Monster Rancher 3 Preview

Tecmo's latest entry into the Monster Rancher series is Monster Rancher 3, for the PS2. The first next-generation title in the series, Monster Rancher 3 uses a number of new options and presents a handful of new effects.

Aesthetically, Monster Rancher 3 is a pleasant departure from what we've seen in the past. Once you get your first look at Fleria, the young new trainer assistant, you will notice the effect that Tecmo is striving for with its next-generation of Monster Ranching. In a manner popularized by Sega's Jet Grind Radio, the characters and monsters appear as hand-drawn cel-shaded models--the NPCs in anime fashion while the monsters as fully animated 3D models. Characters are also more customizable than ever, as they can now be outfitted with an assortment of accessories. Your monster can wear sunglasses, sombreros, an arrow-through-the-head, fat gold chains, and more. These accessories also serve practical use, as they may impart bonuses to statistics, as well as the silly visual effect.

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The onscreen display during training is a slight change from what Monster Rancher players have seen in the past. Creatures now have a "bonds" love meter that is visible during your training and ranching sequences. This serves as a progress gauge for your monster. Your "policy" appears onscreen as a visual representation of Fleria's face, which frowns or smiles, depending on how you've treated your monster. Also displayed is a "character" meter, which will inform you as to how your monster has taken to the treatment and reveals its current state of mind. The statistic management is still simple and easy to understand.

Many of the series' mechanics have remained: Your monster still needs food and rest, and the four-weeks-per-month timeline is still in effect. Food is categorized on a four-point scale for nutrition and happiness, each relative to the monster being currently trained. Your monsters are still rated for life, strength, intelligence, agility and stamina, and each can be raised through diligent training. The pass-fail system of training has remained and will be familiar to anyone who has played MR 1 or 2.

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By far, the most important aspect of Monster Rancher are the monsters that you must create, train, and send into battle and competitions. Monster Rancher 3 will feature a huge assortment of creatures, and the manner in which you gain them is novel. Most are generated by CDs or DVDs: You put one into the PS2, and based on the information contained on the disc, a random monster is generated. Some discs generated predetermined special monsters, specific to the media that you've spawned them from. For example, Christmas albums in the past have created Hare monsters dressed up like Santa Claus. The list of DVDs that generate special monsters is still being put together, but expect many popular favorites and cult classics to surprise you with one-of-a-kind creatures.

In the demo version we've been able to play, five monsters are available for training: Suezo, Mocchi, Golem, Zan, and Roller. Suezo, Mocchi, and Golem were made popular by the cartoon, as well as the previous versions of the game, and they return in similar form for MR3. Zan will be popular among those who enjoy the powerful "evil-looking" creatures; he appears wicked in a way that's reminiscent of Jedah from Capcom's DarkStalkers series. Roller, on the other hand, is a polar opposite, immediately bringing to mind familiar cutesy character images like those from the '80s cartoon and toy brand Pound Puppies. Take the design of one of those sleepy-eyed dogs, make its form of locomotion a large wheel that it rolls on, and you'll get an idea of the new direction that Tecmo has taken the monsters.