Games Like Monster Hunter World Archives

An elaborate explanation of the new Xbox Game Pass games – April 2019

Keep em coming, Microsoft!

Xbox continues to power on with their greatest asset. The Xbox Game Pass already has a load of great games to play. With this update, there are even more great choices. What’s best about these is their value and length. A lot of the games on offer are solid, well rounded experiences. They aren’t just dropping a few niche and trashy disposable games. They are getting you THE best games from yesteryear. The titles in this pass of theirs are all of the games that if you missed, you need to play. What are they?

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

The original Deus Ex game was an absolute paradigm changer for the PC gaming industry. N’stuff. I’ve never played the original. I started with Invisible War, a game everyone hated but that’s only because nothing could be as good as that first game (and it’s janky AF). But after that failure, the Deus Ex series found life in the prequel series starring Adam Jensen. A man who is basically the Major from Ghost in the Shell but is a gruff dude working big tech security, and later, Interpol. Mankind Divided is a direct sequel to Human Revolution, which came out last console generation. It wouldn’t hurt to play that title, but it’s not absolutely essential to MD, since a lot of the characters from the first game are mere afterthoughts. That and a handy-dandy 11 minute video comes with the game to recap it for you.

What happens next, is you find yourself in a world the producers called the “Mechanical Apartheid“. This is due to a mass hack that resulted in one of the world’s most bloody acts of terrorism, an event where all cybernetically enhanced individuals received some sort of hacking signal that reduced them to turning into a vicious mob, killing everyone (until Adam Jensen stopped). Understandably shook, the world of the enhanced, now known as the slur “klanks”, live under constant supervision by a humanity who doesn’t trust them. But Adam Jensen is special, and because of his skills, he lands a job at Interpol working a counter-terror task force. Over the course of the game, you will explore the streets of Prague while trying to stop an ‘illuminati’-tier conspiracy that if fulfilled, may destroy the freedom of all individuals as we know it. Yikes.

This game is play it your way, and is mainly a tactical stealth action game. You can stealth your way past everything, hack your way past everything, shoot your way pas everything, blow up your way past everything, or mix it up a little bit. Sadly, the project was suddenly forced out the door before it was completely finished. It now serves as what was supposed to be a new trilogy… only the other two aren’t currently getting made. If you go into this game aware that a few threads will be left dangling, you’ll still have a blast.

Check out our review right here.

Prey (2017)

Prey is another game with a littered history. The original Prey came out in 2005 after being worked on for 15 YEARS. No joke, but it finally came out and it wasn’t half bad. Some people may accuse the game of being racist for having an Indigenous American protagonist who uses ancient Indian magic to protect himself, and to that i say get the fuck over yourself. It’s a game. And the sequel is even better.

See, Prey was originally supposed to come out as Prey 2, a pseudo-sequel at best where you play as a bounty hunter who rounded up criminals using gadgets and some parkour. The game disappeared. Then, at an E3, it re-emerged as Prey, which means I now have to distinguish them by release date. This time Arkane Studios made it, the brains behind Dishonored. Just like their other game, Prey became a game in same style as the “System Shock / Bioshock” games.

This one also features a wide variety of powers and play styles. You can shoot your way through, hack your.. YOU GET THE POINT. This one features a far more bizarre plot. You are on a space station (sorry for spoiling the first 20 minutes of the game), where some experiments on a shapeshifting aliens species has gone awry. They have done a LOT to ruin the station, and if you don’t solve all those problems and a single one of them makes it back to Earth, it will be DOOMED. Peep our review here.

Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter is a much beloved franchise known for its challenge and scope. You don’t simply fight monsters. You track them down, you beat them to a pulp, and then you wear their bones on your favorite armor. So does your cat. The cats are pretty rad in these games. However, for a very long time, MH was a very niche title for a specific audience, yet Capcom broadened that scope with Monster Hunter World.

This version of the game provided updated controls, a new story, and a huge focus on online multiplayer to get a lot of players. And it worked. During a very quiet January, this title popped up and became the surprise first-hit of the year. Actually, not only that, it set a new all-time record in sales for Capcom. It keeps people coming back with a steady slew of both free and paid updates. You’ll never run out of stuff to do.

This series is a tough and very involved game. Hunting monsters takes preparation. And preparation requires a full understanding of the ins and outs of the game. Preparation is key. Everything from crafting gadgets, potions, poisons, and other key items can make all the difference during your hunt. Of course, this game has a very, VERY extensive tutorial that makes sure you’re always on top of what you need to know. Sometimes it feels like the tutorial never ended. But 25 hours was enough for me. Also I cheated profusely and usually just “fired a flare” during the fights. That means 3 people will show up and kill the monster for you. You could possibly play the whole entire game this way if you wanted. And should. JK, but check out our review.

Vampyr

Developer DONTNOD is a game producer that makes the best 7/10 games you will ever play. They are notorious for their storylines, which aren’t simply engaging. No, these devs would prefer to bludgeon you over the head with hard-to-discuss topics like memory erasure, suicide, assisted suicide, drug abuse, unfiltered teenage angst, and high school drama classes. Then, in comes Vampyr, a narrative heavy action melee game with a slower and focused pace. If you wanted to play the “easy version” of Dark Souls this is the one. Not only that but they recently patched in a story mode and a hard mode so you can either play it as super easy Dark Souls or actual Dark Souls.

Maximizing the potential for irony, the story stars a recently vampire’d Doctor, Jonathan Reed. He’s world renowned for his research in… wait for it… blood. Yep, the blood doctor turns into a blood sucker. Vampyr gets about as bleak as it can possibly get. You are in an old london riddled with Spanish Flu. The citizens of London aren’t a particularly happy or nice bunch either. Between researching links between the flu and a vampire epidemic, you also deal with the citizens.

Many of them need your help in more ways than one. Not only do you do random quests for them, as per most games, there’s an additional angle. You also have to diagnose them and craft the cures for their ailments. Also, you get teased by the level up system. Level up from fighting enemies, but you get a huge XP bonus if you kill an innocent. Yeah, that’s this game. Those aren’t even the truly tough decisions either. You’ll encounter those at the end of each act and marvel at how all options seem wrong. We reviewed it here.

The Golf Club 2

This game exists.

The Walkind Dead: A New Frontier

It’s the Walking Dead my guy.

What are you still doing here? Go play one of these.

Posted in Articles Tagged with: arkane studios, capcom, deus ex, dontnod, eidos, game pass, mankind divided, monster hunter, monster hunter world, prey, square enix, vampyr, xbox, xbox all digital, xbox game pass, xbox one, xbox one s, xbox one x, xbox sad

Official Square Enix #E32018 Instant Recap

Intro

• Keith David narrated the opening homage, then Matsuda came on.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

• The gameplay trailer was played for the game.
• Lara Croft has officially gone full Assassin’s Creed.
• September 14th, 2018

Stormblood: Final Fantasy XIV

• New DLC for FF14 was shown off with a cutscene and gameplay trailer.

Monster Hunter World x Final Fantasy XIV

• A crossover was teased for the two games.

Captain Spirit

• More was shown on this.
• It’s not Life is Strange 2 but set in the same universe.
• The full game will be free June 26th.
• It’s going to pave the way for more games in the series.

Dragon Quest 11

• A full story trailer was shown.

Babylon’s Fall

• A trailer featuring a series of pictures was shown, coming 2019. PS4 & Steam.

Nier Automata: Become as Gods Edition

• A trailer for the game being ported to Xbox was shown, with all DLC.

Octopath Traveler

• July 13th release date trailer.

Just Cause 4

• Largest map yet, extreme weather like tornados, sandstorms, and blizzards.
• More vehicles and a powered up grappling hook too.
• Gameplay showcase demo was shown.

The Quiet Man

• A game featuring a deaf fighter was introduced, PS4 & Steam.

Kingdom Hearts 3

• The same trailer was shown again from Microsoft’s conference.

Posted in Articles Tagged with: babylon's fall, captain spirit, dragon quest 11, far cry, final fantasy xiv, ghost recon, just cause 4, kingdom hearts 3, monster hunter world, nier automata, octopath traveler, shadow of the tomb raider, Splinter Cell, the quiet man, tomb raider, ubisoft

The Top 10 Limited Edition PS4 Consoles

You’re gonna want one of these bad boys.

Sony recently announced one of the most amazing looking Limited Edition PS4 consoles. The new God of War PS4 Pro bundle will be released alongside the game on April 20th. The metallic silver and gray custom system is also covered in God of War decals. For $400 you get the fully customized PS4 Pro, a Leviathan Gray Dualshock 4 with the God of War logo, a physical copy of the game, and some exclusive digital content.

This recent announcement prompted me to go into full fanboy mode and debate (with myself of course) which of the limited edition PS4’s is the best. Since I couldn’t come to which is the best, here are my top 10 in no particular order:

Taco Bell Edition/ Golden Dubai

When Taco Bell ran the contest to win an exclusive gold PS4, it was the first time I had ever taken part in the craziness that is winning a sweepstake. Unless of course you count McDonald’s Monopoly, which no one should because everyone plays it. Anyway the arrogant gold with black accents look is amazing. I cant help but feel super jealous of anyone who actually won one of these beauties. Quick honorable mention goes to the Dubai Edition PS4 that was made of actual 24k gold and retailed for like $16,000 or something ridiculous.

Destiny Taken King Edition

I’ve always been a mega fan of white colored consoles and electronics. something about that white glistening amongst the rest of your electronics is super satisfying in a weird way. The Destiny Taken King PS4 managed to take things a step further in terms of beauty with the incredibly well detailed sketched in decal. The final icing on the cake though? The gold emblem on top. Absolute beauty.

MGSV Edition

Full disclosure: I am a ridiculous Metal Gear fan boy. Kojima can literally do no wrong and it’s still f*ck Konami till I die. Except for Yu-Gi-Oh, I love that sh*t. Anyway the Metal Gear Solid V PS4 could very well be my absolute favorite console of all time. My god, the two tone burgundy and black with the slight hint of gold. Just stunning. The moment I saw the console I knew the type of romantic trouble I was getting myself into. And here we are.

20th Anniversary

This one is no brainer. If you didn’t think this was going to make the list you are 100% crazy. No questions asked. The 20th anniversary PS4 is one of the most sought after collectible consoles of all time. Making a PS4 that looks like the console that put most of us on this crazy life long adventure was an absolutely genius business decision. More so, its a decision that spawned what is undeniably one of the most nostalgia inducing console designs of all time. It’s beautiful, meaningful, and irreplaceable. Than you Sony for changing gaming forever.

Final Fantasy Type 0

When the Final Fantasy Type 0 PS4 was announced I realized how much I actually appreciate the burgundy/blood red color scheme. This console added the two tone concept by make the HDD plate black with gold accents. It came out incredible stunning and there isn’t much more hat can be said. Honorable mention in this field is the Final Fantasy 15 console which opted for a standard black finish with a laser etched image of the world of FF15.

Uncharted 4

The Uncharted 4 makes the list without concern for being the first PS4 to sport my favorite color. Something about the classy feeling of the steel blue/cool grey just pulls a flame of confidence out of me. Coupled with the etched in drawing of Nathan Drake himself on top, it really give the console a pristine look.

Bruce Lee Edition

When EA received the rights to use Bruce Lee’s likeness in UFC 3, they wasted no time trying to capitalize on his name. Not only was he one of the best fighters in the game, but he also got a whole console themed after him. The extremely bright yellow PS4 with the black accents was designed to resemble Mr. Lee’s iconic sparring pants. A little too bright for me but definitely one of the most uniquely designed consoles on the list. This was also one of those that had to be won rather than simply purchased.

Monster Hunter World

Sleek and powerful. The glossy black with a massive beast on the top seemingly covered in something else’s blood. Thats the Monster Hunter World PS4. It looks like a Monster Hunter game and that in itself is incredible. Definitely one of the most aggressive looking PS4 consoles to ever be made. Just bask in its glory. Oh and of course the control would have the beautiful burgundy, black, and gold combination I love. And that color scheme seems to be really popular amongst Japanese developers.

Yakuza 0

Available in either black or white the Dragon of Dojima arrived in style. No matter which you chose you were treated to an astoundingly detailed dragon etched into the hard drive cover. The dragon art style resembles the authentic Yakuza tattoo styles that have become iconic throughout the world. The only disappointing part was that there was nothing special about the control. Just got a base black or white Dualshock 4.

God of War

And of course the God of War PS4. I already described it up above so here’s some pictures.

Honorable Mention

Hitman

“Enter the World of Assassination in style as you play Hitman using this one of a kind PlayStation 4 console. Custom fashioned as a replica of Agent 47’s suitcase, this ultimate collector’s item for any Hitman fan” That’s the direct line from the product page on Square Enix official website. It’s still up. The item isn’t available but it’s still up. This insanely detailed console was available to any member of the Square Enix rewards program. Look at it. What a way to please the long time series fans.

Posted in Articles Tagged with: 20th anniversary, briefcase, bruce lee, destiny, dubai, ea games, ff15, final fantasy, hitman, metal gear solid, MGSV, monster hunter, monster hunter world, playstation, playstation 4, ps4, Sony, taco bell, taken king, type 0, ufc, uncharted 4, video, video games, videogames, yakuza 0

Monster Hunter World – Advanced Tips and Tricks FROM YOU

For Monster Hunting Enthusiasts

The following video contains tips and tricks that were posted by fans of the game to help out anyone in any skillset. If you’re sick of seeing dumb “tips” videos on games with advice like “bring potions” and “eat before fighting” then you’ve come to the right place. I am a newb to Monster Hunter, but with the advice given from the many people who were polled, these were the best tips we could find. Subscribe for more videos like these and keep and eye on our posts as we unlock out next interactive video for the best game of March. Which ever game that is…

Posted in Videos Tagged with: Microsoft, monster hunter, monster hunter world, playstation, ps4, Sony, tips and tricks, xbox, xbox one

Monster Hunter World – Official Review

Hey Now, You’re a Monster, Get the Hunt On, Go Slay

Monster Hunter World is an action RPG developed and published by Capcom. No matter how you slice it, this is a big game. It’s the sixth core game in the Monster Hunter franchise, which began in 2004. Already, it has broken many records. Not only is it the highest-selling Monster Hunter game ever, but it is also the fastest selling game in Capcom’s history. It could not have arrived at a more opportune time, coming hot on the heels of f*ck-all for January 2018 (save for a few niche games.) This title made many big changes to the series to gain the appeal of western audiences, as well as general improvements across the board.

GRAPHICS: 2/2

The amount of color this game utilizes is mind-boggling. Every single environment has so much to see and looks almost too perfect. The many locations you go to are not only extremely diverse, but the palette shows it off the absolute best it possibly can. Sometimes a game can use too much color and become a mess, but that’s not the case with MHW. Nothing fades into the background or becomes mashed up with the scenery; instead, every single element on display has a gorgeous and memorable design, to the point where you don’t even need the game to tell you what things are when they are highlighted. You know when you’re picking up watermoss, herbs, or certain mushrooms because they are so visibly distinguishable. And that’s just the environments. The monsters all come in a wild variety of colors and designs that mange to be both familiar, yet entirely unique at the same time. Sure, the monsters basically look like dinosaurs, but they are dinosaurs that look like they specifically belong to the game, with many uncommon mashups of arms, legs, heads, and tails. This is all paired with a simple but elegant character creator that manages to keep things very simple but offers so much diversity in what you can make your hero look like.

STORY: 2/2

In Monster Hunter World, you arrive in a new world where there are monsters. You are a monster hunter and therefore you must hunt the monsters. Once you’ve killed the monsters, you go on to a new area to kill more monsters. BRILLIANT. Honestly, with a game of this design, you really don’t need to be encouraged to play it, as the thrill of the hunt is exciting in its own right. And the game gives you plenty of reasons to come back again and again with daily login bonuses and a genuine sense of accomplishment with tons of gear and stuff you obtain after slaying the beasts. I do know that later the story gets more serious, but it hardly matters. There were many points where I didn’t even bother to read what people were talking about because I didn’t care, and I don’t expect non-voiced lines to be important anyway. That said…

AUDIO: 1/2

As I just said, a lot of the dialog is not even voiced. That’s not quite a deal breaker but it’s just very inconsistent. I played this game in English and that was also a big mistake, because the English voice cast for this game are, well, terrible. I don’t know if they just didn’t care but it doesn’t sound like much effort was put into the English VO. It’s somewhat justifiable because up until now, the game barely registered a dent in the English-speaking market. Also, the soundtrack is very generic. The song that plays while you are at the base, Astera, is quite memorable, but gets stale as it is a very short track that loops over and over, and you may find yourself spending a lot of time there. The rest of the music just seems like general tension music with orchestral ‘cinematic’ music that doesn’t do a whole lot with the theme; it’s just there. I actually turned the music off for this game because thankfully, the sound effects are incredible. So much time and energy were put into the different sounds of all the monsters, wildlife, and cooking that it redeems this category quite handsomely. I mean, last I checked, despite the fact that your character doesn’t speak, you get a choice of 20+ different types of grunts and shouts that your character can emit whenever they do something interesting.

GAMEPLAY: 2/2

When you first start, the gameplay is a bit on the stiff side. Your movement is sort of stop & go when it comes to your attacks and is not as fluid as other games. But this sort of ‘stiff’ control is supplemented by the enemy NPCs’ movements sort of matching your controls. Fights are really slow-paced, and you’ll find yourself having to position yourself appropriately before every strike, because some attacks take up some charge time. If you don’t strategize, you’ll find yourself swinging at air if you just mash the attack button. Granted, there are opportunities to smash the attack button, but you need to be patient for those times to arrive. The game has so many variants and so much to craft, improve, and build, that it suits a lot of play styles, as long as all of them are offensive strategies. The game seems to have implement a stealth element, but rarely have I seen it used. The game is like a new pair of shoes, you gotta break them in before they’re comfortable, and just like the shoes, they will feel less and less stiff the more you play.

FUN: 1/2

Nitpicking time! First, the game seems unsure of itself at times in terms of whether it wants to be single player or multiplayer. It is genuinely a multiplayer game with a sort of MMO-style interface, but it feels a bit empty at times. It doesn’t help that the game is super choosy with when you can and can’t have people join you at the start of a mission. The way you start missions also tends to feel a bit off-kilter. This is due to how the missions are offered and how you engage them. Like, you have to start a mission to open up a lobby for the game, but sometimes people can’t join you anyway, so you’re walking around staring at a UI that looks like it’s waiting for players even though they can’t join. Playing online with a few friends was also a bit rough around the edges.

The game also has mountains and mountains of things to learn. It takes crafting to a whole new level and if there’s one gameplay mechanic from this generation that I despise the most, it’s crafting. Not only is there a ton of crafting but upgrading gear and other odds and ends often asks for very specific items. I’ve heard many a tale of players having to fight the same monster over and over again just so they can get a specific drop from the monster and use it to craft things. It’s not really ‘fun’ to me when you need to grind too hard just to progress, and sometimes there are items you need to find that the game doesn’t really tell you where to locate them. All you can really do is loot everything your scout flies see and save it in your box for eventual use.

Monster Hunter World was a game I never thought I’d play. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in, not even knowing that the game featured multiplayer. But as stated earlier, the game-o-sphere was a little bit dry in terms of new quality content that wasn’t completely niche. I’m glad I did, because despite the numerous tutorials you face as a newcomer, the game is very welcoming to those who are unfamiliar with the series. I’m glad I picked it up because if I hadn’t, all the exciting monster hunting action would have gone amiss. I intend to continue playing the game when time permits, this one’s a keeper.

SCORE: 8/10

Also, check out this video if you get a chance, the sequel with all your tips and tricks is coming soon.

Posted in Reviews Tagged with: action, capcom, dinosaur, monster hunter, monster hunter world, multiplayer, playstation, ps4, rpg, xbox, xbox one

Noob was not prepared for Monster Hunter World

Monster Souls

HARD MODE GAMERS is changing the way it’s doing things. In this video, Chet talks all about how he’s never played a Monster Hunter game before. And he could use a few pointers. But this made us realize, this is exactly what we wanted all  along. To feature YOU, the readers and viewers. The True Hard Mode gamers are you, not us. So, we’d like to ask you if you have and great advanced tips and tricks for this game. You can comment here on the website, or in the YouTube comments, and top comments will get featured in the follow up video. Sound like plan?

Posted in Videos Tagged with: beginner, dark souls, monster hunter, monster hunter world, noob, playstation, ps4, strategy, tips, tricks, xbox, xbox one