Monster Farm 2

Are you looking for a game that definitely isn’t playing as a Pokémon breeder but still wanting to kind of be a Pokémon breeder? Well Tecmo’s Monster Farm 2 is the game for you. Play as a trainer of unholy abominations that you can raise to do your bidding.

Gameplay

Although less of a game and more of a casual learning experience, Monster Farm focuses on the multiple aspects included in ranch work from breeding, raising, fighting and collecting. You play as the trainer, whos name you can choose, you never speak, all the dialogue is handled by your assistant Colt and her pet toucan. You are still able to select your actions, which show up in a multiple choice option menu.

The story isn’t the main focal or driving point, the game progresses when certain milestones and requirements are met. The primary goals for the player are the tournaments, of which four are held throughout the year, where they can earn fame, money and items and higher ranks which in turn, allow the player to take part in higher level tournaments. Rinse and repeat.

Several points occur within the game that allow for new monster types for you to raise but there also a feature where you put a random CD in the drive slot and it will create a monster from it. Once you have the monster, it’s up to you to learn all about it through trial and error, to develop a better trainer-monster relationship.

Story

As I stated earlier, the story is not the focal point but that’s not to say there isn’t one. Much like Pokémon, you play a monster trainer who has to go through fights and tournaments and then take on the ‘Big Four.’ After that point the player reaches the “Endgame” where the player is shown the history of the monsters. Surprisingly there is even more to it. One the player beats all S class tournaments; they can go on to the championships where it fights other monsters that have also achieved this feat. After the monster reaches a certain rank, it continues on with all its effort culminating in a championship bout between the protagonist of this game and the player of Monster Farm 1. After all that, you still might not have all the monsters as some require different steps to unlock.

The look

This game came out in Europe in the year 2000. Yet I must be honest, the graphics are painfully poor in comparison to games like Super Mario Sunshine that came out only 2 years later. The way the game looks is not where it shines but that’s okay, it’s still got a lot of charm that endears it to the player.

Pros

• Relaxing game
• Decent monster type selection

Cons

• Graphics haven’t aged well
• Lacks engaging story

Monster Farm 2, the sequel to Tecmo's monsterraising RPG (released as Monster Rancher in the U.S.), should be out in Japan by the time you read this. The premise is simple: You create monsters by using music CDs and battle them to climb the ladder to become the world's best trainer. There are over 300 total, both "good" and "evil," and you can train them by making them run, swim or meditate, or earn money by playing minigames via the PocketStation. Tecmo is planning a nationwide tournament and animated series for Japan.