So, Monster Hunter 3 for the Wii...

[KentaRawr!]

I can't really find much info on it. I have an idea on what it's going to be like based on info I can find on earlier games, but all I know about this one that separates it from the others is that it's on the Wii. ...

Let's talk about it anyway. I've heard Monster Hunter is similar to PSO from old PSO friends of mine. But, when I imagine that, it seems like it wouldn't really work well due to Online on the Wii being so yuck. However, Nintendo does allow companies to use their own online service, as seen in EA'a Medal of Honor Heroes 2, in which Friend Codes weren't used, and they used the basic room by room system of old (and good). However, I'm not sure if Nintendo would allow a game on the Wii that sparks community. I guess we'll see.

So, discuss Monster Hunter 3.

[JKTrix]

Well, with both PSO and Monster Hunter, you travel around online in parties. It's not like it's a totally open world where you see other players just randomly running around, so even if they do end up using 'friend codes' it wouldn't be that big of an issue since you'll only be partying with up to 3 people at a time.

However, I think your problems finding information on Monster Hunter 3 will be rectified in the near future. Capcom USA intends to get behind the franchise in a big way with advertising and all kinds of junk.

It's no secret that, in Japan, Monster Hunter is a phenomenon along the same lines as Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh; One in five PSP owners in Japan has a copy of one of the Monster Hunter games! You can see people playing it everywhere; on street corners in Akihabara, on the train, waiting in line to get into the Capcom store at TGS, on school campuses (not during class, mind) and on and on. The publishing company that puts out Famitsu released a Monster Hunter strategy guide that was over 1000 pages!

Outside of Japan, the series hasn't really caught on in the same way. We've done respectable business with the games we've released so far on PS2 and PSP. We certainly haven't posted numbers in North America as they have done in Japan – Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for the PSP has sold in excess of 2 million units there – but the games have done well.

That being said, Capcom is going to be making a major commitment to the Monster Hunter brand over the next two years in the west. Expect to see a significant marketing program dedicated to educating and enthralling gamers of both casual and hardcore natures. We're not going to let up until there are as many people playing here in North America as there are in Japan! While we have not made specific announcements regarding Monster Hunter 3 in North America (or Europe, for that matter) to date, you can bet we'll be talking more about it in the future.

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I'm honestly not sure how the game will perform in Japan. The first 2 Monster Hunter games sold well enough over there, but they were nowhere near as explosively successful PSP games based off of the 2nd console game. A big part of MH's success over there is that it was portable on the PSP and you could still play online from it. With the Wii being a mostly stationary home console, I think it loses a lot of the appeal that made Monster Hunter so powerful.

Still, Monster Hunter *is* really powerful, so it could still do very well on the Wii in Japan. As for the US, I think it could do okay. Capcom knows that there a good chunk of gamers on the Wii (despite their more deserving efforts being snubbed by consumers), so they do have a chance with it here.

I own both of the PSP games that have come out here, and I can attest to their quality, but I ended up not playing them after a while. It's the kind of game that you can sink hours and hours into with lots of loot, and I only went online once with either game. I can't really handle that kind of game right now (which is also why I don't play MMOs), but I think by time MH3 comes out I'll be in school and have more time/less money to spend on games so it should fare better. I definitely think I could become a fan of the series, as I was pretty heavy into PSO for a while.

[KentaRawr!]

I'm not sure about Monster Hunter, but in PSO Lobbies were a pretty big thing. I spent a load of my time in the lobbies, mostly because everyone else wanted to do some specific quest to level up. (TTF) So, friend codes might not mess up anything in the game itself, fighting monsters and what-not, but the community aspect wouldn't really be the same.

[Dreddz]

The premise of Monster Hunter is great and drew me in enough to buy the first title for the PSP. I mean, I love PSO so why the hell not, right?

What I hated about Monster Hunter was that it was too hard. And for all the wrong reasons. The gameplay was broken making fights against monsters way too difficult. I just couldnt tolerate it so thats why I only put in around 5 hours into the game. Its a shame because from what I heard everything else was done great.

As for Monster Hunter 3, well I hope they fix the gameplay (although imagining it done with the Wii controls sounds terrible). I think it would of been better if it remained on the PS3. A MMO style game would benefit alot more with a more powerful machine than the Wii. The reason they said they switched development from the PS3 to the Wii was apparantly because it was too expensive to make on the PS3. What a load of bull. Capcom are one of the richest video game developers out there. And its not like Monster Hunter wouldnt of sold. They put it on the Wii because its more popular in Japan and knew more money was to be made. It was the same story with DQIX on the DS. That game would of been epic on the PS3. On the DS it'll be far less interesting. I think making better quality titles is more important than making money.

[KentaRawr!]

While I would appreciate higher-end titles, Video Game Companies are always going for money. I don't really see how any game like Monster Hunter could benefit from the Wii Remote, but who knows what they're doing? But the Wii Remote probably has very little to do with their reasoning for making it for the Wii. Like you said, the Wii is more popular in Japan, their strongest fan-base, so their's more money to be made. But it's no lie that the PS3 costs more to develop for, if you want to stay on top of the competition there. The end result, of course, is less money spent.