
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
A couple of glaring flaws almost single-handedly doom Freedom Unite
Pros
- Top notch graphics, deep weapon and armour customisation, tons of missions to play through.
Cons
- The camera is horrible and the combat is poorly implemented
Bottom Line
A bona fide overseas phenomenon, the Monster Hunter franchise hasn't really struck gold with American audiences yet, and it doesn't look like Freedom Unite will be changing that fact any time soon. A decent enough RPG adventure, an otherwise fun and addicting title is bogged down by troublesome combat and an unresponsive camera.
-
Price
$ 69.95 (AUD)
While it's relatively unknown franchise to US gamers, the Monster Hunter series is a beast in Japan, regularly selling hundreds of thousands of copies. Freedom Unite is the latest chapter to be released here and it retains the complexity and depth that the series is known for. However, a couple of glaring flaws almost single-handedly doom Freedom Unite and keep it from becoming a true global phenomenon.
Lights, Camera, Action
Huge-flaw number one: the camera. An important crux of any third-person action title is the ability to always be able to interrupt, act and respond to whatever is going on around your character, and in Freedom Unite that is not always the case. The in-game camera is unreliable and flaky which often leaves you vulnerable in battle. It's hard to survive battles with vicious monsters when the camera suddenly collides with a wall, forcing you out of the frame. It's even worse considering the fact that circle-strafe is an almost necessary tactic.
This brings me to my second complaint: the weak combat. I especially hated the absence of lock-on targeting. This simple addition could have made battles manageable and fun. Without it, engagements that are already made difficult due to the wonky camera become even tougher, especially when you go up against the more agile beasts.
United We Stand
While those are really the only two major gripes one can find with the game (besides long load-times), they keep the game from realising its potential. Freedom Unite has some of the best graphics on the PSP, and the character and monster animation is top-notch. There are over 400 missions, which is insanely impressive and the depth of the weapon and armour customisation is ridiculously.
But in the end, all that content feels kind of wasted due to the horrible camera and lacklustre combat. It's like taking a delicious steak and drowning it in a foul smelling sauce; sure, you can get a few good bites here and there but for more most part, you're too busy holding your nose to truly enjoy yourself.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Miofive 4K Dash Cam review: This friendly road watcher is ‘here for you!’
- 2 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 3 Netgear Nighthawk M5 mobile router review: Probably too expensive, but nice
- 4 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 5 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
Latest News Articles
- This real-life “aimbot” uses a physical mouse to cheat at shooting games
- Bethesda’s classic Elder Scrolls games arrive on Steam—for free
- We tested 22 different RPGs on the Steam Deck
- Steam Deck’s first major update adds a lock screen, Windows 11 support
- Sony is getting serious about bringing more PlayStation games to the PC
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- 100 Great PC Games You Should Play Before You Die
- Best Click Frenzy mobile and Internet plan deals
- Microsoft’s iconic browser Internet Explorer is being killed off in June
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies