I'm not a monster hunter fanatic, but I really want to be. I planned to play this entry first, start to end, and go in order from there. Let me tell anyone who has the same aspirations as I, stop right now and reevaluate what you want out of this series. This game is bad, it's unique for its time, but it's bad, especially relative to other MH games. Most of the games in this series offer a unique experience that is worth trying out to see if it pertains to you. I feel that this one only has historical value and value to anyone who is a fan of constant suffering for little to no reward. It discovered an interesting formula, the future games refined and iterated on that formula in ways that make this game nearly obsolete. Go find which MH game fits your playstyle, and play the hell out of that one, don't play the hell out of all of them, and certainly don't play the hell out of this one.