Monster Hunter 3, or Monster Hunter Tri has been out in Japan for some time now.  Fans in North America and Europe are beginning to wonder when they can get their hands on the latest game in the series, a series which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.  2010 will indeed be the year of Tri on the Wii, and it comes packed with co-op gaming goodness.

Monster Hunter Tri will feature brand new underwater environments, two player split-screen co-op play as well as four player online co-op play.  There's no official release date yet, but if you are heading to GamesCom in Europe at the end of the month, you'll be able to get your hands on the title.  

We've got a fresh batch of screens and a new trailer to hold you over till then.

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If you're headed to the San Diego Comic Con, which runs July 23rd through the 26th, you might want to tote your PSP and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite along into the gaming goodness.  Why?  Not only will you be able to find other Monster Hunter gamers to co-op with, you'll have access to eight brand new quests totally free thanks to Capcom.

The quests will be available at the Capcom booth, and though Capcom claims that only "6 quests will fit on a memory stick" - I'm not quite sure what size they are referring to.  Better bring the big stick just in case.

Also, be sure to check out our review of the game.

Bigfoot, Lochness, Godzilla. The monsters found in Capcom's Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for the PSP make these creatures look like poodles. We review the latest iteration of the game as we take our four player hunting party into the wilderness to bring down beasts.

Nothing says Independence Day than fighting gigantic monsters for gold.  With that Capcom has released a brand new free downloadable quest for Monster Hunter Freedom Unite on the PSP. 

In this new quest, Triumvirate of Sands, you’ll have three monsters to take on out in the desert – a Daimyo Hermitaur, Tigrex, and Plesioth! Yikes! But it’s well worth it as you stand a chance to make 12300z! If you want to see a video clip of what quest looks like head on over to http://www.capcom-unity.com/ and check out Snow’s blog.

 To access the quest simply click the "Download" link from the in game menu and you're good to go!  There should be a new quest each week for the next couple of months.  I hope they release a quest where I can hunt Harry from Harry and the Hendersons.  

Monster Hunter fan? Enjoy art? Capcom has announced The Gathering Hall, a new feature at the Lazarides Gallery in London.

Open from noon on July 3rd until September 1st, anyone toting a PSP and a copy of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite can enter The Gathering Hall for free. Free sodas and exclusive PSP content will be offered (presumably via wireless connection) within the gallery's three floors dedicated to the exhibit. It will be open from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM (local time, of course) all seven days of the week. Players should have no problem finding ad hoc co-op buddies in here!

You can see the press release below, and after that, an extremely cool piece of official Monster Hunter art.

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The latest game in the Monster Hunter franchise, subtitled Freedom Unite, is being released today.  You and three others can team up together via Ad Hoc play.  One particularly cool feature of this game takes a page from the PSP's big PS3 brother: an optional install allows for quicker loading times, and presumably saves a bit of battery life as well.  Ars Technica has the details.

"Use this 'Data Install' option to shorten loading times. A portion of the game will be saved as 'Install Data' on your Memory Stick Duo," the game explains on its option menu. "The game will then load data from both the Install Data and the UMD." The install requires 578MB of memory to take advantage of this feature.

That's a good sized chunk of your memory card, but still it's a great idea.  Perhaps as memory cards get bigger and cheaper, more developers will use similar options.  Don't forget you can purchase the game at Amazon and support Co-Optimus! 

Source: Link

I think that this is a first for game videos: the new Monster Hunter Freedom Unite tutorial video features four simultaneous PSP screen feeds at the 2:21 mark. Teaching newcomers to the series how to most effectively hunt and embark on quests, the video wraps up a four-part series with this little gem.

It doesn't take a video series for us to know how best to experience a four-player co-op game, but we're always glad to see the good word spread.

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Capcom has released the first Tutorial for the upcoming four player co-op Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for the PSP.  The tutorial walks you through the basics of the game, from creating your character to learning about your home village.

The trailer also talks very briefly about bringing other hunters into your game for the co-op mode.  The four player co-op works only via the PSP's AD-HOC wireless connection. 

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They may try to move quietly, and the monster might be "pretty small" but I'd still bring some heavy weapons.  Perhaps it's the giant glowing eyes 25 feet in the air that does it to me, but I think they are going to need more than some rope.

I've never played any of the Monster Hunter games, but I imagine it involves monsters and.."hunting."  The latest game in the series is called Monster Hunter Freedom Unite and is a four player co-op title for the PlayStation Portable.  From all intents and purposes, it's the same game that was released in Japan under the name Monster Hunter 2g.

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Despite selling quite well in the United States and Europe, the Monster Hunter series seems to avoid mainstream exposure whenever possible. I've always been curious about the games, but have never brought myself to even rent any of the games, because I just can't decide if Capcom is proud of their product...or trying to hide it.

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm no good at sarcasm. I'm actually just thrifty.

Nevertheless, Capcom is still stalling from bringing you the official  trailer for Monster Hunter 3 for the Nintendo Wii. Thankfully, a spectator at the pre-Tokyo-Game-Show Nintendo conference has nabbed it in its entirety, albeit at low quality.

See the embedded video after the break.

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