System: Playstation 2
Official Site: Official Website (Japanese)
Flagship Monster: Kushala Daora
Generation: Second
Monster First Appearing in This Game: Anteka, Blango, Blangonga, Bulldrome, Ceanataur, Chameleos, Conga, Congalala, Daimyo Hermitaur, Great Thunderbug, Hermitaur, Kushala Daora, Lunastra, Popo, Rajang, Remobra, Shen Gaoren, Shogun Ceanataur, Teostra, White Fatalis, Yama Tsukami.
Monster Hunter 2 is the sequel of Monster Hunter. It was only released in Japan because the Monster Hunter series had only a small cult following elsewhere in the world, while being huge in Japan. New features include day and night changes, seasons, new monsters and new weapon types. Some of the new features carried over to its international portable installment and some leftovers of Monster Hunter 2 were later found in MHF2's English expansion, such as Yama Tsukami.
New Features
- Able to use items while SNS is unsheathed.
- Several combinations for the same combination result.
- Some online items and ores from MH1 are available offline in MH2 (dragonite and firestone for example).
- New Village (Jumbo Village).
- New Town (Dondruma Town).
- New Shops (such as the Combining shop, etc.).
- Able to mine at the village cave by giving the miner pickaxes.
- Minigames are added exclusively to the MH2 Village (Arm wrestling and Drinking).
- Day and Night conditions affect specific enemy placement.
- Player can pause the game (offline only).
- Able to combine 3 items.
- New Training school exclusive to the MH2 village.
- New weapon upgrades and classes.
- New armor improve system.
- 1st Generation areas are now remade into 2nd Generation variants.
- Additional areas are added (1st Tower, 2nd Tower and the Town area).
- New Offline/Online Monsters.
- Subquest objectives added to quests.
- Upgradable hunter's house in Jumbo village.
- Hunters can fish in the village.
- Online-only versus mode (players hunt each other's monsters).
- Real-time flow of day/night and season cycles.
- USB connectivity with Monster Hunter Portable to unlock Yian Garuga for both MH2 and MHP.
- New slot system to add skill point decorations to armor and weapons.
- WANTED board offering increased payment for fulfilling WANTED conditions during quests.
- The ability to name/label your registered armor sets.
Release
Monster Hunter 2 did not see a North American release. However, Monster Hunter Freedom 2, an expansion of Monster Hunter 2, was able to make it to American shores.Characters
Jumbo Village Chief: A middle-aged Wyverian with a backpack of brushes and scrolls. He provides Urgent Quests and travels around the village recording activities.Crane Operator: A portly human who controls a wheelturn pulley crane. He offers hunters non-quest food items for the Felyne Kitchen by beating him at arm wrestling.
Pink Dress Wyverian: A tall, beautiful lady seen walking around the village. She provides Urgent Quests and a drinking game available only at night.
Female Blacksmith: An short, elderly Wyverian who forges weapons and armor. As the game progresses, she gains two apprentices and gives hunters the chance to meet the Legendary Blacksmith.
Legendary Blacksmith: An short, elderly Wyverian who appear in the fully build armor shop. Providing an rare weapons & armours.
Bulter Felyne: A Tuxedo wearing Felyne appeared in the Hunter's home. Providing the early Felyne kitchen to the game.
Barber Felyne: A Felyne with an Afro & Shades, he randomly appear checking the hunter's item box. Providing the Hunter with various Hairstyles.
Trivia
There is no Kitchen in this game, but there is a Felyne who performs a similar function to the Felyne kitchen. It only cooks if you provide 2 non-quest consumable food, which you received from quest, win the minigames, or the upgraded town shops to get the status effect like any Felyne kitchen in the game.The Day and Night switch happens in how long you stay in the village or previous quest. In town, there is a clock that guides on the coming day or night. Any Quest changes on which time you depart.
There are 3 seasons which changes every few times, the Breeding seaons, Hot seasons and Cold seasons. the hot season stops any quest involving the desert while cold season stops any cold mountain quests. And any quest affects the monsters location and gathering items in any of those seasons.
Kirin and Lao-Shan Lung became available offline, as Shen Gaoren, Azure Lao-Shan Lung, Rajang, Crimson Fatalis and White Fatalis are online exclusives. Fatalis also remains as an online-exclusive in this game.
