The dust on the yesterday’s horizon has become today’s stampede. Monster Hunter Wilds has launched and we are all choking on up-kicked sand. So far the action game has hit a peak of 987,000 players on Steam and all my news feeds are nothing but Rathalos screams. This is what we call a “big ‘un”.
But what trembling critters are eking out an existence in the disturbed ground beneath Capcom’s feet? Other games still exist, and some are just unlucky enough to step out of their bolthole the same moment a much scarier freak is on the prowl. Here are 4 games that just released which may be worth a look if you have no time for big beasties.
Yesterday’s Pokémon chatter meant that we had to put Famitsu‘s Japanese charts on the backburner for a minute, but fear not, here they are!
It has been a big one for Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, with SEGA’s latest wacky RPG claiming the top two spots in its debut week as PS5 and PS4 sales (or should that be ‘sails’?) combined for a little over 105,000 units.
Capcom has announced early details of Monster Hunter Wilds’ first major patch, which is due early April.
Amid the huge launch of Monster Hunter Wilds itself, Capcom detailed Title Update 1 in a post on Steam. The company said the patch’s early April release date, set to arrive a little over a month after the game itself, “will give hunters enough time to prepare for the new content, and challenges, that await them.”
To that end, Title Update 1 adds a new level of challenge: “Prepare your gear, and resolve, hunters!” Capcom said. “TU1 will bring with it a monster of formidable strength at a level above Tempered!” Meanwhile, a new challenging monster will be added with Title Update 1.
Interestingly, Title Update 1 also adds an endgame place to gather. “A new place to meet, communicate, have meals together and more with other hunters will be added to Monster Hunter Wilds in TU1!” Capcom said.
“This area will be available to hunters who have completed the main story, so get hunting and be ready!”
Early reaction to the news that Title Update 1 will add a place for endgame players to gather has been mixed, with some welcoming the addition, others wondering why it’s not in the game at launch. It sounds very much like a Gathering Hub from previous Monster Hunter games, but as some have pointed out, it’s interesting that Capcom has chosen not to call it that here. While other players can turn up in your camp, Monster Hunter Wilds lacks a true social hub, so hopefully whatever this is will fill the void.
Capcom released a few images showcasing this new place to gather:
IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Years ago I wrote a piece about what I presumptuously defined as the “emerging” subgenre of city games that respond to the climate crisis, with its attendant catastrophes of unchecked capitalism and resurgent fascism. Today, it feels dangerously like that subgenre is “sub” no longer.
We are engulfed in strategy sims where society is the rind between the formless terrors without and the only-human abusers within. The geography is clogged by Last Cities and Final Bastions Of Humanity, all of them awkwardly avoiding eye contact, like the prophets that line the alleyways of Life Of Brian. I guess it’s in keeping with the “unchecked capitalism” bit that apocalypse fantasies have become a thriving business. I hope that’s not my fault. On the brighter side, roguelike deckbuilder As We Descend is quite fun, combining moderately baroque turn-based combat with tales of Vernian dystopia. Here’s Wot I Think of the demo.
Capcom has issued official advice for PC via Steam players of Monster Hunter Wilds after the game launched to a ‘mixed’ user review rating due to performance issues.
The Japanese games company said Steam users should try updating their graphics driver, turning off compatibility mode, and then readjust their settings if they’re experiencing any initial issues.
“Thank you all for your patience and support!” Capcom said in a tweet.
One of the ‘Not Recommended’ Steam reviews flagged as ‘most helpful’ says Monster Hunter Wilds “has the worst optimisation I’ve ever seen.”
“I understand that new games are becoming more demanding and people are expected to upgrade, but this is absurd,” they said. “I’m aware this isn’t the first instance of new games having poor performance on launch, because the same thing happened with World, but it feels inexcusable at this point.
“I am by no means saying the game is bad, but in its current state, you should probably consider waiting for a more stable release.”
Another negative review also focused on the game’s optimization, saying: “Absolutely atrocious performance for how the game looks. Runs even worse than the beta.”
In a bid to help Steam users improve matters, Capcom published a ‘Troubleshooting & Known Issues’ guide with potential solutions. Capcom asked PC players to follow the steps below “to rule out problems with your PC, Steam, or the game’s files.”
Monster Hunter Wilds troubleshooting and known issues guide
Troubleshooting
When the game does not run properly, please try the steps below.
Make sure you meet the minimum system requirements for the game.
Update your Video/Graphics Drivers.
Check for Windows Updates and ensure all of the latest programs are installed to your OS.
If you still experience issues, try performing a clean installation of the video driver set.
Update DirectX to the latest version. For details on how to update DirectX, please visit the Microsoft support page or Microsoft Download Center.
Add the game’s folder and files to your anti-virus program’s exception / exclusion list. Default Paths: C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteamAppscommonMonsterHunterWilds C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteamAppscommonMonsterHunterWildsMonsterHunterWilds.exe
Add folder and files for Steam.exe to your anti-virus program’s exception / exclusion list. *Default Paths: C:Program Files (x86)Steam C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteam.exe
Give administrator privileges to Steam. To run Steam.exe in administrator mode, right-click on the .exe file and select “Run as administrator.”
If you still experience issues, try logging into your PC in administrator mode and then run the game’s execution file (MonsterHunterWilds.exe).
Verify the game’s files on Steam. To verify your game’s files, follow these steps: (1) Restart your computer and launch Steam. (2) From the “Library” section, right-click on the game, and select “Properties” from the menu. (3) Select the “Installed Files” tab and click the “Verify integrity of game files” button. (4) Steam will verify the game’s files – this process may take several minutes. Important: One or more files may fail to verify. The files that fail to verify are local configuration files that should not be replaced as part of this process. You can safely ignore this message. If problematic files were detected during this process, Steam will automatically download and / or replace those files.
Disable Compatibility Mode for “MonsterHunterWilds.exe” if enabled. (1) Right click on “MonsterHunterWilds.exe” located in the following folder: C:Program Files (x86)SteamSteamAppscommonMonsterHunterWilds *The above is the default location. (2) Go to Properties (3) Open Compatibility tab (4) Untick “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” If the above does not resolve the issue, please disable the Compatibility Mode for “Steam.exe” located in the folder below. C:Program Files (x86)Steam
Despite these performance problems, Monster Hunter Wilds is off to an incredible start, with nearly 1 million concurrent players on Steam alone. That’s enough to crack Steam’s top 10 most-played games of all-time list, and it’s only going to get bigger as we head into the weekend.
IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Brevity soul’d or no, wit can also be the enemy of honesty; a fundamentally performative pin brooch with an artificial sheen. When I go back over my notes after playing a game, at least two-thirds of them will routinely be useless and powerfully crap jokes I’ve written in lieu of practical points because – even in a document no-one but me will ever read – I cannot bear to cease reminding myself that I’m an implausibly clever sausage.
Occasionally I do remember to just jot down an unadorned factoid. “Cards wot do two things (Gloomhaven)” says my notes on this puzzle game. I’ve had my eye on it for a while, mainly because making your game star a ghost with an axe and calling it Axe Ghost is some premium Nic Reuben bait, especially if the ghost also has normal human arms for some reason.
Monster Hunter Wilds has enjoyed a huge launch, with nearly 1 million concurrent players on Steam.
Capcom’s action adventure game launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, and quickly became the eighth most-played game on Steam of all-time with an incredible 987,482 concurrent users.
To put it into context, that’s ahead of the all-time peaks of best-sellers Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy, and Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s already outstripped its predecessor on Steam, where 2018’s Monster Hunter World enjoyed a peak concurrent figure of 334,684.
And it’s worth noting that Monster Hunter Wilds’ actual peak concurrent figure will be much higher, given neither Sony nor Microsoft report player numbers.
The question now is how high can that Steam concurrent figure go as Monster Hunter Wilds heads into its first weekend on sale and beyond. It seems likely it will crack the 1 million concurrents mark later today, overtaking Cyberpunk 2077 in the process. Could 2 million be possible?
While Capcom is yet to announce a sales figure for Monster Hunter Wilds, all signs point to a hugely successful release. (Monster Hunter World topped 25 million sales in six years to cement its position as Capcom’s best-selling title ever.) However, the game has a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, with some reporting performance problems.
IGN’s Monster Hunter Wilds review returned an 8/10. We said: “Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Is it wrong to eat a dinosaur that wants to be eaten? What if it asks you to make a little hat out of its gall bladder? What if the gall bladder has different opinions on the matter? Discover the answers to these and more as our merry band of conservation enthusiasts/trophy hunters discuss Monster Hunter Wilds!
Nic:Life, the absolute bastard, has kept me away from the Monst. Let me experience it through you. What’s the best Monst so far?
Brendan: I am fond of the squiddy critters that slop about. The Nu Udra is a giant gloopy octopus that feels like a stand-out fight partly because of its many, many arms, but also because of the environment you fight it in. It’s horrible (in a fun way) to wade about in the oil of this region, and try to avoid the flames that inevitably start to spread. Another later squid-like beast has some horrible knifey hands at the end of its tentacles, but I’ll let the readers discover the rest of that creep’s tactics by themselves.
Ollie: I’m partial to the Yian Kut-Ku myself. It was the very first monster I ever fought in any Monster Hunter, back in the days of Monster Hunter Freedom on my PSP. And all these years later, I still recognised all its moves, and it made the whole act of beating up the big fire-breathing chicken even more enjoyable and satisfying than it already was.
“A prequel to the epic saga of the Hundred Heroes”.
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was one of the many RPGs to arrive on the Switch in 2024 and developer Rabbit & Bear Studios has now started its rollout of the story expansion DLC.
As previously revealed, this all kicks off with “The Chapter of Marisa” which arrives on the eShop this week. It will set you back $7.99 / £5.99 (or your regional equivalent). Of course, you’ll need the main game to access this new prequel story content.
For those of you who have been waiting for the opportunity to jump into PlayStation VR2 and experience what this generation’s innovative virtual reality system has to offer, we are happy to share some great news! Starting in March, we’re reducing the suggested retail price (SRP) of PS VR2.
Below are the new PS VR2 prices. The starting date of the new prices and bundle availability may vary by country/region, so be sure to check your local retailer for details.
In addition, with a recent update to PS VR2, it now supports low-latency hand tracking, which allows developers to create games that tracks a player’s hand position and movement through the cameras embedded on the PS VR2 headset. Through this new feature, players will be able to experience intuitive controls in supported games such asWaltz of the Wizard.
It’s a fantastic time to dive into the exciting world of PS VR2, with more immersive experiences still to come. What’s your favorite PS VR2 game so far?
Is it wrong to eat a dinosaur that wants to be eaten? What if it asks you to make a little hat out of its gall bladder? What if the gall bladder has different opinions on the matter? Discover the answers to these and more as our merry band of conservation enthusiasts/trophy hunters discuss 
