A ranger is a better choice for mechanical combat, yes—that’s integral to the class design, so we don’t consider that a problem.
As for whether a ranger is better for the roleplay, I think that’s a rather subjective question to begin with, as is whether or not you think it’s cool.
We can and will tweak the class to make it more flavorful and more unique. Ultimately, though, it seems to be a difference of philosophy. We don’t think that all prestige classes have to sum up to the same abstract “power level” (or ‘uniqueness level’) as others all the time. We do try and balance base classes a little more in this regard, but PrCs just don’t have to equal each other (or even base classes) for us to consider implementing them to give people interesting choices. If you don’t like this, that’s fine—it’s a philosophical difference, and there’s no reason your position is less valid. But it’ll save a lot of grief in the long run if you understand what our underlying principles are and that we’re unlikely to change them.
I'm not sure I'm using the right words here - it isn't 'Uniqueness,' per se. It just has to do something different from a Ranger that actually contributes to the role play it's intended to nurture. I don't think anybody cares what that really is, it's just currently a discount Ranger. Admittedly, it has Int-based spellcasting that requires no prep, which is interesting and different, I guess? So there's that, for 'uniqueness,' but the underlying issue is, the general consensus
seems to be that you don't need to be a Monster Hunter to be a Monster Hunter, and other classes do it better. The way the class represents it's scholarly knowledge of Monsters is through Favored Enemy, and the tricks you learn in the trade is represented by an underwhelming spell selection with limited castings. Beyond this, you have a handful of tracking/hunting/trapping style skills. Put this in comparison with literally any other class, and it just seems awkward and weird, and pointless.
Yes, the idea of the Monster Hunter is really cool. The concept of it is cool, the options it theoretically should offer and the type of role play it pursues is really cool. In reality, as of the moment, there's no definable reason why you couldn't do the exact same thing a Monster Hunter PrC is doing, having sacrificed some of his flexibility, utility, and combat prowess, to do the
exact same thing another class can do for him. Compare that to literally any other PRC that fulfills a niche like Monster Hunter is intended to do. The problem isn't just mechanical, as if we wanted to twist the class into a different direction. It's a question of what defines this as being a Monster Hunter, over say, a Ranger. I can say it for anything else, a bookish Wizard can't hack the field work a Monster Hunter can, but his strength is redeemed elsewhere - in his spell power. A Fighter is more martial than a Monster Hunter, but lacks the tracking and combat specialization that a Monster Hunter does on paper. A Rogue, has the tracking and trapping skills, but lacks the knowledge of weaknesses.
As it stands now, so long as the implementation of Monster Hunter knowledge is represented by Lore and Favored Enemy, a Ranger has - Better martial prowess, is all around more skilled than a Monster Hunter is, able to diversify his portfolio far more into trapping, studying, hiding, and so on. He even has access to additional skills, like animal empathy, which may play a roll in investigating Lycanthropes as one might imagine. He is able to, as it is implemented currently, obtain the same level of specialization in the weaknesses and general lore surrounding monsters, and even directly combat them with his spells, and abilities which far surpass the utility in a practical environment, than a Monster Hunter. That's why everyone keeps referencing it. They aren't saying, 'Well, we need to make Monster Hunter more powerful than Ranger,' because that wouldn't necessarily fix the issue. That would just implement a power creep, and in the end turn Monster Hunter into a specialized kind of Ranger, which it isn't. It's a totally different concept that just isn't represented well at the moment.
At the very least, for what sharpening people are of the mindset People's Champion needs, it offers something that you can't get precisely elsewhere. It's targeted audience are Clerics, specifically Ezrites to start off with (but I heard somewhere it was diversified, might be wrong) and specifically, Anchorites operating within the rigid infrastructure of the Church. Some event in their life has changed their perception of the laity, and they begin to champion and embody the values of the common man, over gratuitous service to the Church or some other middle-man or body. To represent them giving the Church as an organized, mortal body but not the Diety itself the finger, they begin to take things into their own hands. Their BAB goes up, they get Righteous Anger to represent the the fury of their justice, so on, so on. It's thematic, if underwhelming, which is another discussion altogether, from another thread. Their eyes are opened, they're vigilant, they're more streetwise. It changes them, and it's represented in one way or another in their role play that makes them interesting to play. There's skills they wouldn't normally have, that represents how they've changed in mindset. Now, that's not to say a Cleric cannot perform the same roleplay, but they aren't going to have those little, gritty quirks. A straight Cleric can still embody the principles of the People's Champion as a wandering Anchorite and just never properly integrate with the Church, and in many ways could be more lethal, however they wouldn't have those little touches that make them streetwise and more hands-on, they wouldn't get to have those moments of utter brazen, unbridled fury when they show the tyrant his due retribution.
Monster Hunter needs something
like that, which will make it different from just a crappy Ranger. You can make a bookish Ranger that studies some monsters, and you basically have a Monster Hunter without a PrC process, that's mechanically advantageous to play.
I hope that somehow clears up what my message in all of this is.