Metroid Prime: Hunters Preview
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Metroid Prime: Hunters Nintendo DS Preview
Many games have been shown for the Nintendo DS so far. A number of these are focusing on one aspect of the DS, perhaps the touch screen or attempting at having incredible graphics. Metroid Prime: Hunters has virtually everything going for it though. The game is based off the engine of the critically acclaimed Gamecube Metroid Prime, but at the same time incorporates the features of the two screens, stylus usage, and multi-player capabilities.
The Metroid series has gone through a lot of changes overtime, but has been one of the most esteemed series for gamers all over the world. Starting from the NES as a side-scroller the game stayed with the same theme for many years until it came to the Gamecube. At this point, Nintendo knew that they needed to change the game for the 3-D era and although there was skepticism with the transition, it was more than a success. The Gamecube game became an instant classic and is arguably one of the best, if not the best Gamecube game at this point. For that reason, it is great that the DS game is based on the engine of the Gamecube Metroid.
The game thus far is only playable as a multiplayer game, but the final version will certainly have a single player mode. The game used all of the buttons of the system, including the stylus. The L/R triggers are used for locking onto the other player while the d-pad moves the characters feet. The stylus is used to aim, fire, and face different directions. Finally, the other parts of the DS (A,B,X,Y) are used for shuffling through your weapons. You can shoot by tapping the stylus on the screen and depending on how fast you press, the screen will determine the speed of your shooting. By pressing and holding the stylus on the screen, you will be able to charge your beam. If you move the stylus to any of the sides of the screen, you will be able to look that way. All of this makes a very innovative type of game. Although the controls are a bit hard to use and are not too smooth right now, the controls should not be a problem. Nintendo will most likely fix this and make it much more fluid.
The top screen of the game features a very simple map of the board that you are playing on. It will show your location, all of your opponents, and any power-ups. The map does not feature any special graphics, but that is not necessarily a bad thing as when you are battling in the game you need a visibly easy map. Metroid Prime’s map is very easy to use and only requires one glance for whatever you needed to know about.
Although the game already has so many features, one of the best parts of the game is the graphics. Hands down, the graphics of Metroid Prime: Hunters are the best out of all the games for the DS at the moment. The graphics are just a step down from the Gamecube’s and so they look like a stylish Nintendo 64 game. Seeing this on the Nintendo DS is amazing. Moving around, the background of the game is very detailed and smooth while the character structures are great as well. On top of this, while playing with other gamers, there is no down time or significant lagging.
The game has only been played with linking of other DS’s, but the final version will be played through Wi-Fi capabilities. Having up to four players on a board, there is non-stop action. The gameplay has a much faster pace than the Gamecube Metroid, which turned out to be a good thing. In the end we may even see 8 or 16 player games, but for now they were limited to 4 people.
The single player game has yet to be seen in action, but our hope is that the game will be more like the Gamecube version than the multi-player version. This just means that there will a lot of strategy and a slower pace of gaming than the fast paced multi-player game.
Metroid Prime: Hunters is the perfect type of game for such an innovative handheld system. Although there is still a lot that needs to improvement, if the developer plays its card right, the game can be great. As long as the single player successfully lives up to the Gamecube version and the multi-player mode is tweaked a bit, Metroid Prime: Hunters will be a great precedent for future DS games. We are unsure at the moment, but hopefully Metroid Prime: Hunters will be released as a launch title for the Nintendo DS.
| Ratings | ||
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| Hype Meter | 9 | Metroid Prime seems to be the game that could really make the DS the hit it deserves to be. |
