Monster Hunter 3: No Friend Codes Confirmed
We had heard for a little while that the North American and European versions of Monster Hunter 3 would likely not be hampered by Nintendo’s friend codes system. But now, thanks to statements by Nintendo’s sales and marketing EVP, Cammie Dunaway, we can officially confirm this rumor.
During Nintendo’s Q1 Media Summit in San Francisco this week, Dunaway confirmed the lack of a friend code requirement in the upcoming Capcom title for the Wii, stating, “We felt that this was the best way to deliver [Monster Hunter Tri].”
This means that not only will the title have free online play and text and voice-based chat (available through Wii Speak) when it arrives in the U.S. on April 20, but the game will allow you to group with anyone, and evidently, speak with anyone via text or even Wii Speak. Hello annoying 12-year-olds!
So why the exception to the usual rule of “make it free, make it easy, make it safe” in regards to Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection service? After all, friend codes were part of the keep it safe idea since they would “create an online environment free of harassment.” Without friend codes in place, I could very well run into this lovely kid.
Dunaway is quoted as saying, “With each title we’ll make the right determination.” So I guess that means if you have a good enough game Nintendo will let you fudge the rules a bit.
But Nintendo’s voice chat has an interesting feature: it’s based on a table top – er, TV top – microphone that picks up every nearby voice in the room. So let’s say a pre-pubescent little foul-mouth gets pissed at me for not killing that massive water-dwelling Lagiacrus and starts throwing out every available curse word in the English dictionary. Not only would his parents likely hear everything I say back, but I would hear everything his parents say him, including any subsequent scoldings and/or beatings. Youtube is going to love this.
I’ll report back in April with my findings on the unhampered voice chat soon to be flooded by Nintendo fans. We’ll see if they behave themselves any better than certain Xbox Live gamers, though I’m not holding my breath.
Source: Gamasutra.
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