Monster Hunter Wii Revealed

Capcom's been pretty quiet following the shocking announcement of Monster Hunter 3's platform switch from the PS3 to the Wii. Now, with more than 2.5 million sales of the recent PSP version firmly establishing the series as one of Japan's biggest, the Wii version has at long last come back into the spotlight with a huge blowout in the latest Famitsu.

The magazine scored an interview with two key hunters, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Kaname Fujioka. The concept for the game, according to Tsujimoto, is to restart Monster Hunter from scratch, filling the game with new ideas. The switch in platforms from the PS2 to the Wii was one of the reasons for this big rethinking of the series, Fujioka explained.

Monster Hunter 3 will place players on a new field: an unexplored island. This setting appears to offer a lot of variety, from thick forests, to dark caves, all the way to deep underwater environments surrounding the island.

The two developers spoke at length about the new swimming component of the game. Players will have full swimming controls over their in-game counterparts when exploring the underwater environments. Outside of hunting for giant submerged beasts, you'll also be able to hunt fish which can later be used as ingredients.

While you'll have most of your land-based abilities available to you while underwater, including the ability to use long-range weapons, you'll have to keep one thing in mind when swimming: air. You have an air gauge which depletes with time, similar to your stamina gauge when running about on land.

In addition to the water environments, you'll be able to explore dark areas, like caves. To light up your surroundings, you make use of torches. Without torch light, these areas would be too dark for hunting.

MH3 will also include brand new monsters. Capcom is approaching this area of the game from a fresh start as well. Fujioka expects that the monsters reappearing from past installments will have a certain freshness about them.

One particular creature is getting particular attention. An giant underwater dragon creature, who happens to be known as king of the waters, is the game's main monster, Fujioka revealed. This dragon can actually survive outside the water, so players will be able to face off against him while swimming or walking, depending on preference.

Monster Hunter 3 will see the return of one element of the series that has been missing from the recent PSP entries: online play. Online mode can be played in four player groups, just like the PS2 installments.

The game retains the concept of a "city," which acts as a lobby for chatting and meeting with other players. When playing solo, this city becomes a village that slowly expands with new facilities and access routes for the island.

While Capcom isn't ready with a final release date for Monster Hunter 3, the game is far enough in development that it will be making a playable appearance at the Tokyo Game Show, which kicks off in Japan on October 9. Expect full hands-on impressions from IGN's monster hunters then.

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/910/910744p1.html