Well I'll admit for newcomers, and me as well when I first played monster hunter. It was kinda hard to get into it. The beginning quests are just eh. Though they are there to get you into the groove of things. Took me like 5 hours into it before I was hooked. I think the monster I fought that hooked me was Rathian. Another thing that made it meh at first was playing it alone/ not knowing a thing. For the first all I can say is try the online. For the second. Well unless you have a guide look up projared's beginners guide. He does a good job explaining the basics. It's 4 videos. And if you want to know how to effectively use a weapon look up gaijin hunter's videos. He does very in depth videos on all the weapons move sets and what they are capable of. While also recommending the best way to use them. (Certain combo you should prioritize when you can) on the note of souls games. I'm looking forward to bloodborne. That's like a weeks away now.