Monster Rancher makes its long awaited return, though its not as good as I was hoping.

User Rating: 6.5 | Monster Farm DS 2: Yomigaeru! Master Breeder Densetsu DS
By svaubel | Review Date:
Gameplay 5- Being a huge MR fan since the very beginning I find this game hard to understand at times. On one hand, the breeding and training aspect- along with the missions called 'Drills' or 'Errantry' where you go to learn techniques and wander around to aquire items or monster unlocks- is as good as it's ever been. On the other hand, the battling and what you have to do to unlock certain monsters- like Naga, Gali, and Monol- is exceedingly annoying.

Let me elaborate. In tournaments there is a gentle curve in monster stats from E to S that would be familiar to anyone who has played a MR game before; that is, until you run into one of the many rivals or random monsters whose stats are so strong they should be in a tournament ranked one or two levels higher than where they are. For example, the Official A tournament has you fight a person with a Durahan that would be considered a high S rank in terms of stats. Not to mention that to unlock the three monster breeds I listed above, you have to beat special S tourneys, which in past games Naga and Monol were available from the start.

To top this off, we are back to the days of MR2 in that it always seems like your monster hits old age as soon as you start getting up in the ranks with it. While this encourages breeding and combining multiple generations, this trend also gets lame because you have to start over with a new monster every three years or so.

Graphics 8- Solid for a DS game. The models are detailed and well animated, though the battle effects are pretty scant compared to older MR games.

Sound 8- the battle music is mostly the same, rather than having a different theme for each tournament rank. Monster noises return and the menu sound effects are from MR Evo.

Replay Value 8- The game keeps you hooked with the carrot of trying to get the strongest monster possible always dangling in front of you.

Fun Factor 5- Im mixed on this one. Sometimes the game goes well, another other times it feels like it just doesnt like you. Having to battle monsters in tourneys that shouldnt be in that rank is the biggest thing I dont like. Also the game quietly penalizes you if you reset it without quitting (saving) by removing a bunch of hidden points that determine how much of that monster's stuff are passed onto the next generation from combination. Fans will like this game, but there are a few nagging points to watch out for as mentioned.

Final Score- 34/50

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