After giving Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on the 3DS a whirl and even dipping my toe into the recently-released Monster Hunter 4, I can confidently say I’m a converted, albeit casual, fan of the Monster Hunter series. I say casual because, well, I haven’t been able to put more than 20 hours into either (which is peanuts compared to the hundreds of hours one can spend on these games) and I haven’t actually had time to play one since the first week of Monster Hunter 4‘s release! For shame, I know.
But I haven’t been completely divorced from Monster Hunter during my time away, as the fine duo behind Culty have once again come out with some handy goodies for both hard-working and slacker hunters such as myself.
While Culty’s Beginner’s Guide was perfect for those just stepping forth into the world of Monster Hunter, their latest books focus on helping savvy players become even bigger experts at hunting down all manner of monster by uncovering the mysteries of the gunner classes.
I’ll admit I’ve never actually tried a gunner weapon, as not only do you need to be much more careful with your positioning on the field and fiddily things such as aiming, but you have to manage your ammo, as well. Sounds like too tall an order for a budding hunter, if you ask me! But Culty’s attention to detail and thorough, straightforward explanations mean that even inept players like me can learn to use bowguns and bows! Pretty neat, right?
The format of the books, which have been split into bow and bowgun editions, is very similar to the Beginner’s Guide, and nearly every page contains a delightful illustration, making the whole package feel cohesive and professional. Why hasn’t Capcom hired these two yet?
Due to the more in-depth nature of these guides compared to the Beginner’s Guide, they’ve added systematic exercises, making it easy to try out each weapon class without being overwhelmed. This is by far my favorite aspect of the guides, as it really spells out the steps to getting your head around using bows and bowguns in the field, as opposed to just teaching you the nuts and bolts.
As an added bonus, those who purchase both guides will receive bonus instructional videos and audio books! I was able to give the audio versions of the guides a listen (click the link for a sample), and though it’s a nice touch, I personally feel that I’d more likely turn to the written guide when I actually go to apply the skills in-game. Since you can get a single guide by itself for $9 and both for $18, which includes the additional videos and audio versions, I’d suggest springing for both so that you’ll always have the extra goodies if you want them.
More than anything, Culty’s Gunner Guides have gotten me itching to get back to Monster Hunter and put my newfound knowledge of the gunner classes to use. Of course, getting the hang of bowguns and bows won’t be easy, but I have a feeling it will feel like a completely new game after sticking to the switch axe for so long! If you’re like me and wanting to switch up your hunts but too intimidated to make the jump, why not let Culty’s Gunner Guides give you the push you need?
I found bowguns easier to grasp than bows. But bows look cooler than bowguns. And there’s that neat aural psychological crunchiness of pulling the string of the bow back and the subsequent sound of the arrow rocketing off into the distance.
I’ve been watching a lot of My Fair Hunter recently and I think I’m going to pick up the Wii U version so I can play online with people. If you’re in Melbourne again, we should do some hunts!
I’m hoping to receive MH3U (3DS version–really late to the party, I know!) for my birthday next month, and should that come to pass I’m planning to pick up the Beginner’s Guide you’ve mentioned before as well. Part of me thinks I should wait for MH4 to be released here, so I can play on line with others, but I want to get my feet wet and learn the ropes before then so I don’t hold others back–or don’t hold them back too much. Anyway, it sounds like these other guides are helpful, too, which is great!
You should pick up MH3U and not worry about MH4! I don’t think we’ll get the vanilla MH4 but probably get the MH4G version so you have agggeeeeessssss
Don’t worry, Alois, that’s likely the route I’m going to take. Also, I already asked my parents to buy MH3U for me for my birthday, so it’s close to a “sure thing” that they’ll get it for me. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s totally impossible to play alone or if I’m actually able to make some headway in it solo…
You can play the entirety of the single-player campaign by yourself! And that’ll take you a while to get through!
I got up to Hunter Rank 2 in the online stuff and burnt out on the game after that but I think I probably could have kept on going for a little while longer before I would need to team up with other people.
I’ve had a lot of fun with what I’ve played of MH3U so far, so I hope you enjoy it! I’ve heard some people (such as Alois below) have been able to get pretty deep into the game by themselves, but others find they really like to play with others. I actually haven’t even tried multiplayer in MH4 because I’m too worried I’ll embarrass myself with my lack of skills!
Interesting! Maybe I’ll give bowguns a shot first. Is it the whole arc of the bow that is difficult to figure out, or something else? I kind of agree that bows look cooler 😉
I’d love to do some hunts with you! And I have to say MH3U was the first game that *really* made me want to get a Wii U… Soon!