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Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is massive in all the right ways
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is not the kind of game you're likely to play in short bursts -- which is probably why the Monster Hunter franchise didn't make the trip to iOS devices sooner -- but that doesn't mean it's not a fantastic gaming experience just the same. If you've not had the pleasure of taking a full Monster Hunter title for a spin, the idea is pretty straightforward: The games always start with you, a mysterious hunter, arriving at a village of some sort. The need help gathering items and downing the massive beasts the roam the land, and it's up to you to make that happen. Where Monster Hunter games deviate from most action role-playing games is that there's never an isolated storyline you have to follow; It's up to you to decide which quests take priority and how you want to go about completing your objectives. You can approach combat in a variety of ways, from ranged attacks with projectile weapons to up-close-and-personal melee onslaughts. In practice, the games play like a strange, beautiful hybrid of an open-world RPG and a hack-and-slash action game. The formula remains the same in Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, with your hunter finding its way to a snowy village that could very much use your assistance. After some lengthy training sessions, the quests begin, and you'll spend the majority of your time defeating towering beasts and collecting resources from the world. Finding and crafting new gear is also a huge part of your character progression, and finding the right resources to create something great quickly becomes an adventure in its own right. It's the kind of experience you'll want to eat up in large chunks, and if you plan on seeing everything the game has to offer, you can expect to put dozens or even hundreds of hours into it. Freedom Unite was originally released in 2008 on the PlayStation Portable, which is decidedly underpowered when compared to the current crop of iOS devices. As such, the game's visuals are a mixed bag. On one hand, the resolution has been revamped to take advantage of Retina displays, but the low-res textures still look pretty rough when the camera gets too close. Still, the game's huge open world is a sight to behold, and you'll likely be impressed with how smooth the game runs, even as monsters crowd the screen. The on-screen controls, which rely on virtual buttons and an analog stick for movement, definitely take a bit of getting used to. Touchscreen controls are rarely ideal, so there's no surprise that a game originally designed for physical buttons feels somewhat odd in the transition. That being said, it's absolutely playable once you get the hang of it, and after you've bested a few beasts with the new control scheme it should feel considerably more comfortable. For those who have invested in a new MFi game controller, you'll also be able to use it here, which I have to say is the preferable option, but certainly not a requirement for enjoyment. It's clear that a lot of love went into both the original Monster Hunter Freedom Unite game as well as this new iOS re-release. The game is a blast and a huge time killer if you aren't careful, but be warned that it's a bit of an investment at US$14.99. Still, for a game that offers hundreds of hours of playtime with no worries over in-app purchases, that's a completely reasonable price tag. Get it.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite gets cooking on iOS, out now
You can begin today with a healthy serving of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on iOS, now Capcom's multiplayer action-RPG is out on the App Store. The port of the 2009 PSP game is a $15 capture in North America, or £10.49/14 euros across the ocean. Five years and a few Monster Hunters on, it's no surprise to see Capcom bring additions to Freedom Unite. The touchscreen camera now lets you lock on to beastly targets through a screen tap, and you can track monsters automatically. There's also a definition boost to the visuals, four-player Wi-Fi co-op remains intact, and MFi controllers are supported. [Image: Capcom]
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite journeys to North American iOS devices
Monster Hunter fans have always had a reason to love mobile devices, as many of the best games in the series have come out for the likes of the Sony PSP and Nintendo 3DS, but now the iOS twins are ready to get in on the action. Developer Capcom has announced that Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, a 2008 release for the PSP, will be coming to the App Store in North America shortly. The game hit iOS devices in Japan on May 8th, but until now there was no mention of a release outside that country. Needless to say, the game looks a whole lot more sexy on the HD screens of iOS devices than it did on the now antiquated PSP, and a slick touch control setup with auto targeting will make slaying massive beasts a straightforward affair. Add to that 4-player online co-op support and it sounds like the first genuine Monster Hunter experience for iOS. No date has been announced, but the game will be playable at E3 next week, so hopefully we'll get a solid release date soon.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite coming to slay iOS devices
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, the 2009 PSP game in Capcom's Monster Hunter series, is coming to North American iOS devices. Capcom announced the port alongside Dead Rising 3 for PC and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy for 3DS as part of their E3 2014 lineup, so we should know more next week, when we don our +3 Convention Armor and travel to Los Angeles. [Image: Capcom]
Capcom plans to sell 3.9 million more copies of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Alongside Capcom's financial report for the 2013 fiscal year yesterday, in which it revealed an increase in net income by 15.9 percent year-over-year, it also offered some projections for the upcoming financial year (ending March 31, 2015). Given the continued success of its Monster Hunter brand, Capcom projected sales of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate to reach 3.9 million units in North America, Europe, Japan and other Asian countries. The game will reach the west in early 2015. Additionally, Capcom reported that its strategy for mobile includes the launch of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on iOS this month. The PSP game went free for PlayStation Plus users in March. Capcom also plans to launch another mobile game in the series this year called Monster Hunter Smart. The company noted strategies for PC in Japan and other parts of Asia, namely by introducing the beta phase of Monster Hunter Online as well as Breath of Fire 6 this summer. The latter was announced in August 2013 for PC, iOS and Android, whereas the former is the result of an April 2013 partnership between Capcom and Tencent to bring the free-to-play MMO to PC players in China. Lastly, Capcom mentioned plans to "develop titles exclusively for online games," specifically mentioning Deep Down for PS4, a free-to-play game first announced in September. [Image: Capcom]
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite takes a swing at PS Plus tomorrow
Sony confirmed Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, the last of March's PlayStation Plus games, joins the Instant Game Collection tomorrow. The PSP action-RPG is playable as a download on Vita, and if you're in to big weapons, big creatures to defeat, demanding combat and playing with friends, you might lose a lot of hours to it. Plus members can also take advantage of discounts on the new PlayStation versions of Fez, which arrive on PS4, PS3, and Vita tomorrow in North America. Fez is a very different game to Monster Hunter Freedom Unite but its puzzles are no less demanding in their own right. The colorful 2D-or-is-it-3D platformer has a regular price of $13 that comes down to $10.39 with a Plus membership. Meanwhile, there are also discounts on BioShock 1 and 2, each half-price at $5, and on DLC for BioShock Infinite including the first episode of Burial at Sea. You can find the full list of discounts on the PlayStation Blog. [Image: Capcom]
March's PlayStation Plus freebies are Tomb Raider, Thomas Was Alone, more
PlayStation Plus subscribers have six free games to look forward to across Sony's three current platforms as part of its Instant Game Collection program. PS4 owners signed up to PS Plus will receive arcade shooter Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition for free this coming month. Three more games will be free on PS3 in March: Tomb Raider, Thomas Was Alone and Lone Survivor: The Director's Cut. Lastly, Vita players will get to add military shooter Unit 13 and beast-slayer Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite to their download queues. Those with copies of Monster Hunter Freedom 2 can transfer their data to Freedom Unite to continue progressing their characters. Penny-pinchers would also be wise to remember the Back to 2013 and Vita anniversary sales Sony is hosting at the moment. The sales offer discounts on games like Hotline Miami, Escape Plan, Flower, Killzone Mercenary, Tales of Xillia, Dragon's Crown, Ni no Kuni and more. [Image: SCEA]
Mega Man and Monster Hunter bundled up for PSP
It might be shortsighted to buy UMD-based PSP games so close to the launch of the PlayStation Vita, but these new deals from Capcom may still tempt you, especially if you're budget-conscious enough to wait on the Vita anyway. The publisher has bundled some of its most popular PSP games into $14.99 "dual packs," one containing Mega Man Maverick Hunter X and Mega Man Powered Up, and another containing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and Freedom 2. You'll have to brave entering a GameStop for these, as they're exclusive to that retailer. Well, we suppose you could "brave" its website from the relative safety of your home, too.
Capcom's store slashes PSP game prices for limited time
Remember the PSP? With all of the PS Vita news lately, we wouldn't blame you if Sony's current handheld had dropped off your radar. Well, Capcom's giving PSP owners a reason to charge up their systems again, dropping the prices on a portion of its UMD-based titles (little discs, seriously!) while supplies last. Starting at $10 and maxing out at $20, the list includes: Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Power Stone Collection, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max and seven more. Capcom says the quantities of some titles are "extremely limited," so hit that source link fast if you're at all interested in this deal. You'll find the full list with prices after the jump.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and other Capcom PSP games on sale
Capcom is discounting select PSP UMD games via its online store, including Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law and Capcom Puzzle World. If you're a PSP Go owner, uh ... yeah.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite DLC coming to an end
Since its release, Capcom has diligently updated Monster Hunter Freedom Unite with free DLC; unfortunately, the free updates come to an end this week, with the release of five additional missions. Promising to be "some of the most epic quests" in the game so far, these four-player missions can be downloaded for free from the in-game DLC menu. The final missions will be available on April 2nd. If you're still playing the game, and have AdHocParty installed on your PS3, you may want to participate in a Play With Capcom session this Friday. For more details, visit the Capcom-Unity blog.
Sony throwing an adhocParty in North America this month
North American PS3 and PSP owners will no longer have to go through a complicated process to access adhocParty, the once Japan-only application that lets local adHoc PSP games be played online. SCEA just announced that the PS3 app will be available in North America this month! The application works with "select online multiplayer games" for PSP, using the PS3's internet connection. It is currently unknown whether it will support the same list of games available in Japan, but Sony specifically named Gran Turismo and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite as compatible. We're hoping that, some time in the next year, Sony will enhance its platforms even more with a new technology called the "space bar." It could really work wonders for adhocParty on PSPgo.
Bionic Commando, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite 'underperform' in the west
While Capcom may have reported strong numbers for its first quarter ending June 30, that doesn't mean that everything is rosy. The report mentioned that Bionic Commando and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite failed to perform in the west and, digging a little deeper into Capcom's documents, we've uncovered some more specific details. Bionic Commando, which Capcom released with western audiences in mind, only managed to sell 550,000 copies since its debut in May. Capcom, unsurprisingly, believes the title "underperformed."Meanwhile, PSP title Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, which has been very successful in Japan, has "performed weakly" in western markets, though it sold 600,000 copies worldwide (not bad for a game that released over a year ago in Japan). The documents don't specify how many copies were sold in western markets, though it's clear the company is disappointed. It's also important to note that Freedom Unite's US release was on June 23, only a week prior to the end of Capcom's first quarter.
Download free Monster Hunter Freedom Unite quests at Comic-Con
Capcom is issuing a call to all PSP-owning monster hunters, revealing that, if they bring their system and copy of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite to next week's San Diego Comic-Con, they'll be able to download eight free quests for the game. The company cautions those planning to do so that only six quests will fit on a memory stick (no file sizes are given), so you'd best bring a second MS Duo along just to be safe.Four of the eight quests are said to be geared toward beginner-level players; the other eight are intended for Monster Hunter vets. Capcom has remarked that these freebies will serve as a taste of what's to come from the game's upcoming DLC, which will hit the PS Store every Friday through the end of 2009. (DLC quests for the game first became available earlier this month.)
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite does monsterously well in Japan
Japanese PSP owners are united in their love of Capcom's latest Monster Hunter installment. According to figures released today, Freedom Unite -- which just launched here in the US -- has sold a total of 3.5 million copies in Japan since its release there in March. Capcom notes that this includes 1 million in sales of the game's "The Best" budget line version. The Monster Hunter franchise is not nearly as huge in the States, but that's something that could change once Sony finally releases its adhocParty app for PS3 here. It enables groups of PSP users to play online with full voice chat, which kinda makes coordinating to bring down the beasts a whole lot easier -- and fun.
Weekly Monster Hunter DLC begins today
Just like its Japanese counterpart, the English language version of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will feature weekly downloadable content. Best of all, it'll be free! Expect updates every Friday for the next few months. The first content update, available today, is a new "Epic Hunting Quest" called "The Triumvirate of the Sands." This quest will feature the monsters Daimyo Hermitaur, Tigrex, Plesioth, and will take place in the desert (hence the "Sands" part, you see?). Survive and you'll be able to net 12300z.In order to download the DLC, all you need to do is boot up the game in your PSP and click Download from the start menu. No need to log on to the PlayStation Network or download anything from the PlayStation Store. Not bad, huh?
New Monster Hunter PSP bundle hitting Europe
In two weeks time, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will make its way to North America and Europe. For Europe at least, the release of this new Monster Hunter title will be marked with a special PSP bundle. Arriving day-and-date with the regular software, the bundle will include a copy of the game, a silver PSP-3000, a Monster Hunter-branded carrying pouch, screen wipe and a branded skin cover. Expect to see this bundle on June 26 -- the official European release date. As for North America, the game will arrive three days earlier on June 23, although no special bundle has been mentioned.
PAL undergoing Monster Hunter Freedom Unite trials this Thursday
Hey, fellow hunters in the PAL territory! Know that a demo of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will be available to test your skills later this week. Capcom has a lot of high hopes for the franchise, and has taken great care in introducing the game to the West. With a demo hitting Europe on May 28, you'll finally get to see what all of the fuss is about. The demo landed on our shores Thursday, and we'd tell you all about it, but then that would ruin the surprise.%Gallery-48571%
PSN Thursday: Monsters invade the PS3 and PSP
There's plenty of content for you to grab from the US store today, including four demos, two PS1 games and the usual lot of DLC. inFamous and the LittleBigPlanet Monsters pack should probably be at the top of your shopping list this week. If you're a PSP fan, you can take advantage of the just-released Monster Hunter Freedom Unite demo, too. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Capcom begins teaching English players how to play Monster Hunter
Are you a Monster Hunter n00b? Don't worry if you are -- Capcom understands that the franchise hasn't been too big outside of Japan. However, things are going to be different this time around. Capcom is trying to recreate the astronomical success Monster Hunter Freedom Unite found in Japan by launching one of its biggest promotions to date. We've already seen viral videos -- what's next?This tutorial is but the first in a series of videos designed to teach Monster Hunter basics to the masses. Capcom is promising a massive adventure that "delivers over 500 hours of gameplay" through "over 400 missions." Does that pique your interest?
