Yes the bow is just as good as it was in World! I'm kind of upset they got rid of the bows raining Arc Shot and replaced it with buffs, but that extra heal or affinity boost does help greatly towards the end of a hunt. I personally don't use Gyro controls because the switch's gyro motion is so sensitive that the tiniest nudge can throw a shot off.
I found that using the right stick to aim is better because you usually don't have to adjust your aim so much or even at all lol since I typically move my character to match up to the monster instead of moving to aim often.
I have also started the Long Blade tonight and this weapon definitely takes some learning. I've been practicing combos for the better part of tonight and fighting low level monsters, but the most important thing I'm learning are monster's hit boxes length and I'm remembering why I hate fighting close range.