The immensely popular Monster Hunter series is no stranger to enormous sales. The original PSP title, Monster Hunter Portable, sold more than 2.4 million copies worldwide; an impressive feat for a handheld title. Last week, Monster Hunter Portable 2nd saw its release in Japan. Which Capcom cited that it had “remarkable†shipment allocations.
The US and European versions of the original title, Monster Hunter Portable were unfortunately distinctly lacking one essential element that its Japanese counterpart had – online play. Fret not though, Capcom today unveiled that the title should be released in Europe by September 2007. For those of us not in PAL territories, a Capcom spokesperson went on to disclose that a US release should be within a similar timeframe.
Apparently, the only change that will differentiate the Western and Eastern copies of the game will be its name. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd will be renamed to Monster Hunter Freedom 2. Expect multiplayer with up to four players for cooperative battles in wireless ad-hoc mode. Furthermore, downloadable content, such as additional quests, will be made available. Gameplay from the original will be largely untouched; but, this time around, content is said to have been augmented by fifty percent.
Monster Hunter fans have a bit of a wait in for them. Expect more details, including a US release date, in the coming months.