Gas.

Great game that has consistently made high quality updates and fosters a community of high tier modders that make the game better.

Monster Hunter: World is probably my favorite MH game, right after MH3U but that is just because it was my first experience with monster hunter and dang was it fun.

This newest edition to the series is easily the most new player friendly, the changes that have been made to the mechanics of potion drinking to allow you to drink while moving and gain health gradually over the duration of the animation instead of it being all or nothing really goes a long way to make the game feel smoother. The increased control over the actions of your hunter gets rid of one problem I've heard people bring up when referring to why they didn't get into past games in the series, which is that the game is too clunky and unresponsive.

The developers have continued to support the game with a multitude of events that were released free of charge, which is becoming rarer and rarer these days, and various DLC that isn't intrusive nor does it feel as though I am handicapping myself for not buying it.

If you have been thinking about trying a monster hunter game but didn't think that it was right for you this is definitely the best place to start, and with a new expansion releasing in winter its a great time to start.

That being said I won't sugar coat what this game is. It boils down to the same thing as every other game in the series, fighting small monsters to make weapons to fight big monsters. If you have a phobia of grinding monsters so that you can grind monsters this isn't the game for you because that is what the game play loop expects. You will almost never get all the required materials in the first hunt and even if you did it wasn't enough to also make the upgrade. The saving grace is that the gameplay is enjoyable. The monsters are threatening enough that you keep on your toes but for the most part not oppressive, you feel that if you fail it was less on the difficulty of the monster and more for your lack of preparedness. Perhaps you were too aggressive in that fight and it led to getting hit by a telegraphed attack and carted you, maybe you just haven't practiced with your weapon enough. Another reason I enjoy this game is because you can see yourself improve. Sure the armor keeps you from getting 1-hit KO'd and the weapons let you hit a bit harder but if you didn't learn how to use those weapons than the extra defense doesn't mean much.

Also this game, at its core, is a multiplayer experience. This isn't to say you can't have fun playing solo, in fact most hunts are quicker and easier to do solo, but there are certain events, namely Ancient Leshen and Extreme Behemoth, that just aren't feasible for most people to do solo. If you can I salute you but I, and many like me, can't. This game is more fun with friends but going solo is definitely possible.