Monster Hunter (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)

This game has its ups and downs for me. I like the idea of hunting monsters and the fact that you can get items off the carcass and sell it for money or for use in combination. The big downer of this game is the movement of the character and the stamina bar it takes some getting use to but i hate it and that is why i gave it below average. Capcom i had high hopes for this game then bam shot it down.

Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: JLR

Have you ever looked down the blade of a sword, only to see a Dragon the size of small building staring back? This is just one of the situations you will find yourself facing in Capcom's Monster Hunter.

To start, the graphics in this game are some of the most believable in a game to date. The environments are a decent size, broken up into about 8-12 small area's. But the way Capcom has done it, you get the feeling you are truly in an expansive world. Subtle things like the rolling clouds, or the billowing smoke of an active volcano, just add to an already immersive experience.

Gameplay may be the drawback for some, as the control scheme can take some getting used to, and may frustrate the novice. The unique thing about this game, is upon slaying a monster, you have 1 minute to carve it up so to speak, and take pieces of it's body to create armor and weapons. Each monster giving different pieces needed, and all having unique attributes to lend in creating your items. Huge blades, and guns to match can be crafted to boot. Slaying monsters isn't all, there are capture quests, and item gathering as well.

Off-line this is strictly a single player run, but on-line gameplay allows up to 4 warriors on any one mission, and just adds to the quests and items you already have. If nothing else, give it a rent. Aside from a steep initial learning curve and difficulty, this game truly rewards the patient player.

Overall score: 8/10

This game is the best I've ever played. The point of the game is to complete every quest and collect lots of powerful weapons and protective armor. There are many monsters to slay. After you slay the monster, you carve it to get different items (such as scales and raw meat). It also has online capabilities. This allows you to play with players all over the world!
The_Pokeson

So far I have only just begun this game, but find it rather interesting. Much like Capcom's Resident Evil game you can mix herbs and berries to create other things(like health packs), but Monster Hunter gives you the ability to create and upgrade weapons with items found as well.

The opening sequence was absolutely astounding by PS2 standards and it has only gotten better from there. You can customize your character male or female as well as skin tone. The map is arranged in separate zones which allowed them to focus on details in smaller areas. Sure this means more loading as you travel about, but for how good the graphics are the wait is not bad.

I have only played a couple hours but can already tell this one is a keeper. If you get your hands on it you are most likely going to be spending hours hunting monsters and building up your character and his/her weapons. I haven't gotten into any of the higher level quests yet, but so far they have done a good job of keeping the lower level ones easy but still challenging enough to keep you interested.

As of now the only thing negative I have to say is about the control scheme, in particular, the camera. While it does follow you, you must constantly re-center it to face the correct direction(which can be a bit of a pain at first). Once you are used to this though, everything else falls into place quite nicely from movement, to menus, to weapon usage, and other actions too.

Overall this is one of the best games I have ever played and definitely makes my top ten list, coming close to top five. Although the controls had me a bit sketchy about it at first it was well worth the ~$20 spent and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I hope you find this review helpful, and happy hunting!

This game is great! Save for its slightly choppy graphics, I would have to say this is probably one of the funnest games I have played. Monster Hunter gives you the oportunity to become a self sufficient gatherer of ancient times while still allowing you the fun of the hunt. You have the oportunity to get online and band up with many others to go on mini qwests and hunts to tack down some of the wildest creatures in the video game world. Definately recommend if you have enough time on your hands.