Hey, Monster Hunter fans! Look! A thing happened! Capcom has just announced that the formerly Japan-only Monster Hunter 3 will be coming to North America and Eurpoe, where it will be known by the title Monster Hunter Tri. Yeah, I dunno why they're calling it that either, but who cares? It's the new Monster Hunter, and it'll be here in early 2010.
Originally planned for the PS3, the game has turned out looking pretty damn good for a Wii title, as you'll see in the following video. In addition to being exceptionally pretty, it also features co-op all over the place, with 4-player online (!), 2-player local, and an AI partner for its single player mode. I don't normally like AI partners, but this guy's name is Cha-Cha, and he looks like an acorn. I will make an exception.
As you might expect, the game is full of new weapons, armor, and a ton of new enemies. The full press release is posted along with the video after the jump with some more details. This is a series I've thought about getting into for a while now, and this being the first one we've had lately that wasn't on a handheld, now might be a good time.
CAPCOM ANNOUNCES WESTERN RELEASE OF MONSTER HUNTERTM Tri FOR WiiTM
Four-Player Online Co-Op, 2-Player Split-Screen and New Underwater Environments Introduced When Japanese Phenomenon Comes To North American and European Markets in 2010
SAN MATEO, Calif. — August 3, 2009 — Capcom® Entertainment, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Monster Hunter™ Tri will be released in both North America and Europe for Nintendo’s Wii™ system in early 2010.
Monster Hunter Tri will set a new bar in the action/adventure genre with the introduction of new features and game play elements as the multi-million unit selling franchise makes its debut on the Wii system.
One of the most strikingly beautiful titles ever developed for Wii, Monster Hunter Tri depicts a living, breathing ecosystem where man co-exists with fantastic beasts that roam both the land and the sea. Featuring both online and offline cooperative modes, players can join online hunting parties with up to four players or play with two players on a single TV for select quests. Players also have the option to face Monster Hunter Tri’s challenging quests as a single player experience accompanied by Cha-Cha, an AI hunting partner whose tracking and trapping skills will prove invaluable in the hunt. New items, weapons and armor sets will also be available to assist the hunters as they embark on the most incredible Monster Hunter adventure to date.
“Fans of Nintendo and Monster Hunter are eagerly anticipating the launch of this title in the US, which will be the first time the series is available on a Nintendo home console,” said Steve Singer, Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Licensing. “Having Capcom bring Monster Hunter Tri to the Wii console provides tremendous action, fun and entertainment to both veteran players and series newcomers alike.”
Visitors to this month’s GamesCom European gaming convention in Cologne, Germany August 19-23, will be the first to sample a localized version of the title on Capcom’s stand as it makes its English debut for a western audience. GamesCom attendees will have the opportunity to play the same game that took last year’s Tokyo Game Show by storm, with lines that stretched around Capcom’s stand as eager Japanese gamers waited in excess of five hours to play.
This desire to be one of the first to experience Monster Hunter Tri is indicative of the impact the Monster Hunter franchise has made on videogame culture in Japan. With sales of the series totaling well over 10 million units and 3.5 million sales of Monster Hunter Portable™ 2ndG alone, it’s no surprise to find that Monster Hunter has given rise to dedicated “training camps”, country-wide festivals and numerous licensed products. The franchise doesn’t just top the charts in Japan; it’s become a social phenomenon.
The game has a special edition dealy in Japan that came with a Wii Classic controller, so I'm thinking waggle is entirely optional, if it even uses it at all. I just put that in the header to amuse myself.
Can someone please explain the Monster Hunter craze to me? o_O
I mean, sure, when I was younger I played the shit outta some Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh!/Monster Rancher, so I can understand those series' appeal, but Monster HUNTER was never something I quite knew enough about to be interested in I guess. Those damn japs love it though, from what I hear/read.
Monster Hunter 1 (on the PS2), the Wii remake, and MH3 are all pay-to-play in Japan, but when MH1 was released in the US it was free. If Capcom is smart, this'll be free too. Monster Hunter doesn't have nearly as much mindshare on this side to justify a pay-to-play system, especially among the majority of Wii users.
Don't think it's really worth it for Capcom to do this.
I mean, MH doesn't sell well in the US to begin with, now, put it on a platform where Americans by and large have no interest in playing anything more than crappy waggle fests and you've got a recipe for bad sales.
@faceless default avatar troll: How do you know the monster is not saying the word waggle? Maybe he's defiantly roaring against waggle? Does it say "this gaem are haev waggle?" No, it just says waggle. It's a Wii game.
I haven't been following the news about this game but you mentioned it was originally supposed to be coming out for the PS3. Does that mean that version is canceled altogether or is it still coming?
(p.s. the 'acorn' link doesn't work anymore. It sends you straight to http://www.andriasang.com/e/ instead of the pic.)
@theswitcher
What in the world are you doing here? Whinybitches.com is calling for you.
@faceless default avatar #2: The press release was just put out a couple of hours ago. Maybe call Capcom and tell them they were 6 months late in announcing the thing they just announced this morning.
Hey guys look at that it looks as though the Wii DIDN'T destroy this game. God I almost hoped this game wouldn't be developed for the Wii with the way some people were handling the news. Anywho the game looks great as I was expecting from CAPCOM. Those people do wonders on that little white box ^^
This has been looking pretty sweet, but I still have no clue what the deal is with Monster Hunter and why it's so ridiculously popular. I guess I'll see in 2010!
ooo Ive been thinking of buying this when it came out. I bought Monster Hunter Freedom 2 on PSP recently and its cool and all, but man it is difficult on a handheld. Im hoping a console version of this series will make it at least a little easier.
There's really no waggling on the Wiimote controls. The most you do is twist the Wiimote sideways to do different moves while pressing the A button. Overall, the Wii controls are pretty decent.
The Classic Controller has two schemes to choose from: The control setup from that is approximately similar to the PSP games, with the right analog stick used to handle camera control along with the D Pad. Then you got the control scheme from the original Monster Hunter, where the right analog stick is used for attacking (which is the scheme I prefer).
The persistent day/night cycle from Monster Hunter Dos returns.
Material nodes for mining and gathering herbs and whatnot now respawn over time. So it's now possible to gather many more materials in the field now during missions than the prior installments. I'm still on the first map of the game and I've already got over 20 machalite ore, which would have been downright rare or next to impossible to come by on the earlier games at where I'm at.
Egg Delivery Quests (blech) and Capture Quests (BLEEEEECH) both make a return, much to my disdain. Fortunately, armor skills can mitigate the pain of having to bringing the objective back to camp (Carrying Expert). Capture Quests can go straight back to Hell, I liked it more when they were a choice on the PSP games, rather than enforced upon you as they were in the older games.
The game allows you to freely enter the first map of the game from the village to help you gather materials and get acquainted with the gameplay elements before letting you take on actual Quests. Enemies respawn here, and killing them nets you points which I think are used for expansions in the Village's farm area, allowing you to gather materials in between quests without having to actually focus on gathering materials during quests (just like the PSP games). The contents of the map seems to change over time as well. More enemies (higher point value) seem to be added as you progress through the normal quests.
The game is pretty as hell, and the environments have a lot of variety and options in navigating. Swimming isn't hard at all, though I'm still getting accustomed to fighting underwater. Your breath gauge lasts for several minutes, which makes swimming a non-tedious enterprise. You gather materials underwater, and carve monsters you kill that are underwater.
Overall this game is kicking ass so far, despite my minor nitpicks with them bringing back two things that I thought really bogged the original game down (Egg Delivery and Capture Quests), and I'll gladly plunk down my money for the English version once it gets released here. I guess I should get around to using this as an opportunity to learn some Japanese.
To be honest, I'm not surprised by this news. That trailer did get me excited though. I'm a bit disappointed by the single player partner being this ChaCha thing instead of the feylines though. I just upgraded to Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, and love having one around with me. Ugh, 2010 seems so far away.
@Unangbangkay:
I <3 you for posting that scan.
@Vanor:
Wow, that all just made me a little wet(or that may be 'cause I just got done swimming XP). While I didn't have doubts about the game(save potential online charges) your little mini review really made excited for the game. Now, all you need to go is get an avatar for this site...
I have this game you guys... It ain't that great and I am a big MH fan!
But yeah the waggle sucks its nearly impossible to control the GS with the wii mote so I think the classic controller may be better I don't have one yet.
I have no interested in this game. Wait ... go back ... I *had* no interest in this game -- until now! That trailer was amazing! Let's hope that it doesn't join Okami and Zack and Wiki in the "Awesome Games That Idiot Gamers Didn't Buy" category.
Other than that, awesome like awesome's hardly ever been before so much awesomeness.
BEsides, it stands as an absolute stunner in the console. VEry beatiful graphics, and I definitely understand Zelda Team's statement on what Capcom's managed to pull off from the hardware. If they find a balance beetween this and the gorgeous textures of Galaxy, it would shape up to be one beautiful game.
Other than that, a must buy for every Wii gamer out there.
Also, even if it IS pay to play, Cpacom announced very tolerable payment. 2000 wii points for 3 months is the ont that sticks out, so just under 7 bucks a month, half of what you pay for WoW.
A very serious warning to newcomers:
the Monster Hunter series has always had a VERY steep learning curve. Some, if not many players (as well as reviewers) dismiss the game after a few early hunts that they find difficult (e.g. the notorious Yian Kut-Ku). MH has always been difficult for the following reasons:
-The attack systems for each weapon type is unique, and sometimes very difficult to master. They've even added a new weapon that combines the Great Sword and the Gunlance together in MH3, I think.
-Monsters can sometimes be infuriatingly frustrating, but in the end it all comes down to knowing its attack pattern and mastering each monster.
-The notorious camera system. In my opinion, there really should be no gripe about it, as it is a (nearly) free 3D camera like many other 3rd person games out there. Turning the camera can be said to be a skill on its own, as it requires skill to turn the camera to face a monster.
There is so much more that needs to be said---Monster Hunter is very deep, and initially very difficult. However, once you "GET" it, you won't be able to put it down.
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Contest:
11:48 AM on 08.03.2009
| 
That said, I think I prefer Felynes to Chacha.
I mean, sure, when I was younger I played the shit outta some Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh!/Monster Rancher, so I can understand those series' appeal, but Monster HUNTER was never something I quite knew enough about to be interested in I guess. Those damn japs love it though, from what I hear/read.
Monster Hunter 1 (on the PS2), the Wii remake, and MH3 are all pay-to-play in Japan, but when MH1 was released in the US it was free. If Capcom is smart, this'll be free too. Monster Hunter doesn't have nearly as much mindshare on this side to justify a pay-to-play system, especially among the majority of Wii users.
Destructoid, folks.
I mean, MH doesn't sell well in the US to begin with, now, put it on a platform where Americans by and large have no interest in playing anything more than crappy waggle fests and you've got a recipe for bad sales.
Oh well, at least Capcom is still trying!
JOURNALISM
You're exactly right. The franchise is huge in Japan thus they can get away with anything, but not here.
I also really want to get my hands on that Wii Classic Controller pro, even though I still hate the stupid DS Dpad they've got on it.
I haven't been following the news about this game but you mentioned it was originally supposed to be coming out for the PS3. Does that mean that version is canceled altogether or is it still coming?
(p.s. the 'acorn' link doesn't work anymore. It sends you straight to http://www.andriasang.com/e/ instead of the pic.)
@theswitcher
What in the world are you doing here? Whinybitches.com is calling for you.
This is quite interesting and it looks amazing.
I'm going to keep an eye open for this.
Ah, thanks for the reply. I wish it was on PS3 though. I would love to play it.
Try this: http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2009/05/24/mh3_chacha/.
SRSLY Felynes R Betttr:
There's really no waggling on the Wiimote controls. The most you do is twist the Wiimote sideways to do different moves while pressing the A button. Overall, the Wii controls are pretty decent.
The Classic Controller has two schemes to choose from: The control setup from that is approximately similar to the PSP games, with the right analog stick used to handle camera control along with the D Pad. Then you got the control scheme from the original Monster Hunter, where the right analog stick is used for attacking (which is the scheme I prefer).
The persistent day/night cycle from Monster Hunter Dos returns.
Material nodes for mining and gathering herbs and whatnot now respawn over time. So it's now possible to gather many more materials in the field now during missions than the prior installments. I'm still on the first map of the game and I've already got over 20 machalite ore, which would have been downright rare or next to impossible to come by on the earlier games at where I'm at.
Egg Delivery Quests (blech) and Capture Quests (BLEEEEECH) both make a return, much to my disdain. Fortunately, armor skills can mitigate the pain of having to bringing the objective back to camp (Carrying Expert). Capture Quests can go straight back to Hell, I liked it more when they were a choice on the PSP games, rather than enforced upon you as they were in the older games.
The game allows you to freely enter the first map of the game from the village to help you gather materials and get acquainted with the gameplay elements before letting you take on actual Quests. Enemies respawn here, and killing them nets you points which I think are used for expansions in the Village's farm area, allowing you to gather materials in between quests without having to actually focus on gathering materials during quests (just like the PSP games). The contents of the map seems to change over time as well. More enemies (higher point value) seem to be added as you progress through the normal quests.
The game is pretty as hell, and the environments have a lot of variety and options in navigating. Swimming isn't hard at all, though I'm still getting accustomed to fighting underwater. Your breath gauge lasts for several minutes, which makes swimming a non-tedious enterprise. You gather materials underwater, and carve monsters you kill that are underwater.
Overall this game is kicking ass so far, despite my minor nitpicks with them bringing back two things that I thought really bogged the original game down (Egg Delivery and Capture Quests), and I'll gladly plunk down my money for the English version once it gets released here. I guess I should get around to using this as an opportunity to learn some Japanese.
seems the wii can put out some great grapichs after all.
@Unangbangkay:
I <3 you for posting that scan.
@Vanor:
Wow, that all just made me a little wet(or that may be 'cause I just got done swimming XP). While I didn't have doubts about the game(save potential online charges) your little mini review really made excited for the game. Now, all you need to go is get an avatar for this site...
But yeah the waggle sucks its nearly impossible to control the GS with the wii mote so I think the classic controller may be better I don't have one yet.
This is definitely on my list, once I get another Wii. :/
"Cha-Cha, and he looks like an acorn"
However, that by itself was almost enough to sell me on this.
Other than that, awesome like awesome's hardly ever been before so much awesomeness.
BEsides, it stands as an absolute stunner in the console. VEry beatiful graphics, and I definitely understand Zelda Team's statement on what Capcom's managed to pull off from the hardware. If they find a balance beetween this and the gorgeous textures of Galaxy, it would shape up to be one beautiful game.
Other than that, a must buy for every Wii gamer out there.
jesus christ. Day one purchase.
Also, even if it IS pay to play, Cpacom announced very tolerable payment. 2000 wii points for 3 months is the ont that sticks out, so just under 7 bucks a month, half of what you pay for WoW.
I wanna play with the 20 foot sword.
the Monster Hunter series has always had a VERY steep learning curve. Some, if not many players (as well as reviewers) dismiss the game after a few early hunts that they find difficult (e.g. the notorious Yian Kut-Ku). MH has always been difficult for the following reasons:
-The attack systems for each weapon type is unique, and sometimes very difficult to master. They've even added a new weapon that combines the Great Sword and the Gunlance together in MH3, I think.
-Monsters can sometimes be infuriatingly frustrating, but in the end it all comes down to knowing its attack pattern and mastering each monster.
-The notorious camera system. In my opinion, there really should be no gripe about it, as it is a (nearly) free 3D camera like many other 3rd person games out there. Turning the camera can be said to be a skill on its own, as it requires skill to turn the camera to face a monster.
There is so much more that needs to be said---Monster Hunter is very deep, and initially very difficult. However, once you "GET" it, you won't be able to put it down.
I WILL certainly be borrowing my Wii back off my elderly parents when this comes out.
I'm sure the Wii itself is sick of WiiFit, "get this fucking disc out of me and this old bint off my wobbleboard!"
Glad you can play without waggle though, does make me wonder, why bother doing it on Wii? Why not a super sexy HD PS3 version?! Tight bastards.