Monster Hunter Freedom (PlayStation Portable, 2006)

Did you read the title of this review? If you did, good. If not, read it now. It's not an exaggeration. I have literally spent over 200 hours playing this action RPG, and I've heard of people going above 500. Why so long? Keep reading, and you'll find out.


Monster Hunter Freedom, which originated from the popular PS2 series, does pretty much everything right in its conversion to a port. It makes very good use of the PSP's capabilities, and I imagine that this game is about as good as it's going to get. The graphics for MHF are absolutely breathtaking! From lush forests, to rolling fields, to scorching volcano areas, MHF consistently provides detailed, and gorgeous settings for a player to explore. All of the characters and creatures are also extremely detailed and aesthetically pleasing as well. For example, the vast majority of the 1000+ weapons and armor have a different graphic on a character, leaving endless possibilities for your character's physical appearance.


The music in MHF is very appropriate, with various soundtracks for different monsters and areas. Sound effects are awesome; footsteps, the swinging of a blade, and a monster's roar all being very distinct, and exactly how they would sound in real life. MHF is also the first game that I know of to offer a Dolby Digital Surround Sound option, which I would imagine would offer an even more realistic playing experience.


Now for the storyline. You're an adventurer/wannabe monster hunter that starts in a town that's constantly being attacked by monsters. That's all you need to know, and that's really all the game ever tells you. But to make up for lack of any semblance of a storyline...


...MHF absolutely shines in gameplay! For those who aren't familiar with the MH games, the object is to complete quests, so you can get more stuff, and then you can beat the stronger monsters, who give you even more stuff, which allows you to beat the even stronger monsters. Sounds repetitive? Perhaps, but it's worth it to get that uber-strong weapon or ultimate armor. For each wyvern you kill, (the official name of the "monsters",) you get a chance to carve its parts. Every wyvern has about 5 or so things that you can carve from it, some being a lot less common than others. These parts can be used to create various weapons and armor.


For example, if you wanted to create a Kirin Bolt Sword and Shield, (one of 6 weapon types you can create,) you'd need to have 1 Kirin Horn, 4 Kirin Mane, and 2 Rubbery Hide. Not too bad, all you need to do is beat 2-3 Kirins, and another wyvern for the Rubbery Hide. Easy, right? Absolutely not! Now comes another point that needs to be mentioned... the wyverns themselves. Think of them like boss monsters... except MUCH stronger. Think you can hack and button mash like Untold Legends? Sure, if you want to die. Monsters can generally kill you within 5-10 strong attacks, with some of the strongest monsters having many one-hit kills. not only are they powerful, their health can be ENORMOUS. I have spent 50 minutes hacking away at a wyvern, only to run out of time on the quest before it died. So once you beat that wyvern that you could never beat before, or when you get enough parts for that awesome sword you've always wanted, there is a feeling of extreme fulfilment... and it continues throughout the game. This is the X factor that keeps people hooked.


I only have 50 characters left, so... BUY THIS GAME!

This game was exactly what my 14 year old son was wanting and we could not find it in our local stores.
awesome!