Hey guys. I'm a new member here and decided I'd post here first as I have some suggestions for Tecmo to improve the MR series and perhaps open it up to a bigger audience. So, here we go:

1. I have never been able to beat any of the monster rancher games (the 2 or so I've actually played)without having to go through 2-3 monsters. I find this rather unappealing. I just get attached to my monster, then it dies on me and I have to start all over again. I believe this is the main reason MR has never done great. I'm saying scrap them dieing altogether, but make it take longer for them to die, maybe 6 years as apposed to 3-4 like normal.

2. I have found all the MR games I have played to be extremely challenging, and apparently I've played the easy ones(MR3, MRA, MRA2). Honestly, I believe the should put in difficulty levels.(sounds kind of weird for the type of game this is, lol) This way, the hardcore fans will still be able to play, but newcomers will be able to pick it and pla and be challenged, but newcomers will be able to play through, too. This would help get more people into MR as well.

3. More Monsters! In MRA2, there were over 500 monsters, unfortunately, though, most were just recolors, and many monsters breeds were missing. I would love to see every monster made so far in the next MR game as well as many sub-breeds (over 10). This should get a good amount of monsters. IMO, some could be recolors, but original looking ones (added body parts/clothes/etc) should be in it as well, probably taking up at least half the sub-breeds, if not more. It would most likely be alot of work for the modellers, but it would be worth it.

4. More RPG elements. This is the other thing I believe MR needs more of. I love playing MR3, but I don't really have a reason to raise my monster besides to just "be the best", which IMO, was boring. Apparently EVO did this, but it was done badly. I don't want anything taken out of the game if RPG elements are put in, just added. I would like:
-A decent story (beating Moo, etc)
-An Overworld with my character, where is it basicly like exploration, but forever. (stuff harder to find, though, of course)In other words, a regular RPG-like Overworld
-Keep a training area/farm (could be a set up campsite, since in an RPG, you would be traveling alot
-Keep training as in MRA2 or MR3
-Towns and cities (I would love to learn more about the MR world)
-No Calendar, instead tournaments could be worked into the storyline, and how you make money.
-Techniques are taught like they are in MR3/Battles as in MR3
-Cell-shaded graphics? (appeals to younger audiences as well as to me, haha)...I love the cartoon-ish style

That was longer than I expected....lol
Anyway, that's about it. I would really like a full-fledged quality MR RPG from Tecmo. I believe it would do very well.

Dang, I forget the most important thing. -_-
5. Add Wifi and keep accessories. I loved accessories and you could show them off in Wifi. Wifi could consist of mingames against others as well as battles or even tournaments. Trading coul be done as well (with items).

1) I can beat the games with my first monster... now that I know what I'm doing (at least for some). That's part of the point, gotta learn what to do and not to do from experience.

2) Already built into the game... E class, D class, C class, B class, etc.

3) We can agree with this. In the console games they're less just recolors. I don't think we need a lot of new main breeds (maybe 1-2 per new game), just more mixes.

4) I don't want this in a MR game, I want less than the later games actually. A spinoff might be ok.

5) Online compatibility would definitely be a plus.

I think maybe a revamp of the battle system would be key.

1. I'm saying this isn't the way to make a game if your trying to get new people to play. If you make it too hard, then no one except hardcore fans will keep playing.

2. I meant "easy", "normal", "hard", etc. Difficulty modes would have been a much better way of putting it, sorry.

4. Which parts didn't you want? It may just be preference, but if it's done right, it could be a pretty epic game, IMO. I would like at the very least, a good reason behind why I am raising my monster in the first place instead of just "being the best". It gets old the 6th game....
I would love to know more about there world as well, but maybe tht's just personal preference, again. (We could agree to disagree?)

5. Yeah, this would make the game, IMO, especially if it was a console game (as opposed to handhelds), mainly just because of better graphics. XD

1) The games aren't that hard. People shouldn't be able to beat games the first time through, that's too easy.

2) Right, like I said, it's already built into the game through the ranks. That's the point, there's no reason to add an easy, normal or hard. E class is EASY, etc.

4) 3 had waaaaaaaay too much dialogue and too much battling (yup). 4 had cave exploration and I didn't like that much either. Should've stuck to simulated exploration like 1 & 2 and just changed it up to make fresh was done going from 1 to 2. It should be a part of the game, but not the point of the game.

From my perspective the games peeked at the 2nd one. The other games were using more stuff like you are suggesting, and people liked the games less, not more. This ain't pokemon, and it doesn't need to be. The games need to focus more on what they were made to focus on... Monster Ranching.

1. I believe they are. I have never been able to play them very well, and I find myself cursing at how annoying it is at points (my brother as well). I can't figure out why my monters don't live very long(I've checked here), or why I lose matches so easily (400+ speed, great accuracy tech, slow opponent but always missing). This is why I proposed difficulty modes.

2. Those are not what I'm talking about, though. Can you beat the entire game by only being in Rank E? No. The reason t add difficulty modes is to let new players be able to play (or crappy ones like myself) while satisfying the hardcore players as well.

4. I guess we can agree to disagree. I have never played MR2, and I doubt I ever will. I don't want to go spend money on the game just to have it be to hard for me to play through, or be too similar to all the other games, which I believe it is (ignoring smaller details, your still raising the monsters in a farm, training, still has the same regeneration, still has the same story, and your still doing scheduled tournaments. It gets boring after awhile, in my opinion. So, I wouldn't know if MR2 has things I'd like to keep or not, unfortunately.

Also, which "people" are you referring to? Hardcore fans most likely just want to raise their monster and have a challenge. MR3 was apparently easy and MR4 had an overworld, which made it take longer to raise (I assume you did other things in overworld, as it seems there is a schedule for your monster). Correct me if I'm wrong. Finally, I don't see how that makes it any closer to Pokemon tha it is already (which isn't that close). Adding a Story would make it different than Pokemon, since Pokemon barely even has one.

(Sorry for double posting again)
Also, adding overworld wouldn't make it any more Pokemon either. Dragon Quest (I haven't played this, though), Spectrobes, and Digimon all have overworlds, too, and they are all the monster-raising type games.
(I would edit my posts but it seems not possible :( )

I've played MR2 and that's all in my MR experience, and I like the way that it's as difficult as it is. It's
challenging enough so that your very first monster you ever have ( A Zuum in my case) will almost definitely
not get far, unless you're some kind of genius, but as you play on it longer you keep getting progressively
further and better. I can remember thinking the A level monsters impossible to beat, and now I'm heading for
maxxing out a monster. It's by far one of the best games I own(which is out of a lot) if not the best.

Realized there's a typo in my 1. on my first post. I meant "I'm not saying scrap them dying all together,"

Anyway, I never said I wanted it to be so easy that your first monster would beat the entire game, but I don't like how difficult it is now. I do see, though, that you guys really enjoy how hard it is, so dfficulty levels really seem to be a good idea. New players most likely (btw, I'm assuming kids around the age of 10) won't be playing long enough to really get that good, so they would need to make it easier. This, however, would displease current fans. Difficulty levels solve everything.

Also, I think I like the idea of revamping the battle system, however, I honestly don't know what they would change. Tecmo would have to be very careful not to change the original formula they have going now. The battles are what I like best in the MR series.


Haha, I really want to try MR2 now. :X

Yah. I see some of your points, but also since you've yet to play MR1 or MR2, the games that made the series what it is, and have only played the ones that helped to bring the series down then it seems redundant. Everyone here is aware that the newer games are flawed, and everyone here (who has played them) strongly wants newer installations to return to roots. I suggest playing MR1 and/or 2 and seeing how good these games really are. =D

I don't really have the money. I have, though, watched videos and looked up the games and I don't see how they are so much better (besides being more difficult). I think they need to do the opossite if they really want more sales. IMO, all the main MR games are very similar. The newer ones tried to be a little different, but failed at it. I believe the only reason the older games were more successful was because the anime was still around. 10 years later, that won't work anymore. What will is a new game that takes MR to the next level by doing something and doing it well (unlike EVO).

Or they could just have a cartoon and card game, like pokemon, or fail like it is now.

The anime was still around? No one cared about the anime. It was kind of fun for fans of the series, but frankly it had little to do with anything in the games besides the monster names and as far as I know it was never a big hit or anything. Also, I didn't see the anime for the first time until several years after the 2nd MR had come out, so I don't know where you get that idea from. It made have fueled sales for the third one.

The first game pre-dates the crappy cartoon by several years. The second game by several months. Since most of a game's sales are made in the first few days of release, the show had nothing to do with MR1 & MR2's solid success.

MR1 & 2 sold well because they were good games and garnered good reviews. You shouldn't be making assumptions about things you know nothing about.

Actually Lisa Shock, although the first game was released over a year before (and I apolize for that) the second game was released after the anime was and the anime being released does have alot to do with sales whether it effected you or not. It is the reason they have one to begin with, for advertisement. It works with Pokemon and worked with Beyblade (even Bakugan/Yugioh. The only reason I ever knew of MR was because I watched the anime when I was about 8. Young kids bought the game because they saw the anime.

Anyway, can you explain what made the first two games so much better than the rest? I honestly don't get it, they all seem pretty similar to me.

BTW, in the USA it was released after, I believe.

The first game was released in November 1997.

The second game was released on September 4, 1999, but the demo disc and Japanese game had been out since April. We had lots of people playing the Japanese version from its release, including our founder: B. Most of us pre-ordered the game. The game at the time was one of the most pre-ordered games in history -again prior to the cartoon. The cartoon was in the LA market in the second week of September, and started in every other viewing market in October 1999. The critical first three days of MR2's release happened prior to the cartoon hitting the air.

MR2 in particular has a very high difficulty level. Until about six months after release, we did not have good data on the item values. Without that data, the game was extremely difficult to play. It was common at the time to meet people who simply gave up and sold the game because they found it unplayable. Dark Phoenix himself almost trashed his copy, but was lucky enough to find help at our old location.

The first two games were not kid-friendly. Our old location, pre-COPPA, had 50,000+ members and precisely two of them were ten years old. I know one person whose 9-year old daughter played MR1, but, she was very detail oriented and attending school in a gifted-kids program. (several years ahead of the pack in math & science) Kids didn't have the time or patience to play a game that punishes most decisions.

Your assumption that young kids bought the game because they saw the cartoon is wrong. The PSX was still expensive, and the game was a standard MSRP game at $49.99. Little kids didn't start owning the PSX in droves until Sony allowed new, non-GH, games to be sold for less. Most people who bought this game were over the age of 20. We didn't start seeing little kids until right before the PS2 launch, when the PSX was cheap and used copies of MR2 were plentiful.

Remember, you are arguing with people who were adults working in the industry while this was happening.

And, when kids did get the game, most were crushed to discover that MR2 was nothing like the cartoon. They expected it to be a game where the player followed Genki on adventures and fought 'baddies'.

MR2 was a highly anticipated sequel to a popular game. It appealed to strategy and RPG payers. MR3 lost a lot of the fanbase because it dumbed-down the game. None of the sequels, except the DS games, have ever been as complex or difficult as MR2. This is evidenced by the fact that you can play the games without use of a guide and without doing math for each week of a monster's life -and your monster will live.

You should play MR1 & MR2 because all the North American sequels are just shadows of MR2; dumbed down so that the kiddies can play them.

o_o So, are you trying to say the games are for adults? I can't blieve you guys.

I suppose, though, that this is right and is the main reason it isn't selling. Back when games were much harder and and the PSone was expensive, young kids weren't playing many video games. Now, however, they are. MR needs to adjust as well, without making the game too easy or boring.

I still am sorry for trying to argue with something I am not too familiar with. I believe I was 7 when MR came out....

I still don't understand how the cartoon did nothing for sales, especially since that is how every other product with a cartoon that I know of got popular (pokemon, digimon, beyblade, yugioh, bakugan, etc). I suppose it was seen as too similr to pokemon

Young kids have always played videogames, but, the PSX was originally marketed to people aged 26+. The very first kiddie games, a couple of sesame street titles came out in 1998, three years after the system launch.

Since most previous systems used cartridges people weren't used to giving $50 CDs to kids to toss around like toys. They were also used to systems that were solid and could stand being punched, dropped out of windows, etc. A CD-reading laser that could be bumped out of alignment wasn't considered a toy.

Kids had plenty to play on Atari, ColecoVision, NES, Genesis, SNES, N64, etc. Gaming wasn't invented by Sony.

The more recent games, from MR3 onward WERE Tecmo's attempt to cater to children. So, they have already made the adjustment, and kids like you bought some of those adjusted games.

None of us wants the games dumbed down any further. An easier MR:EVO is a fairly terrifying thought.

The cartoon originally aired at 6am. Not too many people saw it. It briefly went into afternoon reruns, then, the company that made it went into bankruptcy -due partly to poor ad revenues from the show. So, some people saw it, but not enough to keep the studio in business for long. Within a year, they closed their doors.

Just because it hasn't been mentioned, I'm aware that after MR2 the games got easier, but was MR2 more
difficult than 1?

Whether MR2 was more difficult than 1 is a matter of opinion, but I thought it was. More than anything it was deeper and more complex than 1, or really just about any game in it's genre. I'm still amazed at all there was to discover in MR2.

Also...

Unless I'm mistaken, the age of your average gamer has gone up over the years, not down. There are more than enough gamers in the 17+ range to support anything you're trying to sell. We live in an age where you can market exclusively to the older teens and adults, and sell millions of copies if you've got a good game. Heck, that's usually the better strategy since older gamers are the ones with more money to spend.

Especially since many gamers below the mentioned 17+ range usually want what the older gamers find cool at the time, rather than something 'dumbed down' for a younger audience.

I want a US version of the DS games...
I was able to play through Monster Farm DS and beat the game...
thanks to all the hard work and info on this site...!!
I am thinking about getting MF DS 2 off of E-bay...
but I wish they would just release a US version...!!

Mehhh... I wish they would have released the DS games here too, but I guess it would have lost them money.
BTW, I quit arguing. You obviously know more than me so I want change your mind, but I never said I wanted a dumbed down version of EVO. It would be horrible. Read more carefully next time, please.

Pichuscute - you have to understand that it's the demand from players exactly like you that led to the Monster Rancher games getting easier and less complex, and to most people here, less fun. We read your post and find your qualms about the earlier Monster Rancher games to be exactly what we liked about them. Most of everything you suggested was actually implemented by Tecmo I believe in Monster Ranchers 3 and higher (I only played 3 though and was frustrated at how disgusting and dumbed down it was so I'm not 100% sure) and those are the games that drained their profits according to Lisa.

As for them releasing the DS game, I don't care how fun it would be, I'd rather Tecmo not lose money so that a couple of us could be satisfied. I'm happy with Monster Rancher 2 - that game is endless amounts of fun. Rediscovering it with my girlfriend, and finally unlocking Beaclon and maxing out my first monster, has been such a hugely nerdy and fun experience.

I have Monster Rancher 3.... Nothing I suggested was in it. :\

I see that you guys liked different parts of the games than I did. I understand :). I was just trying to explain myself is all (and did a horrible job at it).

I agree with what you said about the DS games, too.

Oh, and sorry for sounding so rude in that last post. I tried to make it as short as possible since I was posting from my Wii. It takes forever. XD

In my own opinion, an MR with a slightly higher RPG undertone wouldn’t be a bad thing. However it would have to be limited in a way that didn’t take away from the main point of the game, Raising Monsters. MR4 did try and do this very thing but they over emphasized the RPG part...the 3rd person setup idea should have been Tecmo's first clue of going too far. It removed the focus from you as the breeder over to some guy making a bad fashion statement.

The challenge with a game like this, is that Sim and RPG elements do not work together all that well, as RPG setups can very easily overtake or dum-down the Sim experience, as we've seen to are own dismay. The key thing to learn here for Tecmo is that a little RPG element in a Sim goes a very LONG way.

Now, MR 1&2 did have some very minor RPG elements in the form of the expeditions which one could say was a peek into the larger MR world however small it was. Also it gave a look into the history of that world while finding artifacts to unlock ever more powerful monsters. So, the main reason MR 1&2 were successful is the main aspect of the game wasn't diluted or overtaken by the RPG elements within it.

I suppose it's just me, then. I would like less SIM and more RPG, mainly because I prefer RPG's. Never thought of MR as a SIM dispite it obviously being one. I feel pretty dumb now. It also always bothers me when games never say much about their setting's. (Why I like Metroid).

I suppose I'll have to buy MR2 at some point

I think the reason why you arguing is because you never played MR1 and 2.

Go to MR3 or beyond from MR1 and 2 and you will see that a lot of the SIM was taken out with rpg elements trying to take their place.

Games are already too easy in today's market, MR was difficult and made you work for something. You had to plot out your next move in a battle, or possibly take a high risk and try to win it all!

It wasn't just a sit down and explore and have a lighthearted time sort of game, it could be if you wanted it to but you wouldn't get far, it was a stratedgy sim that kicked your butt if you didn't think out your actions. We loved that!

Also a question, from the sound of your texts it seems that you don't breed your monsters, you just try from scratch each time. That is a major part of the game and a reason why it may be hard for you. Monsters that are bred together retain some of the stats and techniques that their parents had, making the first few steps in the battle tiers all the easier.

Many of us would breed 12 Seperate monster to get a really well thought out and working 3rd gen monster with good starting stats and abilities! If you can beat the game with your first or second monster...well a lot of the replayability is lost. You beat it all with your first monster and then you just move on because there's nothing left to do.

That's why MR2 is still an epic masterpiece to this day, at any point you could pick it up and the experience will always be a different, the possibilities are near endless!

Now that MRDS is coming out hopefully you will get a taste for what the game used to be like. Try to keep an open mind, and don't get put off by the difficulty, it makes it all the better when you actually succeed!

*Raises Glass*
Here's to my 3rd Gen Purple Worm who saw me through all the tough times of MR2, may you someday return to me in a different installment.