With over 40 hours on this game as well as Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, I must say this game is...
All I can say is tsk tsk. To all of you who claim it's monster hunter with different models or whatever, take it from a guy who's put over 56 hours into the japanese version of the game......... it is NOT a copy monster hunter, it takes a few elements FROM monster hunter like the weapon/material upgrades and the whole "hunting" initiative. When you choose a mission and go out, you actually get up to 3 other npcs to help you in battle - not only that, they friggin revive you when you die without penalty. It works kinda like this, when you die there's this 30 second count down and an npc can walk over to you and revive you by giving you half their health and you can do the same. The game is alot more fast paced since almost of the missions I've encountered so far gives you a 30 minute time limit.
ALSO - the game gives you more than ONE aragami to fight at a time, where as monster hunter gives you one on the main quests or whatever. There are still minor enemy hunts but alot of the times you'll have to fight two or three of the main bosses at once WHICH IS HARD AS HELL, but it's cool because you have 3 npcs to help you most of the time. Oh yeah, not to mention IT HAS A PLOT and the jinki or "god arcs" as gamespot puts it (bastards) are wicked cool looking. I'm going to go and complain about the lack of maps and detail like in monster hunter but this game has something monster hunter doesn't (more like doesn't have) -
LOADING SCREENS EVERY FIVE FRIGGIN SECONDS. It loads once before a map and it never loads again until you've passed a mission.
k yeah i'm done....... I like monster hunter and all but this ISN'T a copy! It has it's own kick ass personality and six weapon types to choose from.
and now for the ACTUAL REVIEW PORTION: -> in poem format
This is the basic gist of the game
You get big swords and cut very difficult bosses up
For the difficulty the npcs are partially to blame
For they only revive you and not each other - yup yup
So you have to revive your whole party again and again
Which really is a total shame
Because further in the giant bosses you fight are a pain
After the 30th set of bosses or so
These tasks will feel like a chore
You'll realize gathering items is a bore
With the number of maps so low
You'll want even more
You'll wish the game easier, the bosses less tough
The weapons, easier to get - the story in luster
Pretty soon, you'll have enough
Finally you'll go back to playing monster hunter....
:D thanks for reading