The best PC games of 2018: Monster Hunter: World

I’ve never been interested in hunting - you know, the kind hunters do, which involves getting up extremely early, wearing ridiculous outfits, and trudging around in the woods. But Monster Hunter: World lets me at least get a sense of the appeal. The long-running handheld series finally made the leap to PC this year - albeit after a bit of a delay - and it’s just glorious. I’ve described it to friends as making a trip to Jurassic Park as the Zodiac Killer. Monster Hunter: World’s vibrant environments are home to some of the most impressive creatures I’ve seen in videogames, from the lowly Great Jagras to the demonic Nergigante. Early monsters are big, but they’re dwarfed by the apex predators you run into as you make your way through the game. They’ll fight with each other over territory, prey on smaller animals, and return to their dens - the effect is a startling sense of realism, as though these majestic creatures are truly stomping around in a forest. But what sells Monster Hunter: World’s monsters even more is the fact that, after a first encounter with each species, most of them will stop noticing you. They follow their own routines and instincts, and barely register you as they barrel on by while you’re mining an ore formation, or picking up herbs to mix into potions back at camp. Combined with the fact that you enter this world without very much to go on, a rank neophyte in terms of weapons and skill, this can make you feel very small indeed.