When comparing Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate vs Mario Tennis Aces, the Slant community recommends Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for most people. In the question“What are the best couch/local co-op games for the Nintendo Switch?” Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is ranked 18th while Mario Tennis Aces is ranked 34th. The most important reason people chose Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is:
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is all about going out into the world and fighting terrifying monsters to collect the best loot possible. The monsters are each unique, with their own movesets that you learn and memorize as you get better at recognizing them. Picking the best weapons and armor for the monsters you target is important, since you don't want to end up bringing a sword, for example, against a heavily-armored enemy, when something like a giant hammer would be best. Dodging the monsters' challenging attacks, getting hits in, and making it out alive to collect your loot is such a satisfying feeling, encouraging you to keep at it.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Addictive and strategic real-time fights against relentless monsters
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate is all about going out into the world and fighting terrifying monsters to collect the best loot possible. The monsters are each unique, with their own movesets that you learn and memorize as you get better at recognizing them. Picking the best weapons and armor for the monsters you target is important, since you don't want to end up bringing a sword, for example, against a heavily-armored enemy, when something like a giant hammer would be best. Dodging the monsters' challenging attacks, getting hits in, and making it out alive to collect your loot is such a satisfying feeling, encouraging you to keep at it.
Pro Incredible amount of gear to forge that suits any playstyle
There's a near endless combination of weapons and armor you can craft from the loot you earn, with plenty of special stats that you can mix and match as you want. You naturally work your way up to creating stronger and stronger gear as you take down more powerful monsters, so you always get a constant sense of progression as you play. You can craft gear with certain stat bonuses, like more HP, strong resistances to help your defense, or boosts to anything else you might need to take down that one monster who keeps giving you trouble. If you want to focus on huge swords and bulky armor, you can do that, and if you ever decide to switch things up for any given fight, all you have to do is hunt down the right materials and make what you need.
Pro Local co-op and online multiplayer open up endless hours of content
You can play Monster Hunter with a small group of friends locally, or hop online to team up with others whenever you want. This is a game with a fair amount of difficulty, so it helps a lot to go after the hardest monsters with a group to back you up. Targeting those high-end raids with other players gives you a near-unlimited amount of content, since there's always more loot to go after, more gear to craft, and more ways to change up your playstyle on any given day with your combination of weapon and armor sets.
Pro You can carry over your save file from the Nintendo 3DS version of the game
If you already put a bunch of hours into Monster Hunter Generations for the 3DS, you can carry over your progress and jump into Ultimate right away. This helps a lot in case you're on the fence about buying Ultimate when you've already played the handheld version.
Pro Couch co-op with a friend is tons of fun
Playing with a friend right beside you makes the game much more enjoyable. Reacting to each other in real-time is just better than playing against a computer opponent. There's no online co-op -- only multiplayer matches against random people -- meaning you'll have to be in the same room together to play.
Pro Solid roster of Nintendo characters to play as
There's a good variety of characters you can play as. If you're familiar with first party Nintendo games, then you'll see a lot of familiar faces here, like Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Peach, and of course Mario. Everyone has their own playing styles, with bigger characters like Bowser and Donkey Kong favoring hard-hitting power shots, and others like Yoshi and Mario that have a more balanced approach. You can go with whichever style or character you prefer, practicing with them until you master everything. Getting to see all of these characters together in one game is great for fanservice as well.
Pro You can compete against others online in multiplayer
When you run out of single-player content to enjoy, you can hop online to play against random opponents. The main game mode is the tournaments you can play, which rewards you with special characters if you score well. Online connectivity is good too, especially with the choice to drop out of matches beforehand against players who have bad connections. Playing online is a really great way to test your skills and improve your play, since anyone you get matched with is an actual player who has their own strengths and weaknesses.
Pro Intense and engaging tennis matches
Mario Tennis Aces is incredibly addicting to play. Matches are fast-paced and exciting, with one particular mechanic that keeps things unpredictable. Every time you successfully hit the tennis ball to your opponent's end of the court, you build up a power meter that you can use in a couple of different ways.
When you want to quickly finish off a match, you can slow down time and take aim at a vulnerable corner of your opponent's court for an instant win. Or, if they try to do that to you, you can instead expend some of your power meter to quickly reach the ball and hit it back. Things can get pretty tricky when you both use up your power meters at the same time, leading to some satisfying wins.
Cons
Con Graphics aren't that impressive
Since this is an update of a handheld game for the Nintendo 3DS, the graphics are serviceable enough. There are definitely better-looking games out there, but this one doesn't look too bad at all, with HD textures that are decent for the current console generation. It's not distracting enough to the point where it pulls you out of the experience, so as long as you're okay with that, you shouldn't have too many problems with the visuals as you play.
Con Not much of a story
Even though this is an RPG, you shouldn't go into it expecting a grand, sweeping story. You're mostly just a mercenary who goes out and kills monsters for loot. The Monster Hunter series has always been more about gameplay over story, though, which is great for players who are looking for these style of games. But if you're more in the mood for something more narrative-driven, then this probably isn't the game for you.
Con Should be at a lower price point
Con Very wide skill gap between experienced and inexperienced players
Mario Tennis Aces can be unwelcoming to new players. While playing co-op or online, it's tough to catch up with everyone else who knows how to time their power shots with the meter. If you don't pick up on this mechanic fairly quickly, you may feel like you're getting left behind. You don't necessarily have to use the mechanic if you and a friend agree not to, but this sadly makes matches pretty dull. Running against computer opponents is a good way to get your feet wet before moving up to other levels of play.
Con Limited gameplay options for solo players
If you're the type who prefers to game alone, then Mario Tennis Aces might not be for you. There's only one single-player mode, while the rest of the game is mostly dedicated to co-op and online play. The solo mode is also extremely short, clocking in at around four hours. Aside from that, there really isn't much else for you to do.
Con Certain characters are locked behind online tournaments
The primary way to unlock new characters is to win tournaments, but this isn't entirely fair. They're only available for a limited amount of time, with the rewards changing from tournament to tournament. Even though some of these characters are in the actual game as opponents in the single-player adventure mode, you can't get access to them unless you unlock them through these tournaments. If you don't like playing online, or if you don't have the means to pay for Nintendo's online service once it's implemented later on in 2018, then you're basically out of luck.
Con Single-player adventure mode is pretty difficult
The game's adventure mode makes up for its short length with some real difficulty. It's a rough introduction to the gameplay, as some of the matches and bosses are really hard. There's plenty of variety to things, like courts that have certain hazards in your way and uneven terrain such as tall grass, as well as inventive boss designs like a giant squid that shoots out tennis ball-shaped blobs of ink. But all of these things can get quite overwhelming, especially if you're using the single-player mode to get better at the game.