Chances are that you've managed to figure out by now whether you're a Monster Hunter fan or not. We've seen a couple PS2 and PSP releases here, and we're gearing up for a Wii release shortly, so there's been ample opportunity to check the series out up to this point. If you're not a fan, then I'll go ahead and warn you off of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, it plays like the other PSP titles, and in fact is a somewhat retooled version of Monster Hunter Freedom 2, so if you're waiting to jump in to the series due to some perceived inaccessibility to the other games, this one isn't going to change your mind.
However, if you're on the other side of the fence, I can't see a reason why you wouldn't want to pick this title up. It allows you to carry over your previous save, so you won't lose the 100 plus hour save file you've toyed around with for a couple years, and you get a pretty hefty addition of monsters to check out and slay, harvest, and slay again, along with new end-game style quests to tack on the already high difficulty of the larger monsters, and just more of the same Monster Hunter fun you've already come to expect from the series.
I personally enjoy the games, but I've never been able to find the time to really devote myself to playing them. Now that I can at least access the Ad Hoc mode via PSN through the Japanese store, I'm more than willing to give the game another shot. It's not a title that I found a lot of fun with when playing by myself, but the new addition to hire on Felyne's to fight alongside you instead of just cook in your kitchen, helps to alleviate some of the single-player woes. The AI still isn't a suitable replacement for an actual human ally, but it does a serviceable job for most of the mid-level quests you can embark on, and certainly helps when it comes to causing status effects and other buffs that you'll find beneficial.
Of course, you can always opt to go solo as much as you want, and the core mechanics haven't seen any changes. You'll still have your handy menu that you can connect with by holding down R and cycling through the options with the square and circle buttons. There's still all the crafting you can do, mining, fishing, and so on. And finally there's the tiered quest system that allows you to take on a variety of monsters and other tasks for the village, including all the awesome loot you can come across if you're successful. For long time fans of the series this is probably the best version you're going to come across until we get a chance to see what Monster Hunter 3 does, and there's no reason why you wouldn't want to pick this one up, even if you've managed to see everything Freedom 2 had to offer.
I was mildly disappointed that they didn't toss in a new weapon or two, but there's still the large variety available that Freedom 2 had. I took this game as an excuse to try and work on my fencing ability (to little avail), but whatever you were a fan of using in Freedom 2, you can still find here in Unite. Also, there's an optional install option to alleviate some of the load times (which really are fine to begin with), including options to speed up the loading between areas by preloading some of it to begin with, but the game lets you know that it'll be hell on your battery life if you're not plugged in at the time.
If nothing else, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite deserves some recognition for being one of the deepest, and most involved RPG experiences on any system, let alone handhelds, and the idea of putting in over 100 or so hours is nothing compared to what the most hardcore fans will do with this title. Sure, it doesn't see the same level of success here as it does in Japan, but the MH community has definitely grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, and there's plenty of people that you can find online to play with if you're willing to jump through a few hoops to get the online ad-hoc party thing working through a PS3, or use another device to take your offline PSP games online.
I'll say it's well worth the effort too, because Monster Hunter certainly shines when played with a group. Like a lot of MMO titles, the option is there to go solo and see a good chunk of content, but it's not much fun to show off awesome loot to yourself, and it's certainly more entertaining to employ some strategic team work to take down colossal beasts. If you've never given a Monster Hunter game a try before, then go ahead and pick up Freedom Unite, it's the best in the series for me, and the opening tutorials are explained well enough to get you started, even if they're a bit on the lengthy side. If you're a long time fan, well, chances are you've already pre-ordered this one at the store of your choice, but just rest assured that you're definitely getting what you want out of this release.
All together, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is a great upgrade for Freedom 2, and having the ability to take Felyne's into combat is a nice addition for those stuck with solo play. The additional monsters are very cool to check out, even if I have a bit before encountering a good chunk of them, and I'm sure the additional quests will add quite a few more hours for those that have thoroughly explored the previous release. Definitely a PSP title worth checking out, and I'd say you could give this one a blind buy if you want.
