20th Anniversary of Monster Hunter's Release

On the 20th anniversary of the release of Monster Hunter, which one is your entry into the game?

On March 11, 2004, 20 years ago, a game called Monster Hunter was officially released on the PS2 platform, marking the beginning of this IP's glorious life.

Monster Hunter

Even from the current perspective, Monster Hunter's setting of using "mortal" bodies to fight against monsters that are far larger than humans, and using monster materials to make weapons and equipment, is quite advanced and shocking. In the RPG of dragon fighting and princess snatching, Monster Hunter can be said to have created an extremely special track.

But to describe the first generation of hunters in current terms, it is "extremely poor performance". At that time, the weapons that hunters could use were only six types: large swords, sharpshooters, sledgehammers, long spears, light crossbows, and heavy crossbows, with very few movements. It can be said that this fully embodies the "real hunting" pursued by the producers. But it is precisely this stark antagonism that creates the unique charm of the world of monster hunting.

Monster Hunter G

Rather than being a new installment, Monster Hunter G is actually more like an enhanced version of the first installment. Building on the foundation of the first installment, Monster Hunter G has added more comprehensive beginner tutorials, as well as new weapons such as double swords, monster color changing subspecies, and higher difficulty G-level missions.

The setting of subspecies and G-level missions has also been continued in subsequent works, becoming the origin of the catchphrase "lifting the ban is the beginning of the game" used by monster hunters.

Monster Hunter P (Portable Version)

The existence of Monster Hunter P has significant implications for the entire Monster Hunter series. This is the first time Monster Hunter has attempted to land on a handheld platform, laying the foundation for the success of subsequent Monster Hunter P3.

Thanks to the built-in LAN connection function of the PSP handheld, players can hunt face-to-face for the first time. At the same time, new gameplay such as Cat Farm, Cat Rice, and Message Matching Tasks have been added to this game, which has been preserved.

Monster Hunter 2

As the true second-generation Monster Hunter, this game has made significant changes in terms of ecology and storyline performance. Not only did it incorporate the impact of day, night, and season on the ecological environment, but it also added five game scenes, giving the world of monster hunting a true ecological chain, greatly deepening the sense of immersion for hunters.

Of course, the addition of day, night, and four seasons has also brought about drawbacks such as dim hunting environments and limited appearance of specific monsters, which have been criticized. The balance between ecology and combat has also become a headache for subsequent production teams. For example, in the new game "Rise", the cancellation of hot and cold drinks has sparked widespread discussion among players.

In terms of combat, the second generation also has impressive performance, adding four new weapons: Tai Dao, Hunting Flute, Gun Gun, and Bow. The armor is officially divided into melee and long-range special sets, and the Gu Long Seed Yu San Jia Steel Dragon, Flame King Dragon, and Xia Dragon are also officially featured in this game.

Monster Hunter P2

In this game, although the game did not undergo significant changes, the biggest change for the entire Monster Hunter series came. The familiar person to the players was Ryusu Tsujimoto, who officially served as the producer of the Monster Hunter series, and the focus of the game gradually shifted towards combat experience.

This game has removed the floating dragon from Monster Hunter 2 and added three types of monsters: White Speed Dragon King, Bombardor Dragon, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Among them, Bombardor Dragon, as the "cover monster," has become an unforgettable presence among subsequent players.

It is worth mentioning that the global sales of this work reached 2.4 million, making it the first work on the PSP platform to exceed one million sales

Monster Hunter: Border Online

As a legitimate online game developed by Capcom, although the "temperament" of the game itself is somewhat out of place compared to the original game, with various gods and monsters emerging one after another, its position in the series cannot be denied. After all, both the Spiny Dragon and the subspecies Spiny Tea Dragon have officially appeared in "Rise", and it is uncertain whether there will be border monsters appearing in subsequent works, staging a true "border loss".

Monster Hunter: The Wilderness

At the 2023 TGA Gaming Festival, Capcom brought news of a new game to all players looking forward to Monster Hunter Wilds: Monster Hunter Wilds.