Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP) Review

Posted by David Redkey on 11.30.2007

You like monsters? You like freedom? To find out if you apply, read on!

It is so horrible that many games today lack the lasting appeal to keep you entertained for more than a few days. The reason why this happens has a lot to due with the amount of content the game offers. Some makers decide to put the least amount of content into the game to force you to buy extra content or rush it out the door.

However, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 does not feel like it is missing much from previous installments. The creators really put forth a ton of effort to creating their second portable Monster Hunter game.



Graphics

With Monster Hunter Freedom, the game enjoyed the fact its early release in the console’s life. There was not much competition in the graphics department. It sported large monsters, and well-animated characters (both little and small). The same is true for the sequel.

Unfortunately, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 has some competition this time. It is not the prettiest game on the PSP. The throne has been usurped by the likes of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Killzone: Liberation, and Tekken: Dark Resurrection. That does not mean it is not a pretty game, but it is not the best thing on the handheld any longer.

The first thing you will notice is the animations for some of the monsters. Another thing worth noting is the size of the monsters. They are truly a site to behold. In comparison to the main character, the creatures truly tower over their enemy. That creates a sense of accomplishment seeing your character defeat their enemy.

The characters the live in the village are nice looking. The cats have not been improved over the last version, but they still provide some character with their animations. The other characters have a ton of personality that is not conveyed through the weak script, but the animators do a fantastic job covering up some mistakes.

It all goes towards creating a believable (considering this is a fantasy videogame) world. The characters are large and sport an enormous amount of detail. This is truly memorable to just sit and watch. There are very few hitches in the graphics department.



Gameplay

To me, the one fault in the game is the design of the game in general. The reason for this is simple. This game is nothing more than Pokemon sans the turn based battles. It is a straight action game minus story development. You defeat monster after monster to create better weapons. You use the weapons against more monsters to create more, and possibly better, weapons.

In short, it becomes very repetitive due to the lack of character development. There is little character development in the entire game. The point of entire game is to become the best hunter (similar to Pokemon). You do not have Team Rocket causing problems. It is only the monsters.

Another thing that seriously hurts the game is controls. I feel that your character controls like a tank. I understand the larger swords, but the smaller ones do not make things any better. It is as if you are always controlling Astaroth, without the Giant Axe.

This game may frustrate you very quickly. It is like a 3D version of Ultimate Ghouls and Ghosts, because the game offers all this content, but it fails to deliver on the most important aspect. That cannot be very frustrating to people that lack the patience to persevere.

The gameplay is not all negative. Once you overlook the areas that it is lacking, you will see a truly rewarding experience. You create your own hunter. This allows you to fit tons of different types of gear on your character. Additionally, you can design new weapons using the parts of the animals you kill. You can cook your own food. You can buy potions to recover lost HP. There is a wealth of gameplay at your fingertips.

You can play the game over ad-hoc, as well. You do not have to tackle some of these missions on your own. You can team up with a friend that is nearby (or you can do it over the internet using certain programs). You can really tell the focus on nearby gameplay, because of the lack of chatting during the mission itself. You can yell at your friend to do something, but you cannot yell at that person over the internet (*le sigh*).



Sound

First off, there are no voice-overs. If you can look pass that omission, you may find the sound to be wonderful. The music sets the mood perfectly. Your character is a person on adventure. You are trying to be the best hunter. In no short order, the music conveys that tone when you are on your hunts.

The non-playable characters have their own sound effects when you converse with them. It really gives the characters personality, considering that there is very little character development. The monsters, as well, have their own set of sound effects, as well. It is refreshing hearing new sounds with many of the monsters. It does not suffer from repetition concerning many of the monsters.



Lasting Appeal

This game will provide you near endless hours of enjoyment. You will more likely put this game down before you finish the game. The only thing worth noting is the controls. That is the only area that produces frustration for me. The game provides enjoyment to me; however, I cannot ignore that are.



Fun Factor

This is truly a “love-it-or-hate-it” game. Some people will not put this down; on the other hand, some people may put it down and never play it again. It is not going to be enjoyable for everyone.

I will recommend this game to people that like Pokemon, or the hunting aspects. For other people, I will say rent this game to see if you like it. You should form you own opinion on this game. If you feel that it is worth the purchase price, this game will pay for itself many times over. On the other hand, it may feel like a complete waste of money to some.

The 411

This is a pretty nice piece of software. It has lost some of the luster since it has competition. If you like the original, you cannot go wrong picking up the sequel. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a very nice game.

Considering how many games try to one up their previous installment by updating the game, it is a bit heartbreaking to see Capcom play it safe. They should have taken more chances with the property. However, that does not mean it is bad, it is just a little disappointing for someone that finished the previous game.

Graphics	8.0	The character models are beautiful. Customization is awesome. However, it isn't much better than the previous installment.
Gameplay	7.0	You kill monster, you make weapons, you kill more monsters, etc. That sums up the gameplay pretty well.
Sound	8.5	The musics and the sound effects is pretty nice. The lack of voice overs is a downer.
Lasting Appeal	9.0	This game is likely to finish you before you finish it. The gameplay can stretch it to the 100 hour range (I kid you not).
Fun Factor	7.0	You read the gameplay points? That ties into the fun factor. If you are bored easily, you may find this more of a chore than anything else.
Overall	8.0   [ Very Good ]