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‘Monster Hunter: World’ welcomes veteran street fighters Ryu and Sakura

By Mark Austin Published April 18, 2022

Capcom is no stranger to bonus characters, and the epic action-RPG Monster Hunter: World is no exception. Just days after its console release, the Capcom blog announced that Street Fighter favorites Ryu and Sakura would soon be joining the action.

Each character comes with new armor sets, which can’t be mixed with other armor pieces. The full sets can be equipped by either male or female characters, however, and their voices can be changed to match the individual Street Fighter.

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The armor sets must be unlocked by completing special quests. For PlayStation 4 owners who have a Street Fighter V save file on their console, a special quest will appear shortly, called “Down the Dark Muddy Path.” Completing the quest will reward you with some tickets that the smithy will exchange for the new armor.

Monster hunters on Xbox One and PS4

without the necessary save file will have a bit longer to wait. A new Event Quest will premiere sometime soon, opening up the opportunity for everyone to acquire the bonus items.

Some special chat stamps and iconic gestures (Hadouken and Shoryuken) are also on the way. These items will soon be available in the Xbox Marketplace and PlayStation Store:

Guild Card: Bonus Stage (Free)
Achievements: Rival, Destined, Living Legend and Bandana Girl (Free)
Pose: Shoryuken & Hadoken (Free)
Gesture: Street Fighter V Hadoken ($4)
Gesture: Street Fighter V Shoryuken ($4)
Stamp Set: Street Fighter V Set ($2)

This won’t be the end of crossover characters either, as Capcom previously announced that Mega Man will be joining the game as a Palico, a sidekick companion to help complete quests. The Blue Bomber will come equipped with his own set of weapons accompanied by a classic Mega Man soundtrack.

In our review, we found Monster Hunter: World to be an epic update of the cult classic franchise that’s surprisingly accessible to newcomers. We’ve also got a monster-hunting beginner’s guide to help you get started and provide some help with those elder dragon and wyvern battles.

Monster Hunter: World is presently only available on consoles, although a PC version (a first for the series) is currently being optimized and is planned for a fall 2018 release.

Mark’s first encounter with high-tech was a TRS-80. He spent 20 years working for Nintendo and Xbox as a writer and…

Topics

Computing

The internet is furious about Monster Hunter Wilds’ PC requirements

A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Following up on the Sony State of Play, Capcom released the PC requirements for the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds, and the response hasn't been great. For the most part, the requirements aren't insane. You'll need a midrange CPU from the last few generations, 16GB of RAM, and 140GB of space of SSD -- yes, a 140GB game isn't that insane in 2024. The issue concerns what kind of graphics card you'll need.

In the recommended specs, Capcom lists the RTX 2070 Super, RTX 4060, or RX 6700 XT as possible options. However, this is to get you 60 frames per second (fps) at 1080p with the Medium graphics preset. Worse, and the center of most of the controversy, is that these requirements assume you have frame generation enabled.

Gaming

Monster Hunter Wilds gets a February release date in fierce new trailer

A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Capcom has treated us to another long look at Monster Hunter Wilds, including that all-important release date. The hunt is on beginning February 28, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

The latest trailer for the next entry in the massively popular Monster Hunter franchise showed off a more personal side to the story, opening with a child fleeing the wrath of the White Wraith and introducing us to many of the characters we can look forward to bonding with while slaying giant beasts. The adorable Palicos are back in full force, helping with cooking and on the battlefield as they have in prior games. In one instance a hunter was knocked out and saved by a Palico dropping a health potion on them.

Gaming

I played Monster Hunter Wilds, and it’s already a thrill

A hunter runs through a lightning storm in Monster Hunter Wilds.

I've always seen Monster Hunter as a cinematic game, though perhaps not in the way that many gamers picture when they hear the word. I'm not talking about big-budget cutscenes. Rather, spectacle is baked into its world. There's no greater thrill than watching on as the titanic beast I'm tracking suddenly gets attacked by another creature. It's like watching a kaiju battle unfold organically.

With Monster Hunter Wilds, though, Capcom is upping the ante. In a 90-minute demo, I played through the upcoming action RPG's first two missions. They were standard hunts against towering beasts, but something was different this time. A larger emphasis on thrilling cutscenes and cinematic set pieces took center stage between my normal hacking and slashing. That makes for a sequel that takes Monster Hunter to the next level, unlocking its blockbuster potential.
More cinematic
When my demo begins, I'm sailing on an ocean of sand with a crew of ragtag characters. After getting briefed on a monster in the area, the dreaded White Wraithe, I'm treated to an action-packed sequence. I see sandworms chasing a character in the distance, as if I'm watching a scene out of Dune. My hero leaps from the side of the ship and lands on a Seikret and gives chase. As I gain control of my character, I'm suddenly in a chase sequence. Worms leap around me, and I have to knock them off my trail with my slingshot. It's positively dazzling.