Kapital Koopas: Monster Hunter Movie Hits China and Jay Chou Endorses Street Fighter

Press F to pay respects to all the fallen goombas. It's time for a deep dive into China's gaming culture in our column, Kapital Koopas.

Monster Hunter’s movie adaption to hit Chinese cinemas on Dec 4

Superhero movies have had their heyday. Is it time for video game adaptions to dominate the silver screen? Up to now, the likes of Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and Warcraft have all gotten the movie-magic treatment. But these ambitious, money-burning projects rarely achieve high scores from critics. Moreover, games produced in Japan or other non-western regions face additional cultural barriers in the cinematization process if they have failed to garner a foreign player base. 

But the fantasy-themed RPG Monster Hunter franchise has managed to lure in enough global players with its themes of hunting dinosaur-like creatures with adorable feline partners, so much so that this 16-year old series has landed an all-star cast for its movie adaption with names like Milla Jovovich, Ron Pearlman, and rapper T.I. Appealing to Chinese audiences, it also stars MC Jin, the first Asian-American rapper to land a major record deal in the US. Jin also starred in the reality show The Rap of China in 2017.

The film was originally scheduled for a September release in the US, but has been delayed until April due to concerns of COVID-19. China, however, will be able to witness monster-slaying on the big screen as soon as Dec 4.

The movie sounds like a lot of fun, although we expect that die-hard fans will have their complaints about the script's loose adaption of the game's story. In fact, complaints have already flooded the internet about the above movie poster in which Natalie Artemis (played by Jovovich) is about to strike a Diablos (a draconic monster in the game) with a pair of flaming dual blades, which happen to be the least effective element when battling against this ferocious creature. When, oh when, will the oppression of gamers cease, Hollywood?

Jay Chou endorses the new Street Fighter mobile game

We've come a long way since the 80s and 90s when kids would save a week's worth of lunch money, only to sneak into an arcade and blow all of it on a day of Street Fighter. Around that same time, a teenager who lived in Taiwan was about to take the whole of Asia by storm with his unique music style and bold attempt at fusing R&B with Chinese culture. That man, Jay Chou is now, for some reason, attaching his name to the Street Fighter franchise as Tencent releases its mobile version of the game.

A few days ago, Tencent revealed that Jay Chou will be the ambassador of the game and even join the fight with a customized character 杰霸 Jié Bà Jay the Conqueror, which happens to be a homophone of the game’s Chinese name, 街霸 Jiē Bà, a revelation that stirred up a lot of controversy given that the name is also frequently used on the internet to mean male genitals.

The game itself has also been the subject of numerous questions due in large part to the decision to reinvent it as a card game – a severe departure from its traditional fighting game style – as well as being "free to play," which potentially means "pay to win," a decision that could drastically affect its appeal to fans of the franchise.

Hitman’s new title will take place in Chongqing

The newest trailer for the upcoming Hitman game, the stealthy noir revolving around Agent 47, a clone created to be the perfect assassin, reveals that a familiar setting for many Chinese players; the rolling, hilly streets of Chongqing, will be involved in this final chapter in the series.

The map in the trailer reveals a skyscraper-infested and neon-ridden Chongqing which is somewhat more evocative of Tokyo than the true Chongqing, but the city's winding roads are sure to make for some interesting gameplay. Players will get to see the signboard of hot pot restaurants shine in neon light and pass road signs of familiar Chongqing neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the updated graphics for the game will make for an experience that's all the more immersive.

Read: Throwback Thursday: The Toilet Revolution That Never Was... or Maybe Still Is?

Images: Siliconera, Courtesy of corresponding game and movie developing and publishing companies