Seconding this, but I would qualify it somewhat. First of all, you might be thinking "why MH4U instead of the newer Monster Hunter Generations?" The short version is essentially accessibility. There is a LOT to learn in Monster Hunter, and much of it you will end up learning as you go. That being said, Generations is pretty much a love letter to existing fans and largely assumes that you're already familiar enough with the mechanics that you don't need hints like "this is a good meal for blademasters, this is a good meal for gunners, and this is a good meal if you're on a gathering quest". MH4U explains itself a lot better and thus is a lot more friendly for people new to the franchise.09philj said:
Second, you should be aware that the Monster Hunter franchise has a significant online component (all co-op, not pvp). Which is to say that you have the single player questline and then the multiplayer questline, with the latter usually including the bulk of the late-game content. Now, it is perfectly possible to play Monster Hunter multiplayer on a PUG basis, but you'll have a lot more fun with it if you have 1-3 friends to play with so you don't have to wait around for a PUG.
