Monster Hunter Coming to PSP

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It’s a rare treat to be able to tell people that I’m working on the best selling game in Japan last year. To those who are unaware, they immediately think of PS3 games like Metal Gear Solid 4. Nope, my game outsold that and every other console game on the market.

The game? Monster Hunter for the PSP.

The latest version (Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G) was the top selling game in Japan last year and no amount of giant robots can change that. With over 3 million copies sold to date in Japan, about one in four Japanese PSP owners have the game. To be able to work on bringing a game of that caliber to the US is both a pleasure and an honor. It’s also the best game you’ll ever play on the PSP.

Yup, I’m a little biased…but, it’s hard not to be.

The upcoming release of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is exciting to everyone involved in the title. For those who don’t know, Monster Hunter puts you on the hunt for a variety of majestic beasts that you have to defeat in order to become the ultimate hunter. With thousands of different types of weapons and armor, as well as over 500 hours of gameplay, this is the most engrossing action/RPG title for the PSP ever created.

What really makes the game shine, however, is the excellent multiplayer that makes use of the PSP’s built-in Ad-hoc multiplayer. Join with three of your friends to hunt monsters that you simply couldn’t defeat on your own. Playing the game with friends is truly the best way to play it, and with the PSP’s network abilities, everyone has their own screen to play on.


Though we’ve had an awesome group of core fans in the US, our goal is to let everyone experience the adventure with Monster Hunter this time around. To introduce you all to the world of Monster Hunter, we’ve put together this “newscast” with our intrepid reporter covering the imminent onslaught of monsters into the west and the phenomenon they caused in Japan. Ever go on a weekend getaway in order to learn new strategies and play new games with friends? Well, 5000 Japanese gamers did that very thing with Monster Hunter.

This initial video is just the tip of the Narugakuruga’s tail when it comes to what we have in store for you with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. In upcoming weeks, we’ll have numerous videos to teach you about some of the weapons, monsters, and strategies you’ll need when Monster Hunter Freedom Unite ships. We’ve also planned a surprise for all PSP gamers in June to let as many of you experience the game as possible.

In the meantime, sharpen your swords, join your friends and equip yourself to hunt down some of the most majestic monsters you’ve ever seen. I’ll be hopping on the PlayStation boards from time to time to fill you guys in on the latest and try and answer all the questions you might have.

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213 Comments

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  • @Posted by Colin Ferris // Product Marketing Manager, Capcom

    I have only one request and I’ll pick up the game.

    MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD DAY ONE!!!!!!

  • is this game a time sink? like will i still be able to enjoy it online or will i have to play it like wow to get any enjoyment out of it?
    is it good for a casual gamer?

  • This would’ve been super awesome if it was for PS3. Nice box art though.

  • Tell SONY to release the PS3-based “Ad-Hoc Party” on the US PSN–it would enable a ton more people to enjoy multiplayer.

  • @48…are you willing to PAY for the online service? That is what CAPCOM is doing for the Wii versions.

    Ad Hoc party keeps CAPCOM out of the mix but if you don’t have a PS3 I see your point.

  • A) Are you working with Sony to bring the Ad Hoc Party feature (using the PS3 as a PSP connect spot so you can play Ad Hoc with people all over the PSN–not just locally) to the states?

    B) Are you doing a Monster Hunter for PS3 if you are showing love to Sony platforms?

    C) Any chance of okaying this one for a straight-to-memory-stick download?

  • looks like a cool game

  • sudden urge to scare someone rising

  • @ Colin Ferris

    How come Capcom is not adding any Trophy support for Devil May Cry 4?

    Any chance of PS3 owners seeing Monster Hunter 3? I don’t game on a Wii and I’m a huge MH3 fan. I know a few months ago Capcom had stated all their software will be multi-platform. So…

  • I’ve been pretty clueless to this franchise until now… now I understand what the excitement is about. A PSN PS3 version would SELL.

  • This game looks AMAZING! I have both of the american Monster Hunters for the PSP! (I was actually more into the first one than the second one for some reason…?) But, this game looks really cool! Can’t wait to see some more footage!

    P.S. That newscast was hilarious!

  • The video tells the secret behind MH games, cooperation. Unfortunately Capcom/Sony do not understand this. I will not buy this game unless I can play with other people over the PSN.

    And please please please release MH3 on PS3. I don’t understand why Capcom wouldn’t.

  • I’m not one to comment often, but I just couldn’t resist this time. I logged about 320 hours onto the original Monster Hunter for PS2 and I loved every second of it. When Monster Hunter first came to PSP, I was disappointed that it wouldn’t feature an Infrastructure mode. I passed on those two iterations because I don’t have a single friend who owns a PSP and without people to play with, Monster Hunter can be unforgivingly difficult and frustrating. However, I hear in Japan that this game features a way to network through a PS3 and play online! Please, please, please bring this feature to the US! Otherwise, there’s really no point in me getting it, and I want to play it so bad! C’mon, Capcom, I’m beggin’ ya!

    P.S. Video was hilarious — coulda watched that all day.

  • LOL who made this video…it’s really enjoyable!! xD

  • @59 They haven’t even done the trophies for more recent games yet…SSF2 is still waiting.

    I’ve never bought a Capcom game and with the exposure I get to them there I don’t think I will….seems to me they talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

  • Fantastic. I’ve been waiting for ages. :)

  • Needs Infrastructure wifi.

    North America ain’t japan, we don’t sit together on trains to school and get to play ad-hoc.

    Lack of infrastructure wifi support is a deathknell to any multiplayer portable game for me. It’s the reason I don’t play DS games online (wep is not acceptable wifi, this ain’t 2001).

  • “How come Capcom is not adding any Trophy support for Devil May Cry 4? ”

    Because Crapcom is nothing but a bunch of sleazebags now.

    The idiots running the POS company now do all development on a lowest common denominator PC engine that they then just dump onto as many platforms as they can whore out to.

    They now put ZERO effort into anything and evertyhing they work on. No Trophies, gimped to run on the Xbox 360 level graphics, botched online support for Moster Hunter, etc.

    Right now the sleazebags at Crapcom are begging like pathetic little dogs for Microsoft to hand them a big fat bribe to keep Lost Planet 2 a timed exclusive.

    Too bad the first one was a piece of crap game with laughably bad graphics.

    Crapcom == Pathetic whores

  • those japanese sure do love them monster hunters! thats quite an amazing feat. should be interesting to see how it fairs stateside.

    peace,
    Lh

  • Now how about that PS3 Version?

  • “We’ve also planned a surprise for all PSP gamers in June to let as many of you experience the game as possible.”

    Could this mean ad hoc party? or maybe just a contest of some kind…

  • @67 They showed it at GDC09 with NO infrastructure.

    So…the appeal will be limited or slightly less so if SCEA launches AdHoc Party.

  • @71….I read that as ‘demo’…Would Capcom be the ones revealing AdHoc Party? Seems more likely SONY would be revealing that at E3 (early June) with MH as a lead title (like it was in Japan).

  • Monster Hunter in PS3 or no buy.

  • we need ad-hoc party in the US

  • Yeah PS3 Version PLEASE ;)

  • “Playing the game with friends is truly the best way to play it”

    I agree, it’s amazing. But seriously why no online? This would seriously make me buy 4 copies.

  • I am going to buy this without hesitation. Must have. *Drooling….

  • i personally think this game is incredibly boring…but i guess this is good for the fans out there

  • AD_HOC party please!
    all this will go well for the PSP.

  • I just hope lots of people get this game. Because if there’s lots of people to play with just like in Japan, this game will kick total ass. Monster Hunter is a pop cultural phenomenon in Japan, and it could be the same here, if enough people get interested.

    I look forward to this game!

  • Too bad its not on ps3 :/

  • Please bring over the Playstation 3 Ad-hoc party application from Japan for Monster Hunter Freedom: Unite’s western release. This application would help sell so many copies of the game as well as other PSP titles that feature ad-hoc multiplayer.

    Enabling every single ad-hoc multiplayer PSP game to connect to the PS3 and play online with others would be so helpful when playing games like Monster Hunter or Phantasy Star Portable.

    Many have already downloaded the beta from the Japanese PSN store due to lack of the program in NA/EU regions, and it still works flawlessly. So please consider at least bringing the beta version to the west, and then releasing the final version at a later date.

  • Theres too much i wanted to say here that it wont let me, so to summerize. To you guys that work at sony or capcom who read these things, these are not your true fans, dont let the comments here give you a view on what “the fans” think, your true fans create sites dedicated to the games they love, they talk about them constantly and build whole communities from them. If you want to see what people really think of the game, its just a google search away.

  • seems like a pretty sweet game too bad i dont own a PSP, maybe its time to splurge?

  • @84

    There are many ways to be a fan…I tend to vote with my money.

  • Please bring Monster Hunter to the PS3. I would really make all the PS3 owners that are Monster Hunter fans really happy.
    Oh and do you have any idea when the next issue of Monster Hunter Orage is going to be release? Chapter 12 was the last chapter and I cannot wait for the next one.

    OH AND PLEASE BRING MONSTER HUNTER TO THE PLAYSTATION 3

  • I would love to see MH on PS3. Don’t get me wrong, I ADORE the PSP titles. I LOVE MH on the go. However, I cannot deny the amazing, gorgeous graphics-enhancing effect PS3 would have on the series. Also, the PSN is a very stable and very populated network. A PS3 title would make money hand over fist. If you just made a Japanese title that had an English option on the game, I would import it in a heartbeat. You’d sell literally millions in Japan and more still in other countries. Monster Hunter NEEDS the PS3 treatment. And I’m not talking about making it for both Xbox and PS3. When you do that, you always make compromises to make it run smoothly on Xbox360 (like running at 720p instead of 1080p). PS3 needs to be the lead development platform to really give MH the treatment it deserves on the PS3. Please, oh PLEASE!! Bring MH to PS3. It WILL be amazing.

  • No doubt Monster Hunter is a sweeeet game and I love the ones we already have, however I cant help but think that a factor in it selling that many copies in japan is the AdHoc Party.

    As you can see with many of the people who have posted, we dont all have friends with PSPs or friends within reasonable distance to play with, so games like this that tend to show their true potential when playing multiplayer need online play (See Crystal Chronicles DS)

  • *drool* I’ve been waiting for this game for over a year and it’s finally coming out! YAY!

  • Love MHF1 and 2 – even shelled out some money for the special edition “champagne”-colored Monster Hunter PSP. CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS!!!

  • Nice one ive was looking forward to this game since it was announced, ummm one question: releaser date?

  • 500+ hours of gameplay? Wow!

  • @ 86

    I second that. I like to vote with my wallet as well.

    I hope nobody buys that RE5 DLC.

  • @ 87***

  • I’m not sure who this guy is, but he’s not John D. Which is unfortunate. Where’s John D.?

    And you guys aren’t putting Monster Hunter on the PS3, which I find disturbing.

  • we need this game for PS3 so more ppl will buy ps3

  • The problem with Monster Hunter on the PSP, here in the US hasn’t been getting the word out, it’s been making the multiplayer online infrastructure, not ad-hoc. Most people that bring up Monster Hunter on the PSP say the same thing, it needs online play. Ad-hoc only is just not something folks in NA are going to do.

  • #100!! haha…and i dont have a psp but this game looks pretty cool..you need to get it for ps3 and alot more people will get it

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