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The Game Archaeologist dials up Phantasy Star Online: The highlights
The Dreamcast was a brief but shining aberration in the gaming world. Coming along years after Sega had fallen out of its position as a top-runner in the console market, it represented the company's big attempt to reclaim its former glory. While it failed to succeed in that respect and ultimately closed up shop in 2001 (ending Sega's interest in the console market), the Dreamcast became a gaming cult favorite responsible for some of the most innovative titles ever made. Games like Jet Grind Radio, Space Channel 5, and Shenmue have remained fan favorites long after the Dreamcast's demise, which shows the legacy that these dev teams left behind. But perhaps the Dreamcast's greatest gift to the gaming world wasn't crazy taxis or space dancing but a surprisingly forward-looking approach to online gaming. In 2000, the Dreamcast took the first steps to bringing an online console RPG to market, and while it wasn't a true MMO, it certainly paved the way for titles like EverQuest Online Adventures and Final Fantasy XI. It was bold, it was addictive, and it was gosh-darned gorgeous. Ladies and gentlemen: Phantasy Star Online.
Brains for lunch: Capcom's Japanese bar menu revealed, kind of
Cap Bar, Capcom's bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo, is set to open Jan. 25, complete with game kiosks, a Capcom merch store and a Capcom-themed menu -- including the following four teaser dishes: - Ace Attorney pasta and rice - Monster Hunter allaculte and meat - Devil Kings salad and soup - Resident Evil "Brain Cake" dessert Aside from the Brain Cake -- "Zombies are targeting your brain. Equip the blade and fight!" as Capcom describes it -- the other dishes appear to be a tad vague, even for a teaser menu. Just saying, we wouldn't walk into a bar in the states and order the "meat," but maybe that can fly in Shinjuku. %Gallery-144739%
Monster Hunter Tri-G tops 1 million sold in Japan
You'd think that Japan would be fresh out of monsters at this point, considering that they've been ruthlessly hunting them without rest since 2004, but that's not the case. In fact, it seems the monster birth rate is so high over there, that over a million blademasters and gunners have been recruited for the latest hunt. Monster Hunter Tri-G has sold 1.08 million copies as of January 8, according to Andriasang, making it the first third-party release (and third 3DS title overall) to break the million-sold milestone in Japan. It is distinct from some other million-selling 3DS titles (Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land) in that it does not feature an Italian plumber, but rather focuses on monsters and the hunting thereof. Wait, isn't Mario technically a monster hunter as well? Maybe there is a common thread here.
'PlayStation Game Music' service streams PS3 music from phones in Japan
This is so cool. Well, maybe "cool" isn't the right way to describe a service that lets you stream Final Fantasy music from anywhere, but we like the idea. In Japan, Sony just started a "PlayStation Game Music" service that allows subscribers to several mobile services to play music from first- and third-party PlayStation games. The official (again, Japan-only) launch is accompanied by music from Final Fantasy XIII-2, and the Monster Hunter, Dynasty Warriors, and Yakuza series. It would be dangerous for us to walk around Tokyo to the music from Yakuza -- we'd be liable to start throwing bicycle wheels at anyone we saw in a suit. And it's always dangerous for us to hear the FFXIII-2 Chocobo theme. Along with those, the service will also stream PS3 system sound effects. That "cool" label is looking really hasty now.
Breakfast Topic: What could WoW borrow from console games?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the AOL guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Does anyone remember when Blizzard said it wanted to add Animal Crossing-style fishing to WoW? What about the idea of a more personalized daily experience for the Molten Front? MMOs are great, but console games still offer a few things that could add some additional depth to genre, and Blizzard already knows this. Personally, I'd love to see combat get revamped to be more like Monster Hunter. Dodges and attacks are based on real skill, not arbitrary stats (though damage taken and received is still stat-based), plus enemies have specific parts you can hit to eventually break or cut off pieces of a creature. I mean really, wouldn't it be cool if a whole raid focus fired on Nefarion's neck in order to chop his head off and haul it back to Orgrimmar? Or what about random power-ups appearing, à la Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros.? You're just running around the game world, and suddenly a giant sword appears, increasing your damage dealt by 1,000% and giving you a single move that constantly fires up for 15 seconds. Take that, murloc scum! What kinds of console-like features would you like to see Blizzard implement in WoW? Enemies that can be knocked out and dragged? Randomly appearing pipes to secret treasure caves? Open-world, mounted combat?
TGS 2011's shopping area, in (too many) pictures
We can't buy everything in the TGS merchandise sales area -- of course, some of the merch is, like, pillowcases with naughty pictures on them, so maybe we don't want to buy everything. Regardless, it's much cheaper to just take a bunch of pictures of the stuff there and remember it that way. So that's exactly what we did, to excess. Enjoy a super-sized gallery of the convention's shopping area, and try to imagine what your house would look like with that much Monster Hunter swag in it.%Gallery-134184%
Nintendo 3DS slide pad add-on is official, ships December 10th in Japan
Nintendo didn't say so on stage during the pre-Tokyo Game Show 3DS press conference tonight, but it really is shipping that odd-looking circle pad add-on. The "extended slide pad" is up on the gaming company's Japanese home page right now, with a shipping date of December 10th and a price of ¥1500 ($19.50). There's also a list of supported games available, including Monster Hunter Tri G, BioHazard Revelations, Snake Eater 3D and more. It's powered by a single AAA battery, which our country cousins at Joystiq note probably indicates you won't be getting any extra playtime added to your 3DS by slapping this "boat" on the bottom. Check the source link below for the official info -- we'll keep our eyes peeled in Tokyo for North American release info and of course, the color matched Misty Pink edition you're already looking for.
Monster Hunter 4 coming to 3DS [Update: see the trailer!]
Nintendo has announced that Capcom is developing Monster Hunter 4 for 3DS. A brief trailer shown during Nintendo's pre-TGS keynote gave us a glimpse at the titular hunter of monsters scaling cliffs and running from a giant dragon, which he eventually faced ... only for the trailer to cut away to the title logo. Sneaky teaser trailer, sis! [Note: Image is from Monster Hunter Tri.]
Famitsu leaks circle pad attachment, Monster Hunter Tri G for 3DS [update: first picture]
Remember that weird analog stick attachment rumored to be coming for 3DS? Well, we have some more evidence of its existence. Japanese blogs including Hachima and Game no Hanashi are reporting that the latest issue of Famitsu confirms the attachment, which sticks onto the right side of the console somehow. These reports are unconfirmed, and there are no scans yet, but we hope you'll allow us a pre-emptive "whaaaaaaaaat?" Why would the 3DS need a second analog stick/circle pad? The same reason the Wii needed a new version of the Classic Controller: Monster Hunter. The same sources report that an updated version of Monster Hunter Tri will be released this year, called Monster Hunter Tri G. The 3DS version is said to feature, at least, local wireless play. The existence of this game is also unconfirmed, but these two rumors kind of lend credence to one another. We'll let you know when/if we hear something official, at which point we'll probably be flabbergasted again. Update: We've added a shot from Famitsu after the break. This thing is weird.
Sony to remaster select PSP titles for PlayStation 3, allow cross-device continuous gameplay
As much as you love your PSP, we suspect that its low graphics definition is starting to bug even the most devoted fans. Sure, you can wait for the almighty NGP, but for the time being, Sony's offering the next best thing for you game connoisseurs: the PSP Remaster series for PlayStation 3. As the name says for itself, Sony will be porting select portable game titles to the PS3 in high-def Blu-ray flavor, and some may even come with new add-on content plus stereoscopic 3D support. But that's not all: gamers will also be able to share game save data between the two platforms, meaning you can pick up where you left off on your preferred device. Pretty neat, though it'll be interesting to see how much Sony and the studios wants to charge for what are essentially the same games you already own. The first PSP Remaster title announced is Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, but this is only heading to Japan at an unknown date -- gamers in other countries will just have to keep squinting at the PSP for now.
Capcom unleashing Monster Hunter: Dynamic Hunting on iOS devices next month
The world of Monster Hunter will spread to another platform in June, franchise creator Capcom has announced. Monster Hunter: Dynamic Hunting is in development for iOS devices and will offer a "new intuitive control system...eschewing the typical D-pad" -- i.e., finger swipes and taps. It all looks a bit Infinity Blade-ish to us. That's it for details, though more are sure to be revealed at next month's E3 ... just in time for the game to leap onto the App Store.%Gallery-123967%
Video games growing local Japanese tourism (thanks, Monster Hunter!)
Why are Japanese gamers flocking to a hot spa resort in Yamanouchi? Apparently, the resort took note of its similarity to a town in Monster Hunter -- and launched an event luring gamers to the real-world venue. The Mainichi Daily News details an increasing trend of small Japanese towns trying to boost their economy by launching events that tie in with the country's most popular games. Konami's popular Love Plus games have also featured their own themed hot spa promotions. There have been other more inventive tie-ins throughout the country as well. A botanical park in Mimata has been selling out of bottled fish eggs by packaging special cards that can be used in Colony na Seikatsu Plus. Even vegetables are getting in on the action, with the town of Yuni promoting "specialty crops" via farm-related games. Somehow, that sounds much healthier than America's approach to games tourism: Farmville-themed Big Gulps at 7-Eleven. [Image Credit: Travelpod]
Monster Hunter Frontier features improvised Dead Rising 2 weapons in Japan
We have a pretty good idea what boxing gloves with knives taped to them will do to zombies. But how about wyverns? Japanese gamers will get to find out exactly that when Dead Rising 2 launches there (September 30 on consoles, October 28 on PC). Those who purchase Dead Rising 2 will get vouchers to unlock Dead Rising 2-themed items in either the PC or Xbox 360 versions of Monster Hunter Frontier. Those items include the aforementioned knifegloves, a boomstick (a shotgun with a pitchfork on it), a moose head, and several different colors of the Terror is Reality racing suit. Now let's see some giant swords in Dead Rising 2!
MMO tops Japan's sales charts on the Xbox 360
In the world of console gaming, Japan tends to strongly support their hometown champions -- although whether or not the sprawling multinational corporate behemoths of Nintendo and Sony actually need that suppport is debatable. Microsoft's Xbox 360 has generally faced slow sales in the nation and a lack of popular games on the platform. But it's gotten a boost from the strong sales of Monster Hunter Frontier Online, an MMO exclusive to the platform that's made it to the top of the Japanese sale charts. Not out of all Xbox games -- out of the entire country. The newest installment of the long-running series is a port of a 2007 PC version, beating out several other strong contenders for the countrywide sales figures. Although the Monster Hunter series has been popular in Japan, there's no word on the MMO being released outside of the country. Still, it seems a good sign that you can sell good numbers for a ported game on an unpopular console -- something Square-Enix may well want to consider for the future.
Killzone's Helghast invade Lost Planet 2
Not content on simply golfing, the Helghast are making their way into yet another PlayStation game. Like its Xbox 360 counterpart, the PS3 version of Lost Planet 2 will feature its own console-exclusive characters. In addition to the PS3-only Monster Hunter characters, two Helghast skins will be made available as a free download via the PSN in June. As noted on the PlayStation.Blog, this will be the only game ever to include the Helghast, a Monster Hunter, Dead Rising's Frank West, and Resident Evil's Albert Wesker all in one place. We wouldn't be surprised, though, if Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 manages to reunite all of these characters for a second time. Check out a trailer after the break.
See Snake sneak, fight dragons in these MGS: Peace Walker screens
You know that crazy story you read about Snake fighting monsters from the Monster Hunter series in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker? Well, today we've got actual images of Snake in the act -- can't have a PSP game without monster hunting in it, amirite? Jokes aside, Snake seriously fights some dragons and it's pretty crazy. Our second featured gallery (which, if you're going on The Price is Right rules, makes it better than the first) takes us through virtual boot camp. This is akin to the MGS we're used to seeing: sneaking around industrial facilities and stealthily taking out inept guards. Pick your poison below. %Gallery-92267% %Gallery-92269%
Nintendo Australia drops Wii price
Nintendo of Australia is dropping prices left and right! That is, if you imagine a DSi on the left and a Wii on the right. The company announced a substantial price drop for the Wii console today, from its original AU $399.95 (US $369) down to AU $299.95 (US $277). The new price is still painfully expensive compared to other regions, but it's better. And EBGames is sweetening the deal by throwing in The Bigs 2 and Overlord: Dark Legend. The price drop is taking place concurrently with the release of Monster Hunter Tri, making Capcom's ARPG essentially the unofficial "launch" game for the new, cheaper Wii. If you buy that and the black Wii, it's sort of like you bought a bundle! [Thanks, Alejandro]
Review: Monster Hunter Tri
There was a time, back in the late '90s, when geeks and doe-eyed adolescents would accept anything from Japan with open arms. It was a time when DragonBall Z, Final Fantasy and Hello Kitty were in their prime, and a time when Japan-crazy teens would pay top-dollar for Pocky, just so that they could experience a sliver of the culture. Times have changed, and "Big in Japan" is not the game-selling bullet point that it used to be. A perfect example is the Monster Hunter franchise, which, despite its runaway success in Japan, has never really taken off in the West. Nevertheless, its latest title, Monster Hunter Tri, has piqued the interests of many American Wii owners asking the age old question: "Can I start with the new game, or do I need to go back and play the first two?" Luckily for newcomers, there is almost no story to the Monster Hunter franchise, so you can throw any trepidation about prior plot points out the window. The games act more as a simulation of the day-to-day life of an average, dinosaur-slaying wage-earner, trying to make a living by taking whatever temp jobs he can get. Tri gives hunters a little more motivation than previous titles, by putting players in charge of restoring a fishing village that has been ravaged by earthquakes and sea monsters. From time to time, you might check in with villagers or deliver some resources to fix up the farm, but that is about as deep as the story ever gets. Don't expect for a villager to recall something that happened in Monster Hunter 2, because nothing happened back then, either. %Gallery-86439%
Monster Hunter Tri guide introduces a monster of questionable huntability
Monster Hunter Tri is dangerous business. So dangerous, in fact, that Capcom felt the need to warn us about some of the harder-to-hunt monsters. In the last entry in its "Dangerous Guide to Monster Hunting," the publisher introduces the "Alatreon," which sounds like something that should only be taken on by the craziest, death-wishingest of hunters. After the break, you can see footage of the dragon tearing around a lava pit, where it apparently lives. At Capcom-Unity, you can read all about how these things " mercilessly tear apart whoever touches their sharp scales," and are so powerful that "their actions can affect the very weather." Okay, now who's ready to go swing a sword at one of these? The post also features links to the other entries in the "Dangerous Guide," so you can read up on the other creatures you'd have to be a reckless idiot to fight.
Monster Hunter Tri devs won't be at UK launch due to volcanic ash cloud
The London launch event for Monster Hunter Tri will no longer feature director Kaname Fujioka or producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. The pair's travel plans were thwarted by the unslayable monster Eyjafjallajökull. However, even though volcanic ash has kept the Capcom staffers from flying in, that doesn't mean there won't be any festivities on April 23. The event, which runs from 9AM to 9PM, will still feature a GAME store "transformed" in celebration of the game. And more importantly, it'll still feature free swag bags for the first 50 in line. In addition, in lieu of having Tsujimoto and Fujioka sign games live, the first 100 people to purchase the game will be sent autographed covers for their games.
