With a full time line already marked for Capcom USA's 2009/2010 schedule, there wasn't much wiggle room for the rather spontaneous reveal of a Monster Hunter G port for the Nintendo Wii. In Japan, the product is already marked for an April 23rd release, sporting a Fatalis stamped Monster Hunter themed Wii Classic Controller as well as a demo of the highly anticipated Monster Hunter ~ Tri. Not long after the news came of the Japanese intent of this release did Capcom's own Christian Svensson become the barer of bad news for those eager for an English version of this port.

  Like so many other Monster Hunter games before it, Monster Hunter G for the Nintendo Wii was declared a no-go for western localization. Indeed there are laments of this loss, but even with many Monster Hunter loyals now completely immune to inevitable disappointment - the choice to not localize the product may come to haunt Capcom's western strategy when the bell begins to toll for the release of Monster Hunter 3. As a member of the Monster Hunter media, it is my duty to investigate and hypothesize, and hopefully offer a channeled voice for the community and the gaming world.

  But before I begin unpacking the issues that may come with the loss of MHG, let us look at what is to be expected in the future for the Nintendo Wii. Unlike 2008, the upcoming year sports much promise for the system. With third-party developers now making a strive to bolster the "hardcore" gaming market on the system that is nearly a dry river bed of sustenance for such gamers - the overall out look of the year may catch the wandering eyes of the hungry gamer. This news is coupled along with rumors that Microsoft has decided to take a more Casual turn in 2009.

  The rumors are well founded of course, as seeing the release of the new XBox Live Experience barrows much from the Wii, and many of their hardcore development studios have recently been shut down to bolster more power towards games that are cheaper to develop and appeal to a wider audience. From the technical prospective, the Wii is still the inferior product when it comes to hardware as outlined in my previous blogs which breaks down the inner workings of the Wii. But despite this lack of power, it has still been the industry leader in sales, which were still strong even in November 2008.

  Despite the upturn of potential products, some Wii owners are bailing out. Granted not everyone is upset, but with the lack of real meat to the system in 2008, many people have decided it's time to sell their Wii, and also seem to think that many other people will be doing the same. This author stands on the sidelines at present, merely looking at some of these bloggers from Gamer.blorge.com and Slapstic.com only to take note. They do not represent the Hardcore Wii gamers as a whole, and delightfully I've read some nice counters which do mention Monster Hunter 3 as reasons to hold on to ones Wii.

  Nevertheless, there is an industry wide attempt to shift focus. Everyone is trying to turn a profit and plant some seeds in the wake of the Wii's plowing success. Is Capcom missing out here with not making an investment with Monster Hunter G as one of those seeds? As I browsed the local super-market today, I did as I always do and swing by the electronics department to have a glance at what is behind those glass shelves. My eyes often feverishly sweep across for a familiar title, Monster Hunter. But as I looked for it, I could not help but recall seeing the entire mass of them shoved into the bargain bin some eight months prior.

  That's right, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 was dropped off in mass and sold off for as a supposed bargain of $19.99 a pop. I was half tempted to buy them all up myself and then distribute them to people I felt would sell others into the cause. This all came back to me as I stood there looking at the glass, feeling the loss at not seeing Monster Hunter Freedom 2 behind it. Knowing that it was there meant that people would walk by and actually see it, and without any form of advertising it was the only real way a stranger would see the game's name on complete happenstance.

  Within this author grows a concern that Monster Hunter ~ Tri may end up in the bargain bin sometime well before it deserves to be there. This fear of course has come because I've been let down in the past, and with very little faith in the advertising abilities of Capcom USA to really sell the ship like it needs to sold. Such lack of faith is the very essence of my being, and it is purpose of my existence at present. This and many other reasons leave me to setting in a pit when it comes to thoughts of Monster Hunter G, and what it could mean for Monster Hunter ~ Tri if it were to have been localized.

  Since Monster Hunter has existed purely on the PSP in the US for nearly three years, and hasn't reared its head on a major console for four and a half - seeing a sudden re-appearance of the title in the form of Monster Hunter ~ Tri poses some risk. This risk rests in the reviewers hands, for it is they who really hold a massive sway on the minds of gamers when it comes to the Nintendo Wii. The reviewers lack of respect for the near MMORPG weight of Monster Hunter often leads to poor, misinformed reviews that ultimately reflect on the game with poor sales figures.

  The game thrives Online, and it is designed to attract players and keep them firmly interested for months, not mere weeks. Monster Hunter G can be the avenue which allows Capcom to begin the process of communication with reviewers and gamers, spreading around demos across many of the hot new titles of 2009. Not to mention informative leaflets in games like Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter 4. Also, it can be be the forefront for constructing a stable online service, and a community which will begin building support for Monster Hunter ~ Tri.

  Let us not forget that Street Fighter had a huge following before it was released, Monster Hunter ~ Tri will not share in the glory until people outside of the realm of the PSP can actually get their hands on a Monster Hunter title and begin to enjoy it online in the way it was meant to be played. I expect much more from Capcom, and I feel that 2009 is a very critical year for Monster Hunter. The battle plan should be no holds bard for Monster Hunter, for that is the only way it'll truly be a success.

   Already March dawns on us, and I've seen nothing really in the form of informative banter from Capcom USA about upcoming Monster Hunter titles. I do not kid when I say that the bandwagon really needs to start rolling now, or else we may find Monster Hunter falling through the cracks yet again. I may be doing my part on my own time, but without proper funding and a steady stream of suitable official assets from Capcom I can only do so much to build support for the Monster Hunter games.

  An intimate relationship really needs to be set up with several high name reviewers, and Monster Hunter G is the perfect vehicle to re-introduce the western world to Monster Hunter. Simply because the first PS2 version failed doesn't mean that the Wii version should be discarded as well. Heck, even Okami saw a Wii version. With a solid and informative community that still writhes and whimpers at the loss of the recent closer of the PS2 servers, I see grand reason to have Monster Hunter G in the US. Not simply because it's vital to Monster Hunter ~ Tri's success, in that it is actually owed to the Monster Hunter community. We frankly deserve a port of the grand old title, and there really should be no argument to that statement.

  The Monster Hunter community as a whole should be utterly outraged in every way, shape, and form. Aside from all other fine points I've listed, there really should be no excuse meritable enough which should excuse why Monster Hunter G was denied to an already ever present and long term existence to a sustained Monster Hunter community that supports this title in every way shape and form.

COMtributer ~

March 2009

   This is my first profressional grade trailer. Sadly, the video assets were web based so they may not be top-notch quality, but I did the best with what I had. I've been working on this project since Monday, and it's dominated my time until this morning when I finally rendered it out.

   All the assets are legal, everything is 100% Capcom and 100% Monster Hunter. The voice over was done by a friend of mine whom is a professional voice actress. You can learn more about her at the following link: www.voiceoversandvocals.c...

   This is basically one of those "If you want something done right, do it yourself moments". Clearly the traditional Japanese trailer for this game simply will not sell, there needs to be more information imbedded into the trailer itself. So I wanted to tell people about the game in the shortest amount of the time, while at the same time showing some of the great moments of this game.

   I'm very certain I reached this goal. And if you were wondering, this is why I painted a my own MHFU logo - so I could animate it for the conclusion. Let me know what you think.

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