Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

UPDATE: It looks like you can grab the Monster Hunter Generations demo right now in Europe by going to the game's official site and logging in with your Nintendo Account.

FeatureGames of 2015 no. 8: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

The thrill of the hunt.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate makes me feel like a kid again - and sometimes, being a kid can be a real pain. Every school day you're overloaded with a flurry of information that you find yourself only half paying attention to, monetary income is sparse, and time always moves just a little too slow as you await the next exciting life change. But then you get to fight dinosaurs in a video game.

Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate's free July DLC revealed

Get the Star Knight Armour without visiting Universal Studios Japan.

Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate's free DLC for the month of July has been revealed on the Capcom Unity Blog.

Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate's free June DLC is out

Adds Devil May Cry, Animal Crossing and Tetsuya Nomura designed costumes.

Capcom has released its latest batch of free Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate DLC, as it's wont to do the first Friday of every month.

Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate gets Metroid, Mega Man and Street Fighter costumes

Free May DLC detailed. Dante Palico armour teased for June.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate gets free DLC every month and publisher Capcom has just detailed its May additions.

FeatureThe ace hunter: Bloodborne vs Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate

And so, the nightly hunt begins...

As someone who writes about video games for a living and plays them in their spare time, it's fairly important that I keep up with what's new and fresh and exciting in this industry. And in 2015, I've been doing a rubbish job of that. You see, this year something like 90 per cent of my gaming time has been split between only two games: Bloodborne and Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate. And why wouldn't it? They're both Essential titles, after all. They're also quite similar! Both are known for their steep difficulty, bombastic bosses, varied weapons, deep combat, and cooperative multiplayer. And yet, only Bloodborne has seen any kind of notable success in the west while Monster Hunter has famously struggled to replicate its craze from Japan.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate passes 1m shipped milestone in West

The first in the series to do so.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the first game in Capcom's long-in-the-monster-tooth series to ship 1m copies in Europe and North America.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate now has a Sonic Palico costume

And 14 new quests as free DLC.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate's free April DLC is out now and it allows you to dress one of your feline pals up as Sonic the Hedgehog.

Capcom brands a Monster Hunter roller coaster

Ride the Gore Magala.

Capcom has partnered with amusement park company Six Flags to make one of its roller coasters Monster Hunter-themed.

Majora's Mask 3D bests Evolve in February US retail sales

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate fastest-selling Monster Hunter title in US history.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was the top-selling game in US retail, analyst company NPD Group has revealed.

Majora's Mask 3D is the fastest-selling Legend of Zelda hand-held game in US history, Nintendo said, with more than 515,000 combined physical and digital units sold. Not bad for an updated version of a 15-year-old game.

Second and third places were Evolve and Dying Light respectively. The latter was expected as Dying Light launched in January, but Evolve's place as number two might be somewhat surprising as it's both a brand new game (as opposed to a remake) and available on multiple platforms. Then again, Majora's Mask has a huge cult following and it launched alongside the fancy New Nintendo 3DS.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has shipped over 3m copies worldwide

With the series selling 32m total.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has sold over 3m copies to retailers worldwide, Capcom has announced.

FeaturePick-ups and play: How Monster Hunter gets loot right

How the west was wrong.

Loot is the new level up. A few years ago, people posted about their fourth prestige on Facebook, most probably humming Call of Duty's butt-rock progression jingle as they did so. Come 2015, and my Twitter feed is cut with great swathes of pictures of Destiny's tooled-up future-warriors, owners boasting about their new exotic codpiece, screenshots saturated by more purple than a Prince album cover.

Evolve claws its way to UK chart top spot

Zelda: Majora's Mask second, Monster Hunter 4 fourth.

Last week saw the launch of the New Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS XL, but it was 2K's Evolve that sank its teeth into the top of the UK all-formats chart.

EssentialMonster Hunter 4 Ultimate review

Leviafun.

Eurogamer has dropped review scores and replaced them with a new recommendation system. Read the editor's blog to find out more.

In all the hundreds of hours I've spent on the series, there's a single frame of animation which defines Monster Hunter for me. It's an inconsequential little pose, a brief celebration: arms held aloft and chest puffed out with pride. You can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure your hunter is also wearing a massive, turd-eating grin.

It's not a grand victory pose, it's the mark of a tiny achievement: just what happens every time you drink a potion, or an energy drink, or one of the little mugs of virtual cocoa that stop you freezing to death in icebound regions. Sip sip sip. Tadaaa! It's cute and quirky and completely unnecessary. It's also incredibly annoying, because whilst your avatar smugs it up for managing to have a drink some treacherous bastard inevitably lumbers up behind you and clatters you in the soft parts.

FeatureMonster Hunter 4 Ultimate is the series at its approachable best

More than a Felyne.

Is there any game out there with more character than Monster Hunter? Capcom's series has never really enjoyed the same success over here as it has in Japan, which is a shame. It saddens me to think of all those who've missed out on all the little flourishes that make Monster Hunter so charming; the jolly mewls of your Felyne as it fights by your side, the threatening bounce of a Great Jaggi as it sizes up its prey or just the way you flop, triumphantly, on to the bed in your homestead after a good day's hunting. And, of course, the mighty, majestic and all-conquering prance.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D release date

Monster Hunter 4 dated for Europe, too.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D will arrive in Europe on 13th February, Nintendo has just confirmed.

That date is timed to coincide with the launch of the New 3DS and New 3DS XL, which finally arrive in the UK on the same day.

Meanwhile, fellow 3DS adventure Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate see its European launch on 13th February as well. Both games will get their own New 3DS XL special edition hardware.

Samus and Zero Suit Samus costumes in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

We're Tallon you the truth.

Metroid heroine Samus Aran will feature in 3DS role-player Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

Monster Hunter 4 will let you dress up as Link

That's sword we heard, anyway.

You'll be able to dress up as Link from The Legend of Zelda in Capcom's upcoming Monster Hunter 4, the developer has confirmed.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iPad and iPhone heading west

New trailer for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate released.

The iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, iPad mini and iPad Air version of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is heading west, Capcom announced.

Dead Rising 3 sales rise to 1.2m as Capcom enjoys profit boost

But it's Monster Hunter 4 that steals the show.

Xbox One launch title Dead Rising 3 has now sold 1.2m copies, Capcom has said.

Reporting its financial year ending 31st March 2014, the Japanese company highlighted its zombie kill 'em up alongside the PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360 version of Resident Evil Revelations and Nintendo 3DS game Monster Hunter 4 as million-sellers.

But it was Monster Hunter 4 which was the star of the show. It launched in September 2013 in Japan and has now sold 4.1m units, making it the sixth best-selling Capcom game ever. Capcom said it saw "explosive popularity with long lines forming at major retailers across the nation since the release date". It was a smash hit, Capcom added. The series has now sold over 28m copies. Monster Hunter 4 launches on these shores in expanded form in early 2015.

FeatureAs Monster Hunter turns 10, can Capcom finally make the west listen?

We interview its creator Ryozo Tsujimoto to find out.

10 years ago today Capcom released the first Monster Hunter game. It launched in Japan for the PlayStation 2 as part of a new initiative from Capcom's Production Studio 1 designed to test the waters of online console gaming. It was a triumvirate that included cel-shaded racing game Auto Modellista, the multiplayer-focused Resident Evil: Outbreak and, of course, Monster Hunter. Capcom hoped at least one would sell a million copies, what the company considered then to be the mark of a hit title. One did.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate heading to Europe in early 2015

Roar.

We're a little late to the party on this news but it still bears noting - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has been announced for release in Europe and North America.

Capcom expects Xbox One exclusive Dead Rising 3 to sell 1.2m

Lost Planet 3 sold just 300,000.

Capcom expects to sell 1.2 million copies of Xbox One exclusive Dead Rising 3.

The figure was revealed in a document released alongside the Japanese company's financial report for the first half of the financial year ending 31st March 2014.

The 1.2 million figure is below lifetime sales for previous games in the open world zombie kill 'em up series: 2006 Xbox 360 game Dead Rising shifted 1.8 million, and 2010 sequel Dead Rising 2, which launched on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, has sold 2.7 million. It should be noted, however, that as an Xbox One exclusive launch title, Dead Rising 3 has a limited install base to sell to.

Capcom bounces back with stellar Monster Hunter 4 sales

Resident Evil 5 now Capcom's best-selling game ever.

Amid the doom and gloom surrounding Capcom, a beacon of light: Monster Hunter 4.

The Japanese company reported financial earnings this morning for the six month period ending 30th September 2013, and they paint a positive picture.

Sales were up 16.9 per cent to 53 billion yen, with net income up 20 per cent to 4.95 billion yen.

FeatureHow Monster Hunter 4 switches up the formula

Monsters brawl.

How exactly do you improve upon Monster Hunter? The series represents so many cornerstones in everything from the weapon classes, quest structure and crafting system, that from game-to-game, the most apparent changes are less fundamental and more supplementary. The addition of new monsters, subspecies and equipment has always been the easiest way to please the hardcore fanbase, but while the introduction of underwater combat in Monster Hunter Tri was a solid attempt at offering a twist on a familiar concept, it was hard not to feel a sense of déjŕ vu after setting a shock trap and hurling a couple of tranquiliser bombs.

Capcom may shed half its European staff

Continental belts tightened as core titles underperform.

Capcom is preparing to slash its European operation by more than half, according to the UK trade magazine MCV. "More than half of the European arm faces redundancy, with a number of jobs set to merge," reads the report.

Monster Hunter 4 sells over 1.7 million retail copies in two days

Becoming the best-selling third-party 3DS game in Japan.

This weekend saw the release of Monster Hunter 4 in Japan and the 3DS-exclusive dinosaur slaying game managed to sell an incredible 1,715,060 retail copies in its first two days on store shelves.

This figure comes from Japanese chart company Media Create (via Gematsu), which only looks at retail figures. In this case, it only covers the period of 9th-15th September and Monster Hunter 4 only came out on the 14th.

Capcom explained that combined with its digital sales, Monster Hunter 4 has shifted over two million units in four days, well ahead of the publisher's estimate to shift 2.8 million copies by 31st March, 2014. (Thanks, GamesIndustry International.) This phenomenal launch has made it the best-selling third-party 3DS game ever in Japan.

Capcom: no plans for Monster Hunter 4 on PlayStation Vita

"We want as many people as possible to play it on 3DS."

Nintendo 3DS exclusive Monster Hunter 4 will not be released on PlayStation Vita any time soon, developer Capcom has said.

Capcom hopes Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will spark a "breakthrough" in the west

"That's definitely our intention."

Capcom hopes the release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate next month will see the series finally crack the west.

Capcom delays Monster Hunter 4, says Resident Evil 6 sales "certain to fall short of the plan"

Revises down projected earnings for financial year.

Bad news from Capcom this morning: it's delayed one of its key titles and said Resident Evil 6 won't meet sales expectations.

The delayed game is Monster Hunter 4, the Nintendo 3DS exclusive sure to set tills alight in Japan. It had been due out there in March 2013. It will now release at some point after that “in order to further raise the quality of this game”, Capcom said.

As for Resident Evil 6, Capcom said this morning it is unlikely to sell as many copies as the Japanese publisher had hoped.

Video3DS Monster Hunter 4 gets spring 2013 release date

Japanese treated to a new trailer.

Monster Hunter Tri G sells 471k in two days

3DS has best week ever in Japan.

Monster Hunter Tri G on 3DS launched to thunderous success in Japan, selling 471,055 copies in just two days.

Its launch caused 3DS hardware sales to skyrocket, beating even its launch-week total, Japanese chart company Enterbrain reports (via Andriasang). 378,114 3DS units were sold - the highest seven-day sum ever for the machine in Japan.

Those numbers pushed Nintendo's handheld past the 3 million mark in the country.

Why no Monster Hunter 4 on Vita?

"You'll have to ask Capcom," says Sony.

Sony has responded to the shock announcement of Monster Hunter 4 as a 3DS, not Vita, game.

Iwata: Nintendo won't make mobile games

But Nintendo would make "profits" if it did.

An under-pressure Nintendo has ruled out any likelihood of ever making games for mobiles.

Nintendo stock drops post-3DS event

Monster Hunter 4 not enough for investors.

Nintendo's share price dropped by five per cent following yesterday's 3DS showcase in Tokyo, according to Reuters.

VideoMonster Hunter 4 concept footage

Major new MH release claws onto 3DS.