Monster Rancher EVO (PS2)

Yuuki again to bring a review of Monster Rancher EVO for the PS2. This game is another installment in a long running series by Tecmo and is a pretty popular series. If you didn't know its that game that let's you put in in and random cd or dvd and get a monster of your very own. Popular enough to even have a TV show which was actually good. I've played many monster raising game in my day and this series has always been high on my list. So let's see how this one did.

Gamplay:The game looks fairly simple at first glance.You work in a circus and raise monster for said circus. It quickly becomes slightly more difficult as you must soon raise multiple monsters, get new equipment for shows, and do said shows. Monsters are a bit trickier then previous versions, as you need to be more careful what you do with them as it has a much higher affect on the next generation. Treat them badly and their offspring will treat you badly. There is also the joy and burden of shows, you see as you train your monster build motivation which when its high you can put on a show. Then depending on how well you do which only requires you to play simple minigames that can either be really fun or make you want to die, your monster gains points in whatever stats you were training. As you prgress you unlock more monsters and more gadgets for training which makes shows a bit more difficult. None the less if you can get your breeding down and the shows you'll find you really enjoy i. 5/5

Story: The story unlike the game play is kinda thin. You play the nameless hero who was orphaned and then came to live in at the circus. In the beginning your joined by a mysterious yet pleasant girl who of course will get you all involed with misadventures of saving the world. Also as you progress the story you'll be joined by a riff raff crew of circus folk who are quite entertaining. 3/5

Graphics:If you know the series you'll be delighted to see some of you favorite monsters return with a bit of a new flavor. The art style has changed a bit but, wether its for the better is upto you. Characters are bright and excotic for the most part and towns are done decently, the dungeons gain appeal for their multidemensional area. Though all in all they aren't spectacular but none the less they are nice. 3/5

Audio: The game could have benefitted from some nice voice acting but it wasn't neccessary. The music was a bit corky at times but still nice. The game has its tried and tru monster sounds from happy little pixie to that slam sound a golem makes when it flicks some innocent into oblivion. I'd say it did well for what it was. 3/5

Replay:I'm a fan of the series and I found I really liked this one despite what I heard. All of you out there who play this kind of game know you can't just play it through once. I definately recommend this to fans of the series or anyone who wants to have some fun raising and playing with some cool critters. 4/5

Overall:This game is a breath of fres air into an already good series, it takes elements from many of the previous games and combines them into what I feel was a good mesh of skill and fun. At times a bit overly complicated looking but honestly not too hard to play. Simple clean fun with monsters and although the story is a bit short and a bit cliched its not enough to take away from the game. 4/5