Monster Hunter isn't hardcore - creators

Monster Hunter creators Ryozo Tsujimoto and Kaname Fujioka have said the game isn't seen as a hardcore title in Japan - more of a typical action adventure.

Tsujimoto thinks that the co-op nature of the beast, something more easily taken advantage of on Wii than PSP, is the key to enjoying the game properly as a noob.

"Actually, Monster Hunter has never been seen as a hardcore series in Japan. Because of the co-op approach of the game, one or two of the players need not be too experienced, the others can carry them to a degree," he said.

Because the game doesn't reward people according to input, and there are no damage counts or stats for who kills what, once a mission is completed everyone's a winner and gets similar rewards. We wanted this so that new players could join in and be guided by more experienced hunters."

Of course, by 'typical' they probably mean 'all consuming world's greatest', but you get the point - they're telling you to man up.

Speaking at a Monster Hunter Tri event in London recently, the pair talked about the series reaching a new audience through the Wii, encouraging those were put off by the games' formidable reputation to pick up and play.

Talking about the critical success of titles like Demon's Souls and Monster Hunter itself, Kaname was keen to point out that there have always been gamers who've enjoyed a challenge.

"I don't think this is a new phenomenon - there have all been these sort of players. What has changed is the nature of the community. Whereas once these players were isolated they can now create a visible community very quickly and easily."

The pair also think that the Wii can offer an experience which the PSP can't because of it's very nature - making it easier to sit comfortably for longer and play - allowing them to have much longer quests, purportedly over an hour long.

Fujioka believes that "portable games are very purpose-specific, so when a game is about hunting action that's really all it's about - people don't have the time to do much else. When a game is played on console the player has more time to think, perhaps two seconds more to observe a monster's behaviour or 5 minutes to explore the map. In this way the experience is expanded."

At which point Tsujimoto chipped in with a supermarket analogy, helpfully.

"Let's change this into a supermarket analogy - I say handhelds are like a one way shopping trip - you follow a linear path to the shop and get what you need. Consoles are different - the objective is the same, getting to the shop, but you're going through a mall, free to drop in at any of the shops on the way. You're still going to the supermarket but you're much more relaxed on the way, able to spend more time shopping around."

Yep, sounds about right.