After many a delay, Nintendos premier FPS is finally available. With a number of DS owners already having been treated to the demo of Metroid Prime Hunters, codenamed first hunt, the question posed is, what has Nintendo done to improve the formula after almost a year of delay? Hunters follows the story of Samus Aran everyones favourite heroine bounty hunter, and the mission that leads her out of the territory of the Galactic Federation, and into the uncharted region known as the Alimbic Cluster. After powerful life forms and bounty hunters throughout the galaxy bear witness to a strange telepathic message speaking of ultimate power lying in this region Samus is conscripted to investigate and retrieve this power for the Federation.
However, power draws all kinds of people, and Samus is not the only one with her eye on the prize. Other bounty hunters seek the ultimate power, each for their own means, good or bad, and none of them care if they have to go through Samus to do it. The game is marked as a flagship title for Nintendos online gaming service, Wi-fi connection, and also as the first exclusive FPS for the Nintendo DS system. So how does Metroid set new standards and raise others to new heights?
Gameplay
For those who have played other instalments of the Metroid Prime series, the change in style between Hunters and previous instalments will be readily obvious. Instead of maintaining the hybrid format of the First Person Adventure, a term specifically created by Nintendo for describing the other Prime games, Hunters breaks away and seeks to conform more with what is generically more accepted and takes the part of a first person shooter, plain and simple. To be blunt, the game is all about sharpshooting and fast reflexes, and after a few play throughs of the game there has yet to be any puzzle or dilemma that could not be readily solved by the most average of minds and simple logic. Hunters has action at its heart, fast paced action at that. In this way, the game is truly designed with stimulation and excitement in mind. Unlike previous games enemies make many appearances, almost in every single room, usually swarming in large numbers in an attempt to overwhelm the player.
Gone are the days when you could trek for an age in the previous prime titles and not come across a single enemy, with surprise attacks also coming as a new inclusion in the game. Areas previously cleared of the enemy threat will suddenly come under siege from powerful guardian who will test Samuss limits in combat. As previously stated, simple hostile creatures will no longer be Samuss only enemies. Now some enemies, such as the guardians and bounty hunters carry humanoid qualities, meaning that theyre sensitive to where you shoot them like in a traditional FPS, meaning that traditional techniques such as headshots come into play pinning the game more and more as a traditionally styled FPS.
Disappointingly however is one much loved style of play that lose some dominance, being the dedicated morph ball puzzle sections from past titles. Metroid fans from of these games will find that the perfection of bomb jump techniques and the like in Hunters is of little use. Occasionally there will be one morph ball maze or a section in which players must players must navigate their may through moving pistons in order to avoid being crushed, but that is where the line is drawn. The variety of play styles is varied just enough so as to prevent the game from becoming monotonous, but not to overpower the predominant focus on fast and furious action. For the most part the game has a classic arcade style feel to it, being simplistic in the way the gameplay is structured, making the game easy to pick up and play immediately and for the seasoned gamer to take to take to things to the next level. In the end, this makes Metroid Prime Hunters fair game for almost any player.
As previously mentioned the controls are simple, and can be deviated and customised through a variety of options to suit each individual player. The default control mechanism however uses the stylus and D-Pad combination much like the keyboard and mouse. Moving the stylus in a certain direction on the touch screen corresponds to the movement of your Hunters view on the upper screen. How little or how far your movement of the stylus, affects the view of the action on the upper screen is an option which can also be calibrated in the options menu.
The D-Pad is used for moving your hunter, forward and backwards, with strafing performed with left and right. In regards to attacks and weapons, the fire of the currently equipped weapon is mapped to the L button, with holding the trigger activating the charge function if applicable. The scan visor is also mapped to the touch screen. Players hold the stylus on the icon for a few seconds and when the scan visor activates the L trigger can be used to scan enemies, objects and lore in classic Prime style to gain vital information. Samus or any of the hunters can also equip a variety of other weapons. Apart from the basic power beam, secondary weapons are selected through the use of the touch screen. As always in metroid, missiles are a staple weapon, and are equipped by touching the appropriate icon on the touch screen. Besides the standard missiles, Samus also acquires a number of different beams throughout the game, which can also be picked up in multiplayer mode. There are six of these different beams, each with their own special strengths and effects, some of which can be magnified depending on which hunter you use. Only one can be equipped at a time through a small sub menu on the top screen accessed by touching the sub weapon icon and then sliding the stylus across to your choice. All of the substitute beams use Universal Ammunition, abbreviated as UA throughout the game.
Both your maximum Universal Ammunition and missile capacities can be increased throughout the course of the single player adventure, along with expansions for Samuss total energy capacity in classic metroid fashion. The aim of the main game is to travel throughout the planets of the Alimbic Cluster collecting artefacts called octoliths, of which there are a total of 8. The basic structure of the levels involves firstly locating and retrieving three artefacts in order to gain access to the boss chamber, where the awaiting boss hoards an octolith. After defeating the boss and retrieving the octolith players must then escape to the gunship within a specific time period before they are gunned down by the security system. The process becomes somewhat tedious when repeated for each and every level, and isnt helped by the fact that there are really only two boss types, with four versions of each one just made more powerful than the last. This comes as a general shock to seasoned prime players who will undoubtedly be used to the large variety in boss types experienced in the other games, but the variation in play within the levels is enough to compensate this enough to a point where it is bearable.
Another minor niggle which comes to light throughout the single player adventure is the tediousness of scanning. Often players will miss vital biform scans such as bosses on their first time through, with no way to gain them back once that boss is dead. Its a minor niggle present in all Metroid games, but having to restart your adventure to get 100% completion becomes annoying all the same. In the end, the gameplay is of high quality. Initially players may find the controls fiddly and difficult to use, but they soon warm up to them. While not perfect in every way, the gameplay in Hunters sets the bar for handheld FPS titles, easily being the best available at the moment, and a truly remarkable effort for Nintendos first FPS on the Nintendo DS platform, by bringing the gamer classic FPS action while allowing them to experience with a whole new scope.
Graphics
The graphics in Hunters are subject to some variation. The backgrounds and environments are sometimes basic and generic in the way they look, with some rough textures being seen in certain instances, but are generally smooth at most times. The environments are certainly not there to wow the player, as the interior of many passageways and rooms seems much the same. However, the DS still manages to pull off some impressive effects such as burning hot lava or ice covered cave walls. The environments will occasionally satisfy you to the extent where you will think, Hey that looks nice, but they will only be in sections with minimal combat requirement, often with no enemies to allow the player to appreciate the majesty of the environment. In this way the game is cleverly designed so as only to use upper end graphics where the player will be able to appreciate them. Many of the 3D character models are basic in structure, especially the minor enemies of the game.
While the enemies remain smooth throughout the action, it is mostly blatantly obvious that theyre made up of a few basic shapes, not that it really matters when youll kill them with a few shots anyway. The majority of the focus goes toward main enemies such as hunters and bosses, with extra detail being put into their appearances. Apart from that though effects from weapons look nice in the game, whether it be the explosion from the missiles or arcing electricity from a beam power up. Also included in the game are a few CGI cut scenes, all of which look absolutely stunning on your DS screen whether it be the opening sequence or a boss introduction. In conclusion, the graphics serve the purpose for which they are intended and for the large part, will go unnoticed in the game and are designed to blend together seamlessly with the action.
Sound
Sound is basically what youd expect from a traditional Sci-fi FPS. Nothing really stands out in the soundtrack at all. There is a lack of theme music for the majority of time you play and is only really put to use in dramatic themes such as hunter and boss battles. Although this lack of sound is sometimes atmospheric in itself in an attempt to generate the classic claustrophobic Metroid feel present in previous titles. However in this respect it fails. The atmosphere of all previous Metroid games is not replicated in hunters, which may come as sad realisation to the fans and serves as a reminder that Hunters takes the series in a new direction. Even then, when there is background music it can usually be described as decisively average and doesnt really add anything to the atmosphere of the game, but they wont annoy you either which makes them an acceptable addition.
These tunes are all typically sci-fi, but the lack of any classic Metroid compositions is another disappointing letdown in this right. In regard to the sound effects they blend into the game basically how they should. Beams and weapons make the appropriate sounds when either fired or charged and the sounds enemies make is rather useful in knowing whether youre going to be flanked from behind. To speak generally, the sound effects and music of the game are choreographed to quietly compliment the gameplay whilst not removing your attention from it. Of course thats where it ends. There is no involving atmosphere that was present in the previous titles of Prime, or for that matter any Metroid game. In terms of music and sound effects, it actually feels as though the heart and soul of the Metroid series has been sacrificed in order for the series to follow this new direction in gameplay.
Replayability/Lastability
Truthfully, the main draw to Hunters replay value comes solely and squarely from the multiplayer. Whether wireless of online, the amount of multiplayer options available here truly makes it one of the best multiplayer titles currently available for the DS in terms of quality and quantity. Many classic FPS modes make an appearance, albeit with stylised Metroid games, such as classic Death Matches along with others like Survivor, Capture the Nodes and Prime Hunter. In terms of Wi-fi the structure of match organization in Metroid sets the new bar for Wi-fi connection titles as it becomes the first to include a lobby system, where players can choose games to join in the world wide stage or with friends.
The rivals function is another new inclusion, where players can add the identity of rivals they have battled online to a list where they can track when they are online and battle them again. The same tracking function is also incorporated into the friends list. In regards to the multiplayer gameplay, there are some imbalances in play such as the alternate forms of the different hunters which can be abused and classic techniques such as camping which can overwhelm the non-seasoned player, but for most of the time players will have a good time online, and most assuredly come back for more again and again. Matches between friends are at their best ever thanks to both touch keyboard chat features and VOIP, allowing for a whole new level of interaction between players using the service. Retrospectively, Hunters sets the standard for the online handheld FPS in terms of gameplay and communication, which also makes it a benchmark for all DS titles, a standard which is hard to pull way from, at least until something better comes along.
Final thoughts
While certainly not perfect, Metroid Prime Hunters is a must buy for every Nintendo DS owner. Anyone who plays the game will see that it is a basic reinforcement of classic FPS style, given a fresh makeover by the innovative control mechanism. However, it must be said that you wont find anything else new in the game, as the game sadly reeks of structure. In many instances in single player youll know exactly where to go next and what will happen. The games feels familiar, but most of the time in a bad way, with the entire game having the distinct feel of an aged PC shooter from an age long gone by. The atmosphere of the games feels forced, and in the end, if this werent an early title it just wouldnt be acceptable.
However, these are niggles that will really only be of concern to the FPS connoisseur or the most seasoned of Metroid fans. To be blunt Metroid as a series was probably better sticking to the unique structure it carried before, but this doesnt make Hunters any less of a good game, just that the style of play would be more suited to a more generic FPS franchise. In the end, Metroid Prime Hunters is great game. The amount of content in present in the title will most assuredly garner your attention for many long hours, however that is where the title grounds to a halt at. Its a great game. Not an excellent game but a great one.
There are many aspects of the game that could have been done better or improved, but undoubtedly the people would not have stood for another years delay. Metroid Prime Hunters is still the benchmark for the handheld FPS, and stands on a premier title on the Nintendo DS system. Once you play it though I can thoroughly assure you that youll be waiting with baited breath for Metroid Prime Hunters 2 or its equivalent, and hopefully the improvements that would make it the perfect handheld FPS. Youre left wanting more, and that is the only thing had holds this title back from being the cream of the crop.
Metroid Prime Hunters is available May 25th for a RPP of $69.95
