Update: August 1, 2007
«©NCSX» Dust off the rawhide, polish the cutter, and rush out into the wilds once again to hunt creatures big and small. Along with creatures who are content to munch on vegetation, there are others who aggressively chase hunters who in turn hunt them. The world of Monster Hunter 2 follows seasonal changes and hunters experience summer, spring, and winter as well as daytime and nighttime which brings out different creatures to hunt. The seasons also affect the behavior patterns of monsters - for example, spring is when creatures mate and have offspring. To account for the seasonal shifts, hunters have to be versatile and use different tactics to tackle monsters. A new assemblage of weaponry in Monster Hunter 2 dos may be used which affects how the hunter attacks which is controlled by the R-analog stick to swivel, slash, and thrust.
There's exploration in the game along with quests with targeted objectives and sub-targets within the overall campaign. For example, a quest may require the capture of a creature rather than its killing and another quest may be the reduction of the numbers of a certain species.
The game starts off at a base village when playing in single player offline mode where players may obtain quests from a bulletin board of job postings. Establishments in the village include a bar which is run by a cat, an outdoor shop of sort where a cat peddles items, and a weapons shop which is manned by an old and excitable grandmotherly type. As more quests are fulfilled and more hunters visit the village for work, the little burg expands as new shops open up to handle the traffic. In addition to the proprietorships, the player's home is also in the village where items may be stored and the gamer may return there for peace and quiet.
Jan Code: 4976219022880
View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.
NCS Game Notes & Spoilers
» Before the Capcom screen appears, a woodcut of a beast may be seen.
» The game may be played in Single Player Offline Mode or Network Mode. Monster Hunter 2 dos utilizes the KDDI mult-matching BB service for online gaming where players may team up to form roving gangs of monster killers.
» In the intro to the game, the words "Capcom Presents" wheels around a glassine surface before the camera pulls away to reveal a telescope. The camera then pans around to show that the telescope is attached to a balloon ship and an old guy with white beard is peering through the scope. The balloon ship is not a standard hot-air balloon but a specialized vehicle with spinning rotor array directly above the carriage which keeps it aloft.
Next, a bunch of hunters are mongering over the carcass of a beast when the snow below them rumbles and a white silver-backed creature with fu-manchu facial hair rumbles out and attacks. Although it's a leonine creature, it punches at the ice with its arms and is capable of stopping weapon attacks with its hands. The scene changes again and overhead, the old guy in the spinning balloon sends off a hawk with message attachment... Scene shift below back to the battle where a winged creature swoops low and disrupts the conflict between the hunters and the fu-manchu creature.
The messenger hawk from earlier flies through the air and lands at another old guy's place to relay some information from the first old guy. Scene shift again to a view of the balloon old dude who is checking things out while a quartet of hunters run from a winged dragon-like beasts. As they scramble, the creature flies overhead and bellows out a harsh scream. Rain starts pouring down and as they get up, the dragon is waiting in the distance. The rain stops and the warriors steel themselves for the coming battle. An archer pulls back on his bow, looses an arrow at the dragon while it blows out a billowing stream of fire. As the twain meet, intro ends and title screen appears. Afterwards, there's a sight of the dragon atop a tower flapping its wings while a horde of winged creatures fly in the background.
» Upon pressing START, the following selections appear:
NEW GAME / Begin an adventure
CONTINUE / Resume a save game from memory card
GALLERY / View artwork and cinemas - must be unlocked before viewable except for the title cinema
OPTIONS / Set sound volume, screen position, color balance
NETWORK OPTIONS / Enter network settings
CONNECT / Login to game server
» After starting a new game, your sex is chosen along with your name, clothing, facial type, hair type and color, as well as your voice. To listen to the voices, press the TRIANGLE button as you're scrolling through the available selections. Although the voice actors who were brought in for voice work don't say anything intelligible during the selection process, they do grunt and groan a lot.
» There's one facial type and hair type combination that makes the hero look like Russell Crowe in the Gladiator movie... if he was Asian. Check it for yourself: FACE Type 10 (27) and HAIR Type 01 (04).
» After creating the character, you'll be prompted to save your hero to memory card. After saving and starting the game, the newly formed hero clowns a bit with odd and jerky movements.
» As the game opens up, a serene town appears which shows evidence of hard work everywhere as workers hammer wooden beams, drivers truck supplies, and men pack fruit into crates. The people relay the message of your arrival and their calls travel from work site to work site until the viewer reaches an old grandma who is carrying a knot of wood. She directs the player's attention to a trio - one of the men walks forward and extends his hand to shake yours. You're eventually given a letter to deliver to someone in the village.
» Movement is slow and measured but to speed things up, hit the R2 trigger and your hero will jaunt quickly. The camera views the action from an overhead view to give a good scope of your immediate surroundings - the camera is so accommodating that one never feels the need to swivel the perspective or even reach for the R-analog (not that it works in this portion of the game) to pan the camera around. The letter that you're carrying must be delivered to the cat creature that's located in the little hut with the drab-green awning on top. It's the one that's opposite the old lady's hut (master weapon craftswoman) who gesticulates wildly as she stands there. If you walk to the back of her shop and run up the ramp, she'll rush to greet you. If you stand around, you can watch her work the metal as it comes out of the furnace. She'll hammer it, inspect it, and lay her left hand on it as it is tempered and glowing red/white hot. If you run to the front of her shop, you can watch as she rushes from the back and to the front to greet you again.
» You'll receive a Hunter's License from the guy near the gong and you'll receive another letter to deliver. After you've purchased what you need from the cat vendor, run to the left of the screen across the bridge to reach the beach. Once you're on the beach, you'll witness a massive waterfall in the background which pounds into the ocean as white spray and mist waft through the air. The sound of gulls echoing in the background may be heard commingled with the low thudding crash of the waterfall and the sharper crash of the waves breaking the shore. On the beach, you'll get to explore a marooned ship, a few opened treasure chests and sparse vegetation. If you attempt to explore further to the right of the screen, a massive black boulder blocks your way. Maneuver the R-analog to attack with various strikes but your weapon only clangs against the boulder while sparks glance off the rock. Leave that alone for now. To get some rest, run up to the marooned ship and approach the back of it with the light purplish fabric on the wood. Press the O button and hero will leap backwards into bed and sleep to recover health.
» To escape the tedium, run along the left side of the screen. A short cinematic sequence will play which shows a bunch of peace loving dinosaurs grazing on the flora. If you walk up to them, they'll act like you're a friend. However, once you strike a blow and draw splotches of blood, it'll roar and attack with its spiky tail. It only takes about 3 blows to kill one of the creatures and it'll roar out a death cry before floundering to its side and dying. At this point, you may opt to kill the other two creatures if you so desire in order to practice your killing stroke but take too much time and they'll vamoose since they just witnessed your blood thirst.
» Once a creature's carcass is prone, walk over it and press the "O" button to carve out two nice mutton chops which will lay on the ground when you're done while the carcass disappears. You'll have to eat the mutton chops or your stomach will start growling something fierce as your vitality slowly drops from lack of food. When stomach is growling, hero will also clutch his belly in pain as it makes rumbling noises.
CONTROLS
L-Analog / Movement
R-Analog / Attack
D-Pad / Camera movement
TRIANGLE / Summon virtual keyboard (Japanese and English / Press L1 to switch between character sets and symbols)
X BUTTON / While still = CROUCH; While running = ROLLING DODGE
L1 TRIGGER / Center camera
R1 BUTTON / Guard
R2 BUTTON / Sheath weapon, Run faster
» In the Now Loading screen, a black dragon drifts over a town in woodcut-style artwork while the balloon from the intro wafts in the background.
This document is ©NCSX 2007. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of this document may be made without express written consent of National Console Support, Inc.
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