Chances are, unless you're currently living in Japan, you haven't heard much about this series. Over in japan it is one of the most popular games series, right up there with Final Fantasy and Tales of, and yet in America and Europe it is largely unheard of. The series began on the PS2 but has since migrated to the PSP, and the third installment is coming out on the wii. There is also a japan-only MMO version.
The premise is simple, and at first glance rather shallow: You are simply a hunter residing in a village, and it is your task to keep the village safe from various giant beasts that reside in the areas around it.
That's it. No epic backstory, no great quest, you are simply a hunter.
"But what gives the game its charm?" you may cry. Well there are plenty of reasons, but I'll start with one that leaps out at you right from the beginning:
These monsters are FUCKING HUGE. We're talking about wyverns and dragons making your house look like a plaything, things that would gobble up a teeny little hunter like yourself in one bite.
Now that's not to say you're not well equipped for the task, nay, there are plenty of different weapons to aid you in the smashing of over sized lizard skulls. Perhaps you enjoy the up close and personal effect of a giant (i mean giant) warhammer? Or the swift deadly bites of dual swords? Perhaps you prefer to be a more 'traditional' hunter, and hunt with a bow, or a lethal bowgun, boasting plenty of different elemental and explosive ammo types? The point is, there's a lot of variety in the weapons, with each weapon adding a unique element.
Now the local hunter's guild is kind enough to post up all their requests for bloodshed on a handy board, and this is where the fun begins. After each hunt, you get to carve up your slewn foe, and use these parts to make even more bitchin' armour and weapons. In addition, once your amateur carving abilities are exhausted, the helpful guild send in the experts to collect anything you missed, and present it to you after the quest, with bonus rewards available for breaking certain monster parts, such as head crests and horns; or capturing the beast alive rather than killing it. It is unknown what the guild DO with captured beasts, but we can assume it's not very nice considering the number of the monster's parts you receive for it.
Now the next major attraction on display here is the truly hardcore difficulty. At first glance, seeing all the hundreds of weapons, and armours that bestow you with extra abilities, you could be forgiven for thinking you could breeze through the fights, but alas, you are bound to hit the first wall that every hunter hits: Your very first Yian Kut Ku hunt.
Now picture the scene: Up until now you have been doing the menial tutorial tasks, such as collecting herbs, and slaying minor beasts such as raptors. The kindly old lady in the village decides you're finally ready for your first real wyvern hunt. Hurrah! You rejoice! Finally you can demonstrate your epic manliness with a good old fashioned man vs beast encounter!
You stroll into the jungle, trusty sword and shield in hand, and potions at the ready, should things turn nasty, and come across the mighty beast. But what's this? The thing resembles a giant, pink, scaled chicken-wyvern hybrid! You chuckle heartily to yourself. What could this oversized rooster possibly do? Look! It even squawks! That's when the beast launches itself at you in a frenzy, spewing FIREBALLS as it stumbles drunkenly towards you. Bam. You're on your ass and a good third of your health meter has disappeared just like that. This is when you realise... Monster Hunter is serious business.
Monster Hunter is not a game for the complacent, or faint of heart. You're either in 100% or you are fucked. Plain and simple. Each monster (of which there are a large variety, with different colour variations) behaves in its own way, with its own weakspots and its own fighting style that you must overcome to kill it. Every time you face a new foe you must study it to determine its attack patterns and chances for you to find an opening (not to mention the fact each different weapon has its own strategy for each monster). This can be offputting to new players, but once you get over the initial hump, and begin making every beast your *****, and flaunting your armour made of their dead babies, you are hooked.
The one final, killer feature of the game, that seals it as one of my personal favourites, is the co-op. Imagine everything you've heard so far, but with 4 hunters, sporting different weapons and working together to bring down some of the baddest beasts in gaming history. I don't think any more even needs to be said. It's damn fun. The one downside is the fact that the PSP versions lack the online features of the PS2 and PC versions, and thus require you to either own a PS3 and use ad-hoc party, or use Xlink Kai: a third party tunneling program allowing your PSP to connect to your computer, and then connect over the net to other people doing the same.
In conclusion, here are the points broken down into pros and cons:
+Extreme replay value.
+Excellent Co-op.
+Varied weapons and enemies, with armour skills adding even more customisation.
+Manliest game you will ever play.
+Incredibly skill reliant gameplay, and very rewarding results.
-Slow to start for new players.
-Often one can hit a wall of difficulty that can take a while to overcome.
-No online play for the PSP versions.
And that, my friends, is why the Monster Hunter series deserves the popularity in the west that it enjoys in Japan. I hope you all enjoyed the review and would appreciate any comments.
