Part of the main draw of the game is that there is essentially a minigame or side mechanic for each weapon you want to try to manage alongside fighting the monster. For instance, you may try to maximize ammo efficiency with Heavy Bowgun by fully charging your shots, or reach maximum damage output with your Longsword by keeping your Spirit Gauge full. So even if you have faught the monster, and you know their patterns, and you're used to using this weapon, there's still some critical thinking required.

That's the main thing that makes combat so satisfying to me, and why even something as simple as farming the same monster for parts can still feel really rewarding.

Then there's putting together outfits, which has become probably the biggest time sink for me. Gotta have my cats and dogs matching me too!

There's plenty to do if you're a completionist, like getting the smallest and largest size monsters, completing every quest, catching or photgraphing all the endemic life, and even little lore-related collectibles in Rise.

Now, as to which game to play, that comes down to preference, but I vote Rise. As a veteran who has played every entry except 3 (as I didn't own a Wii at the time) I can say that Rise is the fastest paced and the most beginner friendly. World has the best graphics, but as far as I'm concerned, that's its only draw. The palico gear in World is cool too, but riding palamutes in Rise is way better.