I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say that video games can lose their replay value at times. I've always have, and always will enjoy the Monster Rancher series, as it it a part of my youth and brings forth nostalgia, but I sometimes lose the want to play it. I was wondering what others here at the MRM do to keep enjoying Monster Rancher. For me, it used to be getting rare monsters, but now... I'm just not sure where that spark went.

The main thing that keeps folks going is the need to do things -better-. However, there comes a point you are doing the best you can...

Some folks like to try every monster type. (I am definitely not one of those...) By trying out every monster, you can discover new subtleties to the game.One of the greatest aspects of MRA2 was that you pretty much -had- to raise a monster of every type in order to fill out your book.

In mymind, as long as I have goals, I will play.

I know what you mean... Goals can be the one thing that keeps you playing a game. I'm going to get myself a nice little list for my new game (300 cards being one... =D) and see where that gets me. Thanks Thorr, you helped me out with that post.

Sometimes with and MR game, you get to be lucky, and be at the forefront when it comes to discovery. That's a great way to keep going. When MRA2 hit the US, Thorr and I were right there, and we fed off each other, as well as the feedback from people here.

Only a few people ever get that kind of great incentive. However there are ways to reach something similar by picking a specialty, or playing your own game. If you decide to become the best Garu breeder around, then you carve a niche, and probably take it farther than anyone who was playing for the wider scope of a game.

Little goals every day help with playing. MRA2 is one of the best designed MR games in that respect, because your little goals lead to bigger ones, as you trigger events. Raising a monster almost always leads you into another monster.

Lastly there's the community contribution aspect. Being able to find a project you can sit down and work on for a site like this leads to a lot of satisfaction. Everyone has a little librarian and bookworm in them.

With regard to MR2 though, many of those goals are hard to come by. MR2 is the most played and researched MR game of them all. There have been hundreds of people studying it and writing about it over the years. It was the most popular and most widely sold MR game, and it's the one we know the most about. So you're not really going to ever discover anything new.

So my advice is to play your own kind of game. Make a strange goal, or try and duplicate something only a few people have done. MR2 was one of my favorites for the simple fact that Lifespan was so elastic. It's the big downfall of the GBA versions that there's no death, and lifespans are pretty consistent across all breeds. MR2 let you kill monsters in months, or get them to live for nearly a decade and a half.

My dream MR game would combine the elastic lifespans of MR2 with the multigenerational breeding of MRA2. There are bits and pieces I would take from every MR game, but the best MR game would have to have most things drawn from those two games, since they are the best we have.

Hey look. This is me babbling at 4am. No one knows why.

Hey.
i started playing monster rancher again resently.
what keeps me going is i havent got all the main breeds just got bajarl and wracky today.
i have yet to make all 6 stats my best monster is
Arrowhead/Arrowhead name: Hoss delgoto
1st gen.
LIF: 999
PWR: 999
INT: 134
SKI: 999
SPD: 184
DEF: 999
Total: 4314!!

the closest to that i have had was a Colorpandor/jell.

it didnt even reach the 3000 mark.
so i have realy gotten back into the game because i wanna get high stats and wanna get those techs.
im stuggling to get bloodsuction for arrowhead.
can someone plz tel me how.

(kinda old topic, but not as much as the ones in EVO...)
@mean2you: Check GameFaqs.

Hmm...what keeps me going in MR2 is how well I can raise my monsters and the dream of getting maxed out someday. I may not be the worst trainer like I had the potential to be 5 years ago, but I'm pale in comparison to the moderators here.

What I'd cut and paste into another MR game:
A2: what GoldenBoy said, and "allegedly" immortal monsters.
2: the many possibilities of blah and blah.
EVO: Circus performances (or at least the core of the training method itself). Really, it's fun to keep those stats going without having to constantly reset from your monster's $#!+%* misdeed and actually control the FULL outcome of the training itself, along with more than just 2 raised stats per session (you raise all of 'em)!

Coming from a person who hasn't played any MR game in months.