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Monster hunter like it or love it!

Published January 11, 2009
4 out of 5 starsScore: 80/100

Welcome to the wonderful world of dashing heroes and massive monsters!
A series started in 2004 on the PS2 here in the states, Needless to say japan got it a bit sooner than us but nevertheless Capcom saw to grace us with this gem. It's success here in the states was lackluster at best but in japan it was like 6 turbojets fueled by pure awesome! Now, The intro to Monster hunter freedom 2 was breathtaking to say the least, A quiet village and a climatic confrontation with a Tigrex all in one scene that lasts no longer than two minuets.

All in all the Monster hunter series  is a beloved jewel in the sea of mediocrity that our game industry keeps feeding us. It is a bit hard to get used to and it has a steep learning curve but that just adds to the feeling of accomplishment at the end of a good hunt. The controls evolved from using the right joystick to govern your attacks to simple combination's of button presses on the face of a PSP to preform basic to advanced manuvers with the many weapon types. To be fair, My oppion on this game is a little tiped in the games favor since I myself am a fan of the series but in fair play i'll bring up some cons of the subject. The controls feel heavy and if you don't plan a fight in advance or have a quick weapon equiped your likley to get owned. But in the hands like someone who plays it too much like me you can go into fights and inprovise, It's still hard not going to lie but still it's a point never the less. If your a fantasy game nerd as I am this title should catch your attention, I can clearly say I LOVE this game I spent 287 hours on my save in the first 2-3 months, Yes at the time I didn't really have anything to do but you can just pick it up and do a hunt in like 10 minuets at your lunch break or before bed so it still has the pick up and play feature. Plus when you have friends to play it with you the game get 100% better, I'ts always nice to have a good buddy watching your back in a fight against a pack of Genprey, Or if your fighting agains the mountain itself Gravios. I do have to say the best part of the entire experiance is the armor, The team that designed the stuff are good at it.
  
   Much of the armor in the game has a great amount of bulk to it so the heavy controls actually start making seance. The weapons you carry can differ from large to HUGE! No matter what weapon you have on at the time  you'll have to train quite a bit to actually become a effective hunter with it. Like me i use a Longsword or on days where i'm feeling a bit more friskey i'll use a sword and sheild.
I do reccomend if you're playing with your friends that you use a weapon that bennifits the whole party, So don't make a party of all people with hammers or guns.
The music in the game is well done and most of it is good, There are a few tracks in the game that do start to become an annoyance after about 60 hours but in most of the music in combat really sounds awesome. And if you are like me music matters a whole lot to the whole game experiance. Again the music is good but it still dosn't match up to Castlevania or old Final Fantasy music.
So to end this review without beating you to death with dry text. I reccomend this title and with a price tag of 25-35 bucks it's a good deal.
So in closing let me hear your comments be they good or bad, Now if you'll pardon me i've got a Tigrex to behead.


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