TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting
The Monster Hunter series of games is crazy popular in Japan -- when a new version comes out, many workers and students will take the day off, just like when a new Halo or Call of Duty title comes out here in the US. And now the series has arrived on iOS thanks to Capcom's new Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting, available on the App Store now for US$4.99.
This version is surprisingly full-featured -- while it doesn't have any RPG leveling elements, it does feature the "kill, loot, and craft" cycle that's made the series so popular. You can hunt down various monsters in the game, loot items of increasing quality from them, and then use those items to make better and better weapons and armor, allowing you to chase and fight more dangerous monsters. Unfortunately, the controls have been tuned for the iPhone, and they're not quite as precise as a controller. The swiping scheme is reminiscent of games like Fruit Ninja and Infinity Blade, but nowhere near as responsive.
Still, especially if you're a fan of the series, Monster Hunter is a nice take on the game, and Dynamic Hunting is a pretty good adaptation made just for the iPhone (Game Center and co-op play are even included). If you know what you're getting into, you can probably decide whether you want it at full price or not. If you're not sure, maybe wait for a sale -- it might be a bit too expensive to jump into a long-running series with this iteration.
