Quick, act really surprised that Capcom has just announced yet another Monster Hunter title for PSP! OMG! THIS IS SO SHOCKING!
....
Seriously though. More Monster Hunter. Um, yay?
I admit that I'm no Monster Hunter fan, so maybe this is all lost on me, but from the announcement trailer, it looks exactly the same as the previous Monster Hunter games. I'm really struggling to see how this stuff still appeals to Japanese gamers. But from Famitsu's reaction, you would think the entire country just won the lottery.
Either way, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd will be available for PSP by the end of the year in Japan.
Nintendo held a press event today called the Nintendo Media Summit, where they've shown off and announced release dates for several of their 'core' titles.
Among the list of (mostly) first and second party offerings, Capcom made an appearance to talk about the long overdue North American release of Monster Hunter 3 (pronounced 'Monster Hunter Tri' for reasons still unknown). Released last summer in Japan, MH3 was a game Nintendo hoped would draw core gamers back to their white box of waggle, and though the game enjoyed decent sales, it wasn't the phenomenon the PSP titles were in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Regardless, it appears that Capcom has decided to allow North American gamers to hunt monsters alongside their Japanese counterparts this Spring.
Like the Japanese version, the North American release will be fully playable with a classic controller and be able to utilize the WiiSpeak peripheral for chat online with friends/co-players. However, Nintendo and Capcom are aware that Monster Hunter is not popular on our side of the ocean as it is in its native land, and have announced that Monster Hunter 3's online functionality will be available for the very agreeable price of FREE.
For those interested in trying before buying, a demo disc is set for release exclusively from GameStop/EBGames on March 8, 2010.
Monster Hunter 3 will be available for Nintendo Wii on April 20, 2010 in North America. It is already available in Japan.
Last week Microsoft put up a teaser splash on their official Xbox Japan website which read "Capcom x Microsoft 2010.01.26" and promised a new game announcement. Many Japanese gamers assumed it was the announcement of the Xbox 360 exclusive DLC for GTA4, so I made no effort to report it last week.
However, the mini-event held in connection with this teaser announced many things, the biggest of which is the revelation that Capcom will be porting its highly-popular-in-Japan action-MMO, Monster Hunter Frontier, to the Xbox 360 this summer.
Aside from being run on different servers, it is currently unclear if there will be any major changes from the PC version, and will reportedly have a pay-to-play monthly fee similar to the PC version as well, though the details are still a bit fuzzy.
Though I have no real interest in this series (or MMOs in general), this is undeniably a huge boost for the 360's image in Japan.
Monster Hunter Frontier will be available for Xbox 360 sometime this Summer in Japan. There is currently no word on a possible North American or European release.
So this crazy thing happened while I was busy with getting married. Capcom announced an Okami sequel! (Well, okay so it's a prequel, but same diff.)
Though Clover will obviously not be working on it, and though it will be on DS instead of a home console, the very fact that Capcom has decided to continue the franchise is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
But anyway, that's old news. So here's the new news. Okamiden: Chiisaki Taiyou (Tiny Sun) has a new trailer for your visual consumption. I present it to you via the magic of the internet!
Okamiden will be available for Nintendo DS sometime next year in Japan.
This news kind of really surprised me, but apparently the Wii remake of Capcom and Clover's highly-stylized adventure-RPG, Okami, was only released in the West. Capcom has apparently decided to right its wrongs, and will release the game on Japanese Wiis later this year.
Following the story of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu (albeit in wolf form), Okami is a game that is extreeeeeemely Japanese in everything from its folklore references and decidedly Japanesesque humour, to its music and art direction. Quite why the game was released over here at the expense of a Japanese release is rather mind-boggling to me, but to be honest, I never heard any Japanese gamers complain. So whatever, I guess.
In order to smooth things out with Japan, Capcom is offering a limited 42-song soundtrack with the first printing of the game. Not a bad deal.
Okami is a terrific and highly underappreciated game. While I doubt this re-release will do any wonders in the Land of the Rising Sun, I'm glad to hear that it will see the light of day in its own country.
Okami will be available for Nintendo Wii on October 15, 2009 in Japan. It is already available in North America.
The Japanese game market is slowing down. Unless, of course, you are a game called Monster Hunter, in which case you can enjoy ridiculously huge sales to absolutely everyone in the country (almost).
Bringing the third official entry in the series to the Nintendo Wii, Capcom has recently announced that Monster Hunter 3 (pronounced 'tri,' for whatever reason) will officially be hitting the white waggle box this summer in the Land of the Rising Sun. Perfect timing for all those kids getting out of school for Summer Break!
Also, here's a trailer:
Monster Hunter 3 will be available for Nintendo Wii on August 1, 2009 in Japan.
If there is one thing that new Capcom is all about, its breaking in to the Western market. And largely, with titles like Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, and other non-RPG titles, they are doing an admirable job.
But where does that leave their very traditional Japanese series, like fan-loved JRPG series Breath of Fire? Unfortunately, according to Keiji Inafune, the outlook is not bright:
"There are currently no plans on making a new Breath of Fire game. Apart from that, regarding RPG titles, they are very popular in Japan, but only certain RPG titles sell so Capcom doesn't really need to even consider making these titles as an option."
It's no secret that the series has underperformed since BoFIII, and Dragon Quarter, having released over 5 years ago, received mixed reactions from critics and fans alike.
However, not all hope is lost. Said the Inafune:
"There's a low possibility that we'll be making one in the near future. But, I realize that there are fans of the series, and we have staff who are interested so it's not out of the question. We actually have a lot of titles in a similar situation, where there's an interest by users and our staff, but where we just don't have the resources."
So, basically, it's not completely impossible. Just mostly impossible. Not very reassuring, but I guess we'll take all the hope we can get.
Rest in Peace, Breath of Fire, you will be missed.
I feel somewhat bad for the world of Mega Man. Those people just can't seem to catch a break. If it's not one evil menace threatening to destroy their world, it's another. Mega Man, of course, has no time to sit around and enjoy a quiet Friday night at home. Please give him your sympathy.
Or you could just watch the new trailer - now completely subtitled for all your English language needs!
There are 2 things that you will see in the below Monster Hunter 3 trailer: (1) Monsters, and (2) people hunting those monsters.
If you were looking for a video where people do things other than hunting monsters, you would be well advised to look elsewhere.
Between this and Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga, I'd have to say that this game definitely looks a lot better translation from PSP to Wii. Still not exactly my cup of tea, but could have some potential if executed well.
In news that will put your Japanophilia to the test, Capcom and Famitsu have gone full out with new details about Monster Hunter 3 (pronounced Monster Hunter Tri, for whatever reason), there first console entry into the hugely-popular-in-Japan-but-no-one-cares-anywhere-else series.
With a whopping 9 pages of info, Producer Ryouzou Tsujimoto and Director Kaname Fujioka dish out the dirt on new towns and villages, new fields and areas, new monsters, new weapons and equipment, new skills, and other things that are also new. Which is like, a lot of newness.
Even self-admitted Japanophile me has to admit that I don't give a rat's ass about Monster Hunter. I just can't bring myself to care. Is that wrong?
Anyways, you can take a look at the literal deluge of scans from Famitsu below. I will only translate this article if there is mass amounts of interest. It's just too big...
Monster Hunter 3 will be available for Nintendo Wii, though there is currently no set release date.
Quick, act really surprised that Capcom has just announced yet another Monster Hunter title for PSP! OMG! THIS IS SO SHOCKING!
