The Monster Hunter series exploded into the RPG genre like wildfire, in Japan at least as well as several communities in the Philippines (PinoyPSP for one).  It’s one of (if not) the most successful games on the PSP console (the lastest game, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G selling 6 million copies in a day) and paved the way for a more social gaming experience on the PSP.

Here’s six reasons why you should be playing the Monster Hunter games.

1. It’s an Action RPG

With the general RPG scene already dominated by big game names like Crisis Core and God of War, Monster Hunter can be considered as the centerpiece where action takes precedence over the story.  Why?  Because you’ll spend most of your timing running from or battling monsters instead of worrying with an actual plot.

The game is very linear in a sense but considering it’s gameplay, it’s makes the hunting so much more enjoyable.  Not only because you don’t have to dig deep to find out what’s going on but you get to focus on doing what you’re supposed to do in-game; killing monsters.

2. Player vs Monster

While there is a good number of players who love PvP (Player vs Player) type games, PvM (Player vs Monster) games are still the cream of the crop.  With regards to it’s gallery of monsters (or monster Index) MH doesn’t disappoint.  Each update of the game brings more ferocious and challenging monsters into the fray.

Some monsters are related to others like the Daimyo Hermitaur and the Shogun Ceanatur.  While they may appear similar (and are related by specie), they’re two very different creatures in terms of attacks, behaviour and item drops.  This ensures that gameplay doesn’t get THAT monotonous over time because you’re fighting an upgraded version of a monster you’ve previously defeated.

Currently, there’s no PvP for the Monster Hunter series but when the PC version, Monster Hunter Frontier releases (it’s an MMO), things might change.



3. Swords, Spears, Bows and Gun Lances?

   Every RPG fan has a weapon of choice. A sword, a spear, a scythe, a bow, or a Gun Lance, MH caters to the player’s fancy with a plethora of melee and ranged weapons. This is a quick list. I wanted to do add some descriptions but you’re better off trying them yourselves since I’m only familiar with the Dual Sword, Long Sword and Bows.

   • Sword & Shield
   • Dual Swords
   • Great Sword
   • Long Sword
   • Hammer
   • Hunting Horn
   • Lance
   • Gunlance
   • Bow
   • Bowguns

4. Cooperation Mayhem

Cooperative multiplayer is where Monster Hunter shines.  Using Ad-Hoc (one of you plays the host to the game and other players can connect to your lobby) you can play with 3 other of your friends to form 4 player hunting parties that can work together to bring tough monsters down.

It’s a great way to speed your way through the HR levels and pick up great items for weapon and armor crafting.



Monster Hunter Drink
Just like the Final Fantasy Potion

5. It’s challenging but that’s what makes it fun

Ever since Monster Hunter Freedom, the highest Hunter Rank I’ve gotten so far is HR 3 and the quests available to you at that level are already filled with monsters that’ll give you a run for your money.  What makes it fun (albeit repetitive) is that you have to understand the creature you are fighting in order to conquer it.

Strategy is the core of MH gaming.  Even if you’re equipped with the best equipment around, mess around and you’ll likely to use up all your consumables and still be knocked unconscious or worse fail the mission.  The stronger the monster, the more preparation.

6. Progressive Gameplay

If you’ve started out the Monster Hunter series with Monster Hunter Freedom, don’t fret. Monster Hunter games allow you to import your character from an older version of the game into the new one (although you can export it back).

The earlier import system from MHF to MHF2 stripped your character of your equipment (but all your other items are still there). In MHF2 to MHP2G, you get your character as is, with minor stat adjustments so you don’t have to start over.

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G Bundle.
I want those headphones =/

List of changes for Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G:

• New Felyne Fighter system.
• Felyne next to Village Elder, giving out G rank quests.
• New subspecies: Red Shogun Ceanataur, Green Congalala, and Desert Blangonga.
• Monsters get new attacks.
• New area: the Sea of Trees.
• 1st Generation maps of Jungle, Volcano, Desert and Swamp added.
• New monsters: Narugakaruga, Yamatsukami, Hypnock, Volganos, Queen Vespoid
• New armor sets.
• Third quest giver wearing yellow in Guild.
• Eight equipment pages instead of six, and possible extend to 10.
• Forest and Hills quests can now be at night.
• G-rank quests are back and harder than ever.
• Fighting 2 or more different boss monsters is a must in some G-rank quests.
• Dual Swords may now have two separate elements (example: one fire sword and one ice sword).
• Bows: White Coating (increases melee power) and Pink Coating (Paintball)
• Hunting Horns have a new note that works like a Sonic Bomb.
• Crag shots of Bowguns to the head can KO monsters (like Hammers and Hunting Horns).
• New Sharpness superior to white: purple.
• New Guild Card pages:
  1. Felyne Fighter Info.
  2. Frequency of Use of Weapon Types.
  3. Recording of your recent activity.
• New sphere superior to Heavy Armor Sphere: King Armor Sphere.
• New Gunlance-only quest against the Kushala Daora in the Snowy Mountains.
• New Decoration Jewels: “Heaven Cure Jewel” , “Eternity Jewel” and “Extreme Crisis Jewel”
• You can now hold up to 99 of each item type in your box.
• You can now store up to 20 equipment sets.
• Felyne Whim Skill – “Felyne Dance”.
• Extra gathering spot for bug catching and ore mining featuring new Ores and Insects.
• Buy your items and send it to the Item Box.
• Directly combine items inside the Item Box.
• New hairstyles.
• New Starter Clothes.
• Media Install System that speeds up loading times.
• New Weapons.
• Some weapons get further improvements.
• Skip animation scenes with SELECT.
• Two new areas in the 2nd Volcanic region
• Trenya can now be sent for 1500 Points
• Trenya can be sent to the Sea Of Trees.
• Treasure Quests can be played at the Sea Of Trees.

How do I get Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G?

You can buy the game now or download it from psp games download sites but unless you know Japanese, you won’t be able to play it.  Luckily, the ingenious people from the Homebrew community were able to create a patch to change the language (for the ISO only, if you have the original game on a UMD you can’t do this) of the game into any language you want.

You can download the Language Patcher here.

Important Note: Before you begin Patching, your copy of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G must be in ISO format otherwise the Patcher cannot read it.  You can use YACC to decompress the ISO if you’ve downloaded it from the PSP Download links

How do I patch?

1. Download Papimeru (the patcher, linked above)
2. Connect your PSP to your PC
3. Extract it’s contents into the GAME folder (e.g. X:/PSP/GAME where X is the drive letter of the PSP) on your memory stick
4. Disconnect your PSP
5. On your XMB: Game > Memory Stick > Papimeru
6. Run Papimeru

Upon running you’ll get this screen:



7. Choose your ISO and language
8. Hit Patch

Note that not 100% of the game has been translated.  But even with the incomplete translation, it’s quite playable.

Want to buy the game?

Head over to Play-Asia and place your order:

I’ll edit this post for more information on the game.  In the mean time, lets meet up via Xlink Kai.