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Abe Sargent · 07-24-2006, 01:12 AM

This will be the last one tonight. Again, I hope you can see the pics.

29. Monster Rancher 3
PlayStation 2
Techmo
2001
GameSpot Review - 8.4
Strategy/Fight Monster Breeder

FYI - I purchased my copy of Monster Rancher from my winnings at a Blackjack table at Greektown Casino, my first trip ever to a casino.

Monster Rancher is a franchise that, frankly, a lot of people don't take seriously. Where it's more popular cousin, Pokemon, is an RPG-Monster Breeder game, Monster Rancher is more of a Strategy-Monster Breeder game (although MR 4 and MR Evo are more RPG like than not).

MR3 was the game that finally got it. It crosses a simple fighting game element with a Breeding game and, much like Sea Battle, creates two seperate games.

The first game is the strategy game. Here you raise a monster using various training methods. You feed it various foods. You react to it using various commands. You give it various items. You equip it with various accessories. All of these methods are more or less effective on various monsters, each of which has its own personality. The metallic Henger, for example, likes a completley different type of food than the snakelike Naga, who likes a different types of food than the large Hare. The Henger likes oil and metal, the Naga like meat, and the Hare like veggies. The Henger will not respond much to either positive or negative comments, the Hare adores attention and the Naga wants to be pushed to excellence. Each has a different personality, training method and so forth.

The best pic I could find of a monster being trained is from the Japanese version, sorry. Here a nasty death-like monster called a Joker is being raised in the desert:

There are five different regions and every monster has evolved to live in these different regions. Monsters will train best in the region that they relate too. You can take a monster from one regions and evolve it to become a monster of a different region, if you are so inclined. The regions are desert, underwater, forest, artic, and jungle.

You begin the game just in the forest, and have to unlock the other areas by doing well in tournaments held there.

The game is very complex, with heaps of items, skills, moves, and stats that determine how well your monster fights. When you enter a tournament, you can control your monster and fight it out:

A Gitan that has been named 19 is duking it out with a Raiden named Mon. This isn't as complex as Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, but it is a very nice element to the game. Strategy is one part of the game is mixed with strategy in the other, which really helps the game, in my opinion. I actually won the game with a Gitan, by the way.

Like many Japanese games, it does suffer from a lack of documentation at times. Occasionally you'll come across a nifty accessory for your creature and have no idea what it does. Most of them have a clue for you, but a few do not.

There are cute little monsters in here, but don't let that fool you. A lot of monsters are just downright mean looking, like the Naga, Joker, Durahan, Dragon, Zoom, Zan and more. Don't let the cute Mocchi, Suzarin, Lesione and Suezo make you think that everything is all Pokemon here, because that definately is not the case. It's more of a mix.

I really like these games that combine multiple elements into an intriguing game. MR3 is great at representing the different personalities of monsters and does a much better job at the details of the game than its predecessors.

A lot of people love the innovative way that the MR series generates monsters for you. There are dozens of monsters and sub-breads in the game. You don;t initially have access to any, and you have to generate some from "saucer stones." You open up the PS2 and pull out the game, putting in a CD, DVD or PS2 game. Then the game reads the new disc and creates a monster. Some DVDs, CDs, or PS2 games have been hardcoded to generate a special rare monster that can only be unlocked with those discs. For example, the widescreen version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon creates a unique Dragon called a Tigon which is a cross between a Dragon and a Tiger.

Ultimately, this game is amazing for its depth and detail. I played this game through a ton of monsters, and you can't beat it on the first monster. I didn't beat the game until my sixth monster.

Well, that's all for tonight. See you later.

-Anxiety

07-24-2006, 01:12 AM	#4
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	This will be the last one tonight. Again, I hope you can see the pics. 29. Monster Rancher 3 PlayStation 2 Techmo 2001 GameSpot Review - 8.4 Strategy/Fight Monster Breeder FYI - I purchased my copy of Monster Rancher from my winnings at a Blackjack table at Greektown Casino, my first trip ever to a casino. Monster Rancher is a franchise that, frankly, a lot of people don't take seriously. Where it's more popular cousin, Pokemon, is an RPG-Monster Breeder game, Monster Rancher is more of a Strategy-Monster Breeder game (although MR 4 and MR Evo are more RPG like than not). MR3 was the game that finally got it. It crosses a simple fighting game element with a Breeding game and, much like Sea Battle, creates two seperate games. The first game is the strategy game. Here you raise a monster using various training methods. You feed it various foods. You react to it using various commands. You give it various items. You equip it with various accessories. All of these methods are more or less effective on various monsters, each of which has its own personality. The metallic Henger, for example, likes a completley different type of food than the snakelike Naga, who likes a different types of food than the large Hare. The Henger likes oil and metal, the Naga like meat, and the Hare like veggies. The Henger will not respond much to either positive or negative comments, the Hare adores attention and the Naga wants to be pushed to excellence. Each has a different personality, training method and so forth. The best pic I could find of a monster being trained is from the Japanese version, sorry. Here a nasty death-like monster called a Joker is being raised in the desert: There are five different regions and every monster has evolved to live in these different regions. Monsters will train best in the region that they relate too. You can take a monster from one regions and evolve it to become a monster of a different region, if you are so inclined. The regions are desert, underwater, forest, artic, and jungle. You begin the game just in the forest, and have to unlock the other areas by doing well in tournaments held there. The game is very complex, with heaps of items, skills, moves, and stats that determine how well your monster fights. When you enter a tournament, you can control your monster and fight it out: A Gitan that has been named 19 is duking it out with a Raiden named Mon. This isn't as complex as Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, but it is a very nice element to the game. Strategy is one part of the game is mixed with strategy in the other, which really helps the game, in my opinion. I actually won the game with a Gitan, by the way. Like many Japanese games, it does suffer from a lack of documentation at times. Occasionally you'll come across a nifty accessory for your creature and have no idea what it does. Most of them have a clue for you, but a few do not. There are cute little monsters in here, but don't let that fool you. A lot of monsters are just downright mean looking, like the Naga, Joker, Durahan, Dragon, Zoom, Zan and more. Don't let the cute Mocchi, Suzarin, Lesione and Suezo make you think that everything is all Pokemon here, because that definately is not the case. It's more of a mix. I really like these games that combine multiple elements into an intriguing game. MR3 is great at representing the different personalities of monsters and does a much better job at the details of the game than its predecessors. A lot of people love the innovative way that the MR series generates monsters for you. There are dozens of monsters and sub-breads in the game. You don;t initially have access to any, and you have to generate some from "saucer stones." You open up the PS2 and pull out the game, putting in a CD, DVD or PS2 game. Then the game reads the new disc and creates a monster. Some DVDs, CDs, or PS2 games have been hardcoded to generate a special rare monster that can only be unlocked with those discs. For example, the widescreen version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon creates a unique Dragon called a Tigon which is a cross between a Dragon and a Tiger. Ultimately, this game is amazing for its depth and detail. I played this game through a ton of monsters, and you can't beat it on the first monster. I didn't beat the game until my sixth monster. Well, that's all for tonight. See you later. -Anxiety __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 05-01-2022 at 10:15 AM.