Monster Hunter 3

Monster Hunter 3 is the third installment in the Monster Hunter series and is the direct sequel to Monster Hunter 2. It was first announced for the Playstation 3, but was canceled. Capcom, specifically Capcom managing corporate officer Katsuhiko Ichii, announced on October 10, 2007 that Monster Hunter 3 will be a Wii-exclusive title. 

U.S Version Available To Pre-Order At Amazon.com
This U.S version of this game can be pre-ordered for $49.99 at the link below: http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hunter-3-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B002BRYXOO

Changes/Improvements

 * New Monsters
 * New Wyverns, Bird Wyverns, Leviathans and Neopterons.
 * Monsters have stamina levels
 * Monsters react to various environmental conditions, as well as to other monsters.


 * A new sea-port village called Moga Village in offline mode complete with a storyline to ease new players into the game mechanics.


 * Online mode retains the concept of a "Town", which acts as a lobby for chatting and meeting with other players, called Rockrack Town (ロックラック街 ).


 * As offline mode progresses, the village will slowly expand with new facilities and access routes for the island.


 * New environments, including an Island, Submerged Forest, Desert, Volcano and Frozen Lands. In the first two maps, there are underwater areas where you can fight a whole range of aquatic creatures.


 * 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.


 * Battles will now take place on land or underwater.


 * There is an air gauge while swimming.


 * Most of your land-based abilities are available to you while underwater.


 * 7 different weapon types


 * Old weapons get new actions/movesets: Hammer, Great Sword, Long Sword, Lance, Bowgun, Sword and Shield
 * New weapons: Switch Axe and Medium Bowgun.


 * Removed weapon types: Bow, Hunting Horn, Gunlance, and Dual Swords.


 * New branching for all weapons/armors.


 * New movements for Hunters.
 * Old monsters get remodeled (Rathian, Rathalos, Diablos).
 * New movements for returning monsters (Rathian, Rathalos, Diablos).
 * 3 Control Variations: PS2-styled, PSP-styled and Wii Remote/Nunchuck style. No support for GameCube Controller.
 * Elemental damage from monsters cause a secondary status effect


 * Different items get different reactions from monsters.


 * Hunt fish underwater using harpoons.


 * Able to cook more than 1 meat at the same time. (With the help of ChaCha and its special mask)


 * Two-player split-screen in coliseum challenges. Similar to the training mode seen on the PSP.


 * The ability to decorate your house. Players can allow other hunters to access their online houses.


 * Able to leave the village and hunt/gather in the nearby forest area without having to accept a Quest.


 * Time throughout the game is evident. (Day and night)


 * Cha-Cha ally on missions, similar to the "Felyne Comrades" in Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
 * Equip various masks and dances to change the way ChaCha reacts in battle
 * Map resources (herbs/honey/ores/etc) disappear and respawn over time
 * No more "There is nothing else here." messages when gathering

Online Play

 * Japan's monthly fee for online:
 * 30 Days: 800 Wii Points
 * 60 Days: 1500 Wii Points
 * 90 Days: 2000 Wii Points
 * There is currently no information on whether the NA/EU releases will be pay to play or not. No official confirmation as of yet.
 * Online play will consist of 4-player groups. The "lobby" areas will be in the form of a city, similar to the Town of Minegarde for Monster Hunter (Playstation 2).
 * Online "arm wrestling" feature.
 * Add players to your friends list or search online via their "Online ID"
 * Contrary to previous rumors, Monster Hunter Tri will not be using friend codes
 * Chat online using the onscreen keyboard, a USB keyboard, or pre-made messages.
 * Wii Speak is not supported in the Japanese version, but producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has stated many times that they are looking into the possibility for support in the NA/EU release.
 * Support for Wii Speak has not yet been confirmed at this time.

Why Wii?
1.Many People were asking why Capcom went for the Wii, this is what Capcom had to say:


 * "It was a strategic decision set by the team and our Japanese management to address an emerging market on the Wii. At the time the decision was made, it was in reference to the Wii market in general, no particular sub-segement thereof."
 * — Christian Svensson, Capcom’s Sr.Director of Strategic Planning and Research &lt;noinclude/&gt;

On August 23rd, 2008 Capcom had to explain a bit more about why they went Wii:
 * "I can’t discuss the localization issues at this time. As for the decision to bring it to the Wii, I think there were many. I think it’s fair to say that CJ wanted to bring one of its premier franchises (possibly THE premier franchise when you look at the Japanese market) to the broader audience that the Wii represents. At least, that’s one of many variables that pushed it in that direction."
 * — Christian Svensson &lt;noinclude/&gt;

Plans For North America
Capcom knows very well MH does not do nearly as well as it does in Japan and this is what they plan to do about it:


 * "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."
 * — Capcom PR

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Confirmation For North America
There has been confirmation that MH3 is coming to North America and PAL regions. This chat with a mod on Capcom forums confirms that MH3 is most likely coming to NA/EUR. This has excited many non-Japanese MH players. Capcom initially announced that the release of MH3 overseas would be in the first quarter of 2010, causing rumors to suggest March. However, on December 22nd, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Tri will be delayed. No date was given.

Trailer
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