Monster Hunter Freedom (Sniper)
Genre: Third-Person Action
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Graphics
Lush environs filled with some wonderful water reflection and fog effects are slightly marred by grainy texture quality. Models are of high polygon count, but visuals can be somewhat hit or miss depending on the scene. Very good overall however.

Sound
Music is is made up of fairly generic orchestral selections. Some heart-pounding boss selections help the game's ambient nature, and the sound effects are sharp and often lend credence to the game's sense of humor.

Gameplay
A combination of Phantasy Star Online, Pocket Kingdom, and Prince of Persia, Monster Hunter combines sword play, item collection and combination, and monster slaying across a series of interlinked, numbered stages. The combat in the game is largely frustrating as the player is left vulnerable due to the excessive number of frames attached to nearly every action in the game.

Overall
The item combination system in Monster Hunter, which allows you to create new armor and upgrade your weapons is largely satisfying and addicting. The rest of your time is spent laying traps, chasing around, and trying to chip away at the health of these huge monsters called "wyverns". The difficulty of killing such a beast, combined with the constantly frustrating gameplay mechanics, make for a very inaccessable game for all but the most dedicated. The game does feature co-op ad-hoc wireless play, but seldom can the players even see the same set of monsters due to a bug in the game.

Sniper's verdict: