Definitely worth the $30 price tag, If you're not hooked on Japan's favorite video game yet, then this might just do it.
So I've been playing Monster Hunter Titles since 2004 when "Monster Hunter" was released for the PlayStation 2 console. My review however, will not be affected by this because I know what elements create a good game, and where problems often occur.
Let's get the things that might drive you nuts the first couple of hours out in the open to start with. The camera is clanky, and will get stuck in spots, especially when you're up against a wall, while this is an immediate turn off, it is something the beginners fall into because they have not had enough practice to stay in the right spots, if you push past the first few hours of a less than perfect camera then you will surely be hooked, and using the "claw" holding position on your PSP. The other thing that bothers some people is the lack of a "lock-on system" This is NOT an easy game, Think Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden only with a huge learning curve, doing many missions over and over to learn how they interact with the environment and memorizing attack patterns.
Now that the bad is out of the way, we can get to the good. The graphics are some of the best out on the PSP handheld, perhaps only to be outmatched by Gran Turismo. You spend most of the game roaming around in an area, with 11-12 sub areas, moving through them in third person view trying to find your objective; usually a monster to be slain by your weapon. You can do many things true to that of a standard MMORPG, such as mining, fishing, gathering, bugcatching, and combining/mixing. And last but not least, farming one monster over and over and over until you get that item that has a .001% chance of dropping.
The true mind boggling unstoppable addiction to this game does not happen until you kill your first formidable foe. After killing the monster 3-4 times you should be able to make either a Weapon or a few pieces of Armor from that monsters parts. The weapon or armor will also resemble the monster it was created from. This gives the player a remarkable sense of pride for overcoming his past problems, and showing off to other people that he gained skill and learned to defeat the beast with his own two hands. The game has around some 400 missions, and the average player puts in 400 hours... Myself and other online players have put in around 1000-3000 hours in the series itself. It is the most addictive portable game that may have ever been released.
One thing that not everyone wants you to know is that you can play online using a PS3 and a Japanese software called "Ad-Hoc Party" There are many Youtube tutorials that teach how to set it up, and it is extremely easy. Everyone is friendly and willing to help out fellow hunters because we all want the game's popularity to boost.
Well, I hope this review helped, just as a summary... This game is not easy, it takes some time to get past the frustrating bits and pieces... Push through it like the great gamer you are and I guarantee that you will fall in love with Capcom's most unknown series.