Monster Hunter 4: A Final Fantasy VII Sized Coup For Nintendo
Super charged sequel could define 3DS for years to come.
It's a well-known fact that video games, and not highly publicized features, sell systems. The better a machine's library, the more likely consumers will purchase it.
With this in mind, Nintendo smashed a homerun with Monster Hunter 4.
Capcom's million selling action RPG franchise will make a pit stop on 3DS, and we can't help but compare the announcement to Square Enix's Dragon Quest IX bombshell, at a time when it seemed like a Sony console (PS2, PS3) would receive the next title after the largely successful Dragon Quest VIII lit up PlayStation 2 sales charts.
Make no mistake. Monster Hunter is huge in Japan, and one of the few reasons why Sony's PSP is still relevant. Losing the fourth installment (providing it's exclusive to 3DS) is a crippling blow to the company's upcoming PlayStation Vita, which appeared to be the logical platform to host Monster Hunter 4.
One of the few screens of N64 Final Fantasy VII.
We also can't help but think back to Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix's celebrated 1997 role-playing game that essentially put the original PlayStation on the map.
Turns out, it was originally designed for Nintendo 64, but Square Enix jumped ship to Sony's camp after falling in love with disc-based technology over cartridges. The medium helped the developer realize its vision of full-motion video and CD-quality audio. The rest, as they say, is history.
The original Final Fantasy VII set the RPG standard for at least ten years.
With Monster Hunter 4 on 3DS, Nintendo has welcomed a series that has sold well over 18 million units worldwide. If it's successful, this certainly opens the door for Monster Hunter 5.
As for Capcom, this is a questionable decision, given 3DS' slow sales. On paper, Sony's platform seems like sure thing. 3DS? Not so much.
Then again, and as we said, it's all about the games.