Because Hunting is Fun
Ah, Monster Hunter. It was one of those games that when I first played it, I hated it, then I picked up weeks later and I loved it. Much like Dwarf Fortress, it has a ridiculous learning curve but high rewards. Taking down each new boss felt awesome, but the number of times I had to kill certain bosses bordered on ridiculous (*cough* Narga *cough*).
I’m not an original PS1 Monster Hunter veteran like all the gamefaqs people say they are, but I’d like to think I’m fairly good. I started off in the PSP’s Monster Hunter Freedom something or rather. I ended up with Unite, but MHF2 and Unite are pretty much the same game. I also played Tri, but I think that game deserves its own post.
The premise of the game is simple. Kill monsters, cut them into little chunks, and make weapons and armor with their scales, teeth, wings, etc. The story is non-existent, but there is some babble about saving the town or some other nonsense. Each time you accept a mission, you’re placed in an area made up of zones connected by loading screens and directed to complete said mission. Some of the early ones are easy gathering ones, killing herbivores, or the like, but as you progress in the game, the vast majority of them become a single target hunt. The monsters themselves are extremely well made and the visuals hold up well on the PSP.
There are plenty on monsters and many of those have variations that are stronger, faster, have new attacks, and look cooler. While some abilities seem a little recycled, most monsters have unique attacks that set them apart. Learning each monsters attack patterns is important and exploiting the enemies weaknesses is one of the biggest parts of a successful hunt.
The crafting system offers plenty of items for you to create with your little monster bits. Almost every monster in the game has two armor sets and a few weapons. One of my main issues with Monster Hunter is the obscene amount of rare materials they make you obtain. Sometimes this could be considered good, but when you really need that last heavenly scale and you’ve killed Rath for the 9001st time, it can get kind of annoying. Endless boss grinding for your armor becomes part of the game and you just kind of have to accept it. Then again, people master the bosses doing ridiculous things. Landing a full greatsword charge on a charging Tigrex isn’t something most players can do.
One serious drawback of the PSP versions is the inability to play online without a PS3 or a certain wireless adapter for your computer. It does, however, support ad-hoc play, which was sufficient for me. The multiplayer is a blast and definitely shouldn’t be missed; hunting a massive wyvern with three friends is one of the greatest features.
I feel like there should be more in this, but maybe its because I didn’t get to address Tri. Or any of the weapons. Or the farm. But those can wait ‘till next time.
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fangedbovine posted this
