Widely expected to be the biggest PSP game ever, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd hits on December 1.

Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G has turned into one of the biggest titles of the current generation. But Capcom isn't just sitting back and letting Monster Hunter Portable 3rd sell itself come December 1.

Today in Tokyo, Capcom held MHP3rd's completion ceremony event, outlining its pre and post release plans for the title. From tournaments to collaborative items, Monster Hunter fans have a lot to look forward to.

New monsters, weapons and gameplay systems await.

Capcom president and COO Haruhiro Tsujimoto lead off the event by recapping the franchise's success in the nine titles since the original Monster Hunter on PlayStation 2. He also mentioned the success of the Poka Poka Felyne Village spinoff entries, which have topped one million members on mobile and 500,000 shipped units on PSP.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan president Hiroshi Kawano followed Tsujimoto and revealed that Portable 2nd G has received a large number of votes in the newly established Users Choice component of the annual PlayStation Awards. What he finds particularly unique are the comments from fans. In addition to expected comments like "I've played it over 1,000 hours," slightly more unique comments read "Our marriage was growing cold, but we were able to patch things up through cooperative play" and "My husband looks stronger when he's hunting."

Kawano also gave a glimpse into Sony's Fukuoka factory where the MHP3rd disks are currently being printed. According to Kawano, this was the first time cameras have been allowed in the facility. You can see an image at Famitsu.com.

The rest of the event was hosted by producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, who introduced new gameplay systems and some of the promotional plans Capcom has for the game.

On the gameplay side of things, Tsujimoto recapped some of the previously announced features, including the onsen-themed Yukumo Village, the dual Felyne system, and the inclusion of the Slash Axe weapon for the first time on PSP.

He also introduced a brand new system. Called "Furatto Hunter," this new system has the characters from friends with whom you've exchanged Guild Cards appear as NPCs in Yukumo Village's public bath area, which serves as your base of operations for questing. You can receive items from the characters and even take a bath together.

Also newly revealed at the event was the "Rannyuu Quest" system. At some points during your quests, "WARNING" will flash on the screen and a new monster will appear in the field. Killing this monster is not a requirement, but doing so will give you increased rewards.

You can see these and other areas of the game, along with a glimpse of the opening movie, in this four minute trailer clip that was shown at the event.

On the promotional front, Tsujimoto introduced some collaborations that are being planned for MHP3rd. He detailed four collaborations:

Uniqlo

Capcom teamed with clothing retailer Uniqlo to design clothing for use both in and out of MHP3rd. In the game, you'll be able to work through a collaborative download quest, set for release in late December, to obtain Uniqlo hunter armor, Uniqlo Felyne armor, and a "UT Cat Bottle" item which serves as a Uniqlo-themed weapon for your Felynes.

Outside of the game, Uniqlo's retail outlets in and out of Japan will be selling 30 Monster Hunter themed shirts at ¥1,500 each. Those who buy a shirt will get one of ten Felyne figure straps as a bonus gift.

Shidax

Capcom is teaming with national karaoke chain Shidax for the "It's Okay to Hunt! Monster Hunter Portable 3rd Gathering Spot" campaign. Shidax outlets will offer the "Monster Hunter Pack," a course that gives players a room for 3 hours, complete with power outlet access. Shidax will also be offering an original food menu.

Asahi Beverages

Asahi will be selling "Dodekamin Great," a special honey enriched version of its Dodekamin carbonated beverage. This will be sold through convenience stores, super markets and vending machines starting on December 17. Each bottle costs ¥140.

Shibu Onsen

Capcom and Nagano's Shibu Onsen will be teaming up for a number of Monster Hunter Portable 3rd promotions. The collaboration will include special events, special menus, and special goods. Additionally, Capcom will be teaming up with rail company Nagano Dentetsu to operate a special Monster Hunter Express train from 12/23 through 1/10.

Outside of exposure through tie-ups, MHP3rd will be promoted through a large commercial campaign. Similar to past commercials for the series, these will feature celebrities, including Haruma Miura, Yoshinori Okada, Satoshi Inoue and Yoshimi Tokui. These four are known Monster Hunter fanatics. You can see samples of the commercials at the official site.

At the press conference, Capcom held talk and demo play stages with the celebrities. You can see pictures of this at Famitsu.com.

The MHP3rd hype will continue long after release as Capcom holds a Spring tournament and tour for the game. Tsujimoto shared final details on this year's installment of the annual Monster Hunter Festa event. The schedule for the event reads as follows:

• 3/13: Fukuoka Tournament
• 3/19: Nagoya Tournament
• 3/21: Tokyo Tournament
• 3/27: Sendai Tournament
• 4/3: Sapporo Tournament
• 4/10: Osaka Tournament
• Late May: Finals (to be held in Tokyo)

Tsujimoto said that they'd like to make this year's Monster Hunter Festa even bigger in scale.