Hey kids, remember Monster Rancher? It's back, in dual screen form. The monster collecting series has been around since the PSX days and has built a cult following, but never really had the same level of success as its competitors. But now Tecmo is bringing the game back. Or rather, it brought the game back in Japan nearly a year and a half ago, and it's finally porting it to the US.
"In the mid 90’s, gaming saw a huge influx of games about raising monsters and battling them. Whether it was for personal gain or the fate of the world, monsters were everywhere. Amongst all the clones, three franchises stood out." - Nathan Petrillo of Leviathyn.com
Remembered playing it, though I got scared of the one eyed yellow guy.
You mean Suezo? He was pretty crazy with trademark spit attack. What really made me laugh was one of the monsters who was a wolf but called Tiger that shoots a lightning bolt called Torpedo.......
Ah good times. One of the smartest elements they had in the game was putting your monsters to work. The mini scenes that would play as they show them on the job (especially if they failed) were hilarious....
When My Jell like monster died (his name was "Dumb"), it was the First time in gaming where I actually felt sad on an emotional level.
Bring this back please.
I'd imagine they could bring back the old ones with GAIKAI. :)
Enjoyed the tv show as a kid. I never really saw the games in any stores though when i was a kid. I would've picked it up if i had seen one.
Denkiphile writes: "So far, we’ve gotten some good games on the 3DS already, such as Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Dream Trigger 3D (okay, that one isn’t as unanimous). But they really don’t do much other than showcase the 3D capabilities of the system. What about the other possibilities? Such as the gyroscope or dual camera? The’re really only implemented in some minigames so far. We can’t help but wonder what classic game franchises would realy benefit from these new features! We do have five in mind that would really take advantage of the 3DS though!"
GameSpot writes: "Once upon a time, Monster Rancher games practically rained from the sky. But since 2006's Monster Rancher EVO, the steady outpouring of games in Tecmo's prolific franchise dried up for Western audiences. At long last, you can head back to the ranch with Monster Rancher DS. This new entry doesn't tinker much with the core mechanics of the earlier games in the series, resulting in a game with solid fundamentals that also feels dated and unremarkable by today's standards. Coupled with graphics that look like they belong in a game from 10 years ago, this new entry feels too old fashioned to really impress new players. But while it lacks a wow factor, the business of training monsters can still be absorbing and rewarding for those with patience who aren't looking for too much challenge or action".
