What is adhocParty? Smarter people than me can tell you all about the service right here.

You’ve probably heard stories about the unbelievable Monster Hunter juggernaut in Japan, and how it’s reached the point that one in every five Japanese PSP owners are playing the game. Capcom has sold millions and millions of copies of the three PSP titles in Japan to date, and Monster Hunter 2G (which we confusingly call Monster Hunter Freedom Unite in North America and Europe) was one of Capcom’s biggest game launches in recent history. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is available digitally on the PSN, which is perfect for those of you who have just picked up the amazing pocket-perfect PSPGo or for those of you (like me) who are too lazy to get off the couch and hike down to the local video game retailer.

Personally, I’m a recent MonHun convert – in the last few months, it’s sucked me in like no handheld game I’ve ever played. My dedication to the game is comparable to the reaction I had to EverQuest and World of Warcraft: I just can’t get enough. A group of Capcom staffers have been happily hunting away since the release of the game, and we’re now all over 100 hours in on our characters, with the group in the Hunter Rank 8 and 9.

The best part of Monster Hunter is, of course, playing with other people. The secret sauce to MHFU’s uber-compelling gameplay comes in coordinating a group of four hunters, each bristling with diverse weapons and equipment and slaying tricksy beasties that range from a meager 20’ tall Yian Kut Ku to the overwhelming monstrosity that is Fatalis, a dragon so big that you have to fire cannonballs at his face just to get his attention. Finding other hunters in public places in North America can be tough – it’s not as easy as in Japan, where gamers are constantly thrust together in trains and highly concentrated urban areas. Unless you have a group of buddies that you’re hunting with regularly, it’s hard to randomly stumble across other players on the bus or waiting in line to buy a burger. And as a recent convert to the ways of Monster Hunter, let me tell you that taking on the high level G-ranked quests on your lonesome is a daunting and potentially PSP-hurling activity.

With adhocParty, you can now quickly and easily find other hunters. Download the adhocParty service from PSN (it’s free!), connect your PSP with your PS3, load up your game on your PSP and either start a room on adhocParty or join one that’s already established. Within no time, you’ll be able to find a group of dedicated hunters willing to help you with your HR quests and suddenly that giant G-ranked Rathian isn’t so hard to deal with. You can connect several PSPs to a single PS3, so if you have 2 or 3 fellow hunters hanging out in your dorm room or at your house, while another friend is stranded at a distant location, you can all still play. Way to keep the band together!

Since adhocParty runs on your PS3, you’ll be able to communicate with your hunting party in various ways. Yell through your Bluetooth headset (which I’m sure everyone now has, thanks to Call of Duty), or type away the controller keyboard or on a separate keyboard – just make sure to type fast if you’ve got a wyven munching on your face. Running quests on Monster Hunter can be challenging, so instant communication through the adhocParty service makes those all-important key quests even easier to complete.

Over on our own little community neighborhood – the seething and exciting world of Capcom-Unity.com – we organize regular online game sessions on Fridays afternoons. These Play Against Capcom Fridays have been heavy on the Street Fighter and Resident Evil matches over the last few months, but with adhocParty now live and legit, we’ll be hosting regular Monster Hunter Freedom Unite PAC events. Hell, with the amount of Monster Hunting done by myself (“Kramez”), Shawn “Snow” Baxter and Christian “Sven” Svensson, we’ll probably be running adhocParty sessions several times a week. Join up with our community and keep in touch and perhaps we’ll see you in the wild.

Did we mention that adhocParty is free? We’ll see you online this afternoon.

Dark Void’s due out on January 19, but for now, there’s plenty of footage to peep below.

Beyond that, Capcom Senior Community Manager Seth Killian (a SF player so good he can beat you with one hand) walks us through some of the new features and moves we’ll be seeing when Super Street Fighter IV drops in 2010. Better yet, he promises to try and get hands on time for some of you readers (like last year’s Street Fighter Club and game launch). Go on, watch.

Throughout the demo players will run into Akrid ranging from small (in Lost Planet terms) to enormous, as they fight to collect the precious thermal energy contained within the Akrids bodies in order to heal themselves, their friends, and power the armored Vital Suits. Utilizing a number of weapons from machine guns to missile pods and rocket launchers scattered throughout the environment, teams of four players can join up via the PlayStation Network and clear three mission objectives with friends, giving them a glimpse into the jungle of E.D.N III.

In order to promote cooperative gameplay, players can share life-giving thermal energy amongst injured members of their squad while new support weapons allow teammates to boost attack and defense capabilities. Additionally, the new dash feature allows players to sprint for short distances, bringing greater speed to combat.

The true firepower of Lost Planet comes from the heavily armed and armored robotic Vital Suits as they return in greater numbers and variety than the first game. Players now have the ability to hold up to three players as they make their way through varied environments in the game.

Lost Planet 2 is the first game to make use of Capcom’s updated proprietary game engine, MT Framework 2.0. Rendering dynamic lighting in beautiful massive environments, previous versions of MT Framework have been used on games like Resident Evil 5 and Devil May Cry 4.

For those new to the world of Lost Planet, Lost Planet 2 takes place on the planet of E.D.N. III, 10 years after the events of the first game. Terraforming efforts have melted the icy terrain of the first game and given way to revealing lush tropical jungles and harsh deserts. Players will enter this new environment and follow the exploits of their own customized snow pirate on their quest to seize control of the changing planet.

Capcom is also releasing the newest trailer on PSN the same day as the Lost Planet 2 demo. Previously only having shown the jungle and city environments, the new TGS trailer gives you a glimpse of the new desert environment and even bigger Akrid than seen before.

We hope you enjoy the demo and newest trailer! Make sure to look for more news and information about Lost Planet 2 coming over the next few months to the PlayStation Blog!

Anyway, I’m here to talk about Capcom’s next fighting game, Fate/Unlimited Codes, specifically designed for the PSPgo. This game will be available next week, September 3, and is exclusive to the PlayStation Network. Fate is developed by Eighting, the talented group responsible for the Bloody Roar series and Tatsunoko Vs Capcom.

Based on the popular Japanese visual novel/anime, Fate/unlimited codes takes place in a local town in Japan where 7 pairs of ‘Masters’ and ‘Servants’ compete for the ‘Holy Grail’ that will grant them any wish. This compelling combat experience features a deep roster of characters and unique fighting moves, while employing a fast-paced, weapons-based fighting system that is sure to meet any Capcom fans highest expectations. It also features beautiful 3D graphics and a pseudo-3D fighting system. (Side-stepping evades FTW!)

Kazuhiro Tsuchiya, the producer of this game and known for his work on the Street Fighter Alpha series, loves the PS community and wants to share a few things about Fate. Take it away Tsuchiya-san!

Fate/unlimited codes is an ultimate fighting game made available on PSP, which was originally a popular arcade VS fighting game in Japan. In addition to arrangements made to fit to the PSP platform, almost all the fighting systems known for Capcom games and Fate’s original systems have been implemented to enhance the gameplay.

Speedy combination attacks are the core of this game. You’ll discover a very intuitive move canceling system that adds variety and depth to the gameplay. For instance, while you are attacking your opponent with a sequence of combos, your opponent dodges, then counters with a special move. You can swiftly cancel your own move to throw a counterattack! This is sure to excite even the most seasoned fighting gamer.

Of course, high level techniques are not all what Fate is about. Each command input is made so simple that anyone can freely play any character. The in-depth training mode will allow anyone from the beginner to the veterans to improve their moves.

Additionally, the game content is as voluminous as a packaged version. It offers 17 playable characters, 8 game modes, 250+ stage missions, and more to meet your expectations.

Next week, I’ll share with you about enriched game modes and unique characters. Stay tuned!

Kazuhiro Tsuchiya (CAPCOM)

Tsuchiya-san is one cool cat. I played against him at Comic-Con and he demolished me with his Shiro, pulling off push blocks, air combos, and special cancel links to ultra combos. I was not worthy.

I’ll leave you with these short, but flashy combo videos. ‘Till next time my friends!

-John “HIERO9D3” Diamonon

I woke up on Monday morning having felt like I’d been in a car wreck. My joints ached, I had bruises on my shoulders and the world felt slightly muted. In all actuality, I’d been in Las Vegas for the EVO fighting game championships. The only wreckage I experienced was the carnage of watching some poor souls get absolutely wrecked in the biggest fighting games of today. This is the result of getting hype for an entire weekend of world class competition. Quite honestly, it feels fantastic.

As Capcom’s Seth Killian succinctly put it on this very blog, EVO is the world’s largest and longest-running fighting game tournament, and this year it was bigger than ever. Largely thanks to the incredible success of Street Fighter IV, EVO’s overall attendance positively exploded compared to recent years, with over 1,000 die-hard players entering for it alone. This was my third EVO event and I was simply blown away by the endless waves of people making their way through the convention hall. While Street Fighter IV was most definitely the main event, it shared center stage with fellow Capcom favorites Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Super Street Fighter II HD Remix and Marvel vs Capcom 2 (its last year running on Sega’s Dreamcast), along with Soulcalibur IV and Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core.

With thousands in attendance, six games are simply not enough and as the fighting-game mecca of the world, there is a ton to experience every year. Capcom set up shop and showed off the latest builds of Marvel vs Capcom 2 for PlayStation Network, as well as Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Codes for the PSP. Likewise, Namco was on-hand running a side-tournament for the extremely impressive looking Tekken 6 for PLAYSTATION 3, which has to be seen to be believed (seriously, screenshots do not do this baby justice). Not to be outdone was Aksys who brought their increasingly popular 2D fighter BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, which found its way onto the main stage as well. These titles don’t even begin to scratch the surface of EVO as the bring-your-own-console space had everything from King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match to cult favorites like Breaker’s Revenge. If you can name a fighting game, chances are, it was played during EVO at some point (yes, even Primal Rage).

But it’s not the games that makes EVO so incredibly special, it’s the people who play them. It’s an event that truly brings the world community together and over this weekend I met dozens, possibly hundreds of incredibly welcoming, talented players from all over the world. It didn’t matter if they came from as far away as the UK like Ryan Hart or were as close as Southern California like Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez, everyone who comes to EVO is there for the same reason: to keep the community strong, and with so many new faces these days, I’d say it was definitely a successful year.

Personally speaking, this was by far the most enjoyable year at EVO I’ve ever had, for a multitude of reasons. I had a ton of fantastic people greet me during the weekend to either thank me for running the weekly online stream of San Francisco tournaments (Keystone Light represent!), my work in a previous life as a member of the gaming press who actually covered the arcade scene, and hey, even a couple of you folks recognized me from PlayStation Home! A great big thank you goes out to the PlayStation community for coming out in full-force at EVO this year, especially considering that three of the main games were run exclusively on the PS3!

It’s also safe to say that my custom PS3 arcade stick, affectionately known as the “LittleBigThigh” is now certified famous! If it wasn’t fellow competitors asking for pictures of it or Northern California legend Graham Wolfe borrowing it for his amazing Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix performance in which he completely dismantled Japan’s Daigo Umehara, I got a huge kick out of seeing the response! Even Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono wanted to check it out, taking the time to pose for a picture and sign the back of it after our interview. If the LittleBigThigh isn’t somehow composed entirely of magic now, nothing short of leprechauns would do the trick.

Of course, it’s just not EVO unless people aren’t getting mad hype and this year was nuts. Trash talk was in abundance as usual (The Beast Coast is salty, what can you say?), but it’s always the positive moments that shine, like someone’s pizza getting totally shoryuken’d out of their hands as the Northern California section of the crowd exploded during Crackfiend’s insane run during the 5 on 5 Street Fighter IV regional exhibition. Speaking of the regional exhibition, did anyone else catch that topless streaker who ran on stage with “SOCAL RULES” written across his chest? It’s just not EVO unless some dude loses his shirt after all!

Other memorable moments include Sanford Kelly of the East Coast finally claiming the Marvel vs Capcom 2 throne after years of defeat at the hands of his fellow region-mate, the world renowned Justin Wong. Of course, Justin went on to face the beast from Japan, Daigo Umehara, in the grand finals of Street Fighter IV, but eventually succumbed to his flawless Ryu play. People can say whatever they want, but in what was truly an epic finale to an incredible event, that night, we were all Justin Wong fans.

As I pop a few Advil and prepare for another year without EVO (And this upcoming Comic-Con trip. Stop by the PlayStation Home booth and say hello!), I can’t help but get excited over next year. For you, the reader, there’s no excuse: if you love fighting games, you absolutely, positively must make the journey to EVO. You will not regret it. Thank you so much to everyone in EVO staff, especially the amazing volunteers for making it such an incredibly memorable event.

What is EVO? It’s the world’s largest and longest-running fighting game tournament. Every year, thousands of competitors from every corner of the planet descend on Las Vegas to determine the best of the best on the most competitive fighting games. It’s been running for over a decade, and with all the hoopla over SFIV, this year is going to be bigger than ever—at a conservative estimate, we’ll be playing over 50 thousand matches over the course of the weekend as we work our way towards a champion.

Why are we talking about this on the PlayStation Blog? Because EVO is especially PlayStation 3-flavored this year. PlayStation has been an important part of EVO history, but this year, we’ve selected the PS3 as the platform of choice for our very biggest competitions, including Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Street Fighter IV.

Why else would you care? Because EVO is rad. It’s fighting game heaven with some of the most exciting gaming you’ll see anywhere, it’s run by players, for players, and best of all, it’s free to watch.

(I’m actually the one holding that handicam and yes, that’s my stupid voice cracking with excitement. For reference, this wasn’t even the finals—EVO is full of insane moments)

What is there to do? Well, there are all the tournaments to play in, but beyond the official tournaments (on games including my Capcom favorites, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and of course Street Fighter IV), there are a ton of DIY side events and free-play on every fighter imaginable in the free “BYOC” area. BYOC = “Bring Your Own Console.” Nearly half of our gigantic tournament floor is devoted to a free-play area, where we set up TVs, and you can plug in any games you want, on everything from next-gen PS3s to old arcade hardware. You’ll find competition on nearly any fighter you can imagine, from classic Street Fighter games to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters. There are also plenty of exciting grudge matches, and when you’re tired of playing and watching the madness, you’re still in Las Vegas.

One of my other favorite things about EVO is that unlike most “pro gaming” events, EVO is an open tournament. By “open,” I mean that anybody can just walk in off the street and take their shot against the best players in the world. You don’t have to jump through any hoops or join a silly league—if you’ve got the skills, you can step up to the plate take your shot. All of the EVO directors grew up playing in the arcades, where skills talked, and BS walked. EVO grew straight out of our desire to preserve that electric spirit of live arcade competitions, and—just like our old arcades—anyone can walk in, put their quarter up, and prove that they’ve got the skills to be the best.

All of that is hotness, but what I love most about EVO is the people. They come from around the world, from Korea to Kuwait, the UK to the US, and Portugal to Peru. And yes, while it’s mostly dudes, beyond that, you’ll find every race, every background—rich, poor, old and young, tough guys and pencilnecks. Of course you’ll find the world’s top fighting game players, including US champions like Alex Valle, John Choi, Justin Wong, and the legendary Japanese champ Daigo Umehara, and everyone comes together with a shared sense of history, and a shared passion for these games. They are the best, the hungriest, and the loudest players in the world. They are shouting, they are cheering, and they mean it.

So with all of those experts from around the world, do you have to be a great player to go? Nope. 99% of the people there realize they’re probably not going to win, but they love to go anyway because it’s a ton of fun, a great way to see old friends and meet new ones, a great place to step up your game, and because it’s an amazing show. There’s a ton of history and heart in the competitive fighting world, and this is the The Big Show, with everyone is welcome to come and watch (or compete!). Fighting games are FUN, and even if you don’t understand every intricacy, everyone can understand a punch in the face, cheering for their hometown favorites, and trying to KO the opponent.

The EVO World Finals run from July 17-19th (finals on the 19th) at the Rio Hotel and Resort, in sunny Las Vegas, NV.

Check out EVO2K for the full details, then pack up your PS3 joysticks and fightpads, and I’ll see you at EVO. If you totally can’t make it to Vegas, we’ll also be streaming some of the event’s best matches, as well as putting up a whole mess of footage afterwards, complete with commentary, player interviews, and the like, so stay tuned.

Hey PlayStation fans, I’m Ryan, Capcom’s newest Bearer of Good News. Today, I’m here to bring you word of our upcoming PlayStation classics, a library of classic games being brought to you on the PlayStation Network. We’ve sorted through our archives and hand-selected the games that rocked the industry. All of these upcoming classics will be released over the PSN, and will be playable on your PSP.

Coming up first is Capcom Classics Collection: Remixed, available tomorrow. The game is a collection of arcade classics from gaming’s glorious past. Pay homage to the best of the arcades, like Final Fight, Bionic Commando, Street Fighter, and Magic Sword. Prove your old-school dominance with twenty full arcade titles. Check out the full list of included games here.

Later this summer, look forward to Fate/Unlimited Codes. Capcom’s fighting game masters have brought one of Japan’s most popular animes exclusively to the PSN, ready for the new PSPgo. High-flying combos and fast-paced versus action show off the game’s gorgeous 3D graphics, and it’s a fighting-game experience you can’t get anywhere else.

Next, keep your eyes out for more gems from Capcom, being brought directly to the PSN. Check out the full list below, including PSone and UMD Legacy titles, and come back often for more info on individual release timing.

• Capcom Classics Collection Remixed (UMD Legacy)
• Mega Man Powered Up (UMD Legacy)
• Dino Crisis (PlayStation Legacy)
• Power Stone Collection (UMD Legacy)
• Mega Man Maverick Hunter X (UMD Legacy)
• Resident Evil 2 (PlayStation Legacy)
• Darkstalkers (UMD Legacy)
• Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max (UMD Legacy)
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PlayStation Legacy)
• Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded (UMD Legacy)

It definitely looks as if Capcom is set to wipe away the bad taste that the first Lost Planet left in some PS3 gamers’ mouths. 4-player co-op and visuals that seem to outstrip the already-impressive Resident Evil 5 are a good start.

I’ve extracted a promise from Mr. Filice to have more on this game as we get closer to its 2010 launch.