Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Update and Videos

By Sophia, GameSpotPosted Apr 15, 2009 4:12 pm PT

Capcom's Monster Hunter series is selling like hot cakes in Japan, and the company is hoping that it's only a matter of time before gamers on this side of the world catch on to this phenomenon. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, known as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G in Japan, is heading to North...

Capcom's Monster Hunter series is selling like hot cakes in Japan, and the company is hoping that it's only a matter of time before gamers on this side of the world catch on to this phenomenon. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, known as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G in Japan, is heading to North America at the end of June. Keep an eye out for a demo as well, because it's scheduled to come out a few weeks before the game's release. We recently had the opportunity to play the pocket-MMO at the Game Developer's Conference, so for more details please see here. Capcom decided to swing by our office today to give us another look at this monster hunting goodness so that we could share some videos with you.

One of the newest features is your AI felyne companion (yes that's the real spelling), a sidekick that accompanies you in the single-player mode. As you can see from the video, it lends a hand, err paw, in a tough fight so that you're not fighting dragons by your lonesome.

Your furry companion can be trained to be more adept at a particular skill. For example, the kitty in the video had a propensity to throw bombs at an enemy. While that may be helpful, sometimes you happen to be in the way, which will knock you off your feet. If you're hurt or trying to set a trap, this particular cat can also distract the beast by playing a horn, giving you precious moments to get away or a few extra seconds to lay down a shock trap.

This felyne gets stronger as you take it out on hunts, but your skills are reliant on the gear that you acquire and create. Cooking also has its benefits as you can see from the video below.

Monster Hunter's appeal is primarily in the multiplayer mode, in which you can play with up to four players ad hoc, on the PSP. Right now it is possible for those in Japan to link through the PlayStation 3, but that feature has yet to be announced here. What we do know is that once the demo is available, it can be downloaded via Wi-Fi, and you'll have access to three missions. Preset characters (with all weapons types) are available and you can link up with a friend to start playing immediately. The town has been removed so you'll dive right into the hunt without any fuss. If you're wondering what a four-player hunt looks like, see below!

Once the game is released, Capcom has another 40 quests for players to download, one each week--you can hold up to six at a time. The game already comes with more than 400 missions, so it might take awhile before you'll get through them all. This will be the largest Monster Hunter to be released with more than 500 hours worth of gameplay. There are 1500 weapons and 2000 armor sets, so if you're all about the latest fashions, there's plenty for you to go through. For those who have Monster Hunter Freedom 2 files, youcan transferyour character data over as well.

This might seem like a lot for someone new to the series, but makes a good starting point as well. Capcom plans to launch a Monster Hunter resource site so that new players can get up to speed and have a place to reference all the details about the game. If you're the type that likes the MMO grind and collecting rare items, you might want to take a closer look when the game is released this summer.

And of course, for those who want more monster slaying goodness (like a severed tail), see here.

80 Comments

  • melisa06

    Posted Sep 15, 2009 8:20 pm PT

    Awesome man great stuff..
    sesli sohbet
    sesli chat

  • Stopmotoin

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 2:28 pm PT

    uhh i think i cut a white velcoprey in halve... can that happen?

  • ironfoe

    Posted May 20, 2009 6:01 pm PT

    Looks Awesome!

  • bigman180

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 10:42 am PT

    MAN THIS GAME LOOKS GOOD ONLINE .

  • Cerberuz_27

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 8:15 pm PT

    the online is awsome but now i play alone

  • Gnesh500

    Posted Apr 23, 2009 8:51 am PT

    I wonder how this one will turn out, all the other monster hunters were lame
    -Gnesh500

  • whnninjasattack

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 4:26 pm PT

    Why do they keep calling them dragons? They are wyverns, theres a diffents. Wyverns have two legs and wing arms, dragons have four legs and two wings. There are dragons in the game (Fatails bros, Teo, Luna, Kusha, ect) but not every monster is one!

  • TheAcejoel99

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 1:47 pm PT

    looks boaring, but than again, I think world of warcraft looks boaring. Hope it's good though.

  • dbz1starfox2

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 10:38 pm PT

    The monster hunter games are the best games I have ever played

  • Kishokan

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 10:09 pm PT

    cant wait... freedom 2 is almost getting stale... almost

  • sandi_mishima

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 8:24 pm PT

    This is rock!! Cool games!! And the online feature are good!

  • Velantic

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 5:24 pm PT

    Man o Man this is gona be sweet. Im a product of the first M Hunter on ps2 and I been killen ever since.Good to here from old heads and rookies alike. NAME Velantic Hr 20

  • PengOwen

    Posted Apr 21, 2009 5:16 am PT

    Hello everyone! I'm a seasoned MHF2 player with 550+ hours, to anyone who is looking for a foothold in the series, I have a helpful list of difficulties and grievances about the game when I started playing.

    Requires GRINDING
    Your weapons/ amours require items from the monsters you kill and money to make. There are quests dedicated to you gathering non monster items and spending hours getting the right materials, if not totally useless materials you won't use..

    Not a free-roam game.
    You are in a town, and from there you accept quests to venture into different maps. Each map is the same each time you visit it. With the exception of nigh/day and weather condition. The maps are expansive and explorable tho. So you will get to know each area well during your hunts. Each map is divided into a number of areas, each requiring loading times when you step into a new area.

    Combat is VERY HARD.
    This is the one of the most challenging real-time combat games you can find. Each weapon type requires time to discover its intriquicies and unique strengths. Finding your play style and applying your abilities to battle is whats its all about.

    Monsters have the upper hand in MHF.
    The monsters are dead set on killing you. They do everything in their power to stay alive. After all, you are trying to hunt them x_x. Each monster requires a bit of study in actual combat to figure how to take it down.henchmen monsters are annoying beyond compare! Mission failures will happen.

    The hunts take time.
    Hunts take from 5 to 50 minutes to complete. You may even spend half an hour tracking down your monster if not prepared properly.

    You do not build up your character
    You improve your armour/ weapons. All your attack power comes from the weapon you hold. your defense comes from the armour on your back. Furthermore your abilities are given through attributed points in your armour. Such as being immune to poison. You must have armour that gives you enough points towards that skill. or you can use gems to give yourself enough attributed points to activate the ability, using limited slots in your armour pieces.

    Large item selection
    The amount of usable items in combat seems staggering at first. But knowing how to apply traps,health drinks,horns,bombs and much more are essential.

    Those are the biggies
    some Smallies are: No lock-on, No health bar on monsters, cant jump (just climb when needed), Camera is controlled by the D-pad and player with the joystick You have 3 deaths before you mission is failed or until you run out of time (you are given more the enough time to finish a mission)

    Hope this helps clear some dust. If you have any questions id be more then happy to give you info about the world of Monster Hunter Freedom!

  • halofan05

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 10:05 pm PT

    monster hunter united is monster hunter 2nd g and hopefully its online and for the picture of showing the espinas that is clearly a picture of monster hunter frontier the pc version that is only released in japan

  • koen_2000

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 9:04 am PT

    So uhm, how come they're showing Espinas on the Gamespot PSP homepage ? And the orange/red colored version for that matter. I thought this was going to be a pretty straightforward port of MHP2ndG with less weapons/armor/blood ?

  • Gioh

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 7:04 am PT

    Lock dont exist in real life.
    It is not locked at all, u just look in the direction ur character looks at..like in real life.
    And Eliteelite, u shoudl say "why would millions of people want to play this?"

    MHF (1st one) is the tuffest, i advise if ur new, to go for MHF2 or even the new release, u get a cat, making it even easier.

    In mhf2 there is also type Horn weapon.

    Elder dragon blood u get by killin elderdragons, and they have more then "one" In fact i assume quite some liters/gallons. U can online MHF2 tru ad hoc party (xlink kai makes u vulnerable to wardrivin)

    A second joystick on the psps would help of course.
    I soloed up to hr6....still sweatin..lol.

    In m opinion, the best game, period!

    hours spent: 300MHF;450MHF2...must be good or not?

  • geedotherodian

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 11:43 pm PT

    holy crap and I thought that the elder scrolls series was long!

  • iftx123

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 6:28 pm PT

    hey is there only 1 elder fragon blood in every elder dragon

  • iftx123

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 6:28 pm PT

    i wish i could play online like the others

  • BeckMall

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 8:40 am PT

    yeah the online in this games Rocks! *ching ching*

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