History VideoGame / MonsterRancher

Another thing about ''Monster Rancher'' games? They're hard. ''[[NintendoHard Really]]'' hard. This is partially due to their depth--despite looking fairly simple, there's a ''lot'' that goes on in the background. Due to the legendary difficulty and important mechanics not being told to the player, the series became a cult classic overseas, though it remains fairly popular in Japan. It also had an [[Anime/MonsterRancher anime adaptation]] that ran from 1999-2001.

The series has gained some renown among gamers for its extremely unique means of obtaining monsters. Rather than running out and catching them or raising them to evolve into other creatures, you create monsters from ordinary [=CDs=] and [=DVDs=]. By reading "subcode data" off of [=CDs=], games in the ''Monster Rancher'' franchise create monsters from pretty much any disc you can stuff into your [=PlayStation=]. When the series progressed to the Game Boy Advance, it switched to using "passwords," combinations of letters and numbers. And when the series went to the Nintendo DS, it got ''three'' new methods of monster creation: Sound (by using the DS microphone), drawings (using the DS touchscreen), and, in a nod to the originals, by reading the data found on GBA carts in the DS's GBA slot.

** Just from the original game you had Gallop from Patti Smith's ''Music/{{Horses}}'', Tank from Music/TheClash's ''Combat Rock'' and Gooaall! from Music/{{INXS}}' ''Music/{{Kick}}'', all playing off the album titles. Other monsters play off of the album covers, such as Karaoke (a singing baby) from Music/{{Nirvana}}'s ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'', Geisha from Music/{{Bjork}}'s ''Music/{{Homogenic}}'' (which depicts a geisha on its cover), and Gamer (a spiky metal mask) from Music/QuietRiot's ''Mental Health''.

** There's a handful of titles that will produce unique monsters. Most of the mons produced from these discs often had names that were obvious puns on the title or artist. Just from the original game you had Gallop from Patti Smith's ''Horses'', Tank from Music/TheClash's ''Combat Rock'' and Gooaall! from INXS' ''Kick''.

* StealthPun: Zilla is a [[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} Gorilla Whale mix]].

* FinalDeath: Once your monster dies it's dead for good, though in 1 and 2 you can unlock Ghost, Mock, and Wracky by allowing them to die under certain conditions.

Not to be confused with [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Monster]] ''[[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Hunter]]''. If you should find Hunters on your Ranch, be prepared for some ''intense'' territorial disputes. Also not to be confused with ''VideoGame/MonsterRacers'', which is a racing game, or with ''Videogame/SlimeRancher'' which is about raising slimes.

* DifficultButAwesome:

* TemporaryOnlineContent: The servers of ''My Monster Rancher'' closed on April 29, 2014, so the game is now inaccessible.

* NintendoHard: One of the many common complaints among casual gamers, which reduced the series to [[CultClassic cult status]]. The Advance games, 3, 4, and EVO are slightly easier, but the first two Playstation games and DS are ''merciless.''

** A ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' game disc in MR2 creates a Pixie variant based off series heroine Kasumi, and the ''Film/RushHour'' soundtrack gives a "Kung-Fu Bunny."

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** The card entry for the [[Videogame/DeadOrAlive Kasumi]] (Pixie/???) monster says "Its breasts tend to get more attention than its battles". Could possibly be averted by the fact that the first ''Dead or Alive'' game, which is required to get the monster in the first place, is rated M.
** Your MsFanservice rival in ''4'' is named Teetee.
** The reward for beating all the Zodiac Monsters in ''DS'' is for your rancher to [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/221370191865446410/368930655175835658/Screenshot_20171014-181116.png have]] [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/221370191865446410/368930838957785088/Screenshot_20171014-181304.png sex]] [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/221370191865446410/368930839456776192/Screenshot_20171014-181310.png with]] every woman in the cast except Cleo, complete with the going-to-sleep music.

* ComboPlatterPowers: Some monsters have an unusual combination of abilities. Mocchi is probably the most obvious of these, given how it's a JackOfAllStats--it can change size, has a dangerous lick attack, summons magical cherry blossom winds, ''and'' can shoot FrickinLaserBeams.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Any monster that has attacks named "Beam", "Ray", or any other name variant. Mocchi's [[SerialEscalation Ray/Beam/Cannon]] and Suezo's Eye Beam are clear-cut examples.

** A ''Videogame/DeadOrAlive'' game disc creates a CuteMonsterGirl based off series heroine Kasumi, and the ''Film/RushHour'' soundtrack gives a "Kung-Fu Bunny."

** Also played straight as it can still battle within that week and will not need food if its the first (unless its the very first monster you ever raise) This means if you find yourself running low in funds, you can freeze your current monster and summon Sueki Suezo, then take it to a D rank tourney for a free win and get some quick cash for the early game.

* QuicksandBox: Part of what makes the games NintendoHard.

* GoodBadTranslation: Some of the series' less-good translations over the years have gone on to become classics.
** "Durahan" is an example of JapaneseRanguage, but calling the monster "Dullahan" (after the actual mythological creature it's based on) would just feel... ''wrong.'' Similarly, the Hare/Pancho cross has been called "Jackoranta" since its first appearance, even if that has the same problem.
** The word "Errantry" [[YouKeepUsingThatWord does not mean what it's supposed to mean in-series]]--it means "acting like a knight-errant," not "going on an adventure"--but like other things, it's stuck.

* DefrostingIceQueen: Rio, your assistant in ''[=MR4=]''.

** The reward for beating all the Zodiac Monsters in ''DS'' is for your rancher to [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/221370191865446410/368930655175835658/Screenshot_20171014-181116.png have]] [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/221370191865446410/368930838957785088/Screenshot_20171014-181304.png sex]] [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/221370191865446410/368930839456776192/Screenshot_20171014-181310.png with]] every woman in the cast except Cleo.

* HeadPet: Morsa, one of the rivals you meet in ''3'', has a cat lying on her head. Doubles as an EmpathyPet as it mimics her expressions, which stands out more since she tends to [[EyesAlwaysShut keep her eyes shut]] unless she's surprised.

* MrFanservice: Furaseru in the [[NoExportForYou Japan Only ]] ''Monster Farm Lagoon'' seems to have been designed specifically with sex appeal in mind, being a bespectacled {{bishonen}} with quite a few shirt buttons undone.