Bill attempts to convince Jan that spending his time in Monster Hunter: World is not a waste of time after already having spent 50 hours in the game. Is there more fun to be had, or is Jan right in saying “enough is enough”?
Bill: Jan, last week I was all energized about Destiny 2 and did my best to pull you back in. That didn’t work out so well for me, but I’ve moved on. This week there isn’t a lot happening in Destiny 2, but Monster Hunter: World is cranking out new content and live events at a refreshing pace. Not only that but, as we’ve talked about in the past, Monster Hunter: World gets the loot and grinding right for the most part.
While I’m all in, going so far as to log about 11 hours one day this week, I sense hesitation on your part. I know you’ve wrapped up your review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and don’t really have anything big on your plate, so what’s the hold up? I feel like Monster Hunter: World is miles ahead of Destiny, so my chances of getting you to jump into a game must be better.
Jan: Well, I think I have different reasons for my hesitation with Destiny 2 and Monster Hunter: World. I have no doubt that Destiny 2 will suck me back into it. Last week just wasn’t that time. This week or next probably aren’t either, though at least the Iron Banner next week will have some appeal. With Monster Hunter: World, I’ve hit a wall. I’m stuck on what I assume is one of the later campaign missions in the game. It happens after the final mission. Don’t get me started on that weird storyline progression.
I’m sure you’ll remember the couple of nights where we spent hours trying to defeat… I don’t even remember its name, but it was big and ugly… only to fail and waste the entire evening. Now, fans of the game will say that the experience itself was entertainment and enjoyment, regardless of the outcome. I don’t count myself in that camp. Monster Hunter: World is an enigma to me because I do enjoy many parts of it, but I don’t like the core of the game, the monster fights themselves. So, the hours spent running, dodging, shooting, slicing, and then repeating it all until we die three times, or an arbitrary timer runs out, seem like a waste to me.
Bill: So, you’re telling me that you would prefer the PvP magic of Destiny 2 over some PvE grinding in Monster Hunter: World? I think we can both agree that, at least right now, Monster Hunter: World has a big leg up on the coolness factor of the gear you can get. I mean, you can see what I’m having a hard time understanding what you’re throwing down after all the complaining you’ve done about the Crucible in Destiny 2. You hate it!
Even so, let’s address your concern about failing to kill the Pink Rathian in Coral Highlands. Yeah, we did have an unusually hard time killing that after I managed to solo it on my account in one try. That is quite frustrating, but you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, right? First, we’ll get that thing killed and you know we will, and then it’s on to more gear, like the Horizon Zero Dawn armor and Aloy’s bow. There are the 47 versions of each weapon, and the logical acquisition of resources to build them. You can’t tell me you don’t get excited about building a better version of your weapon or finding a new pet. You also can’t tell me Destiny 2 offers you anything better. Are you hoping to find a new roll on your Nameless Midnight? Oh, wait… Monster Hunter: World smashes Destiny 2 in most ways these days, but you are more excited to play the Iron Banner. What am I missing?
Jan: I’m not excited to play Iron Banner, but at least there’s some progression there. I get the feeling that our individual experiences in Monster Hunter: World are entirely different. I see my character as a random homeless-looking dude that is completely useless in fights with monsters, no matter what I equip or try to unlock. I have yet to find a build, weapon, or armor piece that I enjoy, and it’s been well over 50 hours. So, is the Horizon Zero Dawn armor an appeal? Kind of, but only for nostalgia’s sake. Are there weapons I want to craft? Nope. Is there armor I want to grind materials for to build? Not when the grinding involves running around a monster, trying not to die, while either peppering it with a useless gun, or getting in close for a swing of some oversized kitchen utensil before inevitably missing and getting booted across the landscape by its tail.
What it boils down to is that when I think of playing Monster Hunter: World again, I struggle to foresee anything other than the last two times I played, which I regretted spending my valuable time on. The funny thing is that I could look past my inability to enjoy the combat, if failure wasn’t so easy to achieve, the co-op experience was less painful, and I didn’t feel overwhelmed by things I don’t understand. That makes me sound stupid, so let me rephrase: things I don’t care about enough to understand. Did I mention that I’m going to re-arrange my game room to get a bigger play area for my VR games?
