Between hunting and trapping, players can join a friend for split-screen co-op, or up to three others online through Nintendo's servers as they confront some of the most creative and crafty monsters yet. It's far from the most accessible entry in the series, but it remains an innovative entry in the iconic ser

Valhiem strikes that difficult balance between survival challenges and exciting exploration these sorts of sandbox adventure games strive to achieve. The indie Viking survival title was an instant smash hit with PC gamers and captured the imagination of many sandbox enthusia

Monster Hunter Generations was the 3DS-exclusive predecessor to Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate , and as a result, takes a lower spot on this list simply for a lack of content. However, the game still deserves a ton of respect for its innovations on the classic formula, from introducing special moves called Hunting Arts, a variety of Hunting Styles, and numerous returning monsters and locati

That doesn't mean Legends: Arceus will be like that, of course. Just this year, New Pokemon Snap has proved that Pokemon can still experiment with fantastic ways of constructing narratives through clever worldbuilding, but given the relative lack of innovation the Pokemon formula has had over the past 15 years or so, a full open world could have gone very wrong. The Wild Area was one of Gen 8’s biggest attempts at innovation, and it came with mixed results. A Monster Hunter-style game feels like open-world training wheels - but it also seems as if Pokemon can't be trusted to ride on its own just

If Monster Hunter were to introduce a dedicated "Spear" weapon, its move set could be mapped directly from the Legend of Zelda game. Its main attack would be rapid jabs that could act as a "flurry," similar to Monster Hunter 's Lance but faster, more horizontally aimed, and at a shorter range. The Lance is a defensive weapon in Capcom's series, focused around players blocking attacks with their shield before delivering a few jabs in return. A theoretical Spear could be more attack-orien

Alternatively, a hunter could throw their Spear to graze the side of a monster, and this is a place to incorporate elemental strengths. Say one player is using a Thunder Element Spear, it would make sense for the weapon to emit some electrical energy as it flies through the air. This would leave the weapon stuck in the ground wherever it lands, requiring players to collect it again (unless something like a Wirebug allows it to be instantly retrieve

Geralt will have access to his silver sword for monsters, as well as his sign abilities like Quen and Igni to protect and attack respectively. Monster Hunter: World is the perfect collaboration for professional monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, whose status as a Witcher allows him heightened senses and a long life of accumulating knowledge on tracking and taking advantage of the weaknesses of monsters. This collaboration was announced alongside the DLC Iceborne which is coming to Monster Hunter: World in Q3 of 2

As of the upcoming entry Monster Hunter Rise , weapons are broken down by two categories. Hunters who use melee weapons are called Blademasters, and there are 11 options for them: Great Sword, Long Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, Hammer, Hunting Horn, Lance, Gunlance, Switch Axe, Insect Glaive, and Charge Blade. Meanwhile, those who use ranged weapons are called Gunners, and there are three choices in this category: the Bow, Light Bowgun, and Heavy Bow

For a lot of players, monsterwildlands.com`s blog World is their first encounter with the series, while others have been around since the 3DS days , and some even longer with the archaic Playstation releases and PSP breakouts . Regardless of where players fit in, there's a lot to love about the franchise, and a pretty big backlog of under-the-radar games that deserve a lot more love than they found on initial rele

One of the reasons Monster Hunter appeals to so many people is the freedom of choice inherent to its range of weapons. One player may prefer to deal cutting damage with an immense Great Sword , whereas another may prefer the blunt, skull-cracking hits inherent to the Hammer. Yet the wealth of options goes deeper, as each weapon can also specialize in dealing elemental damage or status effects, and a player's custom armor set can also provide unique skills to assist in bat

The original beast was obviously a bit of a hard sell for new audiences, seeing as this is the first installment in a famously hard-to-master series. However, it also introduced a lot of future staples of the series, from 7 of the eventual 14 weapon types to iconic monsters like the Rathian, Rathalos, Khezu, and Diab

Years after launch, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is still making headlines thanks to its memorable characters and the incredible work that CD Projekt Red put into development. It's likely that the game will be garnering even more attention now the Netflix's The Witcher series , based on the same books series as the games, is currently out and streaming on the platf