Monster Hunter (PS2) - 35. Fang of the Iodrome!

2004 marks the 20th anniversary of the original Monster Hunter…
What would go on to become one of Capcom’s tent-pole IPs in the decade that followed had humble beginnings and, while the Proof of a Hero was evident in this very first PlayStation 2 release, Monster Hunter suffers from many quirks that could only be associated with first game syndrome.
Now before I go any further, I must confess, my introduction to Monster Hunter came much later than the original game in the series. I started playing on Nintendo Wii, and only really got my bearings with Monster Hunter Tri. Despite this, the core tenants of Monster Hunter’s gameplay are all very recognisable on PlayStation 2: With quests following a similar structure to even the likes of Rise, weapons/armour with unique gimmicks and strengths (depending on what you are fighting), and item combinations that could make your life much less of a drag while on longer hunts. The presentation, especially in animation and sound design, take on a remarkably confident appearance, as would be anticipated of a PS2 era Capcom title. Although, where the skeleton is strong, robust, the bulk of Monster Hunter is flabby and lacking refinement. You could be well into a fight with a Gendrome, a Yian Kut-Ku, or Rathalos, and find yourself still getting harassed by everything else around you: Mosswine, Velociprey, Melynx, you name it! When some actions requires split-frame inputs, your flow is immediately busted by an interrupting attack from something that otherwise has no business getting involved in your fight.
On-top of that, Monster Hunter’s camera can often get stuck on geometry, leading you into situations where you have poor visibility of any nearby threats, it can be the accidental cause of many deaths in the game. The problems do not end there however since, outside of quests, your container box is poxy, with only 100 slots, and these quickly fill as you hit some arbitrarily small limits on items like Cool Drinks (x3) or Herbs (x10), making you really consider what you should/shouldn’t farm for later quests. These issues are exacerbated by the lack of auto-sorting (atleast in the JP version) and a similarly stress inducing issue regarding the cost of buying anything in the game. You don’t get near enough money to do what you want, and investments will drive your piggybank dry, no matter how frugal you play.
The first Monster Hunter introduced a unique right analogue system for fighting, and it still works well, despite relying on the D-Pad for some of the awkward camera control. Finding places to gather are, again, similar to later games but a lack of visual prompts means you are going to need a little intuition in figuring out where mushrooms, or honey, or certain herbs can be found in the few areas represented during play. You have a temperate forest, humid jungle and dry desert that all can be explored, with varying kinds of flora and fauna, different environmental challenges that present themselves to you. These, again, are all still staples of Monster Hunter’s addictive gameplay loop. Problem is, even the tutorials don’t do the best job in breaking down the specifics of each zone. While there are detailed instructions on fishing, and cooking meat for instance, you will find very little on upgrading your equipment, mining ores, and using tools, like dung bombs, to level the playing field against bigger threats. It is possible to play massive chunks of Monster Hunter and not know how to make Max Potions, Large Bombs, and Mega Juices, all items that completely change the balance of difficult quests. Even purchasing items to make those items are difficult without leaving the offline village quests and embracing the real appeal of Monster Hunter: It’s online multiplayer through Minegarde Town.
For the purpose of this video playthough series, we will only be experiencing the single player escapades of Monster Hunter. Rest assured, multiplayer is something that will eventually be delved into in a future video series.
It must also be acknowledged that farming materials, especially monster parts, are an absolute necessity in preparing for tougher challenges later in the game. Please understand this, and do not let it bother you too much. Like any RPG, the joy of the adventure comes from the journey rather than the destination (atleast for me).
Oh, and before any wise guy comes out with it... YES I AM BAD AT THIS GAME. THANK YOU.
Anyway, on with the show!
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A LEGAL NOTICE:
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Any copyrighted footage I use is covered under fair use laws, or more specifically those listed under Section 30(1) of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1989 and under section 107 of US Copyright Act 1976. This video exists purely for the purpose of research and criticism. I do not make a profit from any uploaded content, nor do I intend to. Thank you for watching.