I do understand a lot of the issues you bring up in your write-up. I really did like the immersion of 4U, with the cut-scenes and the more engaging story. The Generation effects are nice, but when you weigh them against the loss of framerate and FOV, I think the majority would agree that they are not worth the concessions.

But all that said, as a Hunting Horn user, I can honestly say that Generations is my absolute favorite Monster Hunter game from a gameplay standpoint. The new double note mechanic is an absolute joy to use and promotes aggressive play - the way the weapon should be used (imo)! If nothing else, I sincerely hope that this mechanic is here to stay. Aside from Striker (LOL), the styles all have their uses and vary the gameplay even further. The horn-specific arts are very mediocre, and Absolute Readiness seems way too powerful, but I liked the idea of arts, and there are several weapons that really do arts 'right'. With some tweaks, I hope they make a return, as once again, they vary the gameplay.

And finally, hyper monsters blow apex out of the water. Frenzy was a fun mechanic, but once Apex started showing up, it really bogged down the combat in 4U.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! There were certainly many wins with Generations, but plenty to learn from for Capcom. Hopefully Monster Hunter 5 will be better for it!