A combination of interesting prey and plenty of missions for players to take on has ensured Monster Hunter's place as one of the most popular gaming franchises in Japan at the moment. The latest game in the series, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite , for the PSP is set to continue this trend boasting even more animals to hunt, as well as over 400 quests. One of the biggest new features to hit the game is the addition of Feline warriors that will assist you during the solo component of the game. We recently got the chance to sit down and check out the first part of the game, as well as accompany three other prospective hunters on some missions.

The missions in Freedom Unite are divided up into two types, hunting and gathering. Hunting missions, as the name suggests, sends you out with the objective to kill and loot a certain creature. Gathering on the other hand has you searching the map to find and bring back several samples of a certain plant species. As this was our first mission, our party opted for a gathering mission to search for 11 mountain herbs. The mission itself was straightforward enough and gave us a good chance to practice our combat skills on some of the weaker animals while looking for the herbs. Combat is initiated by pulling your sword with the triangle button, then attacking by using the triangle and square buttons. If you hit triangle as you're running you'll also be able to do a lunging attack, though we couldn't determine if they did more damage than your regular attacks. One of the core mechanics behind Freedom Unite is looting your fallen prey and taking their limbs for weapons and items. Since we were killing smaller animals, we were only picking up pieces of meat, which we could use to lure and distract other animals with later if we decided to send them down an irreversible path.

As the mission progresses we were forced to search higher areas of the map, especially since, as the name suggests, mountain herbs only grow in the mountains. Thankfully we had a map to guide us round the multi-zoned level. Each mission is comprised of several zones and there's a slight delay when travelling from zone to zone on the map, as the game loads it off the disc. After a while of scouring the higher-up zones we eventually found all of the mountain herbs and headed back to base to collect our fee for the mission.

Before embarking on the next quest we decided to look around the town to try and upgrade our weapons. Unlike traditional RPGs where you level up your character, in Freedom Unite you level up your weapons and armour instead. Upgrading our weapons was a fairly painless process, all we had to do was head over to the town blacksmith, select the weapon we wanted to level up and paid the money--nice and simple, the way we like it. You also go through the same process for upgrading armour. With our gear sorted out, we went about organising our apartment so that we could get some food to take away on the next mission with us.
To open up the kitchen in our apartment, we needed to buy some feline workers who man the culinary room. Thankfully, there was a cat dealer right outside of our apartment to buy a cat from. The transaction was fairly straightforward, just requiring us to pick the cat with the coolest name and give the store owner the money for our new companion. One thing to look out for is whether or not the cat can also double up as a fighter for solo trips, but we'll get to that later. Now that the cat situation was under control, the kitchen in our apartment opened up automatically.

Rostering the cats on and off the kitchen will allow you to take them along on quests.

With our kitchen sorted out we went down to the town farm and played the fishing mini-game to get some ingredients to take back to the kitchen for our cat to cook. The mini-game was pretty basic, it only required us to press the x button when a fish had bitten onto our bait, at which point the game automatically reels it in and added it to our inventory. You can also mine for ore, grow plants and catch bugs down at the farm in a similar one button press action. Catching bugs is an interesting one; we were able to use the Fire Bugs we caught to combine with one of our drinks to make it warm, which would increase our stamina during the colder missions.

As we mentioned earlier, the domestic cats can also double up as feline warriors for solo missions. While we didn't get a chance to play this part of the game, a Capcom representative gave us a demonstration of what it's like hunting alongside your animal friend. Once you've started a mission, the first thing you'll notice is that your feline has swapped its apron for a nifty set of steel armour, complete with helmet to protect its whiskers. The cat doesn't do much during lulls in the action, but it appeared to be a great help when it came to taking down monsters.

Unlike AI partners in other games, the cat showed that it could hold its own against creatures bigger than it--which is, understandably, pretty much everything. In the demo we saw, the cat would take a break and retreat from the battle to regain stamina, before returning to the fight fully charged. Thankfully the cat is also smart enough to perform basic tactics, ranging from flanking to distracting a monster while you heal up or attack the monster from behind. As helpful as the cat is, you can't just leave it to fight all your battles. Just like your character, the cat can take damage and when enough damage is dealt, roll over and pass out unconscious.

That's just a brief overview of what we got to see in Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, but stay tuned to GameSpot for our full review shortly.

Alongside the release of Let's Tap earlier this week, Sega has released the second game in the Let's franchise called Let's Catch on WiiWare. Essentially this game is just a collection of mini-games, which test your catching skills, using the WiiMote. As you'd expect from a mini-game compilation like this, it supports multiplayer so you can invite your friends in to find out who is the better catcher. Let's Catch came out this morning and will set you back 1000 Nintendo Points.

The other game to come out on WiiWare this week is Icarian: Kindred Spirits. Set in ancient Greece, the game tells the story of a winged girl called Nyx, who is searching for her friend Icarus who has disappeared. Along the way you'll be assisted by the Greek gods who will cast spells on the levels, which will move objects and manipulate the scenery, allowing you to pass through. Like Let's Catch, Icarian: Kindred Spirits is priced at 1000 Nintendo Points and is available now.

The crime fighting duo Sam and Max first hit the Wii late last year, but they've finally made it over to the Xbox 360 with Sam and Max Season 1. The season consists of six different episodes in which the Dog and Rabit team investigate a series of cases involving hypnotism. The entire Sam and Max Season one pack is 1600 Microsoft points and came out on Wednesday.

The other two games to come out on XBLA this week were Rocket Riot and Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers. Similar to Worms, Rocket Riot pits players against each other (or AI bots) on a 2D map and arms them to the teeth with enough firepower to blow each other away. The big difference here between Rocket Riot and Worms is that it's in real-time, not turn-based. The multiplayer portion of Rocket Riot is limited to four players off the same console offline, but if you take the fight online, you can join in eight player battles. Then we have Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers, which brings the popular card game onto the Xbox 360. There's not a whole lot more to say about this one, except that it brings the tradition card game onto the TV and renders your spells and abilities in HD. Both Rocket Riot and Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers are out now on XBLA for 800 Microsoft Points.

Nintendo's favourite practitioner returns to the DS for a third appointment in A Little Bit of… Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Maths Edition. Like the other Brain Training games, Maths Edition features a whole bunch of math questions to challenge you, as well as give you the opportunity to sharpen your math skills. You can pick A Little Bit of… Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: Maths Edition up now off the DSiWare store for 800 Nintendo Points.

It's been a very quiet week on the PlayStation Network Store the past seven days, with no games and just a dribble of downloadable content hitting the store. Aside from the usual Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour weekly releases, the only DLC to come out this week was a free pack for MotorStorm: Pacific Rift. It's been a quiet week indeed. Check out the list below for all the details:

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift - Jester Signature Rivalry Pack free
Rock Band: Back From the Dead, Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, Saucy Jack, and Warmer than Hell by Spinal Tap, and Evanescances Bring Me to Life, Call Me When You're Sober, and Weight of the World. All tracks are A$2.45 ($1.97)/160 Microsoft Points each.
Rock Band: Spinal Tap Pack 01 A$12.95 ($10.42)/560 Microsoft points
Rock Band: Evanescence Pack 01 A$9.45 ($7.61)/440 Microsoft points
Guitar Hero World Tour: Fly One Time, Number With No Name, and Shimmer and Shine by Ben Harper and Relentless 7. All tracks are A$3.45 ($2.77)/160 Microsoft Points each.
Guitar Hero World Tour: Ben Harper and Relentless 7 Track Pack $9.95 ($8.01)/440 Microsoft Points.

Have a fun and safe weekend!

The PlayStation 3 started off its life as a competent multimedia player, combining gaming with Blu-ray video. As time went on, Sony added in new features to it including DivX playback support and streaming media via DLNA, making it a favourite of home theatre aficionados. Despite the PS3's lengthy list of multimedia support, there's always been something missing. Due to its lack of an IR receiver, the PS3 has been unable to support universal remote controllers, which many home theatre owners use to simplify their set-up.

Swiss peripheral maker Logitech have developed a workaround for this, by creating an IR receiver that sits in front of your PS3, picking up your universal remote data and sending it to the PS3 via Sony's proprietary Bluetooth channel. Naturally the receiver only works with Logitech's own universal remotes, but that's not a bad thing considering the good reputation they have earned for themselves over at GameSpot AU's sister-site CNET Australia.

The only real catch we can see with this one is the A$99.95 price point, that's a fair bit of money for a simple receiver. Given that the average price of a Logitech Harmony remote control is A$391.95, plus the additional A$99.95 for the PS3 adaptor, you'll end up spending A$491.90 for the convenience of using just a single remote control.

Logitech Australia expects the PS3 Harmony adaptor to arrive in Australia in late June, alongside their new Harmony 515 universal remote for A$129.95.

Ever since Sony revealed that they would be re-releasing PlayStation games via the PlayStation Store, one of the most requested games to get PSN treatment has been Final Fantasy VII. Well wait no more. Set in a dystopian world, you play as a mercenary named Cloud who is out to stop an evil company from killing the planet by over-mining it. Originally printed on three discs--a big thing at for the time--FFVII is credited with not only bringing the famous franchise into the 3D realm, but bringing Japanese RPGs into the crosshairs of Western gamers. Final Fantasy VII is out now on the PlayStation Store for A$15.95 ($12.84).

The other game to hit Sony's virtual store this week was Trash Panic, a Tetris-esque game which has you trying to fit a set amount of garbage into a trash can. As the game goes on, the trash gets big, as the trash gets bigger, so does the can--it's the circle of life for trash! There's also an endless mode to see how much rubbish you can flatten before failing, as well as online leaderboards for the competitive people out there. Trash Panic came out overnight and will set you back A$8.45 $(7.20).

It's not very often that the PSN beats Xbox Live to the mark, but occasionally it happens. A week after releasing on the PSN, CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars makes its way onto Xbox Live Arcade. As mentioned last week CellFactor is an online FPS that's class-based. As the name suggests, you'll have more than just your traditional weapons available to slay your enemy, with each class boasting their own unique telekinetic abilities. Check out CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars now for 800 Microsoft points.

DSiWare has gone Animal Crossing crazy this week, releasing both a calculator and clock, themed with an Animal Crossing skin. There's not a whole lot more to say on that front, other than it's a clock and calculator for the DSi. If you're after a real game, then you're limited to Art Style: KUBOS. The premise behind this puzzle game is fairly simple: climb the blocks to reach the top level. Think of this as a multi-level echochrome. The two Animal Crossing applications will set you back 200 Nintendo points, while Art Style: KUBOS is slightly pricier at 500 Nintendo points.

Finally we have WiiWare, which also brings a Final Fantasy game to the table, with Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Set 17 years after FFIV for the SNES, The After Years tells the story of Ceodore, the son of the protagonists from the original game who is set to follow in his parents footsteps, when he is forced to set up and save the world. Interestingly, Square Enix will be supporting The After Years with ongoing DLC, with the first additional chapter going on sale today. The main Final Fantasy IV: The After Years game will set you back 800 Nintendo points, while the additional DLC will cost 300 Nintendo points.

It's an interesting week on the DLC front mainly because 10 new tracks for Rock Band: Unplugged have been released, despite the fact that the game hasn't even been dated for Australia. Given Rock Band's flakey history with the Australian market, this is an interesting development, which surely indicates that Rock Band: Unplugged will be hitting Australian shores soon, right? Check out the list below to see all the DLC that was released this week:

• GTI Club Car Pack A$4.95 ($3.9
• Resistance 2 Grim and Malikov Skins free
• High Velocity Bowling Character - Don Carlos Caliente A$1.75 ($1.40)
• High Velocity Bowling Character - Mial Travellage A$1.75 ($1.40)
• MotorStorm: Pacific Rift - Voodo Signature Rivalry Pack free
• Tokobots A$23.95($19.28 )
• Rock Band - A Favor Horse Atlantic and The Running Free by Coheed, Shimmer and Shine by Ben Harper, Shooter Jennings' Steady at the Wheel, Wilson (Live) by Phis, and Wolf Like Me by TV on the Radio. All tracks are A$2.45 ($1.97)/160 Microsoft points
• Rock Band: Bonnaroo Pack 01 A$12.95 ($10.42)/660 Microsoft points
• Rock Band Unplugged: Wonder Wall by Oasis, Under The Bridge by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mute Mate's Typical, The Kill by 30 seconds to Mars, Just a Girl By No Doubt, Crushcrushcrush by Paramore, Muse's Hysteria, Feed the Tree by belly, Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Inside the Fire by Disturbed. All tracks are A$2.45($1.97)

Alternate reality games have been popular for a while now, and while most of the time they see our characters fly into outer space to defeat marauding alien races or face other seemingly insurmountable odds in the name of self discovery, plenty of games forego historical accuracy in the name of fun. Damnation, Codemasters' upcoming third-person action adventure title twists the alt-reality convention on its head, and using the premise that the American Civil War raged on a lot longer than it actually did, continuing well into the 20th century. We got our hands on an Xbox 360 version of the game to find out if the south will rise again.

The modern steampunk setting of Damnation means that weapons have advanced considerably. Muskets have been replaced with sophisticated automatic pistols, while shotguns, machineguns, and even sniper rifles are commonplace. Satchel charges are no longer a pipedream and can be found lying scattered around the battlefield, waiting to be used. A mechanical army which was originally designed for peacekeeping has been modified to add assault weapons, and is being used as part of the ongoing war between states.

With the scene set, you assume the role of Hamilton Rourke, the leader of a rag-tag group of rebels who are attempting to overthrow Prescott, the leader of a group called PSI, and the guy with the biggest finger in the pie of the broader storyline. You're joined by two AI sidekicks, sensible Englishman, Winslow, and busty local native, Yakecan. The level we played picked up with the three in an outdoor environment on the side of a cliff. Our job was to find a way to infiltrate a PSI compound and then eliminate any enemies standing in our way. The trio are incredibly athletic, and you'll spend your time jumping between gaps, scaling walls, hanging off ladders, and performing ridiculous backflips onto tiny ledges. We scurried along rooftops, climbed light poles, and hung precariously from zip lines. Unfortunately, interaction with walls, ropes, and ladders can take a few attempts as their trigger points seem to be quite small. Jumping is easy once you get going with simple presses of the A button and the odd bumper hold to switch lean directions, but it became a bit of an exercise in frustration trying to scale some points--think Uncharted: Drake's Fortune without the ease of movement.

Damnation is your fairly standard twin stick third-person shooter, meaning you'll use the left analog to manoeuvre your character around the environment. That said, we commonly got stuck on walls, debris, and even clipped inside whole structures when attempting to move around the world. When you're not bouncing around like a hyperactive monkey you'll use the right stick to aim. There's no shooting from the hip here, so you'll need to press and hold the left trigger to bring up your reticule. Clicking the right stick increases your zoom, while right trigger fires your selected weapon. Switching which weapons you'll carry and fire are toggled with the d-pad, but since you'll only be able to carry three weapons at time--two two-handed weapons and a one-handed pistol. Since the world is so open and you'll be shooting across large gaps we found ourselves swapping shotguns for something with a bit more range. Gunplay felt a bit unfinished and need of some polish in our playtime, but we're hoping it's something patched after release as the game is rapidly approaching its June 4 launch on the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3. Check back soon for our full GameSpot review.

--By Dan Chiappini

Have you ever wanted to go to E3, but never been able to make it for one reason or another? Well Sony has you covered, at least for its press conference at morning. In one of the most interesting uses for Sony's PlayStation Home so far, people who download the Presentation Podium will be able to stream Sony's entire E3 2009 press conference to their console shortly after it ends, following a brief conversion and upload. As you're watching the stream, you'll also be able to chat to other Home users about the announcements as they happen.

At this stage it's hard to tell what the quality of the video will be, but given the size and resolution of the placeholder ad on the screen, it looks to be fairly high res. A word of advice though, if you do plan on watching the event via Home, we'd recommend you download the Presentation Podium well ahead of time to avoid being caught up in the mass download, which is bound to happen when people try to download it five minutes before it goes live.

Sadly complementary beverages won't be supplied.

Last week, we gave you our first look at Red Dead Redemption , the sequel to 2004's Red Dead Revolver. In our preview, we chatted about some of missions you'll be undertaking as reformed criminal John Marston (who looks a lot like a cross between Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson, in our opinion). The game is set in the early years of the 20th Century, and while it's still the Wild West, civilisation is creeping in everywhere.

Bronson and Eastwood? Anyone?