Monster Hunter Freedom 2 Comments by Dan Whitehead

I expected seeing a 6/10 here. Hence, the number of the beast (666).

My getting this always hinged on infrastructure play. Amazing looking couple of games, but with the most important aspect removed. Even the PS2 MH had online play, and the PSP is much better set-up for online play than the old black box ever was.

I doubt Capcom care though, with the amount they shifted back in Japan.

If I ever finish the first one I'll trade it in for this, when it's been discounted a couple of times.

Great, now hurry up and review the Slim & Lite so I know if it's the cheap piece of crap everyone says it is.

"Of course, the series has its fans and they'll argue that the game requires a certain mindset to appreciate. They'll say that, rather than bemoaning the lack of at least one effective fast attack option, you need to spend time mastering the lumbering combat system, learn to make use of traps and other items, and spend more time foraging in the wild for herbs, mushrooms, bones and other bits and pieces that can help or heal you."

And they'd be right.

Making you....wrong? :)

Does anyone know roughly how much the battery life is decreased by background streaming?

Oh, and by the way Dan- Alex Krostoski is coming to GET YOU, you heathenish little satirist ;)

Best Monster Hunter yet. And it's tailored to solo play in a way the PS2 original never was. Everything is possible - solo - with practice.

May well be the the best game on the PSP right now. It's a technical marvel... and a big, big game.

"Modern RPGs are about getting stuff. Getting lots of stuff. For your own benefit. And not sharing it."

Now I can hardly wait for the tingle review. The game where the idea behind the design was 'money solves everything'. The blackest, most cynical game to come from nintendo, the anti-animal-crossing.

Yeah, I had the 1st game but got sick of it and traded it in.
It just wasn't fun and flexible; way too difficult and clumsy. The concept is brilliant but the stiff combat controls, and the lack of cohesion or story made it a hollow and annoying experience.

It sounds like I need this game - but with a structure and story. Which will never happen because apparently this is a cash-cow in Japan as it stands.

as much as i love Monster Hunter i always wished it was a more persistant affair. Although my (albeit brief) forays onto the PSN on the PS2 were some of the best experiences ever, and i loved the fact that offline and online were never divided in the game world. You had the "village" (offline) but there was always murmurs of something bigger - something called a "town" (online), where bigger adventures and bigger rewards could be found!

They really need to make this into a proper online MOG and do the series justice :)

"And to them I say, the game is called Monster Hunter Freedom, not Monster Hunter Do As We Say Or Die."

Fair enough. :D

Although not all the weapons are slow (sword and shield, dual swords, long sword), and the inclusion of bows means you can use ranged weapons without bothering to farm ammunition.

Also I don't know if the "no real storyline" argument is valid. This isn't a RPG; we don't see that complaint levelled against Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing, which the reviewer rightly points at a paragraph later.

And even with the stream-loading enabled my PSP lasts more than two hours, which is just about as long as I can play at one go anyway. Though there's plenty of long load times (why isn't starting a mission loaded in background when you accept it?), so fair enough.

Foraging and carving seems very deliberately slow. It forces you to make the choice between if you spend time doing that, or just go straight after the monsters you need to slay. Awkward camera and lack of infrastructure is a fair point.

But 7/10 is a good score. MHF2 improves over the previous games but there's still some niggling issues. However, if you are okay with the "Monster Hunter Do Or Die" mentality, you can easily add two points to the score, imo. It's absolutely fantastic when it clicks.

The combat no longer feels slow but becomes deliberate and tactical; the game severely punishes button mashing and conversely rewards reading the monsters' movements. It's like when a dog has its ears up, it's happy; when it wags its tail, it's happy; when it lolls its tongue, it's happy. ... Well, the varied monsters are rarely happy but they usually quite clearly indicate what sort of moves they'll initiate, so you can get into an advantageous position. Same goes for foraging / fishing / carving. You don't need most of the bewildering array of items in the game. However, you need to be familiar with them so when you do need particular thing you can go and obtain it. The game isn't really about stock-piling, but making use of what you have.

But yeah, fair enough. ;)

"It took Resident Evil the best part of a decade to shake off its clunky and outdated directional controls,"

Review: failed. Practise makes perfect.

Despite being absolutely horrified at having to slaughter peaceable herbivore monsters in the first game I found it to be a curiously compulsive experience.

Sadly the PS2 version of the sequel isn't getting an English translation so my Monster Hunting adventures are probably over.

Not read the review yet - I'm more interested in Leatherface's comment.

Is it a cheap piece of crap?

I'm curious, as I'll prob end up getting a 2nd hand PSP for multiplayer, TV-Out, and so I can have 1 for homebrew.

I had considered getting a Slim & Lite, although I was disappointed about the lack of ergonomic and control enhancement.

I've not seen any criticism of the build quality printed anywhere.

Anyone held / used one?

Forgot the plug...


You might like to come and join the OutRun2006 Gamers Club, where we race online in Sumo Digital's fine conversions of Sega's amazing arcade game.

You're into Outrun? Then jump in!

Open to all!

See ya there...

Xbox / PS2 / PSP / PC

http://gamers.eurogamer.net/groups.php?g...

looking for admins...



@ f3rrari:

Grab one cheap for OR2006 racing! I'm sure you can grab the game for £9.99 now.

Anyone wanting to play the PS2 or PSP versions over the coming week - msg me.

We're also looking to test the 360 version on live - so if you've got it - gimme a shout.

ryz

Clunky, my bony arse :)

Played this with a m8 looking over my shoulder as I fought the Giadrome (sp?) and he keeps saying stuff like 'Coo, it's fast, innit?' as my character rolled, blocked, parried, stabbed, ran, rolled, healed, etc.'

DMC or Gaiden it ain't, but clunky? It controls far better than its PS2 counterpart, and takes about 3 missions to master on PSP...RTFM!!!

Don't go into it expecting the nimble acrobatics of Ryu & Co, and you'll be just fine.

I bought this on Friday along with Super Paper Mario and Heavenly Sword. I haven't even opened them yet as I've become hopelessly addicted to MHF2. It is just brilliant. I'm an old Everquest player and this type of game is right up my street. I can see why people would be put off, though. The sheer amount of stuff to do is quite daunting, but for those willing to put the time and effort in, there's more than enough to keep them happy. Item crafting FTW!

This game is awesome.
I'm 70+ hours into it and only just completed the level 2 quests.

You have to learn the boss monsters attack patterns to have a hope of killing them

this game rocks

The review is spot on. The game can be very (VERY) frustrating, but once you get into it, it's very good. Don't expect a story, don't expect ninja acrobatics, take it in a sort of simulationist way and you're good. I've sunk a lot of time in it after the initial bafflement.

The battery life is not a problem, I haven't been able to kill the PSP's battery in a single day, playing on both commutes and before bed at home. Too bad the loading of the quest and the farm takes forever, but the area loads are not an issue with the background loading on.

Regarding the Slim & Lite, the ergonomics are very much better, simply due to the miraculously lighter weight. The "cheap build quality"... well, the new UMD drive cover is cheap and flimsy, but I don't expect it to die on me, and the battery cover isn't 100% snug, but I can't say that these factors would bother me.

Hmm.. This sounds like a game that could make me consider getting a PSP.

I simply cant believe its not online, the fools.

you can get it to go online with some jiggery pokery using Kai

I was a bit hesitant before buying this game as it seems to get a few iffy scores from sites, but users love it. I generally like RPG's and adventure games, so I went ahead and bought it. I have to report back that it's absolutely brilliant. I'd definitely recommend buying this title if you're in two minds.

9/10

7 ..... !!BLASPHEMY!! >=/

65 hours here just after beating the Tigrex and an elder dragon twice.

I would wish that at least one, just one mmorpg would be like this game. In your typical mmo you just watch the screen seeing how your character stay in place hacking the enemy with the occasional press of a key for using a skill or item.
Monster Hunter is just the opposite, you must dodge, run, watch your enemy and strike when if safe or die. It is brilliant.

Of course the lack of online multiplayer kills this game if you don't have psp owners friends although everything in the game is beatable alone by skill and the correct item usage, also items are limited so you can't spam it, and don't bother anything if you get into battle with 20 healing items, you cant heal when a tigrex is charging at you.

The game is worth a 8/10, it would be 9/10 with better camera and less twisted controls and 10/10 with online support.