On the surface, these sales numbers seem to reflect the landscape of the gaming market in the first quarter of 2015. If you look at the list of our best reviewed games of the year so far, you’ll see that half of them are remastered rereleases of old games. There’s nothing inherently wrong with rereleased games, but it seems like we have been drowning in them for the last three months. The PS4 in particular, while full of exciting indie games, is hurting pretty badly for big-budget exclusives. Gamers are clearly hungry for something new – even if those games are sequels in two different long-running niche series.

Actually, Bloodborne and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’s place as the latest in their respective franchises has served them well. Even though it’s called Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, it’s actually the seventeenth game in the series (if you count all of its updates and spin-offs). Over the course of a decade, Monster Hunter’s immense popularity in Japan means Capcom has had multiple chances to iterate, adding in new bits and tweaking the things that didn’t work. While Capcom will always have die-hard fans, in order to be part of a larger discussion, Monster Hunter needs to be accessible. There are so many moving pieces, so many different items to craft and dozens of different weapons that each have their own unique control scheme. And for the longest time, Monster Hunter was simply keen on kicking you into a gorge filled with giant dinosaurs and gnashing teeth. When word began to spread that this entry was the easiest one to get into without sacrificing the challenge that defines the series, many people (myself included) finally decided to give it a shot and see what this Monster Hunting thing is all about.

It’s the same with Bloodborne. As an extension of the Souls games, Bloodborne builds on past concepts and puts them in a new but familiar package. They may be initially off-putting, but each game in the series has built up a vocabulary that fans have learned over the years. Things like learning how to parry, what different stats mean, or knowing what items to bring on a particular encounter have been built up and compiled over a series of several titles practically making these games a genre unto themselves. It may be difficult to learn that vocabulary from scratch, but there are a wealth of resources available for players to learn the basics – wikis, forums, and even other players.

Both Monster Hunter and the Souls series’ initial audience may be small, but they also have some of the most evangelical fans in video games. These hardcore zealots know these games are absurdly difficult, and many are more than willing to offer up advice, exchange tips, or even walk new players through the initial moments to get players up and running with the basics. The thing that pushed me over the edge into picking up Monster Hunter 4? One of my Twitter buddies told me that he’d teach me how to play if I picked it up. Knowing that I had a guide to walk me through this strange new land (along with the newly implemented tutorial sequences) made the prospect of giving the series an honest try that much more palatable.

There’s a certain mystique surrounding both Bloodborne and Monster Hunter. The very nature of Dark Souls’ (and by extension, Bloodborne’s) secrets mean that people continue to discuss these games far longer than most typical blockbusters. Most games writing deals in previews, the build-up to the release, with games usually forgotten about a week after they’re out. But games like Bloodborne and Monster Hunter don’t reveal themselves right away. They take dozens of hours of play just to get to a point where you think you might have a handle on them. But even after hundreds of hours, new elements continue to be discovered, and that’s incredibly exciting in a world where entire playthroughs of games like The Order can be quickly posted and disseminated on YouTube. The way players continue to eke out new strategies and find new details about Dark Souls’ plot or Monster Hunter’s ferocious beasts years after those games have been out ensures that they stay fresh and exciting long after they should have disappeared from our collective interests. Being part of that conversation, of wanting to discover those secrets for yourself and share them with others is alluring, and many people (like myself) finally took the plunge.

While it’s unlikely that these games will ever reach the same level of popularity as the latest shooter, it’s still nice to see two games that reward dedication, experimentation, and communion finally get the respect and recognition they deserve. It took a long time for these games to get to this point, but both Monster Hunter and Bloodborne have finally ‘made it’. And who knows? Maybe more mainstream games will look to them for inspiration, now that more people are falling in love with what makes these difficult games fascinating.

The post How do niche games like Monster Hunter and Bloodborne go mainstream? appeared first on Game News.

One of the two new weapons in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (opens in new tab) is the Insect Glaive, which is a large double-ended rod capable of quick attacks. It’s similar to the Long Sword in some ways, but has a few unique elements: mainly, the ability to summon a Kinsect to attack monsters for you, and provide you with strong buffs. The Insect Glaive is capable of dealing slash damage and impact damage, so it has become a fast favourite for many Monster Hunter players.

Basic Attack Moves:

X = Can be pressed up to three times for a Combo, moving or stationary
A = Hitting A while stationary causes a horizontal slash
X + A = Vertical slash, forward slam. If done while holding backwards, performs a slashing back flip
A + A = Horizontal slash, forward slam. If done while moving forward, this can chain into the XXA Red Juice Combo

The Following Combos require Red Juice to perform:

X + X + A = This Combo move does a large amount of damage and can be repeated indefinitely. This Combo requires Red Juice, most Insect Glaive users consider this the most important Combo to master
A + A = Diagonal slash, leaping 360 degree slash
A (holding forward) + A = Forward slam, leaping 360 degree slash
X (airborne) = Do a downward double slash that has a chance to stagger a monster
X + X + X = Vertical double slash, diagonal double slash, double 360 degree slash

Utility Moves: 

R = Marks a target part on the monster for your Kinsect
R (after an attack) = Deals impact damage and marks the target part on the monster for your Kinsect
Hold R = Controls the aiming reticule for targeting your Kinsect
R + A = Calls back your Kinsect
A (airborne) = Shoots a target bullet for the Kinsect in midair, (the recoil on this move can be used to evade an attack coming from the forward direction)
Hold R + X = shoots out Kinsect on a direct path, or wait until the glaive is glowing, then release to send the Kinsect on a strong ranged attack. This attack is especially useful for blowing up bombs from range
R + B = vault forward on the spear, this can be used to mount monsters if timed correctly. If holding backwards, you will vault backwards
Up + A = vaults towards the enemy, pressing A again deals a large amount of damage and finishes this combo

Advanced Juice Combos with the Insect Glaive:

Press R + X to shoot the Kinsect towards the enemy. The Kinsect will fly out in the direction the camera is facing
Press R + A to return the Kinsect (and its yummy juice) to you

White = (W) comes from Wings or Legs
Orange = (O) comes from Stomach or Body
Green = (G) comes from Tail
Red = (R) comes from Head

(W) = 90 second duration: makes you move faster and allows you to jump higher
(O) = 45 second duration: enhances defense and provides knock back protection
(G) = Self heals for a slight amount
(R) = 60 second duration: Improved attack damage

(W) + (R) = 60 second duration: Attack boost S in addition to White and Red boost
(W) + (O) = 60 second duration: Defense boost S, Earplugs, White boost, and Orange boost
(W) + (O) + (R) = 60 second duration: Attack Boost L, Defense Boost L, Earplugs, White boost, Orange boost, and Red boost

Leveling Up Your Kinsect:

It is important to note that your Kinsect must level up before you can upgrade your weapon. You will level up your Kinsect by feeding it various nectars collected from the small conical ground plants. Most Insect Glaive veterans suggest levelling up your Kinsect’s speed so that juice is quickly retrieved for Juice Combos. However, it is possible to level up your Kinsect’s Damage and play more passively, letting the bug do the work for you. How you choose to level up your Kinsect is up to you and your play style.

When you craft a new Glaive, you also get a new Kinsect that is tied to your new weapon, so if you accidentally feed your first Kinsect the wrong nectars, it will likely not be a problem late game. In fact, we would suggest levelling your first Kinsect up with Power and Speed nectars to start, because if you’re learning the weapon, it will help you plow through the early single player levels.

Looking for more help with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate? We also have the following guides available:

• Beginner’s Guide (opens in new tab)
• General Weapons Guide (opens in new tab)
• Charge Blade Guide (opens in new tab)
• Monster Guide (opens in new tab)
• Palico Guide (opens in new tab)
• Village Quests Guide (opens in new tab)
• Hunter Rank Guide (opens in new tab)
• Item Crafting Guide (opens in new tab)

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