Monster Rancher EVO

Digital Entertainment News

It’s a refreshing change of direction for the series, and the biggest makeover I’ve ever seen a series undergo without jumping up to a next-generation platform. Well done!

Game Informer

It might be confusing as hell in the beginning, but trial and error will let gamers with perseverance reap some fun rewards. [Jun 2006, p.113]

GameSpy

It keeps everything that fans love about the series and adds more to the experience. Although gamers looking for a deep experience may find the game lacking in some respects, casual gamers looking for a refreshing adventure won't be disappointed.

Worth Playing

What we have here is a game that tries to hit all of the bases and instead misses every last one. It doesn't measure up as a Monster Rancher game, it doesn't measure up as a standalone RPG, and it doesn't measure up as a worthwhile PlayStation 2 title so far into the system's run.

IGN

Trying to grow the concept of the Monster Rancher series is a fine idea, but an unbalanced system of monster upgrades, minimizing the core franchise concept of tournaments and skewing the difficulty level thanks to the "RPG-like" adventure stages isn't the best way to do it.

eToychest

While it is still possible to enjoy the game on its merits, the player can expect to be frustrated by long hours of tedium thanks to the problems with the breeding system.

GameSpot

It's true that the series wasn't gaining a lot of momentum before, but in its new form, Monster Rancher EVO dilutes the basic activities that made Monster Rancher endearing in the first place, and it's not particularly great as an RPG, either.

Cheat Code Central

Monster Rancher EVO may continue to please hardcore fans of the series but it's doubtful that it will recruit many new fans, especially if they've played any of the previous four games.

DarkStation

Neat ability to create monsters from discs, but repetitive gameplay will please only its hardcore fans.

GamingTrend

Unless you have the patience of a monk, you’ll be better off getting one of the previous games in the series and playing that.

Deeko

It offered up an RPG element, a deeper plotline and the chance to take monsters on more interesting adventures; however, it didn't do any of these things WELL and worse than that, it seemed to remove many of the elements that made the originals so damn fun to play.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Monster Rancher Evo would've easily succeded in attempting to build a stronger RPG element, but as it stands, the game just falls short of offering a complete RPG experience. [July 2006, p.75]

TotalPlayStation

Avoid this game like the plague. There's just no reason to even get into the changes that were made because they all deteriorate into needless tedium. Go buy a copy of "MR4" instead; it's infinitely more fun.

Games Radar (in-house)

Even training monsters has become a total chore; you have to set each task manually, instead of being able to set long-term training schedules. This is a de-evolution at best.

Detroit Free Press

This is supposed to be the evolution of the "Monster Rancher" franchise? The latest game in this series feels like a regression.

Eurogamer

The critical requirements of a Monster Rancher title, that monster-raising be streamlined and rewarding, and the RPG sections be challenging and playable, are miserably out of reach for Monster Rancher EVO, with almost every part of the title a confusing, tedious mess that should make the average player ill with boredom.