Ridiculously Difficult Games, #1: Monster Hunter Freedom

Some of may be thinking, “lolwut”. But... YES. Monster Hunter isn't exactly notorious for being difficult, but anyone who has played Monster Hunter Freedom for the PSP knows exactly what I'm talking about. Nobody short of an absolute pro can beat all the missions in this game. If you don't know what Monster Hunter is, it's essentially an action-RPG. A large part of the game is dedicated to gathering. Items and materials can either be obtained from the environment, or dead monsters. Basically, things you get from the environment make potions (health, stamina, etc.), and things you get from dead monsters make weapons and armor. The problem is killing these monsters. Monster Hunter does not have a camera that follows you around; you have to either constantly center it with a push of the L-trigger, or pan it around the way you want with the D-Pad. During fights with large, terrifying monsters such as wyverns or even dragons, camera control becomes a NECESSITY. And yet... you don't have it. What I did was run about with the analog stick (holding the R-trigger to sprint; it's necessary to survive) while controlling the D-Pad with my left index finger (same hand used for analog stick). Not very comfortable. You WILL get hit by monsters many, many times. When this happens, you are sent sprawling across the area; you always, ALWAYS land facing away from the monster, at which point the camera inexplicably LOCKS. You cannot turn the camera while down OR while getting up (which is not a quick process), and so you can only imagine what the monster is about to do to you. If you're a good player and have already memorized the monster's attack patterns after 320947239048 failed missions, then you may know what you're doing and roll out of the way as soon as you get up, which usually works with slower monsters.

Yeah... anyway, it's a pretty good game, so I would recommend it. I have put well over 100 hours into it, and I'm still not finished (although it's been quite a while since I played it). If you're ready for deep customization, a steep learning curve, and frequent frustration, then Monster Hunter Freedom is the game for you. Once I get back into the game, I may even write a review of it sometime.