Maybe one day we'll get a full open-world Pokemon game, and maybe it'll be great. For now though, a Monster Hunter structure seems like the best balance, and means Pokemon Legends: Arceus can be Pokemon's next great leap without falling over its own feet Kleavor still looks bad tho

One issue many have noticed with Wild Hearts, despite how enjoyable it can be, is that there are performance issues in every version. For some, these minor issues will likely be patched up easily. For others, particularly those playing on PC, it can range from playable but flawed to completely unplaya

That doesn't mean Legends: Arceus will be like that, of course. Just this year, New Pokemon Snap has proved that Pokemon can still experiment with fantastic ways of constructing narratives through clever worldbuilding, but given the relative lack of innovation the Pokemon formula has had over the past 15 years or so, a full open world could have gone very wrong. The Wild Area was one of Gen 8’s biggest attempts at innovation, and it came with mixed results. A Monster Hunter-style game feels like open-world training wheels - but it also seems as if Pokemon can't be trusted to ride on its own just

Related: Pokemon Legends: Arceus Could Have The Series' Best Villain Origin Story Pokemon has dabbled in more expansive territory before. Sword & Shield introduced the Wild Area, which masqueraded as an open-world adventure within the world of Pokemon. I say 'masqueraded' because it was a completely isolated area plonked in the middle of the map with little to no storytelling, environmental or otherwise. You were introduced to it far too early, then spent a lot of the time wandering around encountering Pokemon much too strong for you to catch. You might pick up some new 'mons, but chances are you'll just get frustrated and duck out, back to the main adventure - an adventure that continues, as always, along a fairly linear eight-gym progression p

In combat, hunters can use Wirebugs to perform different Silkbind attacks depending on their weapon. Wirebugs also help hunters mount and ride monsters that have been knocked down, allowing them to cause additional damage for a brief amount of time. More advanced hunters can effortlessly combine their Wirebug and weapon usage, performing impressive flashy combo mo

Monster Hunter Stories 2 is the perfect game for anyone who wants to keep living in the world of Monster Hunter without having to do any of the actual hunting. It takes all the ideas and mechanics from the original Monster Hunter Stories and refines them to create a better experience with a great story and satisfying gamep

It's hard to think of Pokemon in the style of Breath of the Wild in practicality. Sure, anyone can edit a screenshot to have Gyarados in a BOTW lake or Rapidash racing across the field, but isn't that just what the Wild Area is? The illusion of an open world, the type that would look good in screenshots, but without meaning or purpose. Without any heart or direction, BOTW would not be the same game. It gives you freedom to go wherever you want, but it also provides contours across the map to steer you towards towns, it makes sure each location is thematically linked, and you often need to hit multiple landmarks to secure the tools and ingredients to reach the next one. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of it, I have to admire the level of design on show here. It's not a level I think Pokemon can match, and that's before you introduce the much more complicated issue of where you put the Pokemon and how you offer freedom while ensuring players don't meet their doom at the feathers of an overpowered Hawlucha 40 minutes into the g

Monster Hunter Freedom was based on Monster Hunter G, the Japanese-only expanded version of the original Monster Hunter. Made specifically for handheld audiences, Freedom was not a direct port of Monster Hunter Wilds patch notes|https://monsterhunterwildsforge.com/ Hunter G but instead based a lot of its content on the earlier g

Sunbreak launched a year after Rise, giving fans the perfect excuse to revisit the game shortly after finishing it. It's impressive how the expansion can bring so much new content to the table without overwhelming the player, and none of it feels half-baked or unnecessary. Monster Hunter Rise is great on its own, but you'll want to play Sunbreak to experience its full potent

Given that Dragon Quest 11 is filled with delightful humor, it shouldn't surprise you that it also has a great joke weapon. First appearing when you meet the disciples of Pang, you learn that the Naughty Stick was used thousands of times on your party member, Rab, in his training (which, if you know Rab, checks out). Thankfully, this legendary tool of discipline can, in fact, be obtained as a usable wea

You can return to the Wild Area again and again, exploring more of it and actually being able to catch some critters, but it's all pointless . You know the real world, and the real story, exists beyond its confines. Yes, that part is snowy and that part is sandy, but it's all artificial. The Wild Area is like a zoo in the middle of a city. There aren't really lions in New York, or tapirs in Paris. They're just creatures in a self-contained, specific area. That isn't real ice in the polar bear enclosure, it's white painted rocks. That's all the Wild Area