Nintendo is on a roll this morning. They just hooked the casual market with Nintendo TVii and they got the hardcore gamer with Bayonetta 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Now they’re reaching even further into the most hardcore of the core gamer to bring them Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
In what was a small announcement out of Nintendo this morning, Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that Capcom would be bringing Monster Hunter back to the West as a Wii U and 3DS exclusive. Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto shares the news and says that more details are on the way:
The game is being made for the Wii U and 3DS for a very specific reason. The series has always been strongest on portable systems and Capcom wants to continue that in a big way. Save data from Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate can be transferred between both versions of the game. Players on the 3DS version can also play cooperatively with those on the Wii U through a local wireless connection.
The Wii U version of the game is host to a number of console specific features. The main feature being the new abilities afforded by the Wii U gamepad screen. Players will be able to access items, maps, books and more through the second screen.
Both games will be powered by Capcom’s powerful MT Framework engine. The game has already proven itself on the 3DS with the impressive Resident Evil Revelations. The engine has also proven itself capable of handling large open world games with Capcom’s excellent Dragon’s Dogma. In fact, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate may be the closest thing we get to a Dragon’s Dogma sequel for the time being.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for both the Wii U and 3DS will be available March 2013.