Posted By: wraggster
article from 1up
I like Monster Hunter and am totally stoked for the upcoming Monster Hunter Freedom 2. While I'm not a huge fan of the right-analog stick being used to replicate the feeling of swinging a weapon (it doesn't really do that good a job of it), I love a game where you try and collect the coolest gear possible. It's why I loved Diablo II, and it's why I played the shit out of Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy XI.
I really love the crazy armor types in Monster Hunter, and the various strategy guides and armor books I've collected from my travels to Japan are often over 1,000 pages long. I have a memory card full of the uberest armor you can get in the first Monster Hunter for PS2, although I haven't gotten nearly as far in Monster Hunter Freedom for PSP, mostly because I don't know anyone else who plays, and it's hard to solo in that game.
Well, even though Monster Hunter Dos never came to the U.S. (I begged Capcom to), at least all of that game and a bag of chips is contained in Monster Hunter Freedom 2, which comes to the U.S. this September. For me, September can't come soon enough, because even though I set up an online account to play Monster Hunter Dos in Japan, the game is very text-heavy. With Freedom 2, I'll be able to enjoy that game, for the most part, although I'll have to recruit some friends to play with locally, since there's no online play, just wireless.
I like the controls a lot better on PSP too, since it dispenses with the analog nonsense and just puts the attacks on the buttons. I do wish the characters weren't as sluggish as they are. The game does a good job of making you feel super heavy, but heavy doesn't necessarily mean fun. Oh well, I'll still play the heck out of this game. Hell, I think I'll go fire up the first game now (on PSP).