Monster Rancher

by Tecmo

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SW3J
• Item Weight: 8 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 10, 1998
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,228 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

There are usually one or two games per year that defy classification. These original games sometimes break through and do very well, although more often than not, they fade into the background and slide into the category of "sleeper hit." Monster Rancher most definitely falls into this group of games.

The premise of Monster Rancher is simple. Picture that old Barcode Battler toy merged with a Tamagotchi, except instead of cutting out and saving barcodes to generate monsters, Monster Rancher reads a small segment of any CD and uses the data to generate a fighting monster. Some CDs will yield giant golems or dragons, while others will give you palsy little eye creatures and other not-so-impressive beasts. After creating a monster, you must train it to fight in the ring. You control every aspect of the monster's training from diet to what stats it will be striving to increase. Monsters can be frozen for later use, or even combined with other monsters to form hybrid beasts with multiple powers. The point of the game is to become the greatest monster breeder around, and there are rankings and other stats that will clue you in as to how well you're doing.

Most of Monster Rancher is menu-based, with the exception of the fights themselves. There are two different options for fighting, each with its own benefits. Beginning players will want to let the monster fight all by himself, with no input from the player. This makes the game more stat-based, with a liberal amount of luck sprinkled on. If you choose to control the monster, fighting can be very difficult, but it's also possible to win fights against higher-class monsters, if you get good at it. The control in the fights is a bit flaky and not quite what you'd expect. The L1 and R1 buttons move your monster back and forth in the ring. The D-pad and buttons are used to select attacks from a menu in real time.

Graphically, Monster Rancher is pretty good. The monsters are very animated, showing pain, joy, and confusion. The sound is decent, but the looks and sounds of Monster Rancher are easily overshadowed by its superaddictive gameplay. If it sucks you in, you'll lose weeks of time. You'll actually feel a loss if (and when) your star monster passes on. You might start to relate better to your monster than to actual people.

Monster Rancher isn't for everyone. If you've got a large collection of CDs, and the patience to sift through them, trying to find a worthy beast, then run out and buy MR right this second. If you like a little more action in your gaming, then you might want to skip Monster Rancher. --Jeff Gerstmann
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Product Description

This is the game Monster Rancher for the Playstation 1. This game may not come with the original case and instructions. We stand by our products and offer a 60 day guarantee. If a game does not work within 60 days from the time you receive it we will gladly exchange it for you.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raising a Monster on this game provides hours of fun, April 17, 2002

By 

ffootballguru27 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monster Rancher (Video Game)

Monster Rancher for the Playstation is a great game. You pick what type of monster you want to have, give it a name then start with the fun part. You train it in many different activities to improve speed, agility and HP points that help them in battles to win and stay alive. Then every couple of weeks there will be battles you are able to compete in with money prizes. You need to use some of the money to buy food for your monster. It usually likes a certain kind of food. If it likes you, the food your are giving it and the amount of training you're doing it will be happy and glad to listen to you. But sometimes with the wrong food or not resting your monster enough it won't listen to you during battles or training. If your monster does good enough in battles in certain areas it will gain new, stronger moves which bring the opponent's HP way down. This a must-have game for any PS owner.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man this Game ROCKS, February 22, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Monster Rancher (Video Game)

okay so most people hate it because they have a new game now and the fad has passed but you gotta admit breading and raising a monster is fun. Then they added battling that makes it more fun and sets a high but acheiveable goal for you . I'd buy it but I'd buy it used and save...

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pokemon eat your heart out!, November 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Monster Rancher (Video Game)

That's right you heard me, this game is better than Pokemon. I have both games, so don't think I don't know what I'm talking about. If you liked Pokemon, than you will love this game. Even if you never played or if you hate Pokemon, you will probably love this game. It's great for all ages and it is so addictive. You create monsters (that's right create, not find) by placing different cds in at a certain time. You can use any cds, whether it's a video game, computer, music, or dvd (Hint: multi-cd games or sets usually make pure monsters). You can then take your monster and train him to fight in battles. If you get tired of your monster or he dies (yes, they can die if you do not take proper care of them), you can either combine him with another breed to get a different one, or just make a new one. The great thing about this game is the fact that every cd makes a monster. And a cd always makes the same monster, which is great if your trying to get all the breeds. Also, a certain game or music cd will always make that monster. Let me explain so you don't think I'm repeating myself. Tomb Raider 2 makes a rock/rabbit monster. No matter who's copy of Tomb Raider 2 you use, you will always get that monster whether it's yours, your friend's, or even Blockbuster's (this is usually the case but, it sometimes varies, especially with music cds). And there is an almost endless amount of monsters (more than 151!). I'm sending this message out to video game fans all over BUY THIS GAME!