monster hunter was completely out of favor when the first one was the only one available. i remember gamespot did an unnecessarily lackluster review of it saying it was a game about cavemen or some shit, but to this day, I don't think any game I've played tops the experience I've had playing MH. maybe I'm just attracted to underdog games, as I'm also a fan of Ephemeral Fantasia and Shadow Madness (which was given to me for free because my friend hated it). I even liked Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.
but Monster Hunter was a unique experience, that can't be denied. it tried to put realistic motives into a fantasy world, and instead of magic and shit, you were just a hunter whose job was to hunt monsters in order to be able to survive, simple as that. it was cut and clean, and on top of that charming aspect (imo) it had a diverse variety of weapons and armor that you can custom build by carving the hides of fallen monsters. it was just really nifty and it's my favorite game to this day. also the online play was tons of fun, which is absent from Freedom. it's a shame, really, but what's worse is that japan already has monster hunter 3 on top of all the spin-offs and we have MH1 and two Freedoms. I just want MH2, man, what the hell capcom!?!?!
but yeah, get that.