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Hey all. Anyone who knows me should know that I am a huge fan of this series called Monster Hunter. Produced by Capcom, this series is absolutely huge in Japan, with a fair amount of success in America. Today, I will review Monster Hunter Freedom 2,for the PSP, the fourth game imported to America.
Note: I've kinda, sorta developed this format off of Z's(Shadowjet's)reviews. Oh, and there are SPOILERS!!!
Story: There isn't really a story. You're a hunter trying to make a living in a small town. You accept quests from the village Elder, and from the Guild, sort of like the Hunter's club. As you get to the higher ranked quests, you will defend towns from large monsters. That's about it. 4/10
Graphics: The graphics are quite good for a PSP game; armor and other people look top-notch, and monsters look nice and smooth(although some look slightly jagged up close). The particle effects from elemental attacks, such as an explosion of flames, lightning arcing from the monster's body, or the smoke rising from pools of poison, are some of the best I have seen. 8.5/10
Gameplay: The gameplay is quite good in MHF2. There are 11 classes of weapons to choose from, from swords and shields, to gunlances(A lance with a built-in revolver, basically), to bowguns, to hammers. Most, if not all, will find a weapon that suits their style, whether it be the slow, but heavy-hitting Great Sword, or the weak but lightning-quick attacks of the Dual Swords. Controls are, for the most part, well thought-out.
The face buttons of the PSP(The X, O, etc.) are used for evasive maneuvers, drawing and putting away weapons, enviromental interaction(Searching for plants, mining for ore, talking, etc.) and attacks. The analog stick is used to move, with the shoulder buttons used for centering the camera, sprinting, or activating your weapon's special ability(This may be the spirit attack for the Long Sword, or simply guarding, for weapons like the Sword and Shield, or Lance.) The major downfall is how the camera is controlled. The D-Pad is used to move the camera, making you have to 'hook' your index finger over, putting your middle finger on the L button, and using your thumb on the Analog stick. Some may not like this, but it is a matter of adapting.
Monster battles work very well. It invokes strategy and thinking, because you have to observe the monster's movements and attacks, and learn how to dodge and counterattack. Each monster has a weakness and you have to figure it out and exploit it. Monsters are weak to some elements, and can attack with other elements. You have to plan by choosing a weapon with, say, a fire attribute if the monster is weak to fire. If the same monster can, say, use thunder attacks, you would also want to use armor with high thunder defence, to optimize chances of success.
Armor has a thing called skills; these things are points that, when raised to certain levels, invoke new powers and higher defence. This could be the ability to track monsters, or a defense boost. These skills can be raised by decorations, which fit in slots on the armor. This allows for strategy, since decorations can be switched out to change skills.
Overall: 9.5/10
Sound and Music: The calls of the many monsters are wondrous; each monster's cry is unique. While some may be edited versions, no two monster have the same cry(unless it is, of course, a subspecies.). Music is saved for the village and battles. When starting a quest, there may be a small fanfare, but other than that, no music. Overall: 6.5/10
Characters: No real defined characters, other than the merchants and elder. Overall: 3.5/10.
Overall Rating and Ending Comments: Overall, I feel MHF2 is a great game. While it may be lacking in some areas, other areas more than make up for this. Many people dislike the control scheme, but I and many others I know are fine with it. Overall rating: 8.5/10
I will write the rest later.
Note: I've kinda, sorta developed this format off of Z's(Shadowjet's)reviews. Oh, and there are SPOILERS!!!
Story: There isn't really a story. You're a hunter trying to make a living in a small town. You accept quests from the village Elder, and from the Guild, sort of like the Hunter's club. As you get to the higher ranked quests, you will defend towns from large monsters. That's about it. 4/10
Graphics: The graphics are quite good for a PSP game; armor and other people look top-notch, and monsters look nice and smooth(although some look slightly jagged up close). The particle effects from elemental attacks, such as an explosion of flames, lightning arcing from the monster's body, or the smoke rising from pools of poison, are some of the best I have seen. 8.5/10
Gameplay: The gameplay is quite good in MHF2. There are 11 classes of weapons to choose from, from swords and shields, to gunlances(A lance with a built-in revolver, basically), to bowguns, to hammers. Most, if not all, will find a weapon that suits their style, whether it be the slow, but heavy-hitting Great Sword, or the weak but lightning-quick attacks of the Dual Swords. Controls are, for the most part, well thought-out.
The face buttons of the PSP(The X, O, etc.) are used for evasive maneuvers, drawing and putting away weapons, enviromental interaction(Searching for plants, mining for ore, talking, etc.) and attacks. The analog stick is used to move, with the shoulder buttons used for centering the camera, sprinting, or activating your weapon's special ability(This may be the spirit attack for the Long Sword, or simply guarding, for weapons like the Sword and Shield, or Lance.) The major downfall is how the camera is controlled. The D-Pad is used to move the camera, making you have to 'hook' your index finger over, putting your middle finger on the L button, and using your thumb on the Analog stick. Some may not like this, but it is a matter of adapting.
Monster battles work very well. It invokes strategy and thinking, because you have to observe the monster's movements and attacks, and learn how to dodge and counterattack. Each monster has a weakness and you have to figure it out and exploit it. Monsters are weak to some elements, and can attack with other elements. You have to plan by choosing a weapon with, say, a fire attribute if the monster is weak to fire. If the same monster can, say, use thunder attacks, you would also want to use armor with high thunder defence, to optimize chances of success.
Armor has a thing called skills; these things are points that, when raised to certain levels, invoke new powers and higher defence. This could be the ability to track monsters, or a defense boost. These skills can be raised by decorations, which fit in slots on the armor. This allows for strategy, since decorations can be switched out to change skills.
Overall: 9.5/10
Sound and Music: The calls of the many monsters are wondrous; each monster's cry is unique. While some may be edited versions, no two monster have the same cry(unless it is, of course, a subspecies.). Music is saved for the village and battles. When starting a quest, there may be a small fanfare, but other than that, no music. Overall: 6.5/10
Characters: No real defined characters, other than the merchants and elder. Overall: 3.5/10.
Overall Rating and Ending Comments: Overall, I feel MHF2 is a great game. While it may be lacking in some areas, other areas more than make up for this. Many people dislike the control scheme, but I and many others I know are fine with it. Overall rating: 8.5/10
I will write the rest later.