(continued from previous page) ...(8 total) has its own unique set of combos and controls, giving them a completely individual feel. Want to deal massive damage, no matter the speed? The Greatsword or Hammer is the way to go. Do you like to be highly mobile, dealing many quick hits to your opponent? Pick up a set of Dual Blades and you’ve got it made. Want some added protection? Lances, Sword and Shield, and Gunlances all allow you the ability to block attacks. These differences allow for a wide range of play styles. This, however, only covers the melee weapons.

If you use bows, the controls and gameplay will resemble a third-person shooter, with aiming and firing done in an over-the-shoulder manner. With bows, arrows are unlimited, and you can even whip one out to deliver a quick slash to any foe that comes into close proximity. Bows also allow you to coat arrows with different extracts, adding poison or increased damage, or even allowing you to paralyze your target or put it to sleep.

Guns add yet another control aspect. With guns, the player can zoom into a first person mode for aiming, allowing those FPS players out there a whole new way to play. Guns also allow the player to load different ammo types, from cluster shots that hit multiple times, to shots that deal elemental damage. Even stranger are the healing shots that allow a hunter to fire upon his multiplayer cohorts, healing damage rather than dealing it.

With a somewhat quick lesson on weapons out of the way, we can discuss the actual focus of the game: the hunt. Having learned how to use weapons, either from the training school instructor, or from (gasp!) me, players will want to head off on their first hunt. Each hunt will take place in one climate or area, as previously discussed. Hunters are given a specific task to accomplish. These goals range from collecting mushrooms or barbecuing steaks from raw meat, to slaying dangerous monsters, to collecting valuable treasure in the field. When a goal is completed, the hunter will be given 1 minute to continue collecting items from the field, to take home for his own personal use. Hunters will also be given a cash reward, as well as item rewards that are specific to the hunt itself.

This brings us to a critical portion of the game: item collection. In Monster Hunter Freedom 2, players are charged with crafting many of their own items, armors, and weapons. While certain things can be purchased in town, the majority of high-grade items must be built using items found on your various hunts. These items can be obtained in a number of ways. The most common way to find items is to search an area by pressing the O (circle) button. If done in the proper area, this will cause the hunter to look around on the ground, often times revealing anything from medicinal herbs and mushrooms, to insect husks, berries, or honey. The item received often is related to where you are searching. For instance, if you search near a beehive, you will likely find honey, insect husks, or snakeabee larvae. Search near a fern, and you usually get herbs or flowers. Looking in riverbeds often produces polished stones, while searching dead trees will usually yield mushrooms. Visual clues in the environment not only add depth to the graphics and realism to the surrounding area, but also provide a strategic advantage to any hunter who is aware of his surroundings.

The most common method for obtaining items comes from “carving” the monsters you kill in the field. Each and every enemy you defeat leaves a carcass behind to be “carved.” Hunters can expect 1 to 2 carves from normal prey animals, while carnivorous beasts of a gargantuan nature can produce upwards of 9 carves! The standard number of carves for a predatory or “boss” monster is 3. To carve a kill, the hunter need only sheathe his weapon if it is drawn (by pressing square), and then press circle near the carcass. Each carve produces 1 item, determined by the creature it is carved from.

So, you’ve learned about the types of weapons that are used by hunters, what hunters do, and ... (continued on next page)