role-playing

This game is deffinetly an improvement over the third but it lacks a few things that seperate from the best. For example: Because you can now hold up to 5 monsters on your ranch at a time, you'd think the designers might give you more vs. data slots. But they don't, which means that you can only have one full party of monster's data, plus one monster! Also, when your monster has to be retired, you can't save your vs. data so your stuck with what you have saved in the past.
Training in this game has improved dramatically with the introduction of training gadgets. You can customize your schedule so you don't have to fiddle around with the controls every week like in it's predeccessor.
Once you finish your training you have to go to "weekend activities" and choose to either enter a competition, go adventuring, go to town, or go to the next week.
The all new 3D adventuring in this game is amazing, walk around 4 levels, that you have to unlock as you go through the game, and search for treasures, do goals, or just try and get your monster a new move. You can also unlock the ability to fly, or ride on your monster.
Now about the battles. Your monster can now hold up to 9 moves, plus you can press any button you want, not just the button that's high-lighted, like in MR3. Also, when your monster does a move that annoying black screen, that shows up in MR3, doesn't show up. The second you hit the desired button, unless your monster is disobeying you, the monster does the move. What a relief!
Going to town is also a cool thing. You can go to 4 different towns and talk to people. You can also buy food, and items for your monsters at the item shop. I won't reveal any more of the game, but I will say, this game is deffinetly worth getting!

The game returns to it's former playing style (Rather than following MR-3's style, it's more like MR-1 and 2). The graphics are a nice 3D environment regarding your character, the monsters and the battles. The chat/shop modes are flat anime style drawings, however the characters do have facial expression changes during the appropriate moments of chatting.

Whether you're a seasoned MR breeder or new to the game, the fourth version will be easily playable while still offering challenges for us "old timers". The larger your CD/DVD collection is, the more likely you are to get more monster choices. The game will walk you through "extracting a monster" from your discs. Computer discs, music CD's, DVD's, and game console CD's are read by the game at specific points and will display a monster held within for you to keep or not.

The interface (the yes/no options) are a bit tricky, be careful when clicking through to speed text up as sometimes it will click "yes" when you're not ready and tend to destroy a battle or result in purchasing an item you really weren't ready to spend your money on.

The music is nice, low-key, and fits well with the scenes. The monster models are excellent, very cute. Their animations while training/fighting are well done.

All in all, I love the game despite the minor issues with the interface at times. I am a long time MR player, so I was already hooked before I ripped the plastic off the case. :)

I realy liked this game. I've never played the others but i remember watching the tv show. Everything in this game was great. Except i would of rather like it for the characters to talk so u dont have to read. Also i wish that monsters would stay alive longer cause me i like to get them good leveled up to like 200 b4 batteling. And the main character.... The real mystery is he male or female?.. I would of liked it if they would have had a option of characters to pick from and they put great work in the graphics of the monsters but not so much on the main character. The training gets very very boring but its so freaking addicting I keep traing. I reneted the game and got to the third town but now i cant rent it for a while. :(
But over all a great game but some would rather rent to try out first.