Monster Hunter Tri on the way to the Wii in 2010

Capcom’s formally announced what many of us already knew thanks to the company’s May investor briefing – Monster Hunter Tri, aka Monster Hunter 3, is going to be released outside of Japan. The game just came out August 1, 2009 in Japan, but residents of North America and Europe will have to wait until the beginning of 2010 for their copies. Since the investor briefing stated it’d be out before the end of the 2009 Fiscal Year, there’s a good chance we’ll see it before the end of March, 2010.

Monster Hunter Tri is a Wii exclusive, designed specifically for the system. It introduces new monsters to hunt, utilizes the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for multiplayer, allows players to hunt underwater, has a desert area, will have offline co-op multiplayer where the screen splits in two to show both perspectives, includes an AI partner to assist on missions and includes new weapons, armor and moves for hunters.

Monster Hunter Tri has been prepped for a huge launch in Japan. Capcom sent a million copies to stores. There are also two special edition packs available, as people can purchase Monster Hunter Tri with a classic controller (in black or white), or with a black Wii. If you’re thinking about importing, Play-Asia has listings for the Wii bundle ($149.90) and the classic controller bundles ($95), as well as for the game alone ($68.90). Remember, the Wii’s region-locked, so Japanese games and systems aren’t compatible with ones from the US or Europe.

If you’re planning to be in Germany attending GamesCom 2009, Capcom’s bringing Monster Hunter Tri along. You can get a first look at the English version of the game.

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