Wall St. Journal talks about Monster Hunter and PSP

by Alan Tsang { Jun 24th 2008 at 12:45PM }

If you ever needed a summary of proof that Monster Hunter is huge in Japan, this Wall Street Journal article would be it. The international financial newspaper credits the incredible success of the PSP in Japan over the past year to Monster Hunter. It outlines the appeal of the series, summarizing the mechanics of the game which allow a group of friends play together in co-op mode to battle monsters and gather materials for weapons and armor.

Writer Yukari Iwatani Kane asserts that the Japanese are "uncomfortable with the idea of playing video games with strangers over the Internet," and Capcom "overcame that hurdle" by incorporating the Ad Hoc mode on the PSP into Monster Hunter. This brought in unconventional fans such as a 37-year-old Tokyo architect who held a "weekend retreat" with his 14 friends, which included a doctor and corporate executives, to play Monster Hunter together. Members of fan-sites such as Oyaji Hunters (Old Geezer Hunters in Japanese) "participate in regularly scheduled face-to-face get-togethers."

Statistics obtained by the WSJ from Enterbrain Inc. shows that as of June 8th, 9.3 million PSPs were sold in Japan, compared with 4.75 million units in February of 2007 before the release of the first PSP Monster Hunter game. The combined sales of the two games have reached almost 4 million, and they are the only PSP games that have sold more than one million copies in Japan -- Kane attributes these sales partly to the fact that each player needs one copy of the game to play together. The article finally ends with some negative observations, stating that "Capcom hasn't made a serious effort to market the games in the U.S." and noting that the next Monster Hunter game will be on the Wii, rather than the PS3.

Though the article makes some legitimate points, it is hard to trust someone that ~~contradicts herself ("uncomfortable with the idea of playing video games with strangers" vs. "participate in regularly scheduled face-to-face get-togethers")~~ lists "Evil May Cry" as a popular Capcom series.

Tags: monster-hunter, wall-street-journal, wsj

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ribminster @ Jun 24th 2008 12:58PM

Since when does "participate in regularly scheduled face-to-face get-togethers" imply "playing video games with strangers"?

Alan Tsang @ Jun 24th 2008 1:09PM

I just personally think if one was going to be afraid of playing games with strangers on the internet, then one would be afraid of meeting strangers off the internet to play games.

Cross Fire @ Jun 24th 2008 1:16PM

well, it become like that after they truncated the quote from

"uncomfortable with the idea of playing video games with strangers over the internet"
to
"uncomfortable with the idea of playing video games with strangers", losing the whole "internet" thing.

I suppose my brother is a stranger when I'm playing Monster hunter in co-op mode.

dabamf @ Jun 24th 2008 1:01PM

I really liked playing as both Ante and Ero in Evil May Cry 4.

ComicShaman @ Jun 24th 2008 1:38PM

The "D" migrated. Capcom will now be putting out the "Resident Devil" series as well.

Michael @ Jun 24th 2008 1:13PM

She didn't contradict herself. You bisected the first quote to prove your point when the entire quote itself would have proved you wrong. What she said makes perfect sense; they do not want to play against strangers online, but would prefer to play with them in person.

It's hard to trust a writer that twists the words of others in order to attack them.

Alan Tsang @ Jun 24th 2008 1:21PM

You are right -- this is more my personal opinion on the matter. I'll correct it.

pixelator @ Jun 24th 2008 2:24PM

Except that it's total nonsense. The Japanese have several huge MMO's, including Cronous, the upcoming Hello Kitty and of course Final Fantasy XI. I used to communicate via emoticons with JP players all the time on FF. The Japanese also have LOTS of 2D MMO's like Maple Story and Ragnarok.

While the Japanese are considered by many to be ethnocentric and the gamer otaku may be introverted one on one, their culture is strongly rooted in social activity. Look at their bath houses! Members of the community come together to bathe... Naked. We have nothing like that, here. People would freak completely out. They also have lots of festivals and events that place emphasis on people interacting.

So no, the Japanese aren't averse to online gameplay "with strangers." The idea is ludicrous and plainly used here as an excuse for Monster Hunter's notable lack of Infrastructure play.

farfisa @ Jun 24th 2008 1:28PM

I'd never thought about the whole "uncomfortable with the idea of playing video games with strangers over the internet" thing, but it makes perfect sense. Especially for the "geezers"--it'd be like playing bridge over the internet!
I've never gotten into the whole online gaming thing either--just find it weird.

Alien @ Jun 24th 2008 1:33PM

Actually the MHP games sold 5 million in Japan alone ( 3 , not 2 games ) ... Oh , and he forgets the fact that there was also a redesign released in Sept. 07 ;)

ultra lucky cat @ Jun 24th 2008 1:36PM

"In developing the games, Mr. Tsujimoto made sure players at different ability levels could play without annoying one another. Experienced players, for example, could help beginners hunt down monsters. Beginners also could contribute to an experienced team by collecting medicinal herbs or grilling the "monster meat" that the game's virtual hunters need to keep up their strength."

Haha, sucks to be the team chef :p

dabamf @ Jun 24th 2008 1:40PM

Yeah, that is seriously lame! The only thing worse would be picking up the virtual monster dung off the battlefield.

Jacksons @ Jun 24th 2008 1:47PM

I laughed pretty good when I read that. There's nothing like playing a game to do mindless, repetitive tasks.

strike @ Jun 24th 2008 2:06PM

A ps3 monster hunter would have been great, but i guess Capcom have made their choice. Are they still going to continue monster hunter games on the psp? I dont want to buy another console, just for this game.

GRT @ Jun 24th 2008 3:57PM

Lots of hate in these comments, considering its a PSP FANBOY article... I should think you'd be happy the PSP is getting some positive press.

cafecito @ Jun 24th 2008 8:02PM

Guess the Monster Hunter fanbase ain't as big as most ppl think...

ultra lucky cat @ Jun 25th 2008 12:40PM

Hmmm? I dont see any "hate comments" prior to your post, sir. Although i have seen some on other sites, mostly by people too dumb to figure out how the in-game camera works.

Joe @ Jun 24th 2008 11:11PM

I for one am a big fan of Monster Hunter and wish Monster Hunter G will come out in the US. But if it does come out in the US I would love to see Capcom throw in online play and not just ad-hoc. Playing Monster Hunter my your self is not that fun plus it is hard. So I don't get why MH on the PSP can't have real online when the PS2s versions do.

PSP Fan @ Jun 25th 2008 10:52AM

"Contradicts herself"? How so? Playing video games over the internet with strangers is quite different than scheduling a retreat to play with friends face to face (Ad Hoc).

How can you even form an opinion that leads you to make a statement like that? Her comments were very clear and you could not be more wrong.

Generally you all provide some good info, but what a train wreck some of the summary's are on this site.

Alan Tsang @ Jun 25th 2008 10:59AM

Like I've said: I just personally think if one was going to be afraid of playing games with strangers on the internet, then one would be afraid of meeting strangers off the internet to play games. One is in far more danger meeting someone face-to-face if you ask me.

PSP Fan @ Jun 25th 2008 1:42PM

Okay, but I think you misinterpreted the post, the way I read it is that the intention of adding Ad-Hoc was to allow friends to play together as stated in the post - "Writer Yukari Iwatani Kane asserts that the Japanese are "uncomfortable with the idea of playing video games with strangers over the Internet," and Capcom "overcame that hurdle" by incorporating the Ad Hoc mode on the PSP into Monster Hunter. This brought in unconventional fans such as a 37-year-old Tokyo architect who held a "weekend retreat" with his 14 friends, which included a doctor and corporate executives, to play Monster Hunter together."

I agree with what you're saying about meeting strangers off the internet, but that is not what the article is saying.

Keefe @ Jun 25th 2008 3:54PM

I'm a pretty new PSP owner (just picked one up in April), so I'm still learning about what games have been out there for it, and I realize I may be alone in this, but reading articles about how big this game is in Japan really makes me feel jealous. I wish the PSP was as successful here and this game was available along with the DLC they are providing. It sounds like a cross between a LAN party and an MMORPG. I used to do LAN parties very often years ago, but my group of friends got tired of lugging around equipment and troubleshooting network/software version issues. Having a get-together with PSPs to play a game like this sounds like a lot of fun. :) Especially if you throw in BBQ and cigars....