Metroid Prime Hunters Review
I had the wonderful opportunity to have this demo included with the Nintendo DS. This game is definitely a good example of what Nintendo DS can do. The demo well exceeds my expectations of the game on all levels. I hope that the final version will be even better than the demo. The demo consists of three single player missions and three multiplayer maps.
The single player missions are simple straightforward examples of the different styles of gameplay. The first one is a simple linear mission where you run through the stage blasting enemies and jumping from platform to platform. The second is a survival mission where you destroy and many enemies as you can before your life runs out. The third (and my favorite) puts you into the morph ball mode as you race through an area collecting tokens and making it to the end before time runs out. There are also three multiplayer maps for deathmatch competition against friends.
This game is probably the best-looking game on Nintendo DS right now. The visuals for this game are stunning for a hand held that claims it can reach N64 graphics. The ability to look anywhere in the game like a true first person shooter makes the game even more jaw dropping as you can control your view via the stylus on the bottom screen. It will probably be awhile before we see a NDS game rival the visuals of Metroid Prime Hunters.
Sadly, the sound for this game is not as impressive as the sound for the other DS games I have played though it is much better than the previous GBA's sound. They could have done more with the stereo sound capabilities on this game as if they did with Mario 64 DS. The sound does not play a big factor in this game that much anyways since you are always running and shooting at things. If you are the type of gamer who will be playing this with friends then the stereo sound will be helpful so that in multiplayer you can hear which direction your opponents are coming from.
The controls for this game may look a bit tedious at first but after about twenty minutes of playing you will pick them up just fine. There are plenty of different control settings though most people will probably use the standard controls. The standard controls consist of the player moving Samus around with the D-Pad or the ABXY buttons and looking around with the stylus on the touch screen. You tap the screen to jump, press L or R to fire, and to change weapons you tap the appropriate icon on your HUD on the bottom screen. Unbelievably these controls work very well for a portable first person shooter and if future titles use this control scheme we should see some rather good first person shooters for NDS in the future.
So far, it seems that most NDS games will have high replay value due to the multiplayer capabilities. Metroid Prime Hunters will be plenty of fun to play often with all of your friends and a Quake style deathmatch. Not much is known about the single player of the final version but most gamers will play this game mainly for the multiplayer
I am sure Nintendo will not let us down with the single player mode though so all of you friendless gamers will still have plenty of fun with this title.
Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt looks to be one of the best multiplayer NDS games out so far. If you do not have many friends, who have NDS or do not plan to get it then this title may not be for you as the focus of the game is the multiplayer. Overall, the controls are solid, the sound is decent, and the multiplayer will keep you and your friends busy for hours. Overall, I give this demo a four out of five.
| Ratings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Controls | 0 | |
| Graphics | 0 | |
| Originality | 0 | |
| Replay Value | 0 | |
| Sound | 0 | |
