Whatever the good or bad points of Monster Hunter Freedom, this portable version is a fantastic adaptation of the PS2 version. Describing the graphics as "just like PS2, but smaller" would be entirely accurate. A friend commented to me that he thought some of the jaggies from the PS2 version had actually been smoothed out here, which may be the case. Monster Hunter Freedom is a graphically intensive game, and the solution to this is partly some loading between screens. The loading never got annoying, since the gameplay style has you spending more time in each area. The only time loading was a problem was when traveling quickly across a large geography. Even here, there are some shortcuts that help to avoid tedium.

The music and sound is very well done. Sound effects are a big part of orientation in the game, especially in relation to finding monsters. Different tasks, like fishing, are best accomplished by listening and looking in equal parts. With fishing at least, the "plunk" of a bobber is as much a cue to set the hook as the visible dipping of the bobber. Listening to weapons reloading, to monsters approaching and circling around you... if you are lucky enough to have an external sound system (i.e. headphones, stereos, etc.) that support Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound, Monster Hunter Freedom will sound even better. The background music is orchestral and well placed. Cut scenes in areas serve to amplify the tension already present when a new monster is introduced. You even get a gallery to review movies you unlock by embarking on quests. If it seems like I'm not very critical of the way Monster Hunter Freedom looks and sounds, you're paying attention.

Rather than dumb down the PS2 version of the game or take some different tack (Monster Hunter Kart...heh), the Monster Hunter Freedom release is nothing less than a translation of the large to the small. Lucky for fans that so little is changed or missing in this version. From the beginning, create a hero that you'll use to battle monsters in service of your small town. Or just glory? The cool thing about this game - for those who didn't experience it on the larger console - is that it plays to various agendas. If you like the idea of solo adventure, you'll find it here. If you have some friends with copies of the game and like group adventure, Monster Hunter Freedom has you covered. True online play is still missing, but the option to join wireless sessions with up to three other players and embark on group battles is here. I might argue that this is at least as good or better than true Infrastructure mode. Sure, playing online is great... if you can find players. My take on online games for PSP so far is that they are only as good as the number of active players. In this case, you have to go direct to your buddies, but that's only a slight limitation. Once you get a group together, joining forces is as easy as congregating in the town pub. Even in Solo mode, the pub is where you'll find some of the more challenging offline missions.

Early on, the focus of Monster Hunter Freedom is building up a character. Up to three profiles can be created and saved, and four different styles of fighter are available. I spent the most time as an intrepid shooter, armed with a crossbow. Variations on the improvements I used for my character (better ammunition, armor and skills) are available for all fighters. As with most RPGs, you earn skill points and money that you redeem for character or item upgrades. The points and money you earn can be gathered in several ways. Just completing quests is one, but there are nuances in Monster Hunter Freedom to how you build your fighter. During quests - out in the world - you can gather items. Items can then be combined, and the new objects may be good for you in offense or defense. They may also be quite valuable. So, treasure hunters can either use items for personal gain or to resell. Either way, money is great for improving items and buying new weapons or armor.

The fighting is frantic, but manageable. Increasing your level of offensive capability is critical to success, and learning to trap and use the landscape to advantage is also important. Traps are somewhat more arcane than the straightforward hack and slash we've learned from traditional third person shooter/hitter/slasher/etc. games. Monster Hunter Freedom is beautiful for being non-linear. Monsters are not terribly inventive - they'll almost always just come running at you, intent on bloodshed - but you can go about killing them in many different ways. The group dynamic is really the best thing the game has going, but don't be dissuaded from approaching Monster Hunter Freedom if you only ever intend to play solo. Solo is a lot of fun, too. Once you've taken out some monsters, carving them up for food or special items is an option. The actual "hunting and eating" component is yet another interesting wrinkle to Monster Hunter Freedom. At some point, just as with the PS2 version, you'll be able to hire a group of cooks who can transform your finds and rare items into tasty snacks. Before then, you always have the portable BBQ grill...

From almost the first mission, it is possible to die a sad death in Monster Hunter Freedom. Which is not to say that the game is too difficult, just that there aren't many breaks for the incautious player. Paying attention and learning the interface is key to success. Reading the background material on quests and individual monsters is important as well. If Monster Hunter Freedom has a weakness apart from lack of true online play, it is the sheer amount of information that has to be assimilated in order to "win." If the manual that came with the game were comprehensive, it would have to come in a separate box. We're soon to see more strategy guides for PSP titles, and I can imagine Monster Hunter Freedom will have something soon in print. So, the bottom line is that the difficulty of battles is inversely proportional to the investment you make in your fighter. As long as you explore the world and rack up major funds to increase stats and item strength, the world of Monster Hunter Freedom will be your oyster. Another way to read this is that casual gamers may not find much easy "pick up, put down" gameplay here.

The control scheme is complex, but practice makes perfect. Think of Monster Hunter Freedom as an Action/RPG title, where battles are full of button combinations and menu-driven item swapping. Then, after the battle, you'll spend a lot of time hoofing it in the game world, which requires different skills than just poking around town. Luckily, most of the actions are keyed to similar buttons in context. So, the button to talk to characters is the same throughout, and the button for action is similar for both in-game targeting and menu interaction. There is full support for every key on the PSP, including analog support. The manual does a decent job of preparing you, but early quests are really training in disguise. There is almost too much menu information and text to review in the game, such that it can stall the action. But, when new information is available on monsters or on ways of interacting with the game environment during missions, you'll get wind of the update and be able to navigate through menus to read new information.

Monster Hunter Freedom is engrossing and the excitement is just as high in this portable version as in the PS2 releases. Fans will no doubt be playing already, and won't be reading my comments. If you like Action/RPGs or like your action games with a bit more strategy, this is a fantastic game. If you are looking for a novel experience on PSP, there isn't anything else like Monster Hunter Freedom out there now, and there may not be until the next release comes from CAPCOM. Here's hoping that the next release includes true online play - the only chink in the current game's armor.