GU vs World vs Rise vs Wilds (rank the games you played)

[Netsa]

Curious what people think of the latest games in the series overall, or more than that if you want to rank more. I started with Tri back on the Wii, I'm only skipping over them for simplicity's sake.

Note, just because a game is at the bottom of the list doesn't mean it's bad. Monster Hunter is a very strong series and hasn't really had any bad mainline entries, including this one.

Gen > World = Rise > Wilds

Generations gave us the Style system, which I hope every day to be brought back even though I know it never will. I just want to shoot Qurupecos out of a barrel, man.

World did a lot more for making the ecosystem and the overall world feel more alive than any other monster hunting game in recent memory, and noticeably did a better job of it than both Rise and Generations. I spent more time than I thought I would just capturing endemic life and placing them in my room.

Rise brought back part of the over-the-top action from Generations, but also added great free-form movement that had never been seen before in this series. Rise made the player so fast that they barely needed a mount at all, and it tailored the maps to accommodate this. It also introduced wyvern riding, which was just great fun.

Wilds is taking a big step towards open world, and even though it's not quite there yet, it's sending the series in a direction that I think we've all been waiting for for a long time. You now live in the Expedition zone rather than having to set one up at the guild counter, form a party, and then deal with a time limit. It's doing more for the series than just removing the loading screen.

That said, I also feel that Wilds isn't leaning into that aspect enough, and some of the great strides we made over the past few entries were lost in its pursuit.

TL;DR
What do you think, how do the different games compare to each other? Feel free to include or exclude expansions, or more of the entries you played than just those four.

[Scipo0419]

Disclaimer: I will not be discussing the performance or optimization of Wilds in this post. It is irrelevant to the topic at hand. (The optimization is ♥♥♥♥ tho.)

Edit: To clarify my rankings using ">", ">>", and "=" are simply to represent how I feel about the games in comparison with each other, just because a game is at the bottom of the rankings for these 5 games doesn't mean I think it's bad or necessarily worse than the others, just that I enjoyed the other ones more for that specific category, with ">>" being that there is a larger gap between the two games in how I feel about them.

Rankings:

Story: 4U > Wilds >> World >> Rise >>> GU (GU didn't really have a "story" per se)
Combat: GU = Wilds >> World = Rise > 4U (I love the combat in all of them but this is how I'd rank it.)
Immersion: Wilds > World > 4U >> Rise = GU
Armor Sets: 4U = GU >> Wilds >> World = Rise (I really dislike the freedom of "just equip every skill" in World and Rise)
Overall Feel: 4U = GU > Wilds >> World >>> Rise (Again, I love all of these games so me ranking Rise last in the list isn't a bash on Rise, being in the bottom 5 of my top 10 games of all time isn't that bad lol)

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Summary: (wall of text that you can skip if you want)

I had heard of Monster Hunter in passing since it released in the West but I only got into the franchise while working night shifts (6pm - 6am) alone. I'd bring my 3DS to work and play MH4U with the Circle Pad Pro, using my phone's hotspot to play with my friend when he was available but otherwise playing solo. As my introduction to the series was with 4U, it holds a special place in my heart, and having played it as recently as last week on my 3DS (lost my circle pad which hurts, but whatever) and as well as emulating it on the Steam Deck (not as good due to the bottom screen being awkward) I know my fondness of the game isn't just rose-tinted glasses. GU being so accessible through the Switch and Switch Emulation by ripping the ROM to your PC (and Steam Deck in my case) makes it my go-to for Old Gen MonHun gameplay and I genuinely miss some of the clunky charms of those games.

The 5th Generation games are phenomenal additions to the franchise and I love both of them, but they were missing some of the charm that I loved about the 4th gen games. I just didn't feel as attached to them for one reason or another. Wilds, as the first 6th Gen game, brought back a lot of the Charm I felt was missing in the 5th Gen. I feel like I'm a part of the world rather than a vessel for the player I guess is the best, albeit not perfect, description of how I feel. In World I was just another member of the 5th Fleet that happened to be in the right place at the right time, it just felt like a series of coincidences that my character happened to be there for rather than something my character was actively a part of. In 4U you were the Caravan Hunter, the Caravaneer was on a quest to find out about the scale shard he kept so it made sense that you were along for the ride and helping out the villages you stopped by on the way, making the connections between Gore and the Frenzy, and leading up to the reveal that the scale shard was from Shagaru Magala, the adult form of the monster that's been giving you trouble this entire time, was a really powerful experience. It felt like fighting One-Winged Angel Sephiroth after all this time. The enemy you've been trying to beat, but could only repel, in his final form and you overcame it!

Wilds brought back that feeling for me. I'm not just some hunter that happens to stumble into trouble, I'm the Avis Unit Hunter, the Avis Unit would be getting into this trouble with or without me, but me being there as their chosen hunter adds weight to those coincidences. Nata was connected to the White Wraith in the same way that the Caravaneer was connected to Shagaru, so my journey leading into these region saving quests made perfect sense where in World it really... didn't feel like it to me. There was no reason The Handler and your Hunter *had* to go do anything in World, whereas in 4U and Wilds you *have* to go with Alma and Nata as they search for the Keepers and the truth of the White Wraith.

Combat, again, feels amazing to me. World's Slinger was great and Iceborne built on it with the Clutch Claw that I didn't really like as a meta option but loved using for Claggers when the opportunity arose (basically, I didn't spam tenderize the whole monster, I only Clutch Clawed when the Monster gave me the stagger animation opening) which made the addition feel more natural. Rise had the Silkbind moves that are reminiscent of Hunter Arts, but lacked the distinct play-styles that Hunting Styles added and the way it forced the Monster Riding gimmick (hate this, please don't bring monster riding back except in Stories) made me like Silkbinds less than I liked Hunting Arts in GU. Wilds on the other hand, gave us Wounds, Focus Mode, Offset Attacks, Power Clashes, and Perfect Guard/Evade and while Focus Mode and Wounds feel like the game's gimmick, the others feel like natural progression for the series' combat and I can't see them going away in future games. Wounds do feel a bit overtuned, but we'll see how they're expanded on in the expansion the way that the Slinger and Silkbinds were expanded on in their respective expansions.

Do I think Wilds is a perfect game? Not by a long shot. There are many things I want changed or removed, like the Always-On GPS Tracking of monsters and how "safe" the Seikret is in rescuing you from danger, but many of the gripes I had with World and Rise such as the ability to just infinitely restock from your base camp and change gear mid hunt, don't feel as impactful in Wilds. Yes you can still do them, but there's not really a reason to as the Seikret being the Supply Box makes grabbing any supply items you may need a cinch, and of course if you run out mid-hunt and don't want to engage with the infinite restock at any camp you can always just not do that which is what I did in World and Rise.

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This went on far longer than I expected so, here's a TL;DR: I'm a 4th Gen Hunter who misses some of the clunky charm of the older games but I see Wilds as the best Modern Monster Hunter game.

[Fapmaster]

GU is the best Monster Hunter ever made, if only Wilds could be a remake with better graphics and technical performance, instead of this absolute ♥♥♥♥ pile of disappointment. World is solid, Rise has more content but is a couple steps in the wrong direction with game design decisions.

[Netsa]

Originally posted by Scipo0419:

Combat: GU = Wilds >> World = Rise > 4U (I love the combat in all of them but this is how I'd rank it.)

(Clipped for brevity, I read most of the post)
I think that's an interesting appraisal, I'd just disagree on this point since the >> double-arrow seems like more than you elaborated on.

Of the new attacks added in Wilds, the only one I personally think was a really good addition was Offsets. Perfects feel like more half-returns of Gen's styles, while wounds feel too spammy to me, just like Clutch Claw and Wyvern Ride did*. On the other side, World actually added quite a few attacks that didn't exist from GU back, they just didn't have special category names. GS gained the TCS, SnS gained the Backstep tree, SA gained the ZSD, etc.

Adding on to the = comparison, Rise wasn't purely copying Generations. Wirebugs were used for jumps, dashes, and quick ground recoveries, and the mobility did a lot for making the slower weapons, especially HBG, feel a lot more dynamic. It was probably less noticeable if you were on a faster weapon like DB, but for me, wirebugs were a fun boost to every aspect of the gameplay.

*Wyvern riding was fun, but like the cool wound-break combo on melee weapons, it lost its luster after enough times. Wounds are less forced than Riding was, but Riding was just a lot more awesome on its face, and every new monster I fought reignited the fun of riding them for just a few minutes.

[Fluffy Monster Thing]

Originally posted by Fapmaster:

GU is the best Monster Hunter ever made, if only Wilds could be a remake with better graphics and technical performance, instead of this absolute ♥♥♥♥ pile of disappointment. World is solid, Rise has more content but is a couple steps in the wrong direction with game design decisions.

People complaining about Wilds being too easy when in GU you could literally just AFK grind two healer palicos to max rank then adept style the entire roster to death while you had unlimited free healing.

Yes in GU you could have two palicos. You could even pick their subtype. This subtype could be healer. Their ranks were basically unlocked from the start. You could have a pair of rank 100 healer palicos while you were as low as HR 3 without even using exploits. You just spammed gathering missions while the palicos were sent on other tasks.

[Hikaru]

Wilds > 4U > Rise > GU > World

[Netsa]

Originally posted by Fluffy Monster Thing:

People complaining about Wilds being too easy when in GU you could literally just AFK grind two healer palicos to max rank then adept style the entire roster to death while you had unlimited free healing.

Well, it's like this...
GU made you so overpowered that it made the game fun to play. Over-the-top invincible gatling gun, aka Valor Style HBG, may be bad for speedrun tier lists, but no one played that and said "man, this is boring." Also, flexing still existed.

Lowering monster HP is just kinda whatever. In GU, I would get the same times by doing DB demon-dashes on my Great Sword. It's just not the same thing.

Every time they borrow something from GU, it's always weaker than it was in GU. Sometimes balanced just doesn't = better.

[Scipo0419]

Originally posted by Netsa:

Originally posted by Scipo0419:

Combat: GU = Wilds >> World = Rise > 4U (I love the combat in all of them but this is how I'd rank it.)

(Clipped for brevity, I read most of the post)
I think that's an interesting appraisal, I'd just disagree on this point since the >> double-arrow seems like more than you elaborated on.

Of the new attacks added in Wilds, the only one I personally think was a really good addition was Offsets. Perfects feel like more half-returns of Gen's styles, while wounds feel too spammy to me, just like Clutch Claw and Wyvern Ride did*. On the other side, World actually added quite a few attacks that didn't exist from GU back, they just didn't have special category names. GS gained the TCS, SnS gained the Backstep tree, SA gained the ZSD, etc.

Adding on to the = comparison, Rise wasn't purely copying Generations. Wirebugs were used for jumps, dashes, and quick ground recoveries, and the mobility did a lot for making the slower weapons, especially HBG, feel a lot more dynamic. It was probably less noticeable if you were on a faster weapon like DB, but for me, wirebugs were a fun boost to every aspect of the gameplay.

*Wyvern riding was fun, but like the cool wound-break combo on melee weapons, it lost its luster after enough times. Wounds are less forced than Riding was, but Riding was just a lot more awesome on its face, and every new monster I fought reignited the fun of riding them for just a few minutes.

So it wasn't that I was saying '=' means they're the same. It was simply the order I'd put them in and a >> was just "I liked it much more". So if I gave them scores it would be 10 = 10 >> 8 = 8 > 7 (numbers are just an example since I don't really have a way to accurately assign values). Definitely don't think wirebugs were meant to copy GU just that the Silkbind Attacks specifically are very similar to Hunter Arts with some being a direct 1:1 copy or enhanced version. For example, SnS's Windmill Slash giving a large AoE multi-hit attack that gives i-frames is almost a 1:1 copy of the Round Force with the animation and number of hits being the only visible differences, they both serve the same purpose: AoE attack while being invincible.

Edit: Since I still feel like I'm not being clear with the rankings. It's less a direct comparison of "World and Rise are the same and better than 4U" but more of a "How did I feel about them on their own, and how would I rank them based on my enjoyment". So even if I felt all of them had 10/10 combat, I'd still rank them in this order. GU and Wilds have completely different combat, but I love them the most, World and Rise had much less clunky combat than 4U, but 4Us combat is still some of my favorite combat in an action game. Like, Neir Automata is pretty smooth combat, but I remember the story and music more than the gameplay whereas when I think of 4U I remember overcoming the HR Seltas Queen wall that took me 3 days of trial and error and slowly getting better times and less carts until I beat her. Or when I near perfect runned Shagaru because I entered the Flow State and only got hit right at the end (literally 30s before it died). No game has combat as satisfying to me as the Monster Hunter Franchise lol, so 4U may be ranked the lowest of these 5 games for me, but I'd consider it some of the best combat in any game I've played (even with the clunky controls)

[Netsa]

Originally posted by Scipo0419:

So it wasn't that I was saying '=' means they're the same. It was simply the order I'd put them in and a >> was just "I liked it much more". So if I gave them scores it would be 10 > 9 >> 8 = 8 > 7 (numbers are just an example since I don't really have a way to accurately assign values). Definitely don't think wirebugs were meant to copy GU just that the Silkbind Attacks specifically are very similar to Hunter Arts with some being a direct 1:1 copy or enhanced version. For example, SnS's Windmill Slash giving a large AoE multi-hit attack that gives i-frames is almost a 1:1 copy of the Round Force with the animation and number of hits being the only visible differences, they both serve the same purpose: AoE attack while being invincible.

Oh yeah, the Hunter Arts were largely copied, I was just saying that there was more to Rise's combat than that.

Usually when people put multiple arrows, it signifies a big gap, like 10 > 9 >> 7 = 7 > 6, or (using another example from your post) 10 = 10 > 9 >> 7 >>> 4. Even for personal scoring, when I've seen people do that in the past, it has meant that they had big problems with the lower entry.

[Scipo0419]

Originally posted by Netsa:

Originally posted by Scipo0419:

So it wasn't that I was saying '=' means they're the same. It was simply the order I'd put them in and a >> was just "I liked it much more". So if I gave them scores it would be 10 > 9 >> 8 = 8 > 7 (numbers are just an example since I don't really have a way to accurately assign values). Definitely don't think wirebugs were meant to copy GU just that the Silkbind Attacks specifically are very similar to Hunter Arts with some being a direct 1:1 copy or enhanced version. For example, SnS's Windmill Slash giving a large AoE multi-hit attack that gives i-frames is almost a 1:1 copy of the Round Force with the animation and number of hits being the only visible differences, they both serve the same purpose: AoE attack while being invincible.

Oh yeah, the Hunter Arts were largely copied, I was just saying that there was more to Rise's combat than that.

Usually when people put multiple arrows, it signified a big gap, like 10 > 9 >> 7 = 7 > 6, or (using another example from your post) 10 = 10 > 9 >> 7 >>> 4. Even for personal scoring, when I've seen people do that in the past, it has meant that they had big problems with the lower entry.

Yeah that makes sense, I get why it's confusing I should add a clarifying blurb to prevent confusion for anyone else that happens to read it. I do mean to say that I feel there's a big gap in my enjoyment, but I don't mean to imply the lower entries are "bad", which is why it's so hard to rank them and even if I put values to my ranks and tallied them up for an Average Score I'd probably get 4U at the bottom but it feels near the top.

This was a problem I had when I was ranking how I feel about my Critical Mode Journey through the Kingdom Hearts series on a 1-5 scale for my friend based on: Main Game, World Design, Post Game, Side Content, CombaT, and Journal Completion, with a total score of x/30. KH2 was ranked lowest despite having the best combat and post-game content (super bosses and data organization) simply due to just how bad the world designs were and the lack of good side content (mini-game stuff, Colosseum, etc.). While KH3 had the highest overall score because it was just generally good all around. With it beating KH1 in World Design and Post-Game, and beating KH2 in World Design, Side Content, and Journal Completion, but my favorite of the series and the one I always want to go back and replay is KH1 due to having the best story and power scaling over the game. KH1 Sora starts weak with even basic Soldier Heartless being a serious threat, but by the end of the game you feel like a powerhouse with even Invisibles dying in one or two swings, where in KH2 the power scaling is awful and you're effectively playing hyper defensive until you get Second Chance and Once More and then you literally can't die. You go from "everything is a threat" to "nothing is a threat" with two abilities. KH3 was pretty balanced overall but I feel like it suffered from the same Second Chance + Once More being mandatory if you don't want to die to general Heartless. So my favorite game of the series ended up with a middling score even though it "feels" better to play to me.

[Aldroen]

GU > Wild = Rise > World

GU is the GOAT thanks to its amount of content and massive amount of customisation.

Wild and Rise are similar for me as they both tried to do something new in the MH formula.

World is ok but I just find to be the most basic with nothing in it that other MH games do not offer already now or before. Also the clutch claw sucks.

[76561198378545136]

rise

[NiamhNyx]

I have played every title in the series.

Base Game Ratings based on which is my favorite vs least favorite.

1. Monster Hunter Wilds
Low Rank Difficulty: 1
High Rank Difficulty: 6

2. Monster Hunter Portable Third
Low Rank Difficulty: 4
High Rank Difficulty: 3

3. Monster Hunter Rise
Low Rank Difficulty: 1
High Rank Difficulty: 6

4. Monster Hunter 2 Dos
Low Rank Difficulty: 7
High Rank Difficulty: 7

5. Monster Hunter 4
Low Rank Difficulty: 3
High Rank Difficulty: 6

6. Monster Hunter Generations / X
Low Rank Difficulty: 3
High Rank Difficulty: 5

7. Monster Hunter Freedom 2 / Portable Second
Low Rank Difficulty: 6
High Rank Difficulty: 6

8. Monster Hunter 3 Tri
Low Rank Difficulty: 5
High Rank Difficulty: 4

9. Monster Hunter World
Low Rank Difficulty: 1
High Rank Difficulty: 6

10. Monster Hunter 1
Low Rank Difficulty: 10
High Rank Difficulty: 7

Low rank Has gotten easier over the progression of the series, but for the most part High rank has stayed the same, excluding 3rd gen titles, which are significantly easier than the average. I wont be going in to more detail for the base games since there are far to many.


Expansion Ratings besed on favorite vs least favorite.

1. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate / 4G
G Rank Difficulty: 10

2. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
G Rank Difficulty: 9

3. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite / Portable Second G
G Rank Difficulty: 6

4. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate / 3G
G Rank Difficulty: 7

5. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate / XX
G Rank Difficulty: 6

6. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
G Rank Difficulty: 8

7. Monster Hunter G / Freedom 1
G Rank Difficulty: 4

G rank for the most part has had an upward trend in difficulty since the beginning of the series. It peaked in 4U and dropped in GU, but is climbing again.

More Detail:
MH4U is my favorite of the series currently. This game has the current peak difficulty for monster hunter G Rank due to level 140 Guild quests.

The guild quest system made the game incredibly fun with the monster variety. Want to fight an Apex Deviljho and a Savage Devil Jho at the same time? Guild Quest.
Want to hunt two very powerful basarios? Guild Quest.


MHRS is my second favorite because it followed closely with its anomaly system. Special Anomaly quests aren't quite to the level of 140 Guild Quests, but they are close. Being able to hunt up to three monsters makes them have a much wider variety than 4U Guild quests however, which was really nice.


Freedom Unite is third place, its my most played title in the series, so I just have a soft spot for it. It is very janky though. Pokke theme is too good to just ignore.


MH3U takes fourth place. The game is fun and I occasionally go back to just swim around, but the janky underwater fights kinda hurt the game. If they were more polished it likely would have passed MHFU for me.


MHGU is fifth for me strictly because of the sheer amount of bloat the game has. Many people will claim "It has so much content" but in reality, 60% of the game is just bloat. It is a very fun monster hunter title despite that bloat. It is also one of the easier G rank experiences due to Adept, Valor and Prowler.


Iceborne takes sixth for me due to the pre fatalis deco ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I despised the need to grind for hours on end for the main part of a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ set. "Ohh you need a minds eye decoration for a set you want to have fun with? I'll give it to you in 2000 hours!" Then there was escaton judgement. That move is just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, it should have been a buff for Alatreon, making him stronger instead, not some lame ass wipe mechanic that can be COMPLETELY IGNORED if you solo.


MHG/F is my least favorite of the expanded titles. I would still play it over my 5th favorite game series however. Freedom 1 is a better version of G. Not much to say about this one though, its just bare bones monster hunter.

[Scipo0419]

Originally posted by NiamhNyx:

I have played every title in the series.

This was a really interesting read! Obviously rankings are entirely subjective to the player but it's awesome to see how someone who has played all the games rank everything.

[NiamhNyx]

Originally posted by Scipo0419:

Originally posted by NiamhNyx:

I have played every title in the series.

This was a really interesting read! Obviously rankings are entirely subjective to the player but it's awesome to see how someone who has played all the games rank everything.

I would add frontier to the list, but I played it while it was live and it was very different from the private servers. Also not many people will ever jump in to frontier because it can get so difficult.
One thing people have to learn in frontier is how to dodge attacks using hit lag from weapons. Its absolute insanity for the average person.

[Nikloss]

You can rank them once they've reached their end of content. Putting a new game before it's even got it's first content patch against already finished games + their expansions is just worthless,.