Should Monster Hunter Freedom Come to the iPhone/iTouch?

[SoCal_Sponger]

Do you guy think MHF should come to the iPhone? It looks like a great rpg--I was about to get a PSP after MHF2 came out--and I would love to play it with touchscreen/accelerometer. It had like 400+ hours of gameplay (300 missions) with thousands of weapons and armor, and most importantly, it had 4 player wifi. I think it would be a great port with huge success if they did it for the iPhone; graphic-wise it looks like it could be ported.

Heres more info on the game (I doubt anyone knows about it):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster_Hunter_Freedom_2
http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=65706

[Donburns99]

Would be nice, but I'm not sure if the iDevice can handle the control system without actual buttons you can get a grip on and not have to look at.

[Ravenblack]

That is one serious hardcore title. Best hunting sim ever. :)

You can't squeeze that action into a smaller screen than the psp imho. At times even the psp screen feels cramp.

I played MHF2 for a while, the later levels require coop play although it's not impossible if you have the skills to bring down a monster yourself. Monster Hunter is not an rpg in the conventional sense, it's an action adventure title. Your equipment gets upgraded when you can get the materials for it from hunting but your character never levels up iirc. The game is totally dependent on player skills alone.

The hundreds of hours of gameplay come about because to get/upgrade to some uber equipment, you sometimes have to be willing to kill some monster over and over again just to get the parts you need.

I think the i-touch/iphone lacks the controls and battery life to handle this. The battles aren't short sometimes.

[8bitgeorge]

As a HUGE Monster Hunter fan, I'd really like for it to be ported to the iPod touch/iPhone, however it would be a tremendous work for a port and I don't see it happening.

By the way, it's only fun when you play locally with 3 other people.

[Chronical]

you know, have you ever seen the graphics of Seven Swords Prologue? :p If it would be like that, it'd be AWESOME.

[Bdan11191]

Not unless they add in a much needed lock-on feature.
Lack of that pretty much crippled the game for me, personally.

[Ravenblack]

you know, have you ever seen the graphics of Seven Swords Prologue? :p If it would be like that, it'd be AWESOME.

You call that awesome? :D

:rolleyes:

[parranoya]

I love this game ----have both 1 and 2. This is one game that needs responsive buttons and dpad ---so as much as I would love this game on the ipotch --- I dont think it would control very well. The game requires too mch presicion.

[maurice2202]

Please, please, MH!!! :)

[RayLancer]

I love this game ----have both 1 and 2. This is one game that needs responsive buttons and dpad ---so as much as I would love this game on the ipotch --- I dont think it would control very well. The game requires too mch presicion.

I'm going to have to agree with parranoya. I can't see myself playing this game on a touch only based system. Can't wait for MH Unite... 6/23! Hopefully Ad Hoc Party is incorporated into the game.

[falloutmike]

That is one serious hardcore title. Best hunting sim ever. :)

You can't squeeze that action into a smaller screen than the psp imho. At times even the psp screen feels cramp.

I played MHF2 for a while, the later levels require coop play although it's not impossible if you have the skills to bring down a monster yourself. Monster Hunter is not an rpg in the conventional sense, it's an action adventure title. Your equipment gets upgraded when you can get the materials for it from hunting but your character never levels up iirc. The game is totally dependent on player skills alone.

The hundreds of hours of gameplay come about because to get/upgrade to some uber equipment, you sometimes have to be willing to kill some monster over and over again just to get the parts you need.

I think the i-touch/iphone lacks the controls and battery life to handle this. The battles aren't short sometimes.



I was a hardcore fan of this game, had 450+ hours on MHF2 on the PSP and soloed the whole game..... I don't think the Ipod could handle this, too much and pretty complicated. Controls would be insanely hard....

[VeganTnT]

I think it needs to happen

3.0 allows external controls so it's perfect for a MH branded controller/battery

I'd love to see some optimization so that it could play (with limited capacity) over EDGE which will keep the battery usage down to a bare minimum

[GDSage]

........
.....
...
.
.

Having put in 400 hours into the latest version, hitting the highest rank and conducting many speed runs I have to ask, why would you want MH to be awful? Monster Hunter needs tactile controls, not just tactile control but enough controls. A means for movement, camera control (cc is fundamental to MH, to remove it would be to remove a big part of the game), three action buttons, draw weapon / use item button, dodge button, context button. That control scheme of MH is already at its streamlined best, so how would that work on a touch screen?

Monster Hunter is no different to a fighting game, where the feedback from pressing actual buttons is fundamental to compiling the inputs necessary for the strict timing windows.

The only chance of MH being on iphone now would be to have a cut-down, stripped version, in which case that isn't Monster Hunter.



As for the poster that stated it needs lock-on... You couldn't miss the point of the series further if you tried. Lock-on would completely mess up the balance of the game, which breaks down to many things..

1) Part of the skillset in MH is properly judging positioning both in standing and facing positioning, as well as judging distance in 3D. You may want an easier game but not all of us want mindless combat as seen in too many games that employ lock-on. Part of the experience in MH is one false move can equal death, even down to not position yourself properly before you strike. It is a game completely about skill, lock-on would take away a lot of this.

2) The game revolves around taking down monsters of which are made up of dozens of different parts. Each part of the monster having its own resistance as well as chance of reward when broken. Being able to dynamically target these different parts is key to the game. Lock-on (a strict mechanic) would undermine this dynamic nature, and if anything make the game impossible to play. Nothing beats being able to manually position and target you strikes.

3) the battles are very dynamic, the monsters are often large and never stop in one place at a time. Lock-on is quite a limited means of camera perspective, when the locked on view is moving erratically the camera view from the lock-on can mess up, no matter how well implemented (this is true of the best examples of it in games). A second of messup from the camera = death. That isn't hyperbole. The whole game, whether you make or break it depends on seconds, sometimes miliseconds. Like I already said, MH is very like a fighting game, the timing windows are of a second and less. Nothing beats a camera view than one you are in full control of.

Some people don't understand that MH is about giving the player complete control and complete freedom over their hunter, and as such the whole game is designed with this in mind. Having aids, such as lock on would compromise that design and worse yet, make it something other than the Monster Hunter millions know it as.

[MyLilPWNY]

It's a nice idea but really think about how many buttons there would be on screen but atleast we can look forward to MHF Unite in a lil while
Time to dust off the ol psp lol

[Canuck]

Why would they ever release this game for the PSP when the most they could charge for it is $9.99, a price which 3/4 of the people on this board would wait to drop to $2.99. Monster Hunter will NEVER come to the Itouch/phone.

[Johno]

I thought about it and although it would be cool there would be no way to to successfully set up the controls. I have over 400 hours on MHF2 on the psp and like falloutmike went the whole game solo. If they put in lock on that would ruin the game. It's a game that requires a lot of skill.

[sconethief]

no.. the control would suck, sorry, i'm also a big monste hunter fan but I disagree, unless capcom can find a better contol scheme.

[VeganTnT]

Why does everyone keep saying the control scheme will be terrible on screen?

the 3.0 update allows for external controls!

Capcom could make one that you get for free after buying the game, maybe even buy it beforehand on their website. An order form could be linked to in the app as well with a check to make sure it isn't a pirated copy (secret exit did this with the free soundtrack in Zen Bound). so you might have to wait a bit and play with crappy controls for only a few days til you get your controller.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/12/icontrolpad.jpg
(image is too big to put in the thread)

[GDSage]

Why does everyone keep saying the control scheme will be terrible on screen?

the 3.0 update allows for external controls!

Capcom could make one that you get for free after buying the game, maybe even buy it beforehand on their website. An order form could be linked to in the app as well with a check to make sure it isn't a pirated copy (secret exit did this with the free soundtrack in Zen Bound). so you might have to wait a bit and play with crappy controls for only a few days til you get your controller.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2008/12/icontrolpad.jpg
(image is too big to put in the thread)

External controls to work for MH is a pretty big "if" especially giving away an external controller. In any case that still wouldn't work because you'd end up with a split market, of haves and have-nots which would result in many not having a chance of playing as well as others.

[slighmd]

and capcom is porting some of it's IP's to idevice right? and i think MHF is a capcom IP so... :)

[VeganTnT]

External controls to work for MH is a pretty big "if" especially giving away an external controller. In any case that still wouldn't work because you'd end up with a split market, of haves and have-nots which would result in many not having a chance of playing as well as others.

If it's sold in a premium section of the appstore (which has been rumored) for 19.99 then the price of the controller is already added to your purchase. All they have to have as pop up on start up reminding you to fill out the form so they can send it to you.

The only split in the market would be users that aren't smart enough to fill out the form and get the free external piece.

Of course Capcom could also make a premium controller that would be available wherever iphones and ipod touch are sold. Then all their games could have alternate control schemes for it.

[GDSage]

Again, a massive if. Not least because of the logistics involved. Added up it is hardly a worthwhile investment for Capcom when the series already has its main base on the PSP (on its way to four million), and at full price. I will never understand why people want x IP's on their system ot choice, surely it is better for new IP, and if you want to experience said x IP's you buy the system for them?

[Unagib]

u can make it look like zenonia and with those types of control like seed looks like it can be an awesome montser hunter with those graphics its looks awesome i believe that they can make it look like that and make an awesome job i hope they make something similiar to MH for the ipod

[Somerandomdude]

YES! I have the first 2 and I love them. Second game I got for my PSP. If they scale it down enough, it should work well. After seeing games like Nazi Zombies and Ravensword, it seems anything is possible.

[GodSon]

Being it is one of my favorite series of all time hands down. I don't think it would work either unless your playing with a controller which damn there defeats the purpose of having an iTouch (for me at least). You have to be so precise on your movements and reaction time i just don't see the touch screen accommodating that.

Boy I would love to be proved wrong as well as have a reason to finally take my PSP on one last ride to Gamestop. Know what i mean? Capcom wouldn't have to put any other game out for me if MHFU was on the iTouch. That is if it were as responsive as playing on PSP and i wouldnt want ANYTHING less. ;)

[nkflier23]

I'd love ANY monster hunter game for the ipod

[parranoya]

I'd love ANY monster hunter game for the ipod

It is out!

[DusT_HounD]

Hey, i posted some impressions of the iOS MH game, DYNAMIC HUNTING, in the game's thread:

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=95870&page=9

[iNexus]

no capcom gonna **** it up bcuz they r shyt