In which we force adorable creatures to fight for our amusement- Let's Play Monster Rancher 2!

Yes of course.

Jesus Christ, that thing is horrifying!

Hey now, don't talk about my darling Henry like that. Give him time, he'll grow on you. Like a tumor!

I actually think Henry is adorable :3

I think he's ugly-cute. Y'know?

Y'know, whatever happened to the Monster Rancher series? I remember it having a bunch of PS2 sequels and some handheld spin offs, but things seemed to fizzle out after that.

I'm not really sure, to be honest. I remember 4 being pretty good, and I know there was a DS game I never played. I guess the series is still alive in DS-land, but I'm a miserable old bat who prefers the older games.

There's one for the DS? Adding to my wishlist.

Yep! It uses drawings on the touchscreen instead of CDs to create monsters.

I feel like the newer MR games I've played (4, EVO) are less simulation and more actual RPG. They have, y'know... plot and stuff. It's like how the newer Pokemon games put storyline front and center and the nonlinear explanation aspects on the backburner. I suppose it's nice to have actual characters and storyline and such, but I kind of miss the freedom of the old days.

It's a double-edged sword indeed. I like the addition of plot to the pokemon games, but I do miss being able to just collect badges and not have to worry about saving the world.

By the way Tallulah, are you playing this on a console or emulator? I'm trying to use a ps emulator for the first time and have no idea what I'm doing.

It's an emulator. My PS1 died a while back, sadly enough. Which emulator are you trying to use?

HEY TALLY, i am just gonna call you tally ho now
HEY TALLY HO how did you get this to work if you're using an emulator? My game won't recognize when I "insert disk" to get a monster. :<

Epsxe 1.70.

I can get the game running now, but I'm having trouble loading other isos to get me monsters from the Shrine.

Edit: Also, I just noticed my Monster Rancher is a .iso, whereas all the others are CDD, which I suspect is where the issue is coming from. On a related note, I have no idea how to run CDDs at all.

I use psX, and most of my CD images are .iso or .bin. I've never had any trouble with it, which may be due to the way the emulator is designed. For example, NO$GBA is a DS emulator that has trouble rendering certain graphics- like most of the scenery in a Pokemon game- but DeSmeME has no trouble. I tend to switch back and forth depending on the game.

i love you tally ho

i feel like i'm going to be typing that a lot

You should delete that post, man.
Ely, he's watching from the shadows...
hurry

I take it back. I would never contribute to the proliferation of ROMs in a desperate attempt to keep older game series alive. I would certainly never do this upon request, I would never provide recommendations for anyone interested in a bit of retro gaming and I absolutely would not give you e-hugs for showing interest.

Yes.

There you go, bby.
yer learnin.

[Sneak +5]

....A Monster Rancher LP. Someone's doing a Monster Rancher LP. To borrow a meme from Elyscape...

YESSSSSSS

Monster Rancher is, by far, my favorite series in the "Raise a monster and have them fight other monsters" genre. I've never had a chance to play any of the titles before MR4, but oh, would I love to at some point.

...Will.. will you consider playing the other games in the series at some point?

Welcome to the thread, fellow rancher!

Once Henry Blobber is a wormy being of destruction, I'd be thrilled to follow up with the other games if people want to see more. :]

Oooh! In that case, can I request we get a Durahan at some point? Or... it may be cliche given my username, but what about a Dragon... or maybe a Tiger... Hmm... didn't Mayas appear in 2? Oooh.... Hengars....

You know what. The only real answer to "What monsters should we get" is "All of them." Speaking seriously, there's some really neat monster designs in the series, even before you get into the mixed-breeds.

That said... how does one get some of the unique disk-based monsters nowadays? Back in the 90's, the idea of getting monsters from CD's was cool... Now? It's more of a pain than anything. I seem to recall that EVO (and maybe 4) had an endgame dungeon that allowed you to get some of the rare monsters without needing a specific disk. Is this a thing in the older titles as well?

FROM BUST A GROOVE, I HAVE SPAWNED......



MELINDA.

As far as I know discs are the only (legit) way to get the special disc monsters in the older games, but I've never been too concerned with them aside from novelty so I might have missed something. There aren't really dungeons in the old games anyway. Instead, an explorer will show up and offer to take your monster on expeditions where they will occasionally find objects, like a Phoenix feather or Strong Glue, that can be used to make certain rare monsters. They also find medicinal marijuana herbs and other things. There aren't any battles as far as I remember.

As far as monsters go...

And so all my problems are solved. You are a Goddess. A Monster Ranching Goddess.

Also, I just wanted to point out that I love the fact that the series mascot is Suezo. I mean, seriously, their answer to Pikachu is this crazy motherfucker:

Suezo is the best. How does it exist? How does its mouth fit in with its eyeball? Where are its organs? Where is its body?

Laws of nature? SUEZO DON'T GIVE A FUCK.

Considering Henry Blobber's dismal failures in the areas of pushing and pulling things, Colt and I decided an easier activity was in order.



Running! Every monster can run, right? ...Right?



And run he did, scrambling about the course like a newborn chick. Joy watched over him, one steely eye trained on his flailing legs and the other at the look of pained exertion on his face. Joy seemed almost as if he were smiling.



He made it!





And here's our gains screen, finally. It may not look like much, but champions have been made out of less.

He's the best they come. Nobody's going to keep him down.

Oh, I'd like to note that there's a tournament on the third week of next month. As I post the updates leading up to it, think about whether or not Henry should compete!

For the last drill of the month, Colt and I chose... this.



This is supposed to raise his defense somehow. I'm not sure how, but his body is made of jelly so he'll probably survive if something goes wrong. Probably.

I caught Joy trying to peep in through one of the log-holes. That bird is getting a sadistic streak. I wonder where he got it from?



Wha- Joy! You get off that log right now!



Despite Joy's best efforts to ride that log to monster-punching glory, Henry survived. After allowing him a few moments to re-configure his mass into something resembling a monster instead of a plate of Japanese pudding, we declared this drill a success!



Ah, the sweet smell of numbers going up.



It's feeding time again! I put some potatoes in his shack barn like last month, but when a turned around for a moment they disappeared. I guess Henry's a fast eater! He was nowhere nearby at the time and Joy was looking awfully satisfied, though...



Stop doing that!

I cannot even raise a dog properly. I have no idea how to properly raise a Henry.

Henry's been looking kind of stressed for the past few days, so I decided to let him take a break. We locked him in the barn and played smooth jazz through the window for a week. He seems okay now, if a little...



...off.

So is Henry actually three seperate monsters? Oh god, is this a human centipede thing

He's referred to in singular terms, and is usually shown as one continuous being despite apparently having three segments, so... yes.

Oh god, why'd you have to remind me of that movie *shudder*

But yeah, Henry's species, the Color Pandora (or Koropendora), is actually three monsters. In every game past 2, however, they tend to be split into separate segments by default, only joining together for certain training methods and attacks.

Having soldered Henry back together after he twisted himself to pieces, we placed him back on the drill field and gave him a cart to pull. He's been doing much better recently; I'm sure he can handle it!





Henry approaches the hill that gave him so much trouble last time. Colt and I watch, holding each other in fear and anticipation.



Sweat pours down his gooey back as his constantly-undulating body struggles to make the climb. Joy crows out things which are likely unflattering in bird-language, insulting his family and friends. Henry tried to shut him out. A tear rolls down his tiny cheek, but he's concentrating too hard to wipe it away.



Henry bit back the pain and prevailed, and Colt and I did a joyous dance in celebration.

And now, my darling ranchers, we come to a decision point! This week is the aforementioned tournament.



Do we enter it, or let the opportunity pass us by?

Here are Henry Blobber's current stats:



Time to vote! Do we go for fame and glory, or hold off until later?

Hm... that stat distribution isn't too bad looking (At least for an E rank tourney)... What attacks does he have?

Tail Swing and Face Attack. Both use power, unfortunately.

>:( I'm extremely disappointed in Henry's lack of power. I think he'd be a goner in the tournament.