Monster madness!!!

I first got into the Monster Hunter Freedom game just a couple of months after getting my PSP.

What impressed me about this game was not just the impressive graphics and iconic music (you can tell that I’m quite the fan, given that I can recognize the majestic horn fusillade that opens each scene as well as the musical cues that tell you that danger is about) but also the awesome customization options and open-ended gameplay.

Soon enough, I’ve developed a familiarity with many of the varied and colorful beasts populating the MHF universe, whether it be the “boss” dragons of the slaying quests or the various dinosaur-inspired support beasts (slow-moving herbivores like apceroses and aptonoths which can be slain for raw meat that is cooked to make nutritious steaks as well as the velociraptor-inspired Velociprey/Genprey/Loprey). You come to see the hard-charging wild boars, Bullfango, as a persistent nuisance while you regard those thieving cats, Melynx, as a mere annoyance.

Nice use of the Pirates of the Carribean theme!!!

More than just being able to undertake quests on one’s own, one can team up with up to three other players in ad hoc mode. There, low-ranked players can increase their standing, skill levels and even get some loot that they may not otherwise gain with their underpowered weapon/armour sets. The bounties from such activity can be used to upgrade their weapons as well as armour.

MHF1 Ancient/Worn weapons

Check out her foxxy Khezu armour!!!

Monster Hunter Freedom isn’t just about slaying all manner of creatively-rendered beasties; players can engage in activities like resource farming, subsistence fishing and mining. There are also training schools where players are pitted against boss monsters in an arena setting while being provided the best weapons at hand as well as a variety of armour sets.

The weapon sets provide a wide spectrum of customization options, with the high-end “rarer” weapons capable of imparting elemental damage. In Monster Hunter Freedom, players can choose from a variety of great/long swords, sword/shield sets, dual swords (me likey -especially when poisoned), hammers (a personal favourite!!!) and bowguns.

The satisfaction isn’t just in being able to just farm/carve up enough stuff to get the armour of one’s dreams, but also in getting to slay monsters, especially on Village Chief quests where you are very much on your own. Gathering Hall quests are also advisable, as this gives relative newbies the chance to see how the “big boys/girls” do it while getting a share of quest loot.

The initial Monster Hunter Freedom gave players three different worlds – Forest/Hills, Swamp, Desert and Volcano – where players can roam about freely and either slay, pick or scavenge. Desert and Volcano provides additional environmental challenge due to the blistering heat that can sap one’s vitality.

With Monster Hunter Freedom 2 – which I got just earlier this year – players are given not just the ability to port their previously saved MHF characters to this version, but also a wider selection of armours and weapons, with bows, gunlances and hunting horns – hammer-type weapons with musical qualities capable of producing effect buffs beneficial to ad hoc party quests – added to the extensive list. Gunlances provide a combination of bowguns’ firepower with the piercing ability of lances (hence their name); they are versatile and reliable, if a bit unwieldy when one looks for fast manoeuvrability.

In addition to that, there are vastly improved world-stages with the addition of snow-covered mountains (where your character actually winds up at the beginning of your stint with the said game) and even inventive urgent quests where you get to defend a fort from the rampage of some Godzilla-sized hermit crab among others. Climactic effects are more pronounced this time around, with your character actively panting due to extreme heat or shivering from the cold; it is often advisable to bring a good supply of drinks for that matter. Even the array of monsters has been greatly expanded, with such MHF favourites such as the Yian Kut-Ku, Gypceros and Rathalos being kept company by whole new sets such as the crustacean-inspired Carapaceons (Hermitaurs, Ceanataurs) and the ape-inspired Primatius (Blangos, Congas, Blangongas and Congalalas) .

Just to show you how much creativity the good folks at Capcom
have invested in making sure the monsters look soo good…even if
you have to cut off their tails or beat the living shit out of them

PSP gaming