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Register Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate 3DS in Europe, get free download for a friend
Europeans who purchase and register Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the 3DS before 11pm UK time on June 30 will be eligible for a recommendation code good for one download of Capcom's game. If your pal registers a Nintendo 3DS or 3DS XL through Club Nintendo between 11pm UK time tonight and 11pm UK time on July 31, and enters the recommendation code before 11pm UK time on August 5, then they'll be able to download the game. So what if you already registered Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate 3DS? Check the Club Nintendo site tomorrow after 3pm UK time, at which point you should find your recommendation code available and can continue the rest of the process. The promotion only applies to the 3DS version – the Wii U game is not eligible – and Nintendo has announced no plans to extend the promotion outside of Europe.
Powering beyond 100 hours in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
In his weekly column, writer Bob Mackey will alternate between two of his passions: the Japanese RPG genre and classic games. This week, Bob returns to the world of Monster Hunter. Since I don't play MMOs, it's a rare occasion to see the timer on any of my games roll past that magical 99:59 mark. Still, it's happened more times than I'd like to admit; whenever an especially deep or content-rich RPG hits me during a particularly inactive time in my life, I'll focus on it and it alone. Since I've chosen a career path laden with vast periods of inactivity, RPGs Fallout 3, the Persona and Dragon Quest franchises, and Dark Souls have done a fine job of soaking up free time that would have otherwise gone to waste on frequent power naps or community service. Chalk it up to fate if you want, but Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate found me in the familiar condition of "nothing better to do," and for the past six weeks, Capcom's hardcore action-RPG has given me a whole new set of complex mechanics and arcana to obsess over with thousands of my fellow monster-hunting fans. Now that I've reached that monumental 100-hour mark, it's time to ask myself one question: Did I invest my time wisely? Short answer: no, but I'll save regrets over playing too many video games for my death bed.%Gallery-176601%
No decision too trivial in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
In his weekly column, writer Bob Mackey will alternate between two of his passions: the Japanese RPG genre and classic games. This week Mackey discusses his evolving thoughts on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. It's only been a few weeks, but I can't help but feel a little ashamed of my last Joystiq post about Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Reading it from my current, semi-experienced perspective, the piece feels like an excited first-grader telling a long and involved story about learning to tie his shoes. To be fair, my revised take on things comes from a slightly embarrassing wealth of invested time; I've sunk 30 additional hours into the game since my initial column, and when I sat down to write about learning the ropes of MH3U, I'd barely hunted monster one. Looking back at the knowledge I picked up since then, and the numerous intricacies I've yet to figure out, it dawned on me why Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate has made every other game in my presence go completely neglected. Capcom has refined its specific brand of action-RPG into a trial-by-fire experience that requires constant hypothesizing and experimenting – pure brain candy for us unlucky folks whose minds crave constant stimulation. Of course, you don't have to take it from me; real academic-type people have picked up on this same value of playing video games – even if said people haven't necessarily jumped on the Monster Hunter train yet. When I taught a college writing course during my grad school days, I used James Paul Gee's What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (yes, all academic book titles must be this clunky by law) to inform groups of mostly bored 18-year-olds about how gaming can actually increase our problem-solving skills.%Gallery-178777%
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate off-screen play patch live
Starting today, those of you in the US can team up with friends in Europe to take down the dreaded Lagiacrus, and you can do so without occupying the television. The update for the Wii U version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, enabling off-screen play and cross-region multiplayer, went live last night, Capcom reports.Now you can play all you want without the people you live with noticing how bad you are at, say, trapping live monsters, as you fail that tutorial mission repeatedly. Hypothetically speaking.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Wii U cross-region, off-TV patch hits April 15 [update]
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is getting patched up as promised next week, with off-TV play and cross-region interaction for transatlantic hunters coming to the Wii U game on April 15. Capcom announced the patch back in February, admitting it was going back on its decision to regionally restrict online play following "community feedback."Update: Capcom clarified the patch is coming to North America on April 15 at 5PM PT, 8PM ET. The European patch is coming at the same time, but on the continent it will already be April 16 - 1AM in the UK, 2AM CEST.
BioShock Infinite clings to top spot in this week's UK Charts
Like Booker DeWitt on a skyrail, BioShock Infinite hangs high above the rest in this week's UK charts. Despite a 75 percent sales drop after its launch week, Irrational's clouds-based shooter is numero uno for two weeks in a row. Just below it is Tomb Raider, maintaining its own impressive grip on the UK top two; that's five weeks now it's not budged. Trion's shooter MMO Defiance marks its debut week by notching third place, and is the only new entry in the top 40. Gears of War: Judgment earns a third week appraisal of sixth, falling behind Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon in fifth. Meanwhile, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel and PGA Tour 14 endure second week drops to 15th and 17th respectively. After just three weeks, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is nowhere to be seen in the top 40, although there may be more here than meets the eye. After placing seventh in its debut week, MH3U plummeted to a surprising 37th last week. However, Nintendo of Europe chief Satoru Shibata took to Twitter late last week to apologize "for the current stock shortage" of the Wii U and 3DS game "due to high demand." Shibata said new stock will "hopefully be available" this coming week.
Breaking in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate before it breaks me
In a new weekly column, writer Bob Mackey will alternate between two of his passions: the Japanese RPG genre and classic games. "Before you register any complaints with the management, remember one thing: I'm new here," Mackey says. Jump onto any video game forum these days, and you'll find no shortage of people willing to teach you the ropes of Monster Hunter. I'm sure a good portion of these devotees have been there for years, but – as with Nintendo's recent Fire Emblem: Awakening – this latest release has brought about a period of relevance for a series that never quite had the same impact on the States as it did in Japan. It's not as if Capcom had to try all that hard; Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate exists as a souped-up version of a three year-old Wii game, dropped into a release period where there might as well be tumbleweeds rolling across my Wii U's home screen. So even if I feel the game isn't all that great – hey, it's something to play.I've always been a little wary of Monster Hunter, even though some of my favorite series took Capcom's particular ball and ran with it for the sake of grabbing the attention of Monster Hunter's healthy user base. Both Dragon Quest and Metal Gear picked up on Monster Hunter's loot-driven, fun-sized focus, but for the most part, still presented single-player as a viable option. Outside of grappling with the god-awful adhoc party, the only way I'd be able to make the most of Monster Hunter before 3 Ultimate could be found in less than ideal setups, like somehow organizing a group of friends with PSPs – a statistical impossibility – or convincing this same group that their Wiis could indeed be used to play games online – Super Smash Bros. Brawl's multiplayer slide show did a fantastic job of putting this rumor to bed.%Gallery-178777%
Deja Review: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
This is a Deja Review: A quick, unscored look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is the latest revision in the long-running Capcom series, the last of which was seen on Western home consoles in 2010's Monster Hunter Tri. When the developer adds an "Alpha," "Turbo," or in this case "Ultimate," to a game's title, it typically signifies that the core parts of the game are unchanged. With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, players get the familiarity of Tri with the excitement of more quests, monsters and areas in which to hunt. Ultimate spans two systems this time around, the Wii U and 3DS. Both versions kick off in Moga Village, putting you through the same tired paces as seen in the previous slow-burn introductions to the universe. Collect some mushrooms, defeat a Great Jaggi, catch three goldenfish, deliver some eggs and so on. Veteran hunters will have plenty of material to re-tread before the game resembles anything different than what they're used to. %Gallery-178778%
Monster Hunter save transfer and packet relay tools coming 'by Friday'
The noticeably absent Packet Relay Tools and Data Transfer Program apps for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate should arrive on Nintendo's eShop by Friday, March 22, Capcom tells Joystiq. The Data Transfer Program will allow players to port their save files between the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game."Nintendo is working very closely with us to get these live as soon as possible and we anticipate that they will both be available on the Nintendo eShop by Friday, March 22," Capcom says. The publisher planned to launch both apps along with the game yesterday."We sincerely apologize for the delay and appreciate that eager fans are looking forward to the feature set offered by the two apps," Capcom adds.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate save transfer utility not available yet [update]
The utility to let you transfer Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate saves between the 3DS and Wii U versions is currently missing in action. It was supposed to have been released on the eShop yesterday on both platforms, concurrent with the game, but neither the 3DS "Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Data Transfer Program" nor the Wii U "Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Packet Relay Tools for Nintendo 3DS" are up on the eShop right now.Capcom Associate Online/Community Specialist Yuri Araujo posted on the Capcom-Unity thread about the issue, apologizing for the mysterious delay and stating that it would be up late yesterday. As of writing, it is not. We've checked in with Capcom for an updated ETA.For now, you can play Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on 3DS or Wii U – you just can't play on Wii U if you want your progress from both to carry over.[Thanks, Joe]Update: "Capcom is working closely with Nintendo to make these available for download as soon as possible and apologize for the delay," the publisher tells Joystiq.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate shopping channel vid is gold
Do you yearn for the exceptional slaying power of a great sword, but find yourself put off by the high asking price? Well, friend, the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate shopping network is here to make your day a better, more brutal one. Order now! Capcom is keen as mustard to get western gamers hooked on Monster Hunter, and this excellently executed video is, for our Zeni, a great way of going about that. Oh, and for those who'd prefer to see the game in action, albeit with people over-animatedly enjoying it, check out the launch trailer after the break. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is out today in North America for 3DS and Wii U, and comes to Europe on Friday, March 22.
Capcom hopes grassroots movement will endear Monster Hunter to the west
Despite its unbelievable popularity in Japan, Capcom's Monster Hunter series hasn't taken off to the same degree in western countries. Not to imply that the games don't have a dedicated stateside following – rather, the numbers just can't compare.With Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate's North American release on the Wii U and 3DS right around the corner, Capcom will be attempting to grow interest in the brand the old fashioned way, by going to shows and talking to people about the game face to face."We have a full on booth, a Monster Hunter dedicated booth, at PAX, we have a Monster Hunter dedicated booth at Wondercon, we're also going to be attending C2E2 in Chicago, we have events that we're planning on doing at Capcom's offices in the near future," senior product marketing manager Laili Bosma told us during SXSW Interactive. "We're also looking to hopefully do a summer tour with Monster Hunter across the country."Bosma gave the off-screen/cross-region post-launch patch announced in February as an example of how Capcom is actively listening and responding to the needs of western audiences. "Capcom is very dedicated to the brand, obviously in Japan being as huge as it is. But, the team is also dedicated to trying to make it work here in the US," Bosma said, though she recognizes that there's no magic fix for transporting popularity overseas."It's not magical, it's not going to happen overnight," she added. "My goal here is to try to get as many people to experience it first-hand, and for us to answer those questions as much as we can, and then hopefully grow that audience one person at a time."
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate trailer shows its angry antagonists
Enter: the majestic creatures of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate who exist purely to be poked with giant sticks, hammers and swords.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate to get cross-region, off-TV play in April
Capcom is introducing a patch to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate in April that brings both cross-region and off-TV functionality to the Wii U game. The introduction of cross-region play, which allows North American and European players to monster-hunt together in battles for up to four players, represents Capcom backtracking on its decision to region-lock the game, and the company says the update is a "response to community feedback."Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate comes to North America in three weeks time on March 19, so it won't have cross-region or off-TV functionality at launch. The game is also set to receive free additional quests on both 3DS and Wii U, with the first of these available at launch.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate demos
Today is all about demos. If you've wanted to see what the whole "Monster Hunter" sensation is about, today you can download demos of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on both Wii U and 3DS. There are also demos of Trine 2 on Wii U and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on 3DS.Etrian Odyssey 4 will also be released on 3DS eShop on February 26 – between now and the next weekly eShop release list.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and the power of customization
Those who don't own a 3DS or Wii may not be familiar with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – it's an updated version of 2010's Monster Hunter Tri, coming to both the Wii U and 3DS in North America.Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says the Wii U update is a logical fit based on Wii U's dual-screen setup. "When we decided to make the game on the Wii U, we actually brought out the game on 3DS first – the 3DS version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate came out in Japan about a year ago, so the game was designed from the very beginning to have that two-screen interaction. So when we made the game – although it was based on Monster Hunter Tri – we felt like we had put so much new content into the game that it deserved the chance to be played by more and more people. The Wii U was a perfect fit because of the fact it has the two screens and you're able to do cross-compatibility between the 3DS and the Wii U. It just made a lot of sense for us to bring that experience into the living room, into the HD realm."%Gallery-178777%
Buy both Monster Hunter 3 Ultimates, get $20 off
Purchasing both the Wii U and 3DS versions of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate would normally set the devoted huntsman back a smooth hundred zingers, but Capcom has announced that purchasing both together through Amazon will result in a $20 discount. Or, in outdated gold-rush vernacular, two sawbucks, which is enough for a new sifting pan and some chew from the General Store.Both versions of the game must be purchased during the same Amazon transaction for the $20 discount to be applied, so anyone that has already pre-ordered either version of the game needs to first cancel their existing pre-order for everything to work properly.As we first learned when the North American versions of this game were announced back in September, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is capable of sharing save files between the Wii U and 3DS, allowing for continuous progression across both platforms. Additionally, the 3DS version can be locally linked with the Wii U version for couch multiplayer fun times.
MH3 Ultimate, Fire Emblem Awakening EU bundles unveiled, Circle Pad Pro too
Nintendo revealed European hardware bundles for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Fire Emblem Awakening in this morning's Direct broadcast, along with a release date of April 19 for Awakening.The Wii U MH3U bundle includes the black Premium edition of the console, a black Pro Controller, and the game. Meanwhile, the 3DS bundle brings the black XL console to the continent for the first time, along with a pre-installed copy of MH3U. The Circle Pad Pro 3DS XL launches in Europe on the same day the game does, which is March 22.As for Fire Emblem Awakening, it gets a Europe-exclusive blue 3DS XL, as pictured below the break, which includes a pre-installed copy of the game. This morning's Direct presentation also confirmed all of the strategy game's DLC is headed to the continent, but didn't provide any release dates for the add-on content.
Capcom media drop: RE Revelations, Remember Me, DmC DLC and more
Capcom showed its upcoming lineup to journalists in San Francisco this week, with playable builds of Resident Evil: Revelations, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Remember Me, Darkstalkers Resurrection and the "Vergil's Downfall" DLC for DmC: Devil May Cry.We'll be posting our thoughts on those later, but in the meantime you can have a look at the new media above (Hunk in a Resident Evil: Revelations trailer) and below.%Gallery-178780%
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate servers region-locked
When Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate comes out in March, you'll have no help online from the Japanese players who will have been practicing for months. The servers for online multiplayer in the Wii U action RPG are region locked, according to a GameReactor interview conducted with producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. "In principle, the online game in Europe is only among Europeans," Tsujimoto said. Capcom clarified to the site that the region lock keeps North America, Europe, and Japan sequestered to their own regions.Capcom community specialist Yuri Lindbergh responded to US fans, pledging to pass along fans' universal displeasure to Capcom.
