Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Bombs In America

[SPH73]

In an unfortunate turn of events Monster Hunter Freedom Unite has bombed in North America. The game, a million seller in Japan, has failed to appeal to the tastes of the American consumer. In its first month of sales the game barely sold 45,000 units.

To put this in contrast, the disappointing sales of GTA: Chinatown Wars were more than double this amount for the same time frame. (Ironically GTA:CW would go on to sell over 600,000 units, far from being a bomb as was originally reported.)

Its uncertain why Monster Hunter series fails to excite fans outside of Japan. Some people feel the game isn't "casual" enough for the International Market. Others feel the games formula of "kill a monster, get armor and weapons, kill another monster, repeat..." gets repetative over time.

The failure of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite casts a shadow of doubt on the sucess of the soon to be released Monster Hunter Tri. Although the game is expected to perform well in Japan. It waits to be seen if the game will succeed outside of its home turf.

SOURCE: Vgchartz

 

[Elritha]

Well seeing as the game was released at the end of the month, I can see how it only sold that many. It wouldn't have had time.

 

[SPH73]

Well seeing as the game was released at the end of the month, I can see how it only sold that many. It wouldn't have had time.

Well see that's where you are wrong. Chinatown Wars was also released just a week and a half before the end of the month. Yet it still managed to sell double the amount of Monster Hunter Freedom Unite.

Also, in its second month, which is almost over, MHFU has sold less than half the amount it did in its first month.

 

[dib]

Good.

Let me say it again: GOOD. That is one of the worst games I've played in recent memory, right up there with Gothic III. It's not often that I play a game so truly awful that I wish bad things upon the development studio, but this is one of those times. The quality that sets it apart from your typical assortment of abysmal, unplayable crap is the fact that it makes you think that would be great: looking at the graphics and reading a bit about how it plays, it sounds like it couldn't possibly fail.

It's something like the Playstation equivalent of Harvest Moon, as a game that only autistics could enjoy. It's bogged down entirely in the insignificant details and repetition, and nothing about it is fun at all. The more I tried to like the game, the more it seemed to want to punish me and replace my fantasies of monster slaying with a plethora of virtual chores. The environments that make for eye grabbing screen shot fodder turn out to be two dimensional backdrops for mediocrity. This fact isn't just omnipresent, the game perpetually _screams_ it at you through a megaphone, while having sex with your younger sister.

Everything the critics have said on review sites like Gamespot is true, and this game _deserves_ the low scores that it receives in contrast to the cult of stupidity that has formed around it. Monster Hunter is the perfect storm of the worst elements of Japanese gaming, and I hope it does flop anywhere else. I want it to be classified as toxic by the CDC and quarantined to their god forsaken country. We should institute baggage checks exclusively for Monster Hunter and deny entrance to the contintental US to anybody carrying a copy. I want to expatriate anybody that swears it is 'not as bad as the reviews make it out to be'. Anything to make it go away and never be alerted to its existence again.

 

[xcalibur]

Its all about marketing. What have you seen advertising MH2FU?

 

[dinofan01]

Its all about marketing. What have you seen advertising MH2FU?

Actually I have. They air commercial of four teenagers taking on a giant dragon alot. Its not the best commercial but it does what it has to. It even mentions the series rise in Japan. But the put a game that in every sense of the word is an eastern title that was developed with out any care as to what the western audience would want on an arguable near dead console. Its not shocking. Now of Nintendo decides to help Capcom out with the marketing in North America for MH3 like what they're doing in Japan. It might have a shot at getting decent sales.

 

[SPH73]

Its all about marketing. What have you seen advertising MH2FU?

I have seen several commercials and dozens of print ads. Also the GameStop runs a spot for this game on their in store TV network.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYlaiL-Jq20

This spot is very similar to the one they are showing in stores.

 

[Rock Raiyu]

Wow I'm surprised the sales are that low considering the commercial airs like on every channel 100 times a day or more lol.

 

[Dark_linis]

Its all about marketing. What have you seen advertising MH2FU?

Actually I have. They air commercial of four teenagers taking on a giant dragon alot. Its not the best commercial but it does what it has to. It even mentions the series rise in Japan. But the put a game that in every sense of the word is an eastern title that was developed with out any care as to what the western audience would want on an arguable near dead console. Its not shocking. Now of Nintendo decides to help Capcom out with the marketing in North America for MH3 like what they're doing in Japan. It might have a shot at getting decent sales.

....so the PSP is dead now huh?

Sure does feel like 2006

 

[Cermage]

Good.

Let me say it again: GOOD. That is one of the worst games I've played in recent memory, right up there with Gothic III. It's not often that I play a game so truly awful that I wish bad things upon the development studio, but this is one of those times. The quality that sets it apart from your typical assortment of abysmal, unplayable crap is the fact that it makes you think that would be great: looking at the graphics and reading a bit about how it plays, it sounds like it couldn't possibly fail.

It's something like the Playstation equivalent of Harvest Moon, as a game that only autistics could enjoy. It's bogged down entirely in the insignificant details and repetition, and nothing about it is fun at all. The more I tried to like the game, the more it seemed to want to punish me and replace my fantasies of monster slaying with a plethora of virtual chores. The environments that make for eye grabbing screen shot fodder turn out to be two dimensional backdrops for mediocrity. This fact isn't just omnipresent, the game perpetually _screams_ it at you through a megaphone, while having sex with your younger sister.

Everything the critics have said on review sites like Gamespot is true, and this game _deserves_ the low scores that it receives in contrast to the cult of stupidity that has formed around it. Monster Hunter is the perfect storm of the worst elements of Japanese gaming, and I hope it does flop anywhere else. I want it to be classified as toxic by the CDC and quarantined to their god forsaken country. We should institute baggage checks exclusively for Monster Hunter and deny entrance to the contintental US to anybody carrying a copy. I want to expatriate anybody that swears it is 'not as bad as the reviews make it out to be'. Anything to make it go away and never be alerted to its existence again.

so what exactly was bad about it? from what i read you are just complaining about its difficulty.

i think capcom *knew* it wasnt going to do well in the states which is why they marketed it out more to the european sector. but from what i see it did just as bad. i for one bought the game and enjoying it

 

[Jiggah]

The complaint about repetition is the most ridiculous thing ever. EVERY GAME IS REPETITIVE...EVERY SINGLE ONE...

 

[Ryupower]

here what it think

if your good at the game, it good and fun
but
if you suck at the game(cant even kill or get to a ku-kut), it will suck and be a bad game for you

i think the game is OK

 

[Deleted User]

I bought it here in Australia on the day it came out because it was $10 off if you preordered. It's ok but I haven't done much of the game. The thing that I find a little (in fact ALOT!!) annoying is (I haven't come across or it doesn't have it in the game) is the ability to lock on to target the monster aka Zelda games. This is particularly annoying as the camera angles always seem to be pointing in the opposite direction to the monster you're trying to attack. I wouldn't say it's a horrible game but it's not what I expected.

 

[War]

Here we go again, "let's bitch about sales even though it's only been a few weeks".

 

[skyman113]

.

 

[Joe88]

this is nothing new, MH has always done horrible sales wise in the states while in JP it sells like hot cakes
people here just dont like it besides a few

 

[kalmis]

I always thought that MH series was PSPs equivalent of Pokemon. Instead of collecting you kill monster. And rinse/repeat of course.

I hate these kind of doom-mongering articles. It's too early too see if it was a success or not. Of course this headers sells more: "Oh noes MHF bombed" compared to "Sale of MHF has been slower than expected.."

 

[SPH73]

more: "Oh noes MHF bombed" compared to "Sale of MHF has been slower than expected.."

Slower than expected? The game bombed and it bombed badly. Especially in its second month.

Chinatown Wars is almost universally considered a bomb and it sold three times as much in the same time frame.

MHFU is a great game, but outside of Japan its a total and complete bomb.

 

[Gaisuto]

I've said it before, I'll say it again.
If the game doesn't have online, no one's going to care.

It's a multiplayer-focused game, which requires people to live close to each other with their own PSPs and their own copies of the game. In my town I only know one other person with a PSP besides my own.
I'm telling you, if these games actually had online then they'd do a lot better and more people would care.

And no one bought it on the PS2 because the PS2's online was a complete piece of shit. If they bring Monster Hunter 3 over here with the online in tact it's going to be much better off.

 

[Reaper]

Good.

Let me say it again: GOOD. That is one of the worst games I've played in recent memory, right up there with Gothic III. It's not often that I play a game so truly awful that I wish bad things upon the development studio, but this is one of those times. The quality that sets it apart from your typical assortment of abysmal, unplayable crap is the fact that it makes you think that would be great: looking at the graphics and reading a bit about how it plays, it sounds like it couldn't possibly fail.

It's something like the Playstation equivalent of Harvest Moon, as a game that only autistics could enjoy. It's bogged down entirely in the insignificant details and repetition, and nothing about it is fun at all. The more I tried to like the game, the more it seemed to want to punish me and replace my fantasies of monster slaying with a plethora of virtual chores. The environments that make for eye grabbing screen shot fodder turn out to be two dimensional backdrops for mediocrity. This fact isn't just omnipresent, the game perpetually _screams_ it at you through a megaphone, while having sex with your younger sister.

Everything the critics have said on review sites like Gamespot is true, and this game _deserves_ the low scores that it receives in contrast to the cult of stupidity that has formed around it. Monster Hunter is the perfect storm of the worst elements of Japanese gaming, and I hope it does flop anywhere else. I want it to be classified as toxic by the CDC and quarantined to their god forsaken country. We should institute baggage checks exclusively for Monster Hunter and deny entrance to the contintental US to anybody carrying a copy. I want to expatriate anybody that swears it is 'not as bad as the reviews make it out to be'. Anything to make it go away and never be alerted to its existence again.

Agreed.
Loaading times, aiming, and battling monsters that run you over and run away just ruined it