As soon as we got wind of a Monster Hunter release on Switch, we were hopeful that Capcom would bring that magic to the world. Unfortunately, Monster Hunter XX was locked to the Japanese market, leaving a lot of eager fans in the dust. Then Monster Hunter World came out, changed up a lot of the formula, and made a lot of good design choices.

Even so, many still craved the staggering variety that XX had. To be honest, most hunters had given hope and were even starting to make jokes about the game with the trending Avengers Infinity War meme. Finally, our calls seem to have been answered. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate has been announced worldwide and appears to be the Switch game Monster Hunter fans have been waiting for.

Now, not to confuse anyone, but Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is the localized Monster Hunter XX. A while back 3DS players received a greatest hits title with Monster Hunter Generations, which had many of the locales of the previous games, making it a nostalgia trip for longtime fans. Sure, the various styles for each weapon combined with the flashy attacks made for a confusing setup, but it also allowed for a ton of player expression and customization options visually. Generations Ultimate is the expanded version of Generations, which added more content for even more variety.

One of the few criticisms we have with Monster Hunter World is the lack of variety in the creatures and designs of the weapons and armor. A lot of the weapons in World have similar frames or the same blade type. Each of them feel unique enough, but gone were the days of exaggerated design. With Generations Ultimate, that all comes back.

As far as features go, we can expect to see everything that XX has, with similar functionality. Players will be able to hunt with each other online (timely considering this comes out at the end of August, right when the new online service will be starting up for the Switch) as well as locally. No splitscreen of course.

If you were enjoying the palico companions in World, you'll love what you can do with them in Generations Ultimate.

One of the most positive features that is different is the ability to carry a character over from the 3DS Generations. This is great for all previous players. Many found themselves obsessing over Generations for quite some time, but dropped partly through, so Generations Ultimate is a great excuse to pick up where we left off with a more comfortable controller and nicer visuals. No more tired eyes or cramped hands! Or at least, not as much.

Although, there is one glaring misstep by Capcom with this announcement. The 3DS version of XX that allowed for cross-play with the Switch, will not be getting the same treatment. An odd choice considering that the number of those who own a 3DS dwarfs the amount that own a Switch. Seems like the main argument for that choice is that players might own a 3DS, but many have moved on to other systems like the Switch or PS4.

Releasing XX like this was a topic of debate for quite some time by the Monster Hunter community. Releasing before Monster Hunter World could have taken away from the energy surrounding that title. This seems to have paid off, as Monster Hunter World is the best selling game Capcom has ever put out. Many voices in the community believe that releasing shortly after World could confuse the new players that World brought in. Even when Generations Ultimate launches, there could be some confusion as they are different games in a lot of ways.

Crossover content has often been a big part of Monster Hunter. We hope that trend continues when this game hits the international market.

Of course another point that will likely excite players is the amount of Nintendo related crossover content that will likely still be a part of this release. Prowler mode (being able to play as the Palico at any point) will also be back for some felyne shenanigans. So a lot of the sillier elements will be available on a console.

We just can’t wait to see a whole Palico team maul a Deviljho, who will likely be far more intimidating for those who haven’t fought him in anything other than World.

At the end of the day, Capcom had a quick way to add to the Monster Hunter energy in a cost-effective way. Instead of trying to top World, they had the option to translate XX, which is marginally cheaper. Not doing so would’ve seemed like a oversight for the ages.

Being able to carry and engage in large scale monster hunts wherever we go is going to be a fun time to say the least.

Truly, it’s great to see so many people enjoying a franchise that's sort of gone under the radar outside of its avid fanbase. The players being able to connect with each other in another way, especially on a platform that allows for traditional play as well as portable, more sociable play, will likely create some unforgettable memories.

Generations Ultimate will certainly make meetups easier for players to meet in a physical space. That’s what’s most exciting about this announcement. Players get to connect with each other through this series in another way. Monster Hunter World on Switch may have been what newcomers were looking for, but Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate looks like its going to be well worth the time of fans and casual players alike.

Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate launches on Nintendo Switch on August 28th. Just what does this game mean to its co-op community? We dug deep into the social communities and guilds of Monster Hunter to talk about what brings us all together on games like these.