Monster Hunter Freedom - 5/10
Monster Hunter Freedom
Note: This has been editted in accordance to my progression through the game.
Had this game for about 2 weeks now and I am really starting to disagree with Gamespot.com's review on this game! And even though this is a port from the PS2 system, it has alot of other things added, such as newer character mods and newer armour sets & weapons.
Graphics: This game has to be the best that I’ve encountered on the PSP system thus far in terms of graphics. I mean, I thought the graphics of Daxter were good but gosh, this game totally blows all of the other games that I’ve played away in terms of graphics. I just absolutely love all the cinematics involved; the intro scene of the game was so amazing and there are also alot of other cutscenes here and there. You can also unlock short clips and trailers to other Monster Hunter games, which is quite cool actually. There is so much detail through out the game that it’s amazing how fast the game loads (load times are not as bad as what a lot of reviews say – reviews state 40 to 60 seconds to load up the world/individual quests but I find that I only wait for approximately 20 seconds). Character details are fine detailed and the water rendering effects are amazing! Haven’t seen those kinds of effects on a PSP game before! Environment details are not too shabby either, not as fine detailed as the characters themselves but yeah, it’s pretty good.
Sound: In terms of sound, this is where we are blown away with the use of Pro Logic II audio enhancements. The sound is superb if you hook up a Pro Logic II capable set of headphones/speakers to your PSP whilst playing. It feels like you’re actually in the game! As funny as that sounds, it’s true. I find sound as a very important factor of the game because without the great sounds, the hacking, slashing and other numerous sound effects would be dull. Heck you could just use any random sounds for the hacking and slashing that it wouldn’t really matter. The soundtrack to the game provides a great feel to the essence of 'monster hunting'. Action-packed music is played through the fight scenes with big bosses and there are also cute short music clips for when you're cooking meat, having your chef-felynes cooking you food and also when you're charming your pet pig Poogie! Poogie is so cute.
Gameplay: This game is a lot different than other games that I’ve played on the PSP. I’m used to playing RPG’s that have true story lines, but MHF uses a different approach where you are playing as a ‘wannabe’ monster hunter and you take up quests from the village elder on your own as well as group (guild) quests, where you form guilds with other characters (through the WiFi feature of the game) where you can play with up to 4 players – which I am yet to try at this point in time. All of the monsters you fight can be “hacked up” to collect certain items/meat and these items can be put to good use to create/improve armour and weapons. You can also collect other items through the envrionments and combine certain items to form a brand new item – which can also be further combined to form an even newer item. One thing that did bug me about the game, was the fact that the angles were very annoying. You could alter the camera though, but in some areas (e.g. on the edge of a cliff or in certain parts of a map) you couldn’t change your view, which was a bit of a pain in the rear.
Replay value: This game is the greatest game I've seen in a long time that has the potential to provide non-stop (virtually endless lifetime) game play. There is so much to be done in this game that I don't see how anyone would want to get rid of it, let alone put the game down for even a second. And with the added co-op guild quests and treasure hunting quests, it gives the game an even better and longer lifespan.
Final words: Well there’s not much else I can say about the game as I’ve only picked it up a couple of weeks ago, but I most certainly recommend this game to anyone who is a hardcore role-playing gamer. It takes a while to get used to but after an hour or 2 of playing, you will most likely get hooked as I did. The idea of going around and taking up quests and levelling up your character doesn’t sound that great, but once you get into it you’ll discover there is more to it than just a bit of hack 'n' slash and buying/equipping new weapons/items.
Overall Rating: I rate this game 4½ out of 5. It is a MUST HAVE for the PSP System and I am hoping for a sequel to this game.
13 Jun 2006
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