OBJ_1 ===
If asked what game I've spent the most time playing in recent years, I believe many people, like myself, would unanimously answer "Monster Hunter" (モンスターハンター)! From 2018's Monster Hunter: World, followed by the massive expansion "Iceborne," to this March's Monster Hunter Rise released on Nintendo Switch, it's undeniable that Monster Hunter has become a part of many people's lives. Not playing for an hour or two each day just feels wrong. Farming for decorations, completing daily quests—oh, how half a day flies by in an instant.
OBJ_2 ===
Monster Hunter, often abbreviated as MH, and commonly called "Mon-Han" (モンハン) in Japan, has been around for nearly 17 years with numerous titles. Let's set aside the hardships of hunting and the pressure of perfecting combat techniques for a moment, and chat about some lighter topics!
OBJ_5 ===
OBJ_6 ===
OBJ_7 ===
Who is the true progenitor of Monster Hunter? Who coined "Mon-Han"?
When Monster Hunter is mentioned today, most people think of Ryozo Tsujimoto, often referred to as "San-Taishi" (Third Prince). Indeed, most current Monster Hunter titles are spearheaded by him. However, Ryozo Tsujimoto truly took the lead starting with Monster Hunter Tri, released on the Wii in 2009. Of course, he was involved in previous titles like Monster Hunter Portable 2 and Monster Hunter Portable 2G.
▼Hideo Kojima (left) and Ryozo Tsujimoto (right). Many mistakenly believe he is the "father" of Monster Hunter, but he only truly took the lead starting with Monster Hunter Tri, released on the Wii in 2009. Image credit:Hideo Kojima@Kojima_Hideo
OBJ_8 ===
Essentially, the person who truly developed this title from scratch and successfully brought it to life is one of CAPCOM's key figures, Mr. Noritaka Funamizu. He joined CAPCOM in 1985 and worked on many classic games, including 1943, Destiny of an Emperor, and the Street Fighter II series, also serving as the general director for many CAPCOM titles.
▼Noritaka Funamizu, currently the CEO of game company "baobab game studios." Image credit:YouTube
OBJ_9 ===
At the time, Noritaka Funamizu was responsible for the game's world view and system, Tsuyoshi Tanaka for planning, Kaname Fujioka served as game director, and Kento Kinoshita (known for Dragon's Dogma) was the planner. After approximately three years of preparation, development officially began in 2003, and the game was formally released on the PS2 on March 11, 2004. It sold about 300,000 copies.
▼The first Monster Hunter released on PS2 in 2004. Image credit:Dirty Cheater ! JPPM
OBJ_10 ===
Interestingly, shortly after the game's release, Noritaka Funamizu left CAPCOM in April of that year. The subsequent two console titles, "G" and "Monster Hunter 2," were led by Tsuyoshi Tanaka. The Portable series was led by Yasunori Ichinose. Due to the poor reception of the second console title, Tsuyoshi Tanaka left in 2006, and Ryozo Tsujimoto began leading the third title on the Wii.
Afterward, Noritaka Funamizu's name was gradually mentioned less in interviews. Later, some media even directly credited Ryozo Tsujimoto as the "father" of Monster Hunter. One can only feel sorry for Noritaka Funamizu.
▼Later, some media directly referred to Ryozo Tsujimoto as the "father" of Monster Hunter. Image credit:Daily
OBJ_11 ===
Incidentally, the current abbreviation for Monster Hunter, "Mon-Han," was actually first coined by Kenji Iino, one of the original three producers. The development team initially used "MH" as an abbreviation in their development logs, but Kenji Iino once blurted out "Mon-Han," and it has been used ever since.
OBJ_12 ===
OBJ_13 ===
Monster Hunter's origin was actually Animal Crossing?
Referring to the previous section, how did Noritaka Funamizu conceive of a game like Monster Hunter? Mr. Akira Yasuda, an illustrator and character designer who worked at CAPCOM and contributed to many game titles, once posted on his Twitter in 2019 that Noritaka Funamizu saw Animal Crossing and wanted to create a similar game focused on collecting elements. After that, Monster Hunter was created.
▼Renowned designer and artist Akira Yasuda once stated on his Twitter that Noritaka Funamizu developed Monster Hunter because he wanted to create a game similar to Animal Crossing. Image credit:Twitter
OBJ_14 ===
Animal Crossing (formerly known as Dōbutsu no Mori, abbreviated as Doumori), which many people still play, was first released on the Nintendo 64 in 2001. Its gameplay, I believe, is familiar to everyone: collecting materials through various activities and decorating one's own house, making it a harmonious and healing title.
Looking back, the original Monster Hunter indeed had many collecting elements. Players, starting with no items, had to gather various materials on different types of maps, including herbs, insects, mushrooms, ores, and fish, as well as hunting. By collecting these materials, they could craft all sorts of useful items and powerful weapons and armor to overcome challenges. In this regard, it does bear some resemblance to Animal Crossing, though the atmosphere of play is entirely different.
▼In the early days, hunters had to do everything themselves: gathering, hunting, and even cooking their own meat. Roasting meat is a Monster Hunter tradition! Image credit:YouTube
OBJ_15 ===
Besides Animal Crossing, another significantly influential game was SEGA's Phantasy Star Online (PSO), released in 2000 on the Dreamcast, which had an early concept of online play. It was an action RPG focused on multiplayer online connectivity. The Monster Hunter development team once mentioned in an interview the game's influence on Monster Hunter, imagining what it would be like to make a game like PSO purely action-oriented, thus leading to the prototype concept of Monster Hunter.
▼SEGA's Phantasy Star Online, released in 2000, can be considered a pioneer of modern console online games. The latest title is Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. Image credit:YouTube
OBJ_16 ===
Other aspects were also referenced from PSO, such as considering the network performance at the time, allowing players to choose an offline mode in addition to the online mode. Online mode involved teaming up in groups of four or fewer, and cooperative play against giant monsters, which can all be said to be influenced and referenced from PSO.
OBJ_17 ===
OBJ_18 ===
Attacking with the right analog stick instead of buttons?
The earliest Monster Hunter content was quite rudimentary compared to today, both in terms of item types and weapon choices. The game initially offered only five weapon types: Great Sword, Sword & Shield, Hammer, Lance, and Bowgun (including Light and Heavy). The actions for each weapon were also very simple, not as flashy and varied as they are now. Moreover, weapon attacks were unusually set to the right analog stick, with attacks performed by pushing it in different directions, unlike the current button-based controls. This was a rare setting at the time.
▼In early Monster Hunter, weapon attacks were performed using the right analog stick (blue circle), and actions were simpler with less variation. Image credit:goo
OBJ_19 ===
The reason for the later change to button controls was to accommodate the settings of the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld console at the time. Because the PSP did not have two analog sticks, actions had to be assigned to the Triangle, X, Square, and Circle buttons, or combinations thereof, to correspond to various actions.
OBJ_20 ===
▼The famous "C-claw" grip on the PSP (Japanese players call it "Mon-Han持ち" or "Monster Hunter Grip"). Since the PSP lacked dual analog sticks and required using the D-pad to adjust the camera, players developed this hand position for playing. (It can cause hand pain after prolonged play.)
Image credit:Twitter
OBJ_21 ===
OBJ_22 ===
OBJ_23 ===
Jumping from SONY to Nintendo, complex reasons behind it?
Monster Hunter was first released on the PS2, primarily to leverage the PS2's online connectivity features, thus giving birth to an online action game. Later, when the PSP console was released, CAPCOM took the opportunity to launch Monster Hunter Portable on the PSP, an adaptation of Monster Hunter G from the PS2. The reasons included easier porting from the PS2, as well as recognizing the PSP's face-to-face multiplayer functionality. Given the immature network environment at the time and the relatively low acceptance of online games in the Japanese market, face-to-face multiplayer was more readily accepted by players.
▼The face-to-face multiplayer gameplay on handheld consoles significantly boosted the sales of the Monster Hunter series and, consequently, the sales of the PSP. Image credit:Inside Games
OBJ_24 ===
Monster Hunter Portable released four titles on the PSP, all selling over a million copies, with the highest exceeding four million, significantly contributing to the PSP's expansion. CAPCOM actually considered releasing Monster Hunter on the NDS, but the hardware simply couldn't meet the game's requirements.
▼The PSP console's game sales TOP10 list shows Monster Hunter titles occupying half of the spots. Image credit:Private Life
OBJ_25 ===
Everyone initially expected CAPCOM to release the mainline sequel to Monster Hunter, namely the third installment, on SONY's PS3. However, the decision to release it on the Wii instead came as a great surprise to many. Furthermore, subsequent sequels were released on the 3DS rather than the PS Vita, which seemed very odd. However, understanding some of the backstory makes CAPCOM's decision quite understandable.
Rewind to 2003, when CAPCOM's president, Kenzo Tsujimoto, misappropriated company funds to invest in real estate, resulting in heavy losses. Coupled with poor game sales at the time, the company incurred a 40 billion JPY deficit, an incident that caused a huge stir.
▼Kenzo Tsujimoto, currently the chairman of CAPCOM. His eldest son, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, became president in 2007. Image credit:SBJ
OBJ_26 ===
OBJ_27 ===
▼Yoshiki Okamoto's personal YouTube channel provides a detailed account of Kenzo Tsujimoto's situation at the time, including his borrowing money, investing in real estate, buying a Chicago company, developing machines... and so on.
OBJ_3 ===
At this critical moment, Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, privately assisted Kenzo Tsujimoto by providing funds to overcome the difficulties. This was an immense help to CAPCOM, and naturally, such a favor would be remembered.
In fact, CAPCOM and Nintendo had frequent interactions and collaborations as early as the Famicom era. To obtain Nintendo's game development license back then, Kenzo Tsujimoto worked tirelessly to visit Hiroshi Yamauchi. Later, CAPCOM indeed released many high-quality games, such as the Mega Man series and Destiny of an Emperor. During the Super Famicom era, classic arcade games like Final Fight and Street Fighter II were also ported very early. The strong cooperative relationship between the two was well-established.
▼The classic game Mega Man 2: Dr. Wily's Revenge sold 1.5 million copies on the Famicom. Image credit:Suruga-ya
OBJ_28 ===
In 2001, Nintendo simultaneously released two consoles, the Game Boy Advance (GBA) and the GameCube (GC), and naturally needed third-party support for games. To solidify its friendship with old partner CAPCOM, Nintendo offered many friendly proposals, providing development funds, charging lower platform licensing fees, and even willing to let CAPCOM develop and produce its flagship title, The Legend of Zelda, demonstrating full sincerity.
▼The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, released on the GBA in 2004, was developed by CAPCOM, not Nintendo's in-house team. Image credit:YouTube
OBJ_29 ===
The 2003 financial crisis transformed CAPCOM from a free haven that encouraged producers to unleash their creativity without considering costs into a sweatshop enterprise driven by profit maximization, cost-cutting, and shortened schedules. This caused dissatisfaction among many within the company; with development general manager Yoshiki Okamoto leaving in 2003, the newly appointed Keiji Inafune faithfully implemented the company's new cost-down policy, leading to the successive departures of many excellent game producers starting from 2004, including Noritaka Funamizu (known for the Street Fighter series), Shinji Mikami (known for Resident Evil), and Hideki Kamiya (known for Devil May Cry).
▼Yoshiki Okamoto can be considered one of the key figures in CAPCOM becoming a renowned video game company. The company's first batch of developers was almost entirely recruited by him, many of whom later became world-famous producers. Image credit:AUTOMATON
OBJ_30 ===
Nintendo was indeed loyal to CAPCOM. In 2002, Shinji Mikami and Shigeru Miyamoto jointly announced a "Nintendo exclusive Resident Evil declaration." However, in 2004, as Resident Evil 4 was about to be released on the GC, CAPCOM, due to poor GC sales, decided to port the game to PS2 (a decision made by Keiji Inafune) for its own benefit and survival, aiming for more sales and profit. This move undoubtedly undermined Shinji Mikami and was akin to stabbing Nintendo in the back.
▼Shinji Mikami initially announced the Resident Evil series would be Nintendo exclusive and shook hands with Shigeru Miyamoto. Image credit:Game Watch
OBJ_31 ===
OBJ_4 ===
▼Yoshiki Okamoto later mentioned in his YouTube video that because of this incident, he was invited to dinner alone by Mr. Ken Kutaragi, the "father" of PlayStation. He was so nervous at the time that he couldn't taste his food.
OBJ_32 ===
Although players often jokingly call CAPCOM "Cap-bitch" (implying CAPCOM frequently breaks promises), CAPCOM didn't completely ruin its relationship with Nintendo. Returning to what was said earlier, although CAPCOM had to cancel its exclusive game plans for the GC console for self-preservation, it later deliberately chose to release Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii in 2009, instead of the PS3 or PSP. This shows that CAPCOM still remembered the favor.
After the Nintendo 3DS was released, CAPCOM successively launched Monster Hunter 3G, 4, 4G, X, and XX, and also released an HD version of 3G on the Wii U. On the SONY side, only one PS3 title, "Monster Hunter Portable 3rd HD Ver.," was released, and Monster Hunter was completely unplayable on the PS Vita. This allowed the 3DS to completely surpass the PS Vita in momentum and sales, which can be seen as repaying Nintendo's kindness, and players could only obediently buy the console for this platform shift.
▼The 3DS console's game sales TOP20 list shows all five Monster Hunter titles released on the platform made it onto the list. Image credit:Private Life
OBJ_33 ===
OBJ_34 ===
Classic Legend Successfully Sells to Hollywood and Continues to Develop
To this day, Monster Hunter's development is evident to all. Monster Hunter: World and its expansion Iceborne generated over 20 million units in sales. Monster Hunter Rise, released this March, has also sold over 7 million copies, both remarkable achievements. Furthermore, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is set to be released next summer. Of course, it must also be mentioned that this IP has become so popular that Hollywood even produced a live-action movie based on it.
▼A still from the live-action Monster Hunter movie starring Milla Jovovich and Tony Jaa, released on December 30, 2020, with an IMDB score of 5.3. Image credit:IMDB
OBJ_35 ===
Although Monster Hunter is not a perfect game in every aspect, with many small details not necessarily designed with players in mind but rather reflecting the developers' own ideas, it must be said that in terms of overall gameplay and multiplayer cooperation, Monster Hunter is indeed a refined and outstanding title.