He's still completely missing that the point of the game was the unique online multiplayer hunting game on a platform where online multiplayer can rarely ever be found.
The reason why you're restricted to one weapon is the different hunters that come along with you are expected to fill the other niches. The small sword and shield guy is essentially the tank that keeps the monster good and distracted so the guys with the big-ponderous weapons or ranged weapons can lay on the DPS.
Basically, single player mode is one giant practice mode that doubles as a means to level-up your hunter offline. The tutorial isn't a 10 hour grind. The single player mode is one giant, flexible tutorial you can drop out of whenever you feel confident enough to play the real game by going online.
That the single player mode may pass as a whole game in and of itself is part of the genius of the series. Sure, if you want to grind alone and pass on most of the game, you can, and still feel relatively as though you paid for a complete game.
The reason why you're restricted to one weapon is the different hunters that come along with you are expected to fill the other niches. The small sword and shield guy is essentially the tank that keeps the monster good and distracted so the guys with the big-ponderous weapons or ranged weapons can lay on the DPS.
Basically, single player mode is one giant practice mode that doubles as a means to level-up your hunter offline. The tutorial isn't a 10 hour grind. The single player mode is one giant, flexible tutorial you can drop out of whenever you feel confident enough to play the real game by going online.
That the single player mode may pass as a whole game in and of itself is part of the genius of the series. Sure, if you want to grind alone and pass on most of the game, you can, and still feel relatively as though you paid for a complete game.