It may be the second Nintendo DS Metroid game thus far, but it's the only one that really matters.
Like every “Metroid” game before it, “Metroid Prime Hunters” revolves around a lone female bounty hunter named Samus Aran as she ventures through the universe in her spaceship, searching for bounties to collect and cash in on.
While readers familiar with the gaming industry’s interpretation of women may envision a young, attractive, and overly endowed female in the lead role, Samus is actually one of very few female characters to be portrayed in a positive light. Despite her preference for action rather than talk, when she does speak her repertoire always involves important matters going on in the game and disregards the prissy one-liners and fluff that other generic female characters seem to possess.
The coolest aspect of Samus is her bulky armor that she wears on hunts. The armor not only completely encompasses her from head to toe, but it also makes her sex ambiguous to gamers that are unaware to the fact that she is female rather than illogically suiting up a skintight outfit of armor for fighting. This armor makes her stronger, allows her to jump higher, absorbs damage, allows her to roll into an armored sphere, and can even hold various weapons that are shot with the aid of her arm cannon.
Just think Boba Fett from “Star Wars” fame, but take away the susceptibility of being beaten by a blind man with a stick.
The game itself resembles both previous “Metroid” games on the GameCube as it plays as a first person shooter rather than the conventional side scrolling method of yesteryear. However with the Nintendo DS possessing no analog sticks and only one D-Pad, the big difference between the two versions is the control scheme used to play the game.
Gamers aim Samus’ arm cannon by moving their stylus around the Nintendo DS’ touch screen. Wherever the stylus touches on the screen corresponds to the arm cannon’s position and will allow gamers to line up accurate shots. Other tricks with the touch screen include double-tapping the screen for jumps and being able to change weapon types with a simple poke. The only other controls used in “Metroid Prime Hunters” include the D-Pad for movement and the left shoulder button for shooting.
At first it may feel quite unorthodox and confusing for a game of this type, but within a matter of minutes it really becomes second nature.
The only real complaint with the game is the redundancy of how the game is played. A typical level will require gamers to search for artifact keys, fight a mid-level boss, search for more artifact keys, fight the same boss to the death, and then run all the way back to Samus’ ship before the timer runs out.
It is fun the first couple of levels, but it really sucks the adventuring aspect out of the game and substitutes more action in instead.
Beyond the single player mission, “Metroid Prime Hunters” includes the ability to play online multiplayer by either the system link option or over Nintendo’s new Wi-Fi Network. It’s not exactly the most in-depth multiplayer experience gamers have come to expect nowadays, but it certainly holds its own when the single player mode has been completed.
Despite being a tad repetitive, “Metroid Prime Hunters” is a great addition into the series. It uses the Nintendo DS to the best of its ability and comes away playing wonderfully in both single and multi player modes. As long as fans don’t expect “Super Metroid” quality fun, they will be pleasantly surprised with this game.