19 Years Ago, Monster Hunter Changed Video Games Forever
It took almost a decade, but Monster Hunter has finally become a global phenomenon.
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2018’s Monster Hunter World and its sequel Rise are the most successful games Capcom has ever released, selling a combined 30+ million copies worldwide. The “easy to understand, tough to master” formula of hunting drakes, baboons, bugs, and a rotating assortment of beasts started out as a regional delicacy in Japan. But the series took quite a while to get to its spot at the top of Capcom’s totem pole.
The first Monster Hunter launched on the PlayStation 2 in Japan in March 2004, and already contained the core fundamentals of the franchise. Players take up quests to hunt beasts, gather materials, or just explore. With each successful defeat or capture, you collect materials that can be used to upgrade your weapons, armor, or stats. With the help of your bipedal cat sidekick, known as a Felyne, you can eventually take on the daunting end-game bosses, known as elder dragons.
The first entry was a pioneer in online play — one of three titles designed by Capcom's Production Studio 1 to test the waters on online-focused games. Players could team up with up to three other hunters to go on exclusive hunts only available for a limited time. Though that’s commonplace in today’s living game ecosystem, it was a rarity back when you needed to plug your PlayStation into a modem.
The game was an immediate success in Japan, quickly becoming one of Capcom’s most successful franchises there. But western audiences were slower to develop an affinity for Kulu-Ya-Ku meat.
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https://www.inverse.com/gaming/monster-hunter-19th-anniversary
