Monster Hunter Freedom Unite is available now on iOS devices and we wanted to highlight 5 awesome things about the title, including some new features implemented in this version!

1) FELYNE COMRADES

Until MHFU , solo hunters were truly on their own, but as the gameplay evolved and monsters got harder to defeat (especially in the new High Rank village quests), the development team added a key new feature that would persist with the series to present days: Felyne Comrades!

These little AI companions are not here to just look cute while you hunt monsters; they can be really helpful with proper training! The more they hunt, the stronger they get, and they’ll also accumulate points that you can trade for skills. With up to 3 skills per Felyne and a number of inherent traits, customization options are quite deep and worth looking into. I can’t even tell you how many times my life was saved by a trap set by Timothy, my Felyne Comrade.

2) NARGACUGA

Monster Hunter Freedom 2 introduced the Tigrex, a wyvern with a new body frame. It behaves entirely different from other monsters in the same category, and  MHFU takes that concept up a notch with the Nargacuga!

Instead of running places, the Nargacuga jumps around very quickly and occasionally in weird unpredictable patterns. It will toss some tail spikes at you from a distance, and even extend its tail with 360 spins or deadly tail slams just as you get closer. I think we can all agree it was a very interesting, fresh and welcome design to the already huge and diverse monster roster.

3) G RANK

Speaking of a monstrous roster, with the addition of G Rank quests, monsters, weapons, armor, everything about this game became significantly more varied and interesting. On top of the rad new monsters (Lavasioth, Ukanlos, etc.) returning monsters also learned brand new moves and attack patterns, totally psyching you out the first time you hunt them in G Rank… it’s okay, it happened to the best of us.

4) TARGET CAMERA LOCK-ON

Shifting gears a little bit, let’s talk about some awesome new things brought in by this particular version, MHFU for iOS. “But Yuri, didn’t the Target Camera debut in MH3U ?” you may ask. And you’re right, but this game actually adds a new mode to this function: a camera lock-on. You can now lock it to your target so you can worry about other things, like attacking, for example.

So before the purists start freaking out, let me tell you that this does not target your attacks for you! It just helps out by keeping the monster on screen at all times. Besides, you can take manual control at any time! Just swipe at the screen like you would normally do for camera control.

This feature is great for new players and it doesn’t get in the way of veterans. Win-win!

5) ONLINE MULTIPLAYER

Remember entry #3 on this list? Yeah, G Rank added a ton of new things, but it also ramped up the difficulty by a lot, so built-in online multiplayer is a welcome addition. Not to mention, Monster Hunter is always more fun with friends anyways 😉

I must say that even though this section has the shortest paragraphs, it is the most attractive feature of this particular version. Gone are the days of having to solo G Rank (or even High Rank) quests!

Closing thoughts

My Felyne Comrade: Lennon

Hey, these are just  my Top 5 MHFU iOS  features, but the game is out now, so get your copy and then share your favorite things about it in the comments!

The majestic Teostra returns… and he’s more explosive than ever before!

The Teostra has always been a very powerful monster, and with his time away since Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, he has learned a number of new tricks that make him even more terrifying! Most of his old attacks and abilities remained the same: the really wide and far-reaching flamethrower attack is still one his main moves; and he is still surrounded by extreme heat most of the time – burning any who approach him!

However, his explosive attacks received a few tweaks based on a new mechanic introduced in Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. Previously, his main explosive attack was his area-of-effect move that spreads an explosive dust around him is largely the same. Now when he does his claw or tail swipes, he will also spread some dust that can catch onto you and explode seconds later, either on its own or when you get hit again. Yes, that is the same effect as Brachydios’ slime!

So just as little recap, the Teostra can: use flamethrower attacks, burn anyone in close proximity, spread devastating explosive dust, and afflict you with Blastblight (formerly known as Slimeblight). On top of all that, he also has a new super-nova style attack that will make short work of anyone caught off guard! Are you ready for this?

Early concept art of the Teostra

Well, here are some incentives to try and take this beast down, a look at his armor and some weapons:

Lance

Heavy Bowgun

It’s also worth noting all his weapons used to be Fire element, but are now mostly Blast (Slime)… but don’t worry, Brachydios is also back for MH4U , so now there’s a wider variety of explosive weapons.

Blademaster armor

Gunner armor

Find out more about other  MH4U monsters:

Next Friday we’ll be talking about a new monkey-looking monster that takes full advantage of MH4U’ s terrain. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will be released on the Nintendo 3DS early 2015.

Well, another Independence Day is upon us, America, and even though it’s a national holiday, we wanted to be sure and do some  kind of commemorative post.

Our first thought was to talk about Capcom “freedom fighters,” but then it occurred to us that virtually every character that fights is arguably fighting for some form of freedom. Then it occurred to me that if there were one exception, it would probably be Monster Hunter,  where by and large, the characters are just fighting because it’s their job. Then it occurred to me how ironic that is since no fewer than  two Monster Hunter games have the word “Freedom” in the title. Then I was like, “Hey, this article writes itself!” 

But ultimately I realized that there’s a much more apt Independence Day connection running through Capcom’s vast catalog of titles–explosions! Yes, whether you’re blasting NEVEC soldiers with a hand cannon in Lost Planet 2 or obliterating an enemy stronghold in style in  Sengoku Basara,  you’ll scarce find a Capcom game that doesn’t appeal to mankind’s primal desire to blow things up.

Some Capcom games even have actual fireworks in them. Remember the Dompan enemies in Bright Man’s stage in Mega Man 4?

Then there were those highly useful firecrackers in  Dead Rising 2 (and Off the Record).  Great for luring zombies to a comical demise.

Of course, they upped the ante significantly in DR3….

A whole fireworks store! Please: no smoking.

In Bionic Commando, the flare item is both practical  and a dazzling sight.

Well…for its time.

So! What’re  you blowing up for this auspicious occasion? What are your favorite fireworks and/or explosion-related memories in your experiences as a Capcom gamer? Have at it in the comments, and have a happy holiday!

EDIT: Compatibility list added below

Hunters unite!  Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for iOS is now available for download on the App Store ! So let’s celebrate with a live stream today at  12pm PT on our Twitch channel!

If you already played  MHFU , you know you’ll love it; but if you’re new, may these reviews will help… 😉

Touch Arcade – 5/5

Pocket Gamer – 9/10

148 Apps – 4.5/5

Destructoid

Convinced? It’s only  $14.99, £10.49 or €11.99  for dozens of monsters to hunt, hundreds of hours of gameplay, thousands of pieces of equipment to craft! Talk about value!

Again, we’re live streaming this game at 12pm PT, and we’ll be hunting online with YOU!

EDIT: For the sake of clarity, I’ve copied the full list of compatible devices below:

COMPATIBLE (with iOS 6 – iOS 7.1):
iPhone 4s
iPhone 5
iPhone 5s
iPhone 5c
iPod Touch (5th Gen 32GB/64GB with Back Camera)
iPad Air
iPad Mini (2nd Gen)

COMPATIBLE (with iOS 6.1.3 – iOS 7.1):
iPad (3rd Gen)
iPad (4th Gen)
iPad Mini (1st Gen)

NOT Compatible:
iPhone 4
iPod Touch (4th Gen)
iPod Touch (5th Gen 16 GB)
iPad (1st Gen)
iPad 2
*It is possible to download this title to an iPhone 4, but performance is not guaranteed.

Hit up the App Store page for more details.

Hey, we heard you wanted to know the names of the new  Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate monsters… so here’s some of them!

If you’ve been paying attention to what’s going in Europe, you’ll know Japan Expo is happening this week in Paris. They had  MH4U producer Ryozo Tsujimoto there to give out a presentation on the game (and I can only imagine it was a  blast ), but they also revealed some awesome things for us not attending the event.

They revealed one of the winners of the  weapon design contest , which is totally awesome, and now we know the localized names for 3 of the brand new monsters:  Zamtrios (above) and the two below:

Nerscylla

Najarala

Again, you can expect full monster profiles featuring art, screenshots and equipment renders in the next few weeks – like the  Gore Magala , Tigrex , Tetsucabra and Seltas – but in the meantime, tell us what you think of the names. =)

At last, a winner of the  Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Weapon Design contest is revealed! Behold the  Emperor’s Speech by Lin Setzekorn !

We wanted to do something special with this announcement (after all, these weapons will be IN THE GAME!) so here’s an epically cute video showing off the winner’s design:

And just for fun, we also made some GIFs that you can share all over the interwebs! You can find them on our Tumblr .

Let me just tell you that this was not an easy choice; there were sooooo many good entries. Anyways, excellent work Lin Setzekorn !

Stay tuned to our channels for a reveal of the winner from Americas in the next few weeks. =)

Catch more Dead Rising 3 gameplay on the PC Wednesday at 4pm PT, right over on our Twitch channel –the  only  place where you can see Dead Rising LIVE. See what I did there? 

We’ll have our pal WBacon from the Steam forums on as a special guest to field some of your more technical PC questions, and we’ll be showing the game on the highest-spec rig we can muster. Tell a friend and tune in!

Remember, the game launches on September 5th, but you can currently pre-order it for 10% off.

It’s been awhile since Pharaoh Man’s come around these parts, recommending phorum threads of note, hurling suns at us and such. But here he is again, with a Mega Man thread, no less! 

Thread – Which games are considered the “main” Mega Man games?

OP JediLink asks, what Mega Man series in the IP’s vast and varied history is the “main” one? Which games are just spin-offs?

While this thread may not have one correct answer and should probably be moved to the Mega Man forum section, it has definitely provoked a lot of interesting thought and discussion. How exactly do all those games and series weave together? Who is the “main character” of Mega Man? What exactly is a “spin-off” in the first place? You  be the judges!

Thanks for the though-provoking thread, JediLink.

Hello, LPers.

As previously mentioned , the migration of the online service for Lost Planet 3 (PS3 version) is nearing completion, and a downloadable title update is scheduled to go live this Thursday, July 3rd at 2:00am PT. As previously stated, the migration to a new server will unfortunately reset online leaderboards. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Please note that the Xbox 360 version of Lost Planet 3 will remain unaffected. We will have further information on the PC version in the near future as the migration is still in progress, but please note that the game is operating as usual in the interim.

Did you miss  Monster Hunter Mondays ? I did! So let’s fix that and hunt some monsters live today at 3pm PT !

You can join the fun on  Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate at our usual location,  Help D Lobby 10 (room name: MHMondays) and/or our  Twitch channel .

See you there!

One of my all time favorite  Monster Hunter things (aside from the games) has got to be the  Illustrations art books. They’re full of gorgeous art and even insights from the design process, which thanks to Udon and their team, we get to see in English!

Enter today’s raffle for only 200 Unity points per ticket for a chance at winning a sealed copy of  Monster Hunter Illustrations 2 . You have till Wednesday.

A monster couple joins the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate roster, featuring some deadly tandem attacks!

As we enter a new Monster Hunter generation, we can expect new additions that break previously set conventions of what monsters should look like or how they should behave. For the first time, we now have a pair of monsters that work in complete synchronized forms: the Seltas and Seltas Queen !

First up is the Seltas; you’ll actually fight this guy pretty early on in the game. He’s got very strong wings and will dart at you at ridiculous speeds using his pointy arrow-like head to cause pain! He also has a projectile move that can be quite a nuisance.

Later on, you’ll encounter the female of the species, the Seltas Queen! This one is causes a lot more trouble (and pain) than her male counterpart. Featuring a harder carapace and a deadly set of pincers on her tail, she will surely give you a harder time.

However, the most interesting part of hunting these monsters is their ability to join forces and combine attacks!

The Seltas Queen will often release pheromones to attract a male Seltas; she then proceeds to grab him and plant him on her back. Together, they can do simultaneous combined attacks or even individual attacks, covering all their bases!

And if you think these monsters look totally awesome (I certainly do!), here are some of the equipment you can make from them:

Bow

Hammer

Blademaster

Gunner

Check back next week to read about one of the hottest Elder Dragons around! 😉

Read more  MH4U monster spotlights right here:

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate comes out on the Nintendo 3DS early 2015!