It is hard to get your hands on this game but ironically, once you have it, it's even harder to take your hands off it!
It goes under the "expansion" category but really It's just a remake with more stuff to do.
Altogether, all the new things this game contains are as follows: new monsters, new weapons, a whole new area called Ocean of Trees, G-Rank missions, and the option of hiring a Felyne Warrior to help you on missions. The maximum HR that can be achieved is 9, weapons and armour now go up to rarity 10, weapons now have a new sharpness level "purple". Players who have the previous game Monster Hunter Freedom 2, can transfer their character and all their weapons and armour to this.
As this game is in japanese, If you had Monster Hunter Freedom 2 but not the japanese version, MHP2ndG may not recognise your game save and so you will be required to start all over again!
Is it worth it?
Well, read the rest of my review and you can find out.
So, The game MHF2 was already a really fun game but it had its faults.
One of which is that sometimes combat is a little clunky and the camera view is slightly awkward.
You may be disappointed to hear that these flaws have not been eradicated on this "expansion".
Virtually everything has been kept the same; The game mechanics, the graphics (detail level) and the location where the game is set in.
Movement is as fluid as ever because of the smooth transitions...but you would have found that even in Monster Hunter Freedom 2.
There are new quests in this game and therefore, new monsters!
These monsters look, dare I say it, beautiful!
Their movement is so clean and without flaw. Although quite a few look the same, with just difference in colour or size, each one looks very original (You wouldn't have seen a giant pink gorilla looking hippo type monster in any game before it) and suits its purpose (meaning that a dragon will look snarling and intimidating, with sharp teeth and a scaly body.)
Locations in the game are as follows:
Desert, Forest & Hills, Jungle, Mountains, Swamp, Tower 1, Tower 2, Volcano, Rainforest, Pokke village. (Sorry If I've missed any out...They're the only ones I can remember).
Each one of these locations are huge! Not as big as the way they are represented in the maps (Each thin line is where the loading screens are...which happen to be a bit of a pain, though seem slightly shorter than in MHF2)but still pretty large and so all locations put together, you have an enormous world to hunt in!
As you may have heard, You can now take Felynes with you on your missions (You know, those talking cats) which is quite helpful as they work well as distractions when a monster is attacking and you need a chance to refill your health. Sometimes Felynes can be irritating during quests if they throw one of those barrel explosives at the monster when you are attacking it...You will be the one getting the full blow of the explosion and the Monster will be the one laughing its head off (not literally).
Well if this happens, the compensation is that you get to kick the felyne (SELECT).
I feel it's necessary to make a comment about the sound in this game.
The sound effects such as sword swipes, sounds of your weapon cleaving through monsters bodys, the different roars and voices of each and every monster are FANTASTIC!
Lots of variation and each are clear sounding and virtually flawless...but some voice acting would be nice.
Music is no exception, You will get certain music for each monster you are hunting and they all live up to the quality of the soundtrack of games like GUN.
Graphics is the aspect which I've been dying to mention about this game.
They are.....stunning.
Everything from the mountains to the waterfalls to the dense, thick desert is beautiful, is lush and clear!
This is a PSP game with a superb level of detail and amazing lighting!
Shadows aren't amazing but everything else in this aspect is!
What I found disappointing, not just about this game, but about the series in general is that you cannot roam the world unless you are in a quest which more or less decreases how fun this game could be.
Another thing, is that you will have to do a lot of backtracking and redoing quests if you want to collect materials/items so you can create new weapons and armour which is necessary to get further in the game.
This is one of the few let downs of the game.
To get the negative points over and done with, I must state one more thing.
There is No Infrastructure mode for multiplayer.
No matter what websites tell you...There is none BUT there if you are willing to buy a WIFI MAX, you can get a (currently free) program for your computer which allows you to hook up to the internet with your PSP, meet people on MHP2G and do a load of quests with them!
It's definately worth buying the WIFI max if you want to get the most out of this game!
Now a total absence from the negative points.
This game is either 'THE' or 'ONE OF THE' best games available on the Sony PSP!
If you are able to get the game imported from Japan (which is the only place where it is available) Go for it! Just keep in mind that it's in Japanese in its current state but there is a patch available.*
The game on the whole is highly addictive, really immersive and just fun on the whole.
Yes, It has its flaws but they are easy to look past once you start adjusting to the game!
If you look at player ratings on the whole...You will get the idea of how amazing this game is!
Gameplay: 9/10
-Would be 10 if there was less backtracking
Graphics: 10/10
-Not perfect but the best on PSP so far
Sound: 9.5/10
-Would be 10 if there was voice acting
Multiplayer: 9/10
-Brings the best of Single Player to Ad hoc (or infrastructure with WIFIMAX)...would be 10 but there's occassionally glitches.
Replay Value: 10/10
-It's enough to make you take a break from WoW
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Thank you for reading my review.
*Please check out my monster hunter website
www.monsterhunterportable.webs.com
It has a link to the language patch and the infrastructure program as well as PSP themes, PSP wallpapers and other interesting stuff!
Pokolvrolok