Coming back from Rise, I can safely say that Iceborne is a superior experience (and not just because of G Rank). World has an amazing way of making you feel like a Hunter despite the innovations of the New World; even though scoutflies help you track a monster, you have to first teach them what the monster smells like to get them on the scent. Not having some Cohoot up in the air permanently giving you a bird's eye view of everything on the map through telepathy or something.

The endgame content for World (and Iceborne) trumps whatever Rise currently has; Rise-Apex Monsters have no real bearing on developing endgame equipment, unlike Tempered Monsters. Hell, even 4U-Apex Monsters had uses in developing stronger Wystones to make future fights easier.

Suffice to say, Iceborne keeps me coming back for more, while Rise...just doesn't. The only thing Rise has an edge on is the quality of the returning monsters, which Iceborne doesn't do as well - most returning monsters feature only in G Rank, making them incredibly fast and punishing for new players who haven't learnt their behavior patterns yet, to the point where they became a joke in Rise in LR/HR (looking at you, Rajang).

Oh, and of course, Brachydios is back in Iceborne. 10/10 Guildmarm approves.

If you're reading this in the future when Rise is on Steam and you're considering which game to go for, stick with World: Iceborne for now. Trust me.