Rather than dumb down the PS2 version of the game or take some different tack (Monster Hunter Kart...heh), the
Monster Hunter Freedom release is nothing less than a translation of the large to the small. Lucky for fans that so little is changed or missing in this version. From the beginning, create a hero that you'll use to battle monsters in service of your small town. Or just glory? The cool thing about this game - for those who didn't experience it on the larger console - is that it plays to various agendas. If you like the idea of solo adventure, you'll find it here. If you have some friends with copies of the game and like group adventure,
Monster Hunter Freedom has you covered. True online play is still missing, but the option to join wireless sessions with up to three other players and embark on group battles is here. I might argue that this is at least as good or better than true Infrastructure mode. Sure, playing online is great... if you can find players. My take on online games for PSP so far is that they are only as good as the number of active players. In this case, you have to go direct to your buddies, but that's only a slight limitation. Once you get a group together, joining forces is as easy as congregating in the town pub. Even in Solo mode, the pub is where you'll find some of the more challenging offline missions.
Early on, the focus of Monster Hunter Freedom is building up a character. Up to three profiles can be created and saved, and four different styles of fighter are available. I spent the most time as an intrepid shooter, armed with a crossbow. Variations on the improvements I used for my character (better ammunition, armor and skills) are available for all fighters. As with most RPGs, you earn skill points and money that you redeem for character or item upgrades. The points and money you earn can be gathered in several ways. Just completing quests is one, but there are nuances in Monster Hunter Freedom to how you build your fighter. During quests - out in the world - you can gather items. Items can then be combined, and the new objects may be good for you in offense or defense. They may also be quite valuable. So, treasure hunters can either use items for personal gain or to resell. Either way, money is great for improving items and buying new weapons or armor.
The fighting is frantic, but manageable. Increasing your level of offensive capability is critical to success, and learning to trap and use the landscape to advantage is also important. Traps are somewhat more arcane than the straightforward hack and slash we've learned from traditional third person shooter/hitter/slasher/etc. games. Monster Hunter Freedom is beautiful for being non-linear. Monsters are not terribly inventive - they'll almost always just come running at you, intent on bloodshed - but you can go about killing them in many different ways. The group dynamic is really the best thing the game has going, but don't be dissuaded from approaching Monster Hunter Freedom if you only ever intend to play solo. Solo is a lot of fun, too. Once you've taken out some monsters, carving them up for food or special items is an option. The actual "hunting and eating" component is yet another interesting wrinkle to Monster Hunter Freedom. At some point, just as with the PS2 version, you'll be able to hire a group of cooks who can transform your finds and rare items into tasty snacks. Before then, you always have the portable BBQ grill...
