Though footage of its portable counterpart has made many appearances over past several months, above is the first glimpse of the Wii U version of Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, a revamped version of the Wii’s Monster Hunter Tri expected for both systems in March of next year.

Somewhat upstaging its previously featured & cartoonier breakdown of the game’s cross-play compatibility, the new video comes as the game makes its stateside debut at this weekend’s Comic Con, and is part of an apparently revamped push to make this entry in the franchise the one that might finally “stick” in the West, previous attempts never having received even a fraction of the traction they’ve managed in Japan.

Visit the newly rejuvenated official Twitter & Facebook pages to keep abreast of developments over the next several months.

Suddenly officially the Wii U game I’m looking forward to most, Capcom’s just released this ultra-adorable video explaining the cross-play features of its upcoming Monster Hunter Tri overhaul, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which will allow players of both the 3DS and Wii U versions to use their same characters to play at home or away.

While 3DS play will be limited to local multiplayer only, the new hunting companions explain, 3DS users can use the platformer as controllers for the Wii U version, or play online with other Wii U owners.

If you’re still one of the way too many uninitiated Monster Hunter fanatics, March 2013 should probably be the date to wait for as it’s released for both platforms: longtime fans will otherwise be fully aware of just how incredible the series is at capturing both the essence of adventure and the minutiae of a drawn-out, exhausting hunt against an intelligent, brutal and ridiculously oversized foe.

Above and below the fold are new shots taken from the Wii U version — keep an eye on Capcom’s Monster Hunter site for an update to the new version. [via Capcom-Unity]

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