One of the better Monster Hunters after it fully released. Terrible endgame monsters you can tell were stunted by the pandemic shutting down development (Fatalis and Alatreon are really terribly done fights, especially Fatalis who has weapon matchups that are insanely bad to the point runners will avoid them) but there was a soul and care put into this game not found in most other games. There was finally an actual gameplay loop, albeit way too grindy. The clutch claw and tenderization nerf was atrocious and should be modded out of your game ASAP if you're on PC. It has a few flaws holding it back, but many of them are moddable on PC. The game boasts far, far more pros than cons without a doubt. Great MH game. Aged a bit better than.... some other entries.

The pinnacle of Monster Hunter.

It might not be as comprehensively complete in its content as Generations Ultimate before it, or as modern and streamlined (derogatory) as Rise|Sunbreak after it. However, it's a perfect distillation of what the franchise must aspire to be in the future, and a perfect entry point for newbies.

This review treats base MHW and the Iceborne expansion as a single game.

Monster Hunter, while successful, had always been a niche game before the breakthrough that was this release. It was a series that had seen minimal changes and experimentation throughout almost 15 years of history and had a reputation for being "clunky"and "unfriendly".

This game is the first major overhaul to the formula: bigger interconnected maps, new animations, revamped monster AI and the best graphics improvement the series has seen. It allowed the underlying magic in the older games to be worn on the game's sleeve, plain to see and easy to access, thanks to important quality of life improvements without dumbing down what made the old games special.

It's easy to get into, but hard, and has a ridiculously high skill ceiling. Its replay value is nearly infinite thanks to its vibrant, alive world and unpredictable monsters that entice you to go back in, peel them down and craft yourself a new necklace that'll make it a little bit less of a pain next time.

haven't finished all the optionals but the main story is over, and given how big everything is, i don't really plan on 100%.

while this is a massive improvement from the main game, the main issues still stand, those being :
-hunting for clues is silly
-a absurd downgrade of weaponry from Generations, given how the main focus is the visuals and feel of the world to attract new players
-astere is still too big for no reason other than ''LOOK HOW AWESOME THIS NEW HUB IS''
-The absurdity of grind to get mantles.
-the cryptic way of unlocking certain equipments and missions.

but speaking of the DLC itself, its much more of the same, some classics come back, the addition of guildlands is a interesting way to grind and upgrade old gear.
however i still prefer rise, simply put a more straightfoward and fun experience

Iceborne takes an already great game and adds much, much more. It's a whole new game. Monster Hunter expansions don't disappoint, and with this one is not different.

Clutch claw feels really fun to play with. Tenderizing, using new slinger moves with your weapon combos (especially being a Greatsword main). The new map, the return of great names as Alatreon and Fatalis... This game made me wish I could experience Monster Hunter Tri all over again with these mechanics.

For me, personally, the pinnacle of Monster Hunter games. Some find it too easy, but I think it's very immersive and fun. World feels fleshed out, characters are interesting, revisiting scenarios, exploring the difficult missions with newcomers, making new friends. This game allowed me all of this and much more.

Iceborne is.... pretty damn good. I won't pretend its perfect and that it fixes all of the issues i have with world, but it definitely helps make up for a fair amount of it. MAN I had such a better time going through iceborne than i did all of base world.

the monster roster here is almost immaculate: plenty of hard hitting returning monsters, and the new ones that were added are all great to fight (except maybe namielle, you're pretty but annoying). shara ishvalda alone makes my top 5 fights in the series, though only at number 5. Seliana is a much better hub town than Astera (which i didnt mention in my original review but, astera kinda sucks lol), and the quest progression in Iceborne feels better, but still not perfect. Most of the weapon designs, even with the scrappy trash ones, are fantastic and really shine here. Hoarfrost is also probably the best map in the game? Ties between that and Vale, but not decisive on it yet. I also like what the clutch claw adds, as far as moveset improvements and being able to wallbang.

So what about the bad stuff? Multiplayer is still pretty fucked here, as you can't play through Iceborne at the same time as other people. And since monster health scaling values are fucked up (thanks clutch claw), single player hunts are ROUGH. Both of my Iceborne playthroughs I felt like I practically needed to grab people to play with since I didnt want to slog through 30-40 minute hunts just for like.... Banbaro or Glavenus. The balancing also took a deep dive here, with every post-game update completely making all builds made prior to that update irrelevant. Not as much an issue now with everything being out, but making a whole build just to pretty much throw it away next update was a horrible feeling. I also think the endgame grind here is not particularly good, but honestly i dont think its ever been good in any monster hunter. Definitely not THE worst.

Overall, Iceborne is pretty great. If you want to try out monster hunter, or play world for the first time, PLEASE pick this up alongside it. The game is practically incomplete without it (and kinda middling if you ask me), and some of the fights here will stick with you for a long time.

see my review for MHW for overall take, but MAJOR improvement over the base game

only real gripe is the renaming of G rank to Master rank, it's just so ehhhhh

G rank forever