Yeah I'm guessing the posters are too young to remember that being on the PS2 didn't do the series any favors in the West.
I was old enough to have noticed yet it flew completely under my radar until Monster Hunter 2 was coming out. Which, naturally, did not hit NA though its rough portable equivalents did. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the story for a lot of people, and for those it isn't, well, it apparently is better forgotten anyway.
Which actually does make the Dragon's Dogma comparison seem apt, given that while that hit major consoles it was a new, unestablished IP that people were likely unsure of based on looks.