Monster Hunter Generations

Monster Hunter Generations
File:Monster hunter generations cover art.jpg
Developer(s)	Capcom
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Director(s)	Yasunori Ichinose
Producer(s)	Shintaro Kojima
Composer(s)	Reo Uratani
Series	Monster Hunter
Platforms	Nintendo 3DS
Release date(s)
Genre(s)	Action role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Monster Hunter Generations is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Capcom for the Nintendo 3DS. Announced in May 2015, the game was released in Japan in November 2015, under the title Monster Hunter X (モンスターハンタークロス, Monsutā Hantā Kurosu), and is scheduled to be released internationally in July 2016. Like other titles in the Monster Hunter series, players undertake quests that involve hunting dangerous creatures. Major additions in this installment include special attacks, new combat styles, and the ability to play as Felynes, who have traditionally only appeared as a companion to the player.

Gameplay

Monster Hunter Generations features gameplay similar to past titles in the series. The player assumes the role of a hunter who embarks on quests to hunt dangerous creatures. A hunter's abilities are determined by the type of armor and weapons that they wear on a quest, as the hunter otherwise has no intrinsic attributes that affect gameplay. Fourteen weapon types are available, ranging from swords, hammers, bows, guns, and magical staffs, each type which has different sets of moves and abilities that can be employed while in the field, while armors grant defensive bonuses to physical and elemental damage, and can boost specific skills and attack types through base attributes and the addition of special decoration gems. To make a more powerful hunter that can survive against more dangerous creatures, the player takes materials carved from defeated creatures or taken from captured creatures, as well as materials gathered from the various fields and purchased in village stores, to craft new armor or to craft and upgrade weapons. Defeating more powerful creatures enables even more potent equipment to be crafted, thus creating a gameplay progress through the game's loot system.

The game will have four new signature monsters along with a number of past flagship monsters. All fourteen weapon types from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate are included in Monster Hunter Generations, in addition to the new Prowler mode which allows you to play as a Felyne, a cat-like species. The game features four villages which are non-combat areas for getting quests and communicating with non-player characters. Three villages return from previous titles, and a new village called Verma Village has been added.

Monster Hunter Generations features new special attacks known as "Hunting Arts"; these attacks have different effects such as dealing massive damage, providing buffs, or healing allies. The game also introduces a system called "Hunting Styles". This system adds different attack styles for a weapon, each weapon type in the game will have four distinct forms. The Guild Style is a balanced and basic style akin to combat in previous games of the series. The Striker Style is less technical but emphasises the use of "Hunting Arts" letting the player set up three special attacks. The Aerial Style specialises in mid-air attacks allowing players to use monsters as a platform which they can propel themselves off. The Adept Style gives players an opportunity to perform powerful counterattacks after successfully evading a monster's attack. Visually, the game's combat has been described as flashier than previous titles.

Development

Planning for Monster Hunter Generations began during the production of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. The game's Japanese title—Monster Hunter X, pronounced as Monster Hunter Cross—originated from the idea of crossing old and new elements of the series in the game. Game producer, Shintaro Kojima, noted that "the letter X looks like it divides the given space into four… so four hunting styles, four large main monsters, four villages. They’re all crossing." Originally, Capcom considered adding a new weapon type for Monster Hunter Generations. This would have required a lot of development work, so instead they opted to focus on the concept of a player's "attachment to the weapon". Several features—underwater combat, guild quests, and frenzied monsters—from past titles are omitted in Monster Hunter Generations, series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto said this was to emphasise the unique elements of the new title.

Similar to previous Monster Hunter games, the player can obtain armor sets, weapons and clothing themed to other Capcom games. Generations will include such themes based on Amaterasu from Okami, Chun-Li and Blanka from Street Fighter, and Arthur from Ghosts 'n Goblins.

Release

Monster Hunter Generations was first announced in Japan under the title Monster Hunter X in May 2015 with a planned release later that year, during a Nintendo Direct presentation. Prior to the game's release, Capcom announced collaborations with various anime, manga and video game series to bring themed costumes to Monster Hunter X. A demo of the game was released digitally in Japan on November 19, 2015, via the Nintendo eShop. The demo features three quests involving different monsters. The game was subsequently released for Nintendo 3DS in Japan on November 28, 2015. Alongside the game's Japanese launch, Nintendo released Monster Hunter X-themed faceplates for the New Nintendo 3DS, and a limited-edition Monster Hunter X-themed New Nintendo 3DS XL featuring the game's logo and four signature monsters.

For North America and Europe, the game will be released as Monster Hunter Generations on July 15, 2016, along with a limited-edition New Nintendo 3DS XL similar to the Japanese release.

Reception

Following the 2015 Tokyo Game Show, the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association named Monster Hunter Generations as one of ten winners for the "Future Division" Award.

Prior to the game's launch, Capcom expected to sell 2.5 million copies of Monster Hunter Generations by March 2016. The game sold over 1.5 million units in its first two days, and as of December 24, 2015, the game has sold over 3 million copies. Japanese sales tracker, Media Create reported that Monster Hunter Generations sold through over 91% of its retail stock in its first week. Total software sales in Japan during the week of the game's launch were the highest recorded so far in 2015, with Monster Hunter Generations contributing over 75% of sales. The launch also led to a rise in total hardware sales, with sales of the New Nintendo 3DS XL increasing by over 360% from the previous week.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)