When I first learned that I'd be headed to Osaka, Japan to visit Capcom for a Monster Hunter Wilds hands-on preview, a few things came to mind. First, of course, was okonomiyaki. It's a savory Japanese cabbage pancake griddled in front of you and murdered with high-calorie sauces to cancel out all the vegetables. At the recommendation of Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, I did eventually visit a local okonomiyaki chain to discover a new obsession. I have a griddle in my outdoor kitchen and I've already ordered the sauces online. When I'm inevitably found dead of a heart attack, bloated and with kewpie mayo leaking out of my ears, have "Thanks, Tsujimoto" carved on my tombstone.
Second on my agenda was lance. My favorite weapon in Monster Hunter; my beloved pokey boy. The Monster Hunter Wilds beta made a good first impression, but its rendition of lance felt like running in shoes that are two sizes too small. Speaking of running: my plan to stay quiet and out of the way in Japan went right out the window when I left my capture card at the hotel and ended up sprinting through the streets to go collect it. The utterly innocuous 6'3" blue-eyed, red-bearded white dude running through Osaka in khakis and inexplicably hurting his thoroughly Bulgarian-split-squatted knees in the process? Of course I know him; he's me. I hope y'all appreciated that footage, that's all I'm saying.
