Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Review

Written by: Adam Tewkesbury Posted: 22nd September 2009

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Where the wild things are (killed for body parts)

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Details:

Goto Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Game Page

	Action
	PSP
	Capcom
	Capcom

TBC

Out Now

I really wanted to dislike Monster Hunter. As a series newbie I've been put off previous iterations by the bewildering array of options, items and menu screens, and the overall impression of plodding around sparsely populated environments, occasionally clocking fantastic beasts in the face with a spiky club (spiky club good, plodding bad). Given the attempts at grandeur and epic scale of quests, the small and ageing PSP looked like a fairly poor choice of console too, and to my cynical sensibilities everything seemed to be pointing towards a sorry attempt to prolong a series at the lowest possible budget. Unfortunately for my ego I've been forced to eat my proverbial hat, because as portable games go this is actually pretty good.

It isn’t perfect by a long shot (more on that later), but with a bit of patience during initial stages Monster Hunter manages to find a pretty successful mix of depth, accessibility and fun. The concept is as simple as it at first appears- find monsters, slay monsters, harvest monsters for bits to use- but this central objective is surrounded by all manner of little additions to keep you playing (for up to 500 hours, if the press releases are to be believed). Key to keeping you hooked is the array of collectables that can be found on missions or roughly carved from downed beasts. Once these have been ferried back to the village that acts as the central hub for your hunting exploits, parts can be combined to create potions, armour and weapons to propel you up the hunter ladder and increase your chances of survival when going toe-to-toe with more dangerous beasties. Similar to Fallout 3, this process of gathering things to progress is worryingly compulsive, possibly a reflection of our consumer culture and inability to find contentment with what we’ve got, but good gaming fodder nonetheless.

Looks-wise Monster Hunter eeks out a fair amount of grunt from the diminutive PSP, offering some impressive vistas and satisfyingly ugly prey to pursue. Animation and sound is also good, with your avatar demonstrating some commendable character and charm at times. As one would expect from Capcom, presentation is top drawer, and only the relatively long and frequent loading screens detract from the flow of play. Control can be something of a mixed bag, however- whilst your hunter moves fairly convincingly and solidly when traversing the various zones, in battle you are likely to find yourself practically crying out for some form of target lock-on, a feature mysteriously absent and sorely missed when facing more than one adversary. In spite of this oversight combat feels solid and well balanced, with a compelling flow between defence and offence and satisfyingly varied tactics depending on the weapon fit-out selected.

Monster Hunter offers up a vast array of fairly similar missions, and make no mistake, this is a game you will be playing for quite some time- not only are the tasks numerous but the difficulty curve is pretty precipitous for newcomers. After a longwinded training regime (likely to weedle out the undedicated) your inexperienced hunter is thrown into the wild to seek fortune and renown, and more often than not a quick stretcher ride back to camp. Those easily frustrated take note, Monster Hunter can be incredibly infuriating, setting seemingly impossible tasks and taking great pleasure in your repeated failures. Don’t expect much in the way of hand holding either- once you accept a contract it’s up to you and the equipment you have available to get the job done.

Unfortunately targeting isn’t the only cause of frustration- as with many other PSP titles, the camera does a fairly poor job of keeping up with your action, requiring regular repositioning to line the hunter up with the hunted. In the heat of a confrontation this combines with the relatively clunky movement of your hunter and the often fleet footwork of the monsters, leaving you open to damage that could have been avoided if you could see what was going on. Giant mosquitoes are a particular pain early on, as they could be dispatched easily and quickly if you could see them coming and then easily line up your attacks, but instead you can end up flailing ineffectually and taking disproportionate amounts of damage as a result. This is by no means game breaking, but you can’t help but think it could have been easily avoided.

All the above points are relevant to Monster Hunter Freedom but fail to take the slightly clumsy ‘Unite’ subheading into account, a reference to the multiplayer options available. Monster Hunting would appear to be ideally suited to group play, but excitement at the concept is slightly soured by the fact that play is limited to local system link only with no online support. Depending on your personal circumstances, the reliance on gathering in one place to quest is something of a big ask, and does restrict opportunities for spontaneous hunts. I can’t comment on the performance of multiplayer as I have no one to play with (boo hoo!) so my opinion is based purely on the experience available to the lone gamer.

It isn’t perfect, but despite a number of shortcomings and some control foibles, there is undoubtedly something about Monster Hunter- Freedom Unite to keep you going back for more punishment. The wide choice of equipment allows you to create a hunter according to your personal preferences, giving each quest a personal touch and making victory all the sweeter (and defeat that bit more galling), whilst the variety of environments, monsters and trophies ensure that things remain interesting. There is also no avoiding the sheer value on offer, with weeks of play available to anyone willing to take on the challenge. Well worth a go.