What makes Monster Hunter so irresistible to portable gamers? It plays out like a combination of Phantasy Star Online and Pokemon, two of the most addictive and endlessly satisfying releases of the last decade. Though the original Monster Hunter Freedom failed to find a huge North American following, Capcom is giving it another shot this fall with the numbered sequel that packs a considerable amount of single-player content, as well as four-player Ad Hoc play and the prospect of downloadable content.

Sales and operating income up at Capcom

Capcom has announced its annual financial results for the year ending March 31st, posting sales of $615 million, a six per cent increase over the previous year. Operating income was up by a dramatic 46 per cent reaching $79 million.Net income, however, dropped to $47 million, a fall of 15.7 per cent compared to the previous year.The video game unit in isolation generated net sales of $351 million, a 2.6 per cent rise. Operating income for the division reached $65 million, a climb of 175 per cent.Xbox 360 duo Dead Rising and Lost Planet, along with PSP hit Monster Hunter Freedom 2, which has sold over one million copies in Japan, were named as the driving force behind the results. In addition, its publishing of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in Japan proved highly successful.Capcom’s arcade division, however, saw operating income drop by nearly 18 per cent to $16 million.