Well, just got my copy of the game on Monday but haven't had much time to play it. The graphics are impressive so far apart from the inventory screens which, is just a bunch of very small 2D icons instead of 3D representations of items. It's good to see gear changes are reflected on your character, though! Something I find missing in many RPGs.

Yes, a bit of advertisement for Play.com!

It's a tough game to get into because the weapons (great sword and hammer) I've used so far take a long time to swing and, you have to time it just right to start slapping monsters about. But that's what is so fun about it. The challenge and strategy you need to use to bring down monsters. Mind you, monsters can also fling you about the environments easily if you don't learn to dodge too. Keeping the camera at the right angle is a pain.

It actually feels very much like an MMORPG except without other players around because there's your name hanging around your head. But well, the original game did start off as an MMORPG for the PS2 in 2004.

It was a good choice renaming the title from "Monster Hunter Portable" to "Monster Hunter Freedom" because there's definitely a tonne of things to do. Different ways of going about your quests and upgrading your character.

Monster Hunter running.

Related Links
• Official Site