Monster Hunter Freedom

"OMG!! This is the game you all waited for!!!"

RPG fans rejoice, the savior of the PSP has come!!!

When I first heard that Capcom was going to be making a MH game for the PSP, my first thought was, "YEAH, I'm finally gonna play a MMORPG!! AND it's on my PSP. Oh the anagrams..." Guess what: I was wrong. The only online play I was going to be playing was with my older brother, which is very sad. VERY SAD GUYS!!! Anyway, enjoy the review, ladies and gentlemen.

Graphics: why ask/10

This game has the best graphics on the PSP to date and that is saying a lot, especially since it's huge worlds differ from each other. There may be a few similar levels, don't get me wrong. But when they ALL look absolutely fascinating, you just have to geek out over them. From huge mountains to blades of grass, the graphics are top notch.

The armors and weapons are back, along with their full customization capabilities. Why refer to weapons and armor in the graphics review, you ask? Well these weapons and armor look exactly like the monster you cut them from, meaning that they look absolutely awesome, even while running away from that wyvern as he flies down from the sky.

Story: 8/10

I wouldn't really call the story of this game a story, but I guess it would have to be included in the review. You are a nobody that wants to become the best monster hunter legend in the village. So the game starts out from there and you live out the rest. This could have been better, but seriously, you don't really need a story for this game.

Gameplay 10/10

From cutting opponents to gutting opponents, you do it all. This game gives you the materials to play the game every and anyway you want to, giving the player the full advantage of the game. Think about it for a second:

See that dragon over there? You distract him while I rush up to him and hit him from behind.

OR

See that dragon? We'll bum rush him on the count of 3.

OR

See that dragon? I'm gonna throw this flash bomb at him and then we'll bum rush him.

These are mere examples to what you can do if you full use what the game gives you. With weapons and traps galore, you can truly be the monster hunter you always wanted to be.

You take up missions from the village elder, and they all get very repetitive after a while. Sometimes they get boring as well. And there are about 3-4 types of missions that occur in the game, and they adjust for the multi player option.

The weapons, which were controlled with the right analog stick in the PS2 game, have been ported to controls that seriously suit the PSP well. They range from a simple sword and shield to the biggest damn sword you've ever seen. The controls are good for all the weapons, so don't fret.

The customized armor and weapons also give people a lot to go for. Whenever you kill an animal, you have the choice of going to its body to collect raw items. These are what can make your weapons and armor crappy or excellent, since you use them to make newer weapons. Also the BBQ pit has made a return, so you could cook raw meat collected from animals on the spot, sometimes for missions.

Overall: 10/10

This game is a must have for those who were fans of the original and are waiting for MH2 to come out. Get to your nearest game store and get this for your PSP now!! Go!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/06