14 DAY TRIAL // Sony is very serious about re-launching the PlayStation Portable and making its handheld attractive again to players by releasing a big number of new games, like Castlevania, Wolverine and Tekken 6. On the other hand, Capcom is very interested in bringing one of its biggest Japanese hits, Monster Hunter, to the West and in making audiences see what's so special about it.
David Reeves, the out going boss of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has talked about how his company and Capcom are planning to release Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, which is known in Japan as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, in the PAL territories.
A demo version of the game should be released in late May or in early June, coming via UMD disk and via digital download. The idea is to have players get this demo, which is set to showcase the ad hoc wireless multiplayer mode that made Monster Hunter a real hit in Japan and led it to selling about three million copies.
At the Captivate 09 event in Monaco, Reeves stated that “We know that our own Sony software line-up, and to some extent the third parties', has not lived up always to expectations. But tonight is a prime example of how that has been rectified. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite will spearhead the PSP resurgence of 2009, we believe, and I would like to thank Capcom for their unwavering support in this endeavour.”
The official release in Europe is set to come on June 26, after some hype has been created by the demo. Sony could also do well to introduce a bundle featuring a PlayStation Portable and the Monster Hunter Freedom Unite videogame, in order to attract some more gamers that might otherwise overlook the title. Still, there's no guarantee that Western gamers will like Monster Hunter as much as Capcom and Sony hope.