Finally, I suspect that I am preaching in a vacuum in defense of these magnificent species, since if you are there, it is because your hobby consists in putting them down. Bunch of naughty villains. Well, well with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, you will once again be served. Pitch usual or almost: here you are in the shoes of a Hunter, who will build a career by chaining the tracks of different species of monsters. We tell you "almost" because for once, the Capcom series is making a little scriptwriting effort to introduce all of this and advance the adventure. The beginner that you are indeed joins the Caravan, a traveling convoy whose boss seeks the origin of a mysterious relic by crossing the world. And your role will obviously be to protect the Caravan in its travels. So, it's not necessarily super addictive, but it's still a significant step forward that justifies the changes of scenery and the arrival of quests. It makes the title less abrupt, less austere. And then hey, new things don't come in clusters of fifteen either in Monster Hunter, so you have to know how to appreciate them.
YESTERDAY'S BEST
The player who is already in his 1574th hour of flight on the saga should indeed arrive in conquered territory. We chain the quests, we run out of monsters, we recover precious materials from the still hot corpses in order to forge better equipment and so on (more or less). The recipe is simple and it still takes just as long to set up; maybe regulars could save themselves the first hours of mushroom picking. But the result is still just as addictive, especially on a portable console. The quest for loot and the curiosity to discover the next monster, no doubt. It must be said that Capcom knows how to do it with its bestiary, surprising, detailed and very well done, even if a good part of the monsters present in this edition are back after a previous appearance. You will discover around thirty new monsters and variations, but you will also be able to appreciate the work done on the first and second generation creatures that return in this opus. New animations, new attacks, new behaviors: longtime fans will be delighted to see them join their most recently integrated congeners and to be able to rediscover them through a new prism. We are obviously talking here about the new verticality of the sets in the game, which is one of the spearheads of this fourth generation.HIGHS AND LOWS
During your wanderings in the forest, the steppe, the desert, the caves, you will indeed realize that the different environments you visit have taken on volume and height. Indeed, your avatar can now climb walls and climb obstacles, which the level designers of the game have of course wanted to highlight via the topography of the levels. Beyond a certain variety in the progression, it is especially during the fights that the feature takes all its importance. By landing a jump attack or two on a monster, you'll be able to knock it down, mount it, and attack it while on its back. This is reflected on the screen by a balance gauge: you will have to take care not to be unseated and to plant your banderillas at the appropriate time. These attacks have the advantage of exhausting the monster but you will have more or less difficulty climbing on a particular creature. The elevation therefore adds an essential strategic dimension, especially since your allies will not be able to attack the monster on which you are perched without causing you damage.Overall, the game is a good ambassador for the New 3DS which it skilfully takes advantage of technically
Your allies, let's talk about it, since Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate still has the clear advantage of finally offering local and online multiplayer on 3DS. And this is perhaps even one of the main arguments of this version. One like the other works frankly very well, without lag, without latency (even if the quality of the connections probably plays its role) and even if the steps to get to the multi are a little messy, we go there found quickly enough, going from solo to multi in the blink of an eye. Capcom's title is also quite efficient technically: if we ignore the few collision problems and the very uneven textures, it remains a title with a coherent, colorful artistic direction. There is also a camera that is still just as eccentric, with which we will have to deal, but we have gotten used to it... Overall, the game is a good ambassador for the New 3DS, which it skilfully takes advantage of technically: slightly enhanced graphics, loading times reduced, less framerate drops... and a second saving stick. Playing without is also a great ordeal, it must be emphasized...BY SMALL BUTTONS
As you will have understood, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate pushes the license in the right direction, even if the developments are not necessarily all major. We can cite for example the return of Comrades Felynes, whose specific talents will be of great help to you in combat, and which can be boosted by the meals of the Cook before each departure on a mission. We can also talk about the contribution of the two new weapons that are the Insect Glaive and the Voltahache, both particularly tactical. Our preference goes all the same to the first, which combines a stick intended to jump on the monsters without the need for a promontory, and an insect which will take various bonuses on the target creature thanks to pheromones. We will also mention the existence of a virus, which makes the monsters more aggressive and which prevents you from restoring your life naturally if you are infected; only solution then, to fight the infection by avowing the beast which is the origin. In short, we're going through the best: very high level quests, exclusive armor kits and weapons, G-rank monsters, you'll have plenty to do until next Christmas.
