Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite (PSP)
I RECKON monsters get a bad wrap - we're always trying to kill 'em when all they probably want is a king-sized snack.
Sure they look scary, but so does Kerry Katona and we don't try to cut her head off do we?
Monster Hunter was the most popular game in Japan last year, leaving Wii Fit and Pokemon choking on dust.
The third game in the RPG series keep the general plot - you're a lowly hunter tasked with offing dragons and claiming glory.
And you're certainly thrown into the deep end. I was wiped out by the first beastie I met and it does take time to master the combat control system.
Well, I say master, more like I cobbled together a few tactics to give myself a chance against the big bads.
It's not all a monster mash, through, as you can always relex back in your village and catch fish or plant seeds. You can also experiment with the items you have found on your travels - mix a herb and a mushroom and bingo! Gunpowder.
But it won't be long before you're itching to getback on the battlefield.
So far so good, but why so insanley propular?
Well it is addictive, and very deep (there's more than 400 missions). But the real golden nuget is the four-player ad-hoc mode when you can team up with your mates to down a dragon.
This is great fun but it's a little disappointing there's no real online play as this would have ensured the fifth star.
DANIEL SMITH
Older/Newer
Authors
Steve Wollaston - Sunday Mercury games reviewer Steve has been writing about video games for donkey's years. In fact he is probably far too old for it now which is why you will see a lot of reviews been done by kids... He has been nominated three times for Regional Games Journalist Of The Year at the Games Media Awards, but never wins. His major love is sports games and rates Sensible World of Soccer circa 90's as the greatest game ever made - closely followed by Championship Manager 2. Skyrim has currently taken over his life.
