25. Safi’jiiva (Iceborne)

If Xeno’jiiva was the somewhat awkward final boss for World, then Safi’jiiva is its revenge arc. As a Siege quest, it has the same requirements as Kulve Taroth – 16 Hunters in separate groups of four, battling and breaking its parts to slay it. The difference is its sheer power and range of attacks, especially the beams, which it can fire off at a moment’s notice. It also possesses a supernova attack that, like Behemoth’s Ecliptic Meteor, recovers by running behind cover to evade. While it becomes easier as you bring more suitable weapons for breaking its parts and taking advantage of the environment, soloing Safi’jiiva is another endeavor entirely.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain

While some story elements didn’t quite go over well, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain does a great job presenting a large stealth sandbox with emergent gameplay. Missions can be tackled at different times, presenting varying challenges but the Revenge system ensured that enemies reacted to your tactics and took appropriate counter-measures. You could sneak through bases using cardboard boxes and tranqs, but on the other hand, rocket punches. Coordinate with companions to efficiently wipe out camps, or just FULTON anything and everything back to Mother Base.

Monster Hunter has been a pretty long time cult hit in the west, but it’s never truly managed to break out here beyond a niche hit status. This has, of course, been in stark contrast to the series’ explosive popularity over in Japan (where the presence of a Monster Hunter game on a system can singlehandedly make or break said system’s fortunes on the market). It is also, ironically, in spite of the fact that the Monster Hunter IP is the one franchise that Capcom never really mismanaged. While Resident Evil hit its nadir with Resident Evil 6, Monster Hunter has been consistently great, building on itself and moving from strength to strength.

So it was extremely heartening to see the franchise finally break out in the west with Monster Hunter World – not just break out as an underground hit, like Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate or Generations on 3DS, which were both the highest sellers in the series in the west before (with a little over a million copies each sold outside of Japan). No, Monster Hunter World managed to go north of 10 million units sold in the west, and in the process, became Capcom’s single most successful game of all time. It’s actually continued to sell consistently ever since its release three years ago, and at this point, there is little doubt that Monster Hunter has become a tentpole, flagship brand for Capcom, not just in Japan, but globally, as it was always meant to be.

Which is why Monster Hunter Rise is such an interesting game to observe from the perspective of following the series’ fortunes. The follow up to Monster Hunter World is hitting not PS4, Xbox One, and PC (the platforms that World came to, and hit it big on), but Nintendo Switch exclusively (although a PC port has been leaked to be in development, and due for release a few months after the Switch version launches). Of course, a portable Monster Hunter game accompanying the major console release has been a series tradition for as long as the series has existed, so a Monster Hunter World follow up coming to the only portable system on the market isn’t really that surprising at all. Moreover, the existence of a Monster Hunter game on the Switch will help the franchise maintain its monster (heh) popularity in Japan, where the Switch is the only console that does well, and even Monster Hunter World was capped at sales half of what it could have seen on PSP or 3DS on PS4.

So Monster Hunter Rise’s existence makes total sense, and its popularity in Japan at least is guaranteed. However, how will the game end up doing in the west, where Monster Hunter World found the bulk of its success?

The thing that a lot of people often ignore in discussions about Switch software sales is that, unlike a lot of previous systems that did well in Japan (such as the Nintendo 3DS or the PS Vita), its strong sales in Japan are not at the expense of strong sales in the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, in fact, the Switch has exhibited software sales every bit as strong as the PS4 (which has been a monster when it comes to software sales outside of Japan, but not in Japan), making the Switch the rare system that manages to move software as well outside of Japan as inside it. Japanese games, in fact, have often found their Switch versions to be the biggest sellers, even outside of Japan – for instance, Tales of Vesperia sold the most on the Switch in the west, and NIS America reported that Switch sales of games such as Disgaea 5 and Ys 8 were beyond the sales of those games on the PS4, in spite of the fact that the Switch got those games months or sometimes years later than the PS4 did – to the extent that for Disgaea 6, NIS America decided to release the game only on the Switch outside of Japan.

The point of this breakdown of sales is to establish that the Switch is every bit as capable of selling games globally as the PS4 – if not more. It’s as lucrative a market for games outside of Japan as it is in Japan, joining the rarefied company of systems such as the PS2 in achieving that feat. All of which is to say, that unlike, say, the 3DS or Wii versions of Monster Hunter games, which sold the disproportionate bulk of their lifetime sales in Japan, with minimal sales coming from the rest of the world, Monster Hunter Rise could – in fact, probably will – very well see massive sales from Japan as well as the rest of the world (which, again, is something that no previous game in the series has managed).

Enthusiasm for Monster Hunter Rise has been fairly evident in other ways too – for example, when Capcom launched the beta for the game on the eShop earlier this month, the servers crashed, and remained crashed for hours, buckling under the demand for a demo – not even the full game, not an expansion, just a demo. Very clearly, there is demand for a Monster Hunter game on the Switch (which was already evident previously thanks to just how strongly Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, the Switch enhanced port of an older 3DS game, performed in spite of releasing with minimal market, and after Monster Hunter World).

Monster Hunter Rise is also benefitting from Capcom treating it as a full-fledged mainline entry; so far, everything they have shown of the game looks pretty great, and the new verticality and mobility features seem to have gone down well with the series’ fanbase, judging by the reactions to the beta. Throw in the fact that this is actually the first Monster Hunter game to be built using the REEngine, meaning it’s a hell of a looker on the Switch – arguably the best looking third party game on the system, actually – and its appeal on the platform is only strengthened.

I don’t expect Monster Hunter Rise to outperform Monster Hunter World, which at this point is north of 15 million units worldwide, because that’s ridiculous. World hit three separate systems, and did well on all of them. Rise will only be launching on the Switch, and on PC if those leaks end up having merit (which they almost certainly do, but it’s best to qualify these statements absent an official confirmation). However, I do think it will be a very strong seller, and that Rise on the Switch may in fact end up selling higher than either of the Xbox One or PS4 versions of World taken individually (given the Switch’s propensity for insane software sales, the demand for a portable Monster Hunter, and the Nintendo audience’s propensity for the franchise, it’s not too unrealistic an expectation).

Even if it doesn’t, however, it will probably do very well, and end up further solidifying the Monster Hunter franchise’s place and footprint in the west. More than anything else, as a fan of this series, that’s all I really care about.

If you’ve been paying attention to the look back of 2020, at this point it’s become pretty obvious that one title has seemed to stick out the most. While very few things really surprised at the top of the charts, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons went far and beyond. The franchise had always been a popular one, but New Horizons blasted off in a way few expected. Whether we’re talking about Europe or the US, the game has topped all the 2020 charts on a consistent basis. Now it seems the story is much the same in Nintendo’s homeland.

Nintendo released the top 30 downloaded Switch titles and, surprise, the top download was Animal Crossing: New Horizons. No numbers are given here, and it’s worth keeping in mind that Japan is still largely physical-driven, but it’s never bad to be number 1.

The rest of the list is largely unsurprising with the like of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Party, Minecraft, Among Us, etc. filling out the list. You may be a tad surprised to see Clubhouse Games so high, getting in at number 2, and then Human: Fall Flat really sticks out as somewhat random. The original Final Fantasy 7 also made it on near the end, just to show how much staying power it has had in over 20 years, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe just missed the top 10, though we do know it’s the best selling entry in the region. You can check out the full list below.

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
2. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
3. Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban!
4. Human: Fall Flat
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
6. Splatoon 2
7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
8. Super Mario 3D All-Stars
9. Minecraft
10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
11. Pikmin 3 Deluxe
12. Overcooked 2
13. Among Us
14. Pokemon Sword
15. Together! The Battle Cats
16. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
17. Minecraft Dungeons
18. Ni no Kuni
19. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
20. NBA 2K20
21. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
22. eBaseball Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2020
23. Super Mario Party
24. Undertale
25. Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition
26. Paper Mario: The Origami King
27. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
28. Final Fantasy 7
29. Pokemon Shield
30. Fitness Boxing

Super Mario Party

The infamous ruiner of friendships debuts for the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Party takes the more traditional approach to the series’ formula, introducing new mini-games, some with motion controls, and a new mode called Partner Party where teams of two can work together. There’s even a mode called Toad’s Rec Room where multiple Switches can be combined for gameplay across multiple screens. Super Mario Party captures the amazing feeling of losing to never-ending nonsense, which may or may not be your definition of a good time.

Along with strong profits thanks to the success of Devil May Cry 5 and Resident Evil 2, Capcom also credited its action RPG Monster Hunter World with continued impressive sales. In its recent financial report for the fiscal year quarter ending March 31st, the company said that Monster Hunter World “maintained its popularity” after last year’s success. This was thanks to its user base expanding and the PC version boosting profits thanks to its solid performance.

Even Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch has done fairly well outside of Japan, with Capcom reporting “robust sales.” Mega Man 11 and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary were also noted as performing well, while the “enduring popularity” of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard led to increased sales too. Overall, it’s been a pretty good year for Capcom.

Monster Hunter World had shipped 12 million units worldwide as of February 2019, a number which Capcom hasn’t offered an update on. It continues to see updates, with Arch-Tempered Nergigante scheduled for this Spring. A major expansion, Iceborne, with a new continent, new quest rank, armour, and much more is also slated to arrive in Autumn 2019.

New Story

If you’ve played through the entire story of Monster Hunter World, then you know that things wrapped up pretty nicely (and if you haven’t, then spoilers). The Fifth Fleet has settled into The New World, Xeno’jiiva has been beaten, etc etc. All of the post-launch quests to arrive afterwards functioned more as standalone stories than anything else. Iceborne will take a similar approach with its story, offering a brand new tale that takes place post-Monster Hunter World. How will the discovery of a new region factor into The Fifth Fleet’s plans, especially for the future?

New Map

Of course, the main hook of Iceborne is that it’s taking place in an entirely new snow-covered region. Along with a new map, Capcom has also teased “new locales”. Each map in Monster Hunter World has different locales to it, which vary wildly depending on the monsters inhabiting them. So it wouldn’t surprise us if this new ice region had deep caves, mountain peaks, snow-covered forests and the like, each with their own unique environmental hazards and monsters. Again, how “big” the map will be remains to be seen. However if this is the ultimate, in more ways than one, send-off for Monster Hunter World then we can see it being comparable to the Ancient Forest and Coral Highlands in scale.

New Ecosystem

The base game’s maps were interesting not just because of their complexity and monsters but also because of the different challenges they brought forth. The Ancient Forest felt dense with its vegetation, which benefited the likes of Tobi-Kadachi and Anjanath in different ways. By comparison, the Rotten Vale seemed like much more of a descent into hell with Effluvium constantly sapping your health, especially when dealing with Vaal-Hazak. Could the wintry ecosystem of Iceborne confer similar obstacles, perhaps reduced movement speed in spaces or the affect of cold on your character (thus necessitating different armour or equipment to stay warm)? What kind of animals and environmental objects will come into play? We’re intrigued but hopefully it won’t be anything too oppressive.

New Monsters

While Nargacuga was more or less or confirmed in the reveal trailer, fans are still speculating whether monsters like Oroshi Kirin, a more aggressive variant of Kirin that uses ice instead of lightning, or Zinogre will be included. At this point, they seem a given, especially since Nargacuga and Zinogre have been highly requested by fans. Of course, it wouldn’t be strange to expect some new monsters completely unique to Monster Hunter World to be introduced as well. Whether Alatreon, the multi-element Elder Dragon from Monster Hunter Tri who was listed in a leaked list prior to release, will also be included or not is definitely hard to discern. Since that list also had Deviljho and Lunastra, which were both added as free post-launch monsters, it seems possible.

Equivalent to Ultimate Edition

Following the reveal of Iceborne, Capcom UK community manager Socks took to Twitter and said that the expansion was likened to the size of a “G” or “Ultimate” version of the game. What this means is that players can expect a sizable amount of new content. Take, for example, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate – it added two new Monsters and new Deviant Monsters, 14 monsters returning from previous games, two new Hunting Styles, Beast mode for Prowlers, and a new Hunter Art for each weapon on top of the base game. Of course, it also added G-Rank which brings us to the next point…

New Quest Rank

Capcom hasn’t been shy about a new quest rank in Iceborne and UK community manager Socks more or less confirmed G-Rank with his tweets in December. For the uninitiated, G-Rank is the toughest difficulty in a Monster Hunter title and often means that monsters receive buffs to health and damage along with new moves. They’re also more aggressive and stand a very real chance of taking the player down quickly. Of course, G-Rank monsters also beget higher tiers of crafting materials, thus providing some of the best armour sets and weapons in the game. How will they co-exist with the current Arch-Tempered Elder Dragons though? Will there be a new nightmare in the form of G-Rank Arch-Tempered Elder Dragons? Say it ain’t so.

New Armour and Weapons

Again, while it’s hard to say exactly what new armour sets and weapons can be expected, the one image provided in the trailer hinted at a few things. For instance, a Norse-inspired armour set and a new Light Bowgun are pretty much confirmed. More importantly, given the number of weapons that have been added to Monster Hunter World for free (yes, the Melded Weapons from Kulve Taroth do count), we can’t wait to see all the new gear in Iceborne.

New Equipment

Many might be salivating at the prospect of new armour sets and weapons. Those are definitely worth keeping an eye on but we’re interested in the new equipment. New boosters and mantles will most likely be coming, though Capcom didn’t explicitly state what the “new equipment” would be. If the Affinity Booster or Evasion Mantle were possible to earn through side-missions and free updates respectively, what could Iceborne bring to the table? A mantle that straight up provides Invulnerability? The possibilities are intriguing.

New Moves

Hyping up new weapons, armour and equipment isn’t all that surprising but hearing about “new moves” in Iceborne is. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate threw in some new Hunter Arts for each weapon, thus expanding the overall range of combinations possible with Hunting Styles. Monster Hunter World doesn’t have “Styles” or “Arts” so it seems that each weapon tree could receive some new skills that are available at all times.

Existing Armour and Weapon Upgrades

Of course, the image in the reveal trailer also hinted at newer versions of pre-existing armour sets like the Anja Armour Set. If it means that all monsters will become viable in the end-game and have different G-Rank versions for their armour sets, then all the better. Then again, we’d be satisfied even if a few dozen or so older sets were brought into G-Rank as opposed to everything.

To celebrate the 15^th anniversary of the Monster Hunter franchise, Capcom has released a special video highlighting all of the series’ titles over the years. It starts from Monster Hunter, which hit the PS2 in 2004, all the way up to Monster Hunter XX in 2017 and Monster Hunter World in 2018 (with the Iceborne expansion coming this year). Check it out below.

It’s interesting to see the franchise’s evolution. New iconic monsters have been introduced over the years, the graphics are massively improved, and several new gameplay mechanics (like Monster Hunter Tri’s underwater combat) have also joined the fray. However, the core gameplay of hunting monsters and mastering different weapon types as you scrounge up materials and resources for better gear remains the same.

Monster Hunter World has at least one major free update coming with Arch-Tempered Nergigante this Spring. Iceborne will be releasing in Fall 2019 and includes new gear, new moves, a new region with several locales to explore, and of course, new monsters. It’s coming to Xbox One and PS4 first, with a PC release happening later.

Owlboy

D-Pad Studio’s Owlboy first released in 2016 following years and years of development. Its charming art-style and believable characterization meshed well with the quasi-Metroidvania platforming it had to offer. Playing as Otis and flying through the skies to battle pirates and learn the truth about the world may not have been revolutionary but it’s utterly amazing adventure all the same.

BELOW

 Below was in development for five years, which is a long time to wait for any game. Late in 2018, we finally got to play the game, and what a ride it was. While there’s an argument to be made that it’s difficulty can actually be a bit unfair at times, especially combined with the undeniable repetitiveness, most of the times, the game manages to find the right balance. Struggling through gruelling encounters and navigating around the many deathtraps it throws at you is as satisfying as you would expect.

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