After making the transition from a 2D sidescroller to 3D first-person shooter on the Gamecube, Metroid Prime Hunters stays true to the Prime name and brings you a beautifully rendered first-person shooter only on the Nintendo DS.
Story: Beyond the territories controlled by the Galacatic Federation lies the vast region where a small grouping of planets is located, the Alimbic Cluster. This cluster of four is located in the furthest reaches of space, called the Tetra Galaxy. Once home to the highly advance civilization known as the Alimbics, this cluster is now a desolate wasteland inhabited only by the most advance weaponry created by the Alimbics to protect their artifacts scattered on the various surfaces and deep labyrinths of the 4 outposts.
For the first time in nearly a millennium, these long dormant planets have begun to stir, delivering strange tidings. Originating from the cluster itself, a strange telepathic communique' has been transported to the most exceptional beings in our galaxy. This mysterious communication was translated into almost 1000 languages, but the message always read the same: "The secret to ultimate power lies in the Alimbic Cluster..."
This message intrigued some of the deadliest bounty hunters in the galaxy, inspiring them to make the long journey to the origin of the message. Among these bounty hunters who received the transmission was Samus Aran, the best of the best. Some of the other hunters desired this "power" for themselves, their planet, their people -- while others simply desired the thrill of the kill.
Quickly, Samus dispatched toward the Alimbic cluster -- her mission: to discover the truth about this mysterious message, to protect against a potential threat, and to keep the ultimate power from falling into the wrong hands...
Gameplay: At first, I was worried that I'd get stuck with an awkward control scheme due to the lack of a joy stick, and in a way, I was right while at the same time, very pleased with how well things controlled. Like many other DS games, the Touch Screen is your main means of controlling the game. Different icons on the Touch Screen control different action such as: changing ammunition, switching to the missile launcher, turning into the Morph Ball and activating the Scan Visor while at the same time acts ats as the tool to turn Samus around/aim the blaster. The face buttons (A, B, Y and X) can also be used as the means to aim and move, but I found it far too difficult to master so I stuck with simply using the touch panel on the bottom screen. To quote Electronic Gaming Monthly, " You don't realize how much you relied on locking on to enemies in the Prime games until you're forced to aim manually."
One of the most memorable moments in almost any Metroid game is the escape sequence where you must race back to your gunship before the timer runs out causing the facility to explode. Usually, that's one of the most exhilarating moments in the game, but this time around it's just plain repetitive. After every single boss encounter (only 2 or 3 bosses that are used over and over again) you must do this. There are a total of two bosses per planet so you have to do this "escape sequence" well over 5 times throughout the course while other Metroid titles make you do it twice at most.
Graphics: Easily, this is MPH best feature. I find it amazing how they managed to make such great visuals on a single DS cartridge. In fact, Hunters wouldn't look at all out of place on a PSP or even as a high quality Playstation 1 game. While the gameplay and replay value disappoint, you really couldn't ask for much more in this field.
Sound: For as long as I can remember, Metroid games focused more on gameplay than on the musical score, and of course, this one is no exception. While there are a few catchy tunes, don't expect it to have the soundtrack of the year. Also, like all other Metroid games, no spoken dialog is use. I really didn't see them using it in this Metroid/DS game, but it still would've been nice. On top of all of that, the sound effects (monsters roaring, missiles exploding, etc.) are mediocre at best. MPH has far from the best audio effects, but definatly not the worst you can find in a game.
While not as good as the last two Gamecube installments (Metroid Prime & Metroid Prime 2: Echoes), Metroid Prime Hunters is a decent addition to a great series. I love Metroid games, but this one didn't, at all, feel like a Metroid title. Nintendo strayed too far from it's roots by introducing elements too different from that of any other game in the series: planetary travel, too many escape segments and the utter lack of Metroids (not a single one in the entire game.) If you are a hardcore Metroid fan, I'd pick this game up. However, if you just casually play the games in this series, avoid this one at all costs. For those of you whom I've convinced to purchase this game, let thou be warned, this one just doesn't have the staying power needed to thoroughly enjoy it or justify the $30 - $35 price tag.
Story: Beyond the territories controlled by the Galacatic Federation lies the vast region where a small grouping of planets is located, the Alimbic Cluster. This cluster of four is located in the furthest reaches of space, called the Tetra Galaxy. Once home to the highly advance civilization known as the Alimbics, this cluster is now a desolate wasteland inhabited only by the most advance weaponry created by the Alimbics to protect their artifacts scattered on the various surfaces and deep labyrinths of the 4 outposts.
For the first time in nearly a millennium, these long dormant planets have begun to stir, delivering strange tidings. Originating from the cluster itself, a strange telepathic communique' has been transported to the most exceptional beings in our galaxy. This mysterious communication was translated into almost 1000 languages, but the message always read the same: "The secret to ultimate power lies in the Alimbic Cluster..."
This message intrigued some of the deadliest bounty hunters in the galaxy, inspiring them to make the long journey to the origin of the message. Among these bounty hunters who received the transmission was Samus Aran, the best of the best. Some of the other hunters desired this "power" for themselves, their planet, their people -- while others simply desired the thrill of the kill.
Quickly, Samus dispatched toward the Alimbic cluster -- her mission: to discover the truth about this mysterious message, to protect against a potential threat, and to keep the ultimate power from falling into the wrong hands...
Gameplay: At first, I was worried that I'd get stuck with an awkward control scheme due to the lack of a joy stick, and in a way, I was right while at the same time, very pleased with how well things controlled. Like many other DS games, the Touch Screen is your main means of controlling the game. Different icons on the Touch Screen control different action such as: changing ammunition, switching to the missile launcher, turning into the Morph Ball and activating the Scan Visor while at the same time acts ats as the tool to turn Samus around/aim the blaster. The face buttons (A, B, Y and X) can also be used as the means to aim and move, but I found it far too difficult to master so I stuck with simply using the touch panel on the bottom screen. To quote Electronic Gaming Monthly, " You don't realize how much you relied on locking on to enemies in the Prime games until you're forced to aim manually."
One of the most memorable moments in almost any Metroid game is the escape sequence where you must race back to your gunship before the timer runs out causing the facility to explode. Usually, that's one of the most exhilarating moments in the game, but this time around it's just plain repetitive. After every single boss encounter (only 2 or 3 bosses that are used over and over again) you must do this. There are a total of two bosses per planet so you have to do this "escape sequence" well over 5 times throughout the course while other Metroid titles make you do it twice at most.
Graphics: Easily, this is MPH best feature. I find it amazing how they managed to make such great visuals on a single DS cartridge. In fact, Hunters wouldn't look at all out of place on a PSP or even as a high quality Playstation 1 game. While the gameplay and replay value disappoint, you really couldn't ask for much more in this field.
Sound: For as long as I can remember, Metroid games focused more on gameplay than on the musical score, and of course, this one is no exception. While there are a few catchy tunes, don't expect it to have the soundtrack of the year. Also, like all other Metroid games, no spoken dialog is use. I really didn't see them using it in this Metroid/DS game, but it still would've been nice. On top of all of that, the sound effects (monsters roaring, missiles exploding, etc.) are mediocre at best. MPH has far from the best audio effects, but definatly not the worst you can find in a game.
While not as good as the last two Gamecube installments (Metroid Prime & Metroid Prime 2: Echoes), Metroid Prime Hunters is a decent addition to a great series. I love Metroid games, but this one didn't, at all, feel like a Metroid title. Nintendo strayed too far from it's roots by introducing elements too different from that of any other game in the series: planetary travel, too many escape segments and the utter lack of Metroids (not a single one in the entire game.) If you are a hardcore Metroid fan, I'd pick this game up. However, if you just casually play the games in this series, avoid this one at all costs. For those of you whom I've convinced to purchase this game, let thou be warned, this one just doesn't have the staying power needed to thoroughly enjoy it or justify the $30 - $35 price tag.