There has been a mixed response to the announcement of Monster Hunter Frontier Online as its not clear whether the game will actually reach the US or Europe. While Monster Hunter is undoubtedly a big brand that has had a fair amount of success in the US and Europe on the Playstation 2, Wii and PSP systems, Monster Hunter Frontier Online was actually released back in 2007 exclusively to Japan on the PC and eventually spread to Hong Kong and Korea before becoming regarded as the weakest of the franchise.

This is clearly another shot from Microsoft at trying to ween more Japanese gamers onto the Xbox 360 which isn’t a bad decision but whether anyone will care about a PC port that will surely feel dated by today’s standards is yet to be seen. No doubt there will be many gamers in the US and Europe itching to get hold of this game if it does make its way outside of Asia, to these gamers i say, don’t get your hopes up. If Monster Hunter Frontier Online does make it out of Asia then lets hope its not left as an sub-standard PC port.

Check out some Monster Hunter Frontier Online gameplay footage below to see what all the hype is about.

The Screenshots

Searching for hidden Spartans?

New melee animations or finishing moves?

Covenant sure look nastier!

Hint, stealth missions, hint.

Civilian vehicles?

• Official Xbox Magazine – 9.5/10
• Edge Magazine 10/10
• PC Gamer – 90/100
• Games TM – 10/10
• GameAktuall (German) – 91%
• Xbox 360 Gamer – 9/10
• CD-Action (Polish) – 10/10
• Xbox 360 World – 90%

Now, that should put all your doubts to shame. Pre-order Mass Effect 2 now or miss out!

Hands on with the demo

The demo opens with a brief intro that’s a mixture of CGI and traditional animation which gives you some insight into Danes past as a Crusader, battling Saladin’s Saracen troops and possibly slaying innocents. As soon as the intro ends you are seamlessly thrown into combat with multiple enemies and the game takes the chance here to teach you the basics such as light/heavy attacks, blocking and dodging – pretty much the standard fare. After learning the basics and dispatching a couple of waves of enemies whilst avoiding incoming artillery fire from ships off shore, Dante is assassinated. This is where it gets interesting.

After the assassination of Dante you are immediately confronted by Death who damns you to hell for your sins as you would expect, however Dante has other plans and takes up his halberd against Death. This is the first real battle in Dante’s Inferno and where you get chance to really practice with the combat system. After a grueling battle with Death, Dante emerges the victor carrying his new trophy – Deaths scythe. Following the demise of Death you are shown another pre-rendered sequence of Dante repenting for his sins and returning home to find his wife Beatrice has been murdered.

After finding his wife dead Dante is confronted by Lucifer who seduces Beatrice’s soul and takes her to a nearby chapel. Dante rushes to the chapel to confront death (hindered by a couple of battles on the way) only to stumble upon an intimate moment between his wife and Lucifer before gaining his second weapon the Holy Cross (effectively a ranged weapon) and descending into hell.

The rest of the demo takes you through part of the first level of hell, fighting scores of undead and demons alike. The combat in Dante’s Inferno is similar to God of War and Bayonetta but seemed to remind me more of Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox, chaining combos together and being very mobile, all in all providing a very satisfying and fluid feel to the combat. The finishing moves in Dante’s Inferno are initiated by action commands similar to God of War but still manage to seem satisfying and not shallow, plus they are beautifully gruesome.

Towards the end of the demo you are introduced to a new weapon for Dante’s arsenal – magic. The magic spell that you learn in the demo is an ice dash move that isn’t that powerful but can work well when surrounded. This coupled with the range of combos and abilities that are available for Dante to learn as you progress through the game offer a great level of depth that allows you to customize Dante’s fighting style to your preference.

As mentioned earlier Dante’s primary weapon is Death’s scythe. Aside from being an effective weapon the scythe also grants Dante the ability to ‘punish’ or ‘absolve’ enemies, this has an effect on how Dante will progress as the points gained from either are tied to 1 of the 2 separate talent tress that determine which moves and spells Dante will be able to learn as you progress through the game.

Aside from the extremely satisfying combat, Dante’s Inferno is brimming with atmosphere. Dark and broody, Dante’s Inferno provides a very believable version of hell and in some places felt like classic Castlevania – full of atmosphere with a captivating orchestral score. On top of this the graphics are great, no texture pop, a very detailed environment, fantastic character design and moody lighting complete the full package that is Dante’s Inferno. Definitely one to watch.