First screenshots of Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate - Let's break them down

Underwater combat, gun lances, a new home, multiple hunting partners in solo mode, and ...Plesioth?

Yesterday, Capcom released the first screenshots of Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate. So far, we know that the Wii U edition will feature online play similar to what we have experienced on the Wii itself with Monster Hunter Tri. The 3DS version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will not include online play. However, there is a petition from fans begging for it to be included.

But where do the monsters and weapons add up? How are Monster Hunter Tri and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate different? Monster Hunter fan @Retroredemption counted the monsters and weapons. What he sees is:

"Monster hunter tri: 18 monsters. MH3 Ultimate: 50 monsters. MH3: 7 weapon types. MH3U: 12 weapon types... it's not just a simple expansion "

50 monsters is quite a bit when factor in the 3 different versions (low rank, high rank, and G rank). The game supposedly boasts over 200 quests, as well. So, let's see a few more pictures.

First we have a Great Baggi and a Hunter with a bow. The presence of a bow is worth noting because Monster Hunter Tri did not offer bows.



Next, we see that Cha Cha is back with his Monster Hunter Tri G friend, Kayanba. It looks like you can have them both assist you in much the same way as you could with the cats in Monster Hunter: Portable 3rd.



Underwater combat also returns in MH3U.



Here is the legendary Plesioth. You can finally engage him underwater. There will be no more reliance on sonic bombs, no more waiting 30 minutes for Plesi to come up for air (but I bet he can still hip check underwater).



The vegetarian protector Barroth is also back... and is that a gunlance?



The new hunter's home seems to include a whole new set of decorations. I would buy that cat lamp.



All of these assets were made available to press by Capcom as part of the Tokyo Game Show. In addition to these screens, we saw the first real gameplay trailer for Monster Hunter 4. This has been a tremendous show for Capcom, Bandai, and Nintendo. 2013 should be an exciting year for video games!

Stay tuned for more Monster Hunter news!

Staff article by Nick LaLone (September 20, 2012) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this news article, you can update your bio from the Settings page.