THE GOOD: Sound effects are very cool and after two hours or so you're totally addicted
THE BAD: One or two minor spelling errors and background music can get annoying if you aren't immune to it.
SUMMARY: Monster Rancher is very addicting and has the best game play of any game I've played for any game console. The battles are so realistic and fun. Once you get the feel of a win you won't want to turn this game off for hours. On the other hand when you lose a monster in battle you'll be fighting in honor of him. Your monsters will soon turn into your best friends and you will love them forever. The monster battle backgrounds are 3-D and the rest is 2-D. Monster breeding is a fun job it will earn money to build your monster and you larger houses. You may give your monster treats which will make him fatter, skinnier, stronger, or smart. Monsters have weakness' and strengths' going by these categories; life, power, defence, skill, intelligence, speed. Your monster will eventually die as all creatures will. No matter how much you hated or loved him you probably will mourn at his death.
I started playing this game after having played MR2. Although it lacks some of the gameplay that is loved in MR2, it still is a good place for a breeder to start. The graphics are pretty good as well as the thought into life as a breeder. Just keep in mind that this did come out before MR2 and that MR2 was designed to be better than MR1. Besides, all sequels are designed to be better than the original....