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.
Monster Hunter coming to PSP? lol, no thanks. After you screwed over the PS3 with Monster Hunter 3 i’m done with the games. Not only that but with all the games that should’ve been exclusive are now multiplatform like DMC4 and that game obviously sucked (usually exclusives that go multiplatform end up sucking and I think it’s because of trying to fit it on a small DVD meaning it would be less than what it could’ve been). I don’t believe all the PR talk about making it equal or it actually being a good game when going multiplatform either because that is obviously a lie.
Why didn’t you just put this game on the Wii or the DS? Monster Hunter is garbage.
For all Monster Hunter dudes who want Monster Hunter on PS3
Dudes? Are you stupid or what?
Monster Hunter 3 is coming out on PS3
Theres no exact release date yet but go to remove the (*)
*http://*gamefaqs.*com
REMEMBER MOVE THE (*)
Go to search bar Type Monster Hunter 3 then your all set
Oh yeah and shut up
Thanks!.
Pun
Uuummm
Sorry
Ingore 152’s post
i was mistaken
Pun
I found Monster Hunter Freedom OK, I loved Monster Hunter Freedom 2 and I’m gonna love Moster Hunter Freedom Unite even more.
BUT I have to agree with my fellow blog commenters: Ad Hoc Party needs to come to NA and EU for this game to be really huge.
Oh and a PS3 Monster Hunter or even just a PS3 port of the PSP game, like they did with Tekken DR, that would be so awesome.
Monster Hunter should come out for PS3… my PSP dont work anymore… sadly…
as a playstation gamer, capcom this gen doesnt deserve sony gamers money, they put us at the bottom of the list
hey is this gonna come out in Europe? I hope so!
So excited for this game!
I know 3 people with PSP.
I loaned 1, 160 dollars so he can make rent and he plans to pay me back like 20-30 dollars a paycheck and can’t afford to get this game for a while. Also even if he did get this game he wouldn’t be abel to fix his PS3 which is more important.
The second person… well… his PSP was stolen so now I only know 2 people.
The last is myself. So… Without ad-hoc party why would I want to pay for this game?
$5 to unlock content already on the disc confirmed for RE5. It is moves like this that make me boycott all your games Capcom. Slimey only starts to describe such behaviour.
Please Colin Ferris, bring the Monster Hunter to PS3, the frontier or the MHtri or a new one.
The PS3 is already the best selling video game in JAPAN (the big market of Monster Hunter).
And all the PSP and PS2 owners ho love’s Monster Hunter now heave a PS3, think about it.
Jeez guys , stop complaining about it not comming on the ps3 , you ps3 owners get already alot of content , be happy for us (psp owners)
I’ll have to pass. Infrastructure support is crucial for a game like this to truly fly in North America. In the time I’ve owned a PSP (2 years), I can literally count on one hand the number of PSP owners I’ve encountered.
Ad hoc party needs to come to North America to make this game worth playing. On a personal note, this feature won’t be enough. Apparently the tech requirements for ad hoc party require a wired connection, and my set up precludes this. Oh well, plenty of other games to occupy my time (including a few still sitting unplayed on my shelves…eek!)
How about a PSP demo some time down the road as well please!?
Great video, very funny!
Looking forward to the game also, but it would have been MUCH better on the PS3 or even PS2, I don’t really game online with the PSP except maybe a little SW:RS every 3 months or so.
Still looking forward however.
Another thing, I don’t think I know anyone with a PSP :(
I have 34 BD games and 15 PSN games, none of them are Capcom.
I’m sorry to say that I don’t support Capcom this genereation after Capcom sold out to MS.
LET’S SEE AD HOC PARTY FOR THE U.S.
MAKE IT HAPPEN BEFORE MONSTER HUNTER RELEASES!!!!
AD HOC PARTY FOR THE U.S.
AD HOC PARTY FOR THE U.S.
AD HOC PARTY FOR THE U.S.
UNITE PSP GAMERS OVER PSN!!!
I think what everyone is trying to say is, we love monster hunter, but we would love it even more on PS3. The PSP iterations are good, but they lack the greatness of what could be on the PS3 (infrastructure hunting!). Concentrate on bringing Monster Hunter to the PS3 and we will be forever grateful.
I remember playing the beta way back when on PS2 and man, I never got into RPG type games ever. As a matter of fact they were the least favorite type of game I played. But when I put in Monster Hunter and they got the SNAP servers up and running, holy crap that was one of the funnest experiences I’ve EVER had gaming. Day one purchase for me. The PSP versions have been okay, but missing that infrastructure play is a big part of the game. Please bring back that experience. We know it’s Nokias fault for killing the PS2 online side of Monster Hunter.
They just announced it! God do you people even read? They said they will do a huge party for the launch of the game!
IMHO More games need to do stuff like this the US is no longer just an underground gamer location. Kids, Parents, and even famly game togather now in the US.
Sure there are still many people who think that the video game is pure evil but they have almost always been found out to be total hacks!
IE look what happened to JT? He is barred from even being in a US cort room right now.
More PSP events! More PS3 events! Make them big name news! Get people talking about it on CNN, MSNBC, and get the world to see the US for what it is!
I like your swagger Colin!
12
@112: Colin Ferris
Thanks Colin for letting us EU gamers know that MHFU is getting a simultaneous NA/EU release. Awesome news!
Thanks for sharing your opinion on Adhoc Party as well. Didn’t Sony go on record to say that about half of all PS3 owners own PSPs? That’s a lot of potential Adhoc Party users, and another reason for PSP owners to get a PS3 (if they needed anymore reason that is, heh).
“As a playstation gamer, capcom this gen doesnt deserve sony gamers money, they put us at the bottom of the list”
How so? There hasn’t been anything on the 360 that didn’t release on the PS3 except Dead Rising 1, and as for Wii games, the system usually benefits from games built specifically for it.
And besides, when it comes to HD titles, multiplatform has been the way to go since about 2 years into this gen. Some of you guys are just complaining for the sake of complaining.
Street Fighter IV
Resident Evil 5
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Megaman 9
Dark Void
Lost Planet
Lost Planet 2
Dead Rising 2
Bionic Commando
Devil May Cry 4
And all the soon to come PS1 titles available for download over PSN? Exclusives for systems of similar capabilities, aside from first party titles, are almost a thing of the past in most cases.
“They just announced it! God do you people even read? They said they will do a huge party for the launch of the game!”
When people say Ad-Hoc party, they mean the application for making connecting your PSP to your PS3 and playing Ad-Hoc games online, not an actual party get together as shown in the video.
Why can’t capcom put online in monster hunter freedom unite? There’s plenty of other psp games that have online so don’t tell me it can’t be done. In case you haven’t realized, USA is not Japan and every person and their cat doesn’t own a psp and every 4th psp owner doesn’t own a monster hunter game. So ad hoc multiplayer is pretty much a worthless feature if there’s no one for me to play with. Sorry capcom, but I’m not buying until you start coming out with online games.
And ad hoc party is a lame work around for the developer’s sloppy design by the way. Way to take the “portable” out of playstation portable!
That video was awesome. I’ve never played a Monster Hunter game, but I think I’m going to try this one out.
#152 and #153:
Don’t worry dude. We always ignore you anyway.
While Ad-hoc party works fine by downloading the Japanese version (I’ve played both MHF2 and Phantasy Star on there), I think it needs to be pushed by SCEA and SCEE. It’s really a great way to say hey, we didn’t include infrastructure mode in our PSP game… but play online with friends using the exclusive PS3 program Ad-hoc party.
I just think it’s another way to really push some multiplayer PSP games.
Do developers realize that the PSP has infrastructure online too?
I don’t know anybody else who owns a PSP. I will likely get the game anyway, but Ad-Hoc really limits what monsters I’m going to be able to hunt down.
When are developers going to start using infrastructure online in games?
How about releasing the first 2 PSP games on the PSN like this week?
Are the retreats just to play the game with others really necessary? If they wanted to play online, they could have easily just hooked up via xlink…
I’ve played Monster Hunter on the PSP and did find the game fun but… Lack of online play made the game boring to play alone. I’m 30+ years old and there are not very many people I know who own a PSP and Monster Hunter who are willing to play.
If the game came out on PS3 (obviously including online play) I would give it another go. Too bad it’s coming out on the Wii – I will not be buying a Nintendo Wii for any game what-so-ever. No thank you.
It’s a shame, really.
I see instead of listening to valid points, you’d rather delete them an ignore the issues. Good work PSBlog!
I think I speak for many in here when I say, it was about time lol. Too good I had Phantasy Star Portable to burn time while MHFU show up
I’m glad Monster Hunter is finally getting some publicity here in the U.S. As someone who has thousands of hours with the franchise I am very excited to get to play a new game.
I’m pretty sure the suprise is going to be AdHoc party coming to the PSN. I have tried AdHoc party and it is awesome!
This + Disgaea 2 Port and the Phantasy Star really makes me want to buy a psp since my DS broke.
This game the most.I love diablo esque collecting of equips :D.
You guys just need to realize that the PS3 is a dying console, people are resorting to the much cheaper and better wii and 360 or buying the psp and DS, this is probably the main reason they switched it to the wii other than the motion controls which will be awesome for monster hunter 3. On another note this game will be the best monster hunter to date with felyne companions and many more weapons and monsters.
basspro: PS3 sold better than 360 and Wii combined last month in Japan. Dying how?
Also, it’s odd that Monster Hunter 3 is being made for Wii yet this is coming for PSP.
@173 TeknomanEX
Devil May Cry 4 was delay on the PS3 because the Xbox 360 version we being ported late. So the delay the PS3 version to have a worldwide release both on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Oh and this game was a failure.
Lost Planet was a massive failure in term of quality when comparing it to the xbox 360 version.
RE 5 and Street Fighter 4 has contents that we have to pay for to unlock. That just BS.
Lost Planet 2 was never announce for the PS3. And don’t give be that BS that Capcom stated that all their titles will be multiplatform. If that they case, where is Monster Hunter for the PS3?
But Capcom was generous to give PS3 owners a 5GB installs on their game release on the PS3 in blu-ray form.
@188 basspro345
You are an idiot to believe what you just wrote? Why exactly is the PS3 outselling the Wii in Japan since this year began if it is dieing? If the PS3 is dieing, when what happening to the Wii in Japan/
@178
I Hate people like you. You attack for no reason “Dont worry we’ll ALWAYS ingore you.” O_o
What did i do to you? NOTHING!
*cough*troll*cough
@182 gheart008
xlink is even worse of a solution than ad hoc party. First, there aren’t that many people who use the service anymore now that all the new consoles are online enabled and are much more strict about ping times for networked gameplay. Second, getting kai to work for the psp is rather hacker-ish and not well suited for the average person. Third, the fact that most of the people who use kai anymore are Japanese and playing some version of Monster Hunter is a testament to the fact that this game should have online built into it. Why should I have to take such a round-about approach for something that is such an essential feature of the gameplay?
thanks so much for bringing this to the u.s.
i already have the japanese version, but i will be buying two u.s. versions. for my wife and i.
this game is great!
and to everyone who doesnt know anyone with a psp…start telling your friends to buy them. i have convinced at least 6 people to get one. it has great features, and its graphics are awesome for a handheld.
I only wished Sony would have made sure it would make it to PS3… especially in Japan… that would really jump start PS3 sales in Japan.. instead… the other guys with the little white box jumped on that… makes me sad.
not this particular game.. but the franchise…
@194
Ok, I take that back. Both solutions suck. To get xlink kai working I need to buy a special usb wifi adapter. To get ad hoc party working, I have to run a cable across my house to give my ps3 a wired connection. Neither one is going to happen, so thus I’m not buying this game.
I’d rather play MH on PS3.
My favorite MH game so far is MH PS2 (way over 1000 hours logged, HR20, 2 HR17 & 2 HR13), couldnt get into the PSP versions. I might have to pass on this, but I’ll be waiting on Adhoc Party to hit North America if I do buy it.
Monster Hunter PS3, Capcom.
It seems like thats your best move right now.
What ever interest I had for this game, has gone down the drain with that stupid comment of comparing this game to MGS4.