Monster Hunter World tested: four consoles, eight games modes - but which is best?
For a generation-spanning franchise that has enjoyed success on PlayStation 2, PSP, 3DS, Wii and Wii U, it's surprising just how long Monster Hunter has taken to arrive on the current wave of consoles. Designed from the ground up to leverage the power of PlayStation and Xbox, the recently released Monster Hunter World promises ambitious changes to the formula, rolling out new technology in the process - so just how successful is the final result?
At its core, Monster Hunter World makes use of Capcom's proprietary MT Framework engine, which has a history of supporting large environments and richly detailed creatures, as seen in visually arresting titles such as Lost Planet 2 and Dragon's Dogma. Compared to previous installments in the series, MHW is no longer split up into smaller zones, enabling seamless exploration of the world alongside more active hunts. On top of that, monsters can no longer run between loading points - the thrill of the chase is wide open and seamless. What's interesting here is that you can fast travel to any camp in the world instantly, suggesting that each major environment might be fully loaded into RAM rather than relying on streaming.
This massive new world is now filled with detail previously impossible on less powerful hardware. Texture work is sharp and clean with generous layers of stone, sand and mud across the terrain. The extra memory available on modern consoles enables a level of fine detail that offers a night and day improvement over the last 3DS title. It may not be cutting edge compared to the latest and greatest open world games (just as an example - reflections on water surfaces are basic approximations at best), but it looks great and is a significant upgrade over any prior title in the series.
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