Monster Hunter Freedom 2
PSP
Capcom



Monster Hunter Freedom 2 was a phenomenal success in Japan, selling not only games, but making the under-performing Play Station Portable fly off the shelves. The English version is finally available, and it shows that sometimes long, involved and deep games can work on portable game machines.

When a game's tutorial takes over an hour to complete, you know you're in for a lot of gaming. The tutorial is massive, but it fully trains you as a hunter to explore the snowy regions of Pokke Village and beyond. After picking your character's sex, hair style, voice and clothes, it's off to training. The training teaches you all the nuances of monster hunting, including hunting, capturing, baiting, fishing, gathering and surviving harsh climates.

Quests can be gained by talking to the village chief and local inhabitants. And there is a massive amount of things to do. With over 250 quests, 70 different monsters to hunt, 700 weapons and twice as many armour types, you'll be playing this game for a long, long time. The main quests involve gathering herbs or items, and fighting monsters. Gathering involves looking for certain areas and pressing circle to search for them. Sometimes you collect an item which must be carried back to base, and this process means you can't fall or get injured, which requires careful planning.

Hunting involves tracking a monster and killing it. Depending on where it lives determines how you should hunt it - if it lives in the mountains, pack a heavy armour or pack steaks and warm drinks, which will increase your stamina that will otherwise drop in the harsh climate. Some monsters are incredibly smart, and once engaged will flee if they're too hurt. Using potions or paintballs allow you to track the monster on the fairly easy to read map. Sometimes you have to capture the monster alive, and that involves traps, smoke and gas. And when you're bored of all that, you can use the PSP's adhoc mode to go online and journey about with friends.

When it comes to actually fighting monsters, it's a bit of a button mash. There are button combos but that's fine as the depth provided elsewhere in the game eases is the easiest part of the game. A major problem though is with the camera. It doesn't lock on to your enemies, and during fights you can become extremely disorientated, mashing button combos and slicing nothing but air, and then quickly trying to orient yourself on the target whilst it attacks you and reduces your health.

Graphically the game looks awesome for a PSP title. Character animations are smooth, and the backdrops look gorgeous. The monsters are quite varied, and the customisation of items allows for you to add a great deal of personality to your hunter. Sound-wise the game is a bit average. The music is fine but the noises get a bit repetitive.

It's not a game that will appeal to everyone. The complexity will put some people off, especially those looking for a quick jump-into-and-have-fun type game, but those who like a bit more depth will really get a kick out of the many quests and hours the game has to offer.

Julian Cram