvements, yet falls down in many areas. I can't quite figure out what they were going for, the game seems aimed at people new to the series, yet lacks the narrative & progression of MH4U to drag people in. The nostalgia factor seems to be aimed at series veterans and yet they have nerfed the general difficulty, to the point where much of the earlier game feels like a chore due to the lack of challenge. Why the haven't included a difficulty setting if this the direction they want to head in is beyond me.

    If you are looking for a less time consuming and 'grindy' addition to the series then this is the game for you. If you're looking for a challenge and storyline is important to you then, as a newcomer I would recommend looking into MH4U first. Overall it's a more polished and fulfilling game.    … Expand
  3. ZRaiyne
    Jul 20, 2016
    7
    Strange. Reviewers say this game is awesome, but i would have to disagree. It is indeed solid, but nothing close to the experience and the polish MH4U had.

    If you are a veteran of older titles prior even to MH4U, then you'd know what i mean. From what I've played so far, the game takes two (2) steps forward in terms of gameplay, but takes three (3) steps backwards in everything else.    Strange. Reviewers say this game is awesome, but i would have to disagree. It is indeed solid, but nothing close to the experience and the polish MH4U had.

    If you are a veteran of older titles prior even to MH4U, then you'd know what i mean. From what I've played so far, the game takes two (2) steps forward in terms of gameplay, but takes three (3) steps backwards in everything else.

    I am no newbie to the title, but i am no extreme veteran either. My current record in this genre:

    MH2 - 90 hours
    MHFU - 550 hours
    MH3rdP - 320 hours
    MHTri - 200 hours
    MH4U - 470 hours (and counting)
    MHGenerations - 40 hours (and counting)

    Let's get down to it.

    Story: 3/10

    - "What the hell is going on."

    What MH4U accomplished as a great narrative of a hunter traversing locations with NPC's that feel involved in your world and with monsters that fit into the context - MHGen completely erases.

    There is no story here. You are in a map. You are given quests, a butt load of dialogue with vague descriptions, minimal (recycled) cut scenes, and no milestones for progression aside from a text bubble here and there. Eg. I was given access to ALL towns on the get go and am given tons of filler dialogue that i just got tired of reading.

    Palicoes aren't even introduced properly. You wouldn't even know you had to hire a cat if you haven't played MH4U or the older games. Transitions are just too clunky.

    Graphics: 8/10

    - "Looks awesome, but MH4U looks better and shows more creative effort/production value."

    Same graphics, but the new Jungle area feels abysmally generic. Those big Brontosauruses, in spite of their sheer size and armor plates, provide nothing but RAW meat. The towns from the older titles (which is accessible for all immediately) haven't been touched nor retouched, so they feel VERY out of place and provide nothing but nostalgia factor.

    The hunting areas from the previous game don't blend well with how the new content looks too. Textures though of higher quality now appear to be extremely generic and barren, not to mention if you look at cave walls it is impossible to miss the recurring patterns of bad texture maps. CAPCOM did not even make any attempts at re-texturing the old content to use the potential of the 3DS.

    Gameplay: 10/10

    - "Hunter arts are awesome! No, really they are awesome."

    Hunter Arts are awesome. (period) The variety they provide in terms of gameplay feel fresh. However, you cannot configure the menu on the second screen for only two (2) arts. So if you only use two (2), you have a dead square that should've been used for other utilities. You could use one (1) tile but you have to switch it often to know if the arts are triggered. NO other more efficient notifications of charged arts.

    Interface: 7/10

    - "What's up with the that bright glaring background on the 2nd screen?"

    When MH4U came out, i saw the potential of clearing your screen and move all distracting elements to the bar below. However, in MHGen despite being able to do that, you are faced with a BRIGHT background that is a pain for the eyes on dimly lit situations. Your second screen is brighter that your main screen for crying out load.

    Overall: 7/10

    - "This game is good, but MH4U is awesome."

    MHGen gives too much homage to nostalgia. Content and polish are there, but are there on a selective basis. Game lacks a workable story and G-rank making it rather short. It seems they just stitched 35% of the older titles for no reason and that's it frankly. You as a hunter have no role in this world.
    Compared to MH4U, this game feels like a bridge to the future MH5 . No effort on immersion has been done unlike MH4U that introduces the genre to new players and veterans alike. In fact, if you are a new player, i would highly recommend you pick-up MH4U first before deciding to play this game. Killing monsters is always cool mind you, but I've been playing monster hunter for so long, a few tricks like moves and stuff don't impress me compared to polish, accessibility, and simply the quality that is present all throughout MH4U. Again, with this game out, Monster Hunter 5 should be just around the corner. Hopefully that game brings the same polish as MH4U has.    … Expand
  4. Twinkobell
    Jul 30, 2016
    7
    -An honest trial:
    Monster hunter is one of the best games ever, but this "Generations" might not be their best title. I still love it but I have to rant about many things.
    The 40 bucks you throw into this one is more like a subscription fee to keep up with Capcom's latest efforts. I might venture to say that this is like a patch for MH4U. More work is done with smoothness of the game    -An honest trial:
    Monster hunter is one of the best games ever, but this "Generations" might not be their best title. I still love it but I have to rant about many things.

    The 40 bucks you throw into this one is more like a subscription fee to keep up with Capcom's latest efforts. I might venture to say that this is like a patch for MH4U. More work is done with smoothness of the game rather than introducing new things, such as resource gathering is now HOLD A rather than SMASH A continuously, monster and weapon hitboxs are reconsidered, weapons are reworked and balanced.

    -Lack of innovation:
    There is however, and many have pointed this out, a huge lack of content: Mostly lack of G and monsters and weapons and everything that one would expect from a new monster hunter game. Capcom spends way too much time paying tribute to previous games (or is this laziness?). No one wants repetitive gameplay, and MHG shows that it is repetitive everywhere (monsters, weapons, movesets, armor) and ... slowly eats away at a player's patience.

    -With things they fixed, with others they also broke:
    The hunter arts is supposed to be the magnum opus of this title, I have contradictory feelings towards it. While having the ability to cast skills seems to make monster hunting interesting, I'm not so sure about Air-Style being accessible to all weapon classes.

    Graphics-wise is another hit or miss:
    When I played the demo I thought they skimped on map details in order to minimize file size, well guess what it looks just as bad in the real game. They might as well draw a green circle on the floor and put me in there with a rathalos. I'm unsure of the reasons of the graphics nerf but probably due to 3DS limitations and the added hunter arts effects. I have never had problems with immersiveness in previous titles due to bad graphics, but somehow it got to me this time, especially with the heavily re-used maps and sprites. I will cry when the day comes that MH releases on a more capable platform.

    In conclusion, this isn't the best MH game but it still beats a lot of other games out there. I went crazy on MH4U and bought 2 copies of it along with a new 3DSXL. On this title however, I doubt I can muster enough enthusiasm.    … Expand
  5. Zaiaku
    Aug 10, 2016
    5
    Honestly, this game is an insult to anyone who is a fan of the series. Far too easy, weapon upgrading has been unnecessarily complicated, palicos are all but useless and the Hunter skills/arts are pointless and clunky... It has a few good points such as the roster, Prowler mode for a change of perspective and nice graphics but outside of that... its the worst game in the MH series.

    I    Honestly, this game is an insult to anyone who is a fan of the series. Far too easy, weapon upgrading has been unnecessarily complicated, palicos are all but useless and the Hunter skills/arts are pointless and clunky... It has a few good points such as the roster, Prowler mode for a change of perspective and nice graphics but outside of that... its the worst game in the MH series.

    I keep playing it sometimes...And by sometimes i mean rarely. Every time I do, it pisses me off more. there is no challenge to this game at all. And the weapon upgrade system is worse then I thought it was. It gimps your weapon until you can level it up.

    Every time i play this game, my score of it goes down...    … Expand
  6. Animaniac2012
    Jul 19, 2016
    7
    made the starting big hunt way to easy. i have been trying for 3 days to break its head and it dies before it ever breaks. even doing guild hunts cant break the great maccao's head. game needs a rebalance patch.
  7. TJ_of_Carolina
    Jan 16, 2019
    5
    I didn't really get much entertainment value out of this game despite spending 40 hours on it, I really wanted to like it but it requires oodles of time I felt I could be spending on more enjoyable games. Its more action with minimal RPG elements. I liked upgrading my equipment and stuff but to even kill another monster after your first (Which takes significant time for a first boss on itsI didn't really get much entertainment value out of this game despite spending 40 hours on it, I really wanted to like it but it requires oodles of time I felt I could be spending on more enjoyable games. Its more action with minimal RPG elements. I liked upgrading my equipment and stuff but to even kill another monster after your first (Which takes significant time for a first boss on its own) requires a lot of grinding and is pretty difficult. Fighting the monsters themselves is a slog and you have to hit, hit, hit, throw a paintball to track it and try and follow it as quickly as possible when it inevitably runs into the other area. The game is incredibly difficult and needlessly time consuming. I've noticed this game is very highly rated everywhere I looked which makes me think it serves it's niche well but the learning curve is just way too high. I still occasionally pop in the game to give it another shot or try and get something out of it but it turns out to be a waste of time

    It has non existent story and the mechanics are not explained very well. There are multiple locations you can get quests from but these are basically just cosmetic as you can access the same quests anywhere and all locations have a blacksmith, a vendor, a home for you and a palico shop and nothing unique to that area    … Expand
  8. DeltaHaven
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    The best way i can describe this game is "average".
    This spin-off game is supposed to be a celebrations of the MonsterHunter series, so it will contain a lot of popular references to past games that won't be fully appreciated by new players.
    There are a lot more monsters to fight, both older fan favorites and new ones, more gear to craft and plenty of quests to complete. There is A LOT    The best way i can describe this game is "average".
    This spin-off game is supposed to be a celebrations of the MonsterHunter series, so it will contain a lot of popular references to past games that won't be fully appreciated by new players.
    There are a lot more monsters to fight, both older fan favorites and new ones, more gear to craft and plenty of quests to complete. There is A LOT of text to read so it can be obnoxious to go through.
    The newest feature are the hunting styles and arts that let you customize your hunting experience, although in my experience it can sometimes trivialize the game and make it a lot less challenging than past games.
    Another new addition to the game are Deviant Monsters that are basically more difficult versions of some species of monsters and offer unique equipment to craft.
    The graphics are definitely no the best, even compared to older 3DS titles, so don't expect to be visually impressed.

    If you are a big fan of the series i would recommend you give it a try, but if you are a new comer to the series, I recommend to skip this game.    … Expand
  9. AlexMakesToast
    Nov 23, 2022
    6
    Generation = 6/10
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best 3DS Game of 2016
9
#9 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
6
#6 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 72 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 72
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 72
  3. Negative: 0 out of 72
  1. GameGrin
    Nov 21, 2016
    95
    Whilst a near perfect Monster Hunter in my eyes. If it contained better quality of life implementations to reduce the plethora of loading screens and responding to quests (which could be done in a single menu/mail system). This could be an easy ten, otherwise I’m shaking in anticipation for generation five, the Hollywood movie currently in production, Double Cross and Monster Hunter Stories coming to the west (hopefully).
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  2. CD-Action
    Oct 14, 2016
    85
    Generations is a sort of a greatest hits compilation that will benefit newcomers the most. [10/2016, p.70]
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 12, 2016
    88
    It’s a shame Monster Hunter is imprisoned within the confines of the 3DS, especially for a game as good as Generations is. If Capcom wanted a more widespread audience for Monster Hunter in the west, they should definitely release it on Steam. [Sept 2016]
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