I know this game has been out for a while and even has a MFH2 out but after reading different reviews and user posts I decided to give this game a try as I felt I knew what kind of game it was. I believed it was a traditional Japanese game and I was right. A lot of reviews gave it a average score with lots of criticism and the users either loved it or totally hated it…not a lot in between. You have to understand what this game is about as there isn’t much to compare it to here in the states. I want to share with you my thoughts and hopefully inform you enough to decide for yourself.

This is not a hack’n slash uber action game. This is traditional Japanese game with several different elements of gameplay. What that means is expect a slower pace with some repetition. Some reviewers used the evil “grind” word but if that is what they call grind then they haven’t played a hardcore Japanese game like Final Fantasy 11 (Online MMO). When your leveling is measured in months and level capping year(s)…yeah this game is not a grind feast but you will redo some quests to gather materials for crafting armor and weapons. Some reviewers also complained that a boss fight could take up to 30-45 minutes….try 3-5 hours or more in FF11. This is a scaled down version of hardcore Japanese game play hence the reason it is so loved in Japan. This game does have a slight learning curve, everything isn’t spelled out for you and not a lot of hand holding….read the guide that came with your MHF or use trial/error if you don’t read.

Character creation is decent and has a fair amount of detail (name, sex, face/skin type, hairstyle, hair color). You start out in your village where you get your own personal space that allows you to view your character’s armor (up close), hop in bed to get some sleep (save/heal), open chest (storage) and eventually hire cat people to cook for you. After that you head out you can talk to villagers, check out vendors, start up your farming stuff, head to guild hall or start taking quests. The farm is ok for a nice break between quests. You can grow veggies, mine, catch bugs and fish. Most of it is just button pressing cultivation with no skill involved (think Animal Crossing) but the fishing game is fun. It is a timing game and later you will add bait in etc. As you complete quests you will get points that you can spend to upgrade different aspects of the farm and you can buy seeds to grow different things. There is something about starting a beehive but I haven’t tried that yet.

Next you pickup quests that are either gathering quest, hunting quests or eventually boss hunts. As you complete more quests you get more money, crafting materials and points. The name of this game is collecting and upgrading. Kind of like an Animal Crossing but you kill stuff and carve it up for materials. As soon as you can craft or buy your first armor set/weapon upgrade then you’ll never look back. They are very cool. You will want more and it is addicting. You find this type of cycle (kill/collect/gather/upgrade) in a lot of asian MMO’s. There is no storyline just you and your life as a hunter. Expect times of hunting followed by down time like gathering/collecting/management (storage, weapons, armor, items). You will also collect decor for your hunter card as well.

The camera was so-so but not as bad as some reviewers claim. I’ve played a lot worse on PS2 titles. Use L to center and D pad to look around…not a big deal. There is no target lock but I didn’t think of it as a deal breaker. I’ve played plenty of games like this so it didn’t bother me. Part of the challenge is trying to hit moving targets and keep things pointing in the right direction. All in all not the best but not the worst experience ever. Expect the boss fights to be long and hard. The idea is to find/exploit a weakness then outlast your opponent…typical Asian game play. They enjoy struggle and toil to overcome a tenacious enemy. They want to feel like they worked to achieve something unlike the games geared for instant gratification. As you get deeper in you will have to think about offsetting negatives and utilizing the correct elemental weaknesses of opponents. This is a thinking man’s game not a mindless button masher.

The graphics are beautiful which make you want look and explore. This game looks good. The music is decent…sometimes good and other times it went unnoticed but luckily nothing annoying thus far. The controls are decent though the walk is a touch too slow in town so you hold the run button a lot.

All in all I find it a satisfying game but I can see how it’s not for everyone. If you like slower paced games, Asian minded game play, like to strategize and achieving through struggle then this is your game. Monster Hunter Freedom is about immersing yourself in the day to day life of a village monster hunter and I find that a rewarding experience.

-Wes

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Gaming, Handheld, Sections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.