Monster Hunter review:3 stars (Oh god) - First off I need to say that this is probably the worst job that capcom has ever done with a game.How do you make killing monsters not fun!?!The graphics are good when you look at your person and the monsters are not half bad either but the backgrounds are pretty bad.The combat it at the best sluggish and in single player the monsters are mostly smarter than you.
The camera is the absolute worst part of this game and personally if it was not for the online play I would never have even bought this game.

Cons
-You must spend at the least three days just to make some decent armour
-The camera sucks
-The backgrounds are repetative and glitchy
-Combat is sluggish and boring most times
-The game can get repetative in single player very very fast
-No offline multiplayer
-Besides monster and weapon sounds the effects are not impressive

Pros
-Online mode makes up for some bad parts
-You get to team up with three friends in online mode
-You can make more money in online mode then on single player
-You can make your own armour and weapons by upgrading them in multiple branches based on what kind of skills you want
-You get skills from your equipment not the classic level system
-Monster and weapon sounds make up for the repetative backgrounds music(s) and anooying character grunts

All in all I give it a three because of the multiplayer...
my advice-Dont buy this game unless you have a network adapter and dont expect to much for single player.Rent it first and see if you like multiplayer then buy it.4 stars (Highly Addictive Online Play) - First off, don't buy this game if you can't play it online. because offline the game is insanely hard and boring. But for those of you who are lucky enough to have a network adapter, then go ahead and bye it. This game is not for everyone though, and in my eyes is a rpg at heart. For me this is a good thing because I love rpgs, esp. online ones. But if your looking for a great action game, do yourself a favor and buy god of war instead. If rpgs are your thing though, and you have online access, do yourself a favor and buy this now. The online play is much easier and more rewarding. Here's an example: Offline raw meat quest gives you like 50z (money) or something like that. And online gives you 600z. Every quest is like this too, which is a main reason the single player is not much fun. Also online you get to go on quests with up to 3 other players (4 total) which lowers the difficulty a lot.

As for the gameplay itself, it can be very fun, esp. durring a dragon fight where all 4 players are hacking away at the huge creature. These battles seem very epic with the battle music and sheer amount of hits it takes to down one, it really feels like your hunting this dragon.

But, there are some control issues, like the camera. The camera in this game I am sorry to say is completely terrible. The d-pad is used to rotate the camera which is impossible to use while running with the left analog stick and swinging your weapon with the right analog stick. Meaning your only way to turn the camera is to tap the L1 button which points it strate in front of you. This creates various problems as you might of thought. Looking behind you in a fight is impossible. The actual weapon handiling isn't that bad once you get used to it, but it is fairly sluggish.

Another thing worth pointing out is that this is not a pick-up and play game. Which is why I think it's more of an rpg than action. You will spend the first hour just trying to get enough money fo some armor and a decent sword. Which must then be upgraded several times before being any good at killing other things then small harmless monsters. The online can help this problem if you get in with some higher level players who can beat the quest by themselves. You can let them do the quest and earn you money at the same time. As mentioned above, the way you get better in this game is through countless upgrades to weapons and creating new armor. Your character itself has no skills, stats, or anything else like that, this all comes from your weapons and armor. This may seem odd at first for veteren rpg players, as leveling up to get new skills and stats is not to be found in this game. Your character doesn't even gain experience in offline mode, and in online mode your level just dictates what quests you can do, and is like a status symbol to other players of how good you are. This system, is good in the end though. Since the armor and weapons decide what skills, and stats you have, at anytime you can switch from say a strong sword user, to a supporting archer. Which means you don't have to start all over with a new character to switch your class. Also the armor sword thing is what is addicting to me. After you get a new one you want another better new one and after that one you'll want another one, you'll start to crave new weapons and armor so you can get better. This is kinda like the gotta catch um all theme of pokemon, except instead of cute monsters your collecting extremely cool looking weapons.

The graphics are average, some things better than others. The character models and armor and swords look amazing with an incredible amount of detail put into them making each one completely unique. The scenery however is rather blan and boring, with a kinda gritty look. Nothing too bad, just nothing to great either. Monters look pretty good too, just not as good as the player.

Sound is so-so, not much in game dialog, but plenty of sword sounds and monster roars, and other things like that. The music is ok too, it's not Final Fantasy but it gets the job done.
My favorite thing is definitely the online play, everything is set up great. You enter 1 of three lands, then an area, then a town. In the town you can shop for gear and gather upto three other players to go on a quest with you. There's no headset support, but there is keyboard support which works fine. I strongly suggest getting one if you even think your going to play online.

Monster hunter is one of my favorite games right now and could be yours too. If you like collecting items, like rpgs, or just need another online game for your PS2, I'd definitely give this a try. But it may be a good Ideal to rent it first, as this is a game that not everyone will like.

I give this 4/5 stars, because the offline mode and control issues keep this game from being perfect, but its still a really fun game. 5 stars (a must have for every gamer) - monster hunter, this game blew me when i played it.
theres so much you can do in the game you'll never be bored with it,you can custumize your character, create your own weapons and armor from the parts of monsters you've slain, and can play online!
the graphics and sound are outstanding, the gameplay is fun and the controls are easy to learn.


I have not tried the online play, but the single player missions are plentiful and fun the game overall is really well done and very fun.

this game in my opinion is a must have for every gamer.
Monster Hunter Features:
Video Games
PS2 (PSX2)
Sony Playstation (Play station) 2
Playstation2 (Play station2)
Action
Adventure
Become either a blademaster or gunner
Take a single weapon on your quest, master it, then acquire others
Fight dragons, dragons, and more dragons
Hunt or be hunted as you go on quests to find and fight spectacular monsters
Choose your look, from name and gender, to voice and hair style

Monster Hunter is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 27.95USD.