Monster Hunter
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| Monster Hunter | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Capcom Production Studio 1 |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) | September 21, 2004 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player, online multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
| System requirements | Online play requires broadband internet access |
Monster Hunter is an adventure video game for PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004.An expansion which was released only in Japan, was released for the PlayStation Portable. The North American title of this game is Monster Hunter Freedom, and was released on May 23, 2006.Monster Hunter Freedom 2, the U.S. release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd, was announced by Capcom to release around September, 2007.
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[edit] Gameplay
Monster Hunter places the player in the role of an up and coming hero/heroine who must accomplish various quests to achieve greatness. Armor, weapons, and other items are created from the remains of slain monsters by carving off their horns, scales and bones. Monster Hunter plays in a similar fashion to Phantasy Star Online allowing the player to team up with up to three other hunters online to take down stronger monsters.
Unlike most games, Monster Hunter does not have an elaborate storyline or even an ending. The game does offer access to cut-scenes, (accessible through a gallery mode,) but they are only available if you defeat certain quests that contain the corresponding monster. There is no plot to speak of, just a number of quests to complete before achieving the rank of Monster Hunter. Since there is no way to "beat" the game, a person could play indefinitely. The wide variety of items and equipment in the game is a significant draw for players.
[edit] Quests
[edit] Hunting
These quests involve the hunting of a number of things: multiple small animals, a small amount of alpha animals (or "dromes"), and large wyverns. These quests have a 15 to 50-minute time limit in which the hunter must slay the beast(s), with the exception of event quests which could go down to just 5 minutes. Hunting quests are the most common quest and provide useful items for armor and weapon creation.
Unlike most games, Monster Hunter does not employ the use of strength/health meters for objective targets. In other words, when one goes on a hunting quest, one will not see a life bar or health gauge to tell you how much strength or hit points are needed to drop the targeted Monster. Instead you will have to use your powers of observation. Upon engaging a Monster, specifically large wyverns and dragons, certain body parts may be cut off or broken off (such as tails, horns,and claws), and with enough skill, patience and perseverance, in time the Monster will begin to limp back to its lair, a clear sign that only a few more strikes will kill it. And with enough items brought and prepared beforehand, a proper ambush may be set up (if you so choose to do so) to help with the finishing blow to the monster. Lastly, if one does not slay the monster when it is limping away, said monster will retreat to its lair, sleep and regain its health gradually until you wake it up. And will normally go into a rage if awoken.
When one is on a hunting quest, one must use everything and anything in your arsenal to complete said quest. As a hunter you will have to track, stalk, provoke, trap and of course slay your objective. Assistance with this quest comes in many forms as tracking devices (paintballs), chunks of meat (for bait), ammunition (for gunners), whetstones (for blademasters), multiple explosives (like smoke, flash, small and large barrel bombs as an example), strength/armor/health strengthening or recovering items. Most of these items may be purchased or you can also farm for them during a quest to help lighten your initial inventory bag.
[edit] Gathering
These quests involve the gathering or farming of objects varying from mushrooms, wyvern pieces and wyvern eggs and can be collected in small or large amounts depending on the rarity of the item. Gathering also means mining natural ores (or jewels). Gathering quests also include a BBQ for cooking. In some quests, you will have to slay a few herbivores, carve their carcasses and cook their meat and deliver said edibles to complete the quest. The contract fees for these quests are generally lower and so are the rewards, however these quests usually give up certain rare must-have items as well. Most gathering quests include a wyvern that the hunter may slay for the beast's materials, but táng quest often results in a small amount of the wyvern's pieces in the reward section in addition to the carved pieces. Gathering quests also provide the optimum time to collect items to help you with future hunting quests (i.e. collecting herbs & mushrooms for potions, bbq-ing extra meat, mining ores, and gathering bugs).
[edit] Capture
Capture quests can be the most difficult to complete due to a certain degree of restraint that must be shown by the hunter. The hunter must bring the wyvern to a certain degree of damage, but not kill it (this can usually be seen by the wyvern limping). After the wyvern shows signs of physical weakness, it must be captured by snaring it in a Pitfall Trap and putting it to sleep. A captured wyvern cannot be carved since it is still alive, but the rewards are significantly rarer and the reward money is generally greater. Contract fees for Capture quests are high, but not as high as some of the rarest hunting quests.
[edit] Event
The Event quests are an online-only feature. Every week, a new Event quest is available to hunters of any rank. These quests vary in style and difficulty. Some of the rarer weapons can be made only through Event quest rewards. Event quests aren't vital to a hunter's success in the game, but are a useful way to gain experience and to obtain some rare items. Contract fees and time limits vary.
All of the quests allow two deaths, but the third death marks the failure of the quest. Regardless which player actually dies, three deaths will still fail the quest. The only exceptions to this rule are some of the Event quests, which are failed with just one death.
[edit] Weapons
[edit] Sword and Shield
Commonly referred to as "SnS" (Sword 'n Shield), Sword and Shield is the starting weapon for all hunters when they begin Monster Hunter. These weapons have medium damage and varied sharpness. Most of the basic models include an opportunity to upgrade the weapon into an elemental item or Dual swords. The Sword and Shield are a very quick and light weapon type, with a seven-hit combo max and some lower-numbered combo attacks. Sword and Shield weapons can block effectively and can do a single swipe while blocking; however, movement is impossible while blocking. It is possible to run (but not sprint) while a sword and shield is being wielded.
[edit] Dual Swords
As the name implies, dual swords consists of two swords used in unison to deal an impressive amount of damage in a short period of time. Often referred to as "Duals" or "DS", Dual Swords often have a low attack power, but like the SnS, Dual Swords can make several quick attacks in a small amount of time. Sharpness on these weapons vary but, in general, are lower than other weapons. Dual Swords generally do not carry a status-inflicting element , but they do carry all four of the elemental damage types. The block function while using Dual Swords is replaced with an attack mode referred to "Demonization" or "Rage mode", which drains the stamina bar to increase attack speed and damage. While in Demonizaton/Rage mode, the hunter can execute normally unavailable combos, experience Anti-Wind and also not be staggered by certain attacks from fellow hunters. When a hunter's Stamina decreases to 0, Demonization mode deactivates and returns to normal. As with Sword and Shield, it is possible to run, but not sprint, while wielding Dual Swords.
[edit] Great Swords
Sometimes referred to as "GS". Although it can deal a large amount of damage, a Great Sword's attacks are relatively slow and have wide sideswings that can disrupt other party members in the vicinity as well as up-swings that can send anyone within range flying through the air. Despite this shortcoming, Great Sword users also have the advantage of an endless combo, great attack range, massive damage, in general a higher amount of sharpness, and, while they are swinging the sword, Anti-Wind. They are also able to have the status element of Poison, Electric, Fire, Water, Dragon, Sleep, and Paralyze as damage elements and effects. Blocking while using a Great Sword is possible, but the hunter cannot attack during it. While blocking, any blocked attack lowers the sharpness based on the attack's strength, due to the Great Sword's lack of a shield, but still prevents knock-back from most attacks. This weapon also can be considered good for cutting off wyvern tails as it has the great range and power.
[edit] Lances
Lances, like any other weapon type, can be deadly in the hands of an experienced player as it is the most accurate one. All the other weapon types execute a rolling move to escape attacks, but the lance strafes or backpedals depending on which direction the left analog stick is pressed. Lances can have up to a three-hit combo broken up into either straight stabs or upward stabs. Upward stabs are more powerful and faster than straight stabs, but have less accuracy. Hunters can also charge or run at their enemy (like a joust only on foot). so long as they are charging, hunters have anti-wind, and so long as weapon sharpness is green, the charge will pierce through instead of the hunter bouncing back, said charge can be stopped at any time, and can also be finished with a final stab. Charging requires stamina. Blocking with a lance is possible due to the massive, wall-like shield. While blocking, lancers are free to slowly move about and execute a single short stabbing attack. Moving makes it possible to regenerate stamina even while blocking. Lances are capable of every kind of status element and the damage elements of Fire, Water, and Dragon.
[edit] Hammers
Hammer, like Dual Swords, are high risk/high reward weapons. It rivals Great Swords in terms of raw attack damage, and is excellent for knocking down and staggering wyverns. Running is possible while it is wielded, but blocking is not. The weapon has a four hit combo that can be preceded by a sideways swing, the final swing of the combo can send fellow hunters flying. Hammers also possess a Charge attack. Holding the guard button causes the hunter to pull the hammer back, focusing power into the hammer,this requires stamina. Running is still possible while charging.
[edit] Bowguns
Bowguns come in two versions: light and heavy. Light bowguns generally have less range and damage, but are easier to arm and holster and it is possible to run with them. Heavy bowguns take longer to arm but are more accurate and generally more powerful at the cost of slower movement. It is impossible to block with either one; instead, bowguns get a first-person scope to aim with. Each bowgun must use either damage-dealing or negative status ammo, a large range of which exists. All damage-dealing ammos have 3 levels and all negative status ammos have 2 levels. There are also support bullets to heal or improve teammates' performance in online quests. A silencer or a longer barrel may be attached to the gun, but only one may be attached at a time. Hunters can also attach a scope helping them aim over a greater distance.
[edit] Combinations
Along with the ability to salvage monster parts to create better weapons and armor, a hunter may gather various reagents and "combine" them to create more powerful potions and items that aren't available at the shops. Normally these combinations must be experimented with to be discovered. However, there are ways to get clues as the game progresses. Conveniently, the game stores combinations the player has discovered in its reference section for later review. Combinations calling for especially rare components have a lower success rate than combinations of common items, but 'combo books' are available for purchase and certain armour combinations giving skills which boost the creation success rate. In the game, there are a total of five combo books able to be purchased by the player, each requiring the succeeding level of combo book to improve a combo's success rate. While offline it is only possible to purchase the first 3 combo books. If a player does not succeed in the combo, they will receive instead of the item they are combining for, garbage, which has no purpose in the game except to take up space and can be traded with certain people for more valuable items. An example is that garbage can be traded for a fire herb. (e.g. herb+blue mushroom= potion)
[edit] Poogies
Poogies are the size of a small pig, and wear blue and white striped pajamas. They wear a bow on their tails, and have black, beady eyes. They freely roam while snorting and sniffing the ground, but may often fall asleep at the feet of a hunter.
The effects, if any, of petting the poogie (a timing game similar to barbecuing) are debatable, but are thought to give better "luck" to certain drops in the reward.
[edit] Hunter Ranking
In Monster Hunter, players gain Hunter Ranks (HR) by completing online quests. There are 20 possible hunter ranks, and your HR determines several things, including what missions that are available and what rooms you can stay in at the inn. When you first go online, you have a HR of 0. This is because in order to do anything online, you must first register with the elder sitting on the bar in the Tavern (he’s a small, red faced man smoking a pipe on the counter). Once you have registered, you become HR 1, and can now take one star quests. As you complete more and more quests, you gain points, which enable you to take higher-level missions. Once you have reached the max HR for a mission level and have completed the required quests, you must complete an Urgent Quest in order to do the next level of quests. Once you have completed the HR 12 Urgent Quest, Repel the Giant Dragon, you become HR 13, and the missions are now much more difficult, but you can now acquire better items and missions as your HR progresses. The final major “HR Event” is becoming HR 17, as it now enables you to take The Legendary Black Dragon quest, which is by far the most difficult challenge for any hunter. A player can reach a maximum of HR 20 before their HR stops increasing, however, they can still gain more HR points and continue taking quests, etc.
[edit] External links
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Monster Hunter video games
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Monster Hunter • Monster Hunter Freedom • Monster Hunter 2 • Monster Hunter Portable 2nd •Monster Hunter Frontier |
