Metroid Prime Hunters Review

Without a doubt, this generation of gaming has been plagued by games that were delayed. Delays are generally a good thing as they allow developers more time to ensure a more quality enriched end product. They end up disappointing some that are eagerly anticipating the game, but it all goes back to how a game that’s delayed usually ends up better. When the Nintendo DS first launched in 2004, we were treated to the demo of a soon releasing game. It was called Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt. However, the demo discouraged a lot of people due to the awkwardness of the controls and how empty it felt. Thankfully after multiple delays, Nintendo Software Technologies was able to deliver a package that is pleasing to fans of Metroid and the FPS genre.

The Metroid franchise is extremely well-known for its content-filled single player adventures. In just about every Metroid game, there is a huge focus on taking the role of Samus Aran. For years she has trekked from galaxy to galaxy in order to stop evil and find everything out about it. Metroid Prime Hunters is no different. There is a single player adventure, but there’s a problem. This Metroid has to be the most disappointing one since the franchise’s birth in terms of single player satisfaction. That doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable, but the effort put into it leaves quite a bit to be desired.

The story of MPH takes place in the Tetra Galaxy, but more specifically the Alimbic Cluster. There used to be a race known as the Alimbics who ironically like the Chozo were an extremely intelligent and self sufficient race. However, an extremely evil power or entity somehow managed to cause them to go into extinction. But before this actually happened, the Alimbics managed to seal away their most powerful secrets. The Cluster went dormant for a time, but soon came back to life. This event caused a telepathic message to be sent across the universe. The message was simple yet eye opening, “The key to the ultimate power lies in the Alimbic Cluster.”

With a message like that, there’s bound to be a number of interested people in terms of just what that is. The Galactic Federation intercepted the message and called upon Miss Aran to find this power, keep it out of the hands of evil and protect her people. However, six other bounty hunters have gotten wind of this message, and are just as much motivated to go after the prize. Utilizing her trusty Hunter Gunship, Samus must once again go on a mission to protect the universe, find this power and compete with six other hunters to claim it. This will take her to the Alimbic Cluster, which consists of the Celestial Archives, the Vesper Defense Outpost and planets Alinos and Arcterra.

This actually isn’t a bad story at all, so that’s not what is missing here. The problem lies in the execution of the story. Metroid is usually reliable on two things. One is a ton of information to read through your Scan Visor. The other is having a very lengthy adventure encompassing backtracking and exploration. Metroid Prime Hunters, unfortunately, has minimal aspects of both. Apparently the limitations of the DS forced NST to offer less-than-detailed scan logs. When you switch to your scanner, you see the trademark icons from the GameCube Metroid Primes, but their information is very limited. Most of the time, you’ll read no more than two sentences’ worth of information. Hunters also happens to be an usually straightforward game for being part of Metroid. There are four different locations to trek back and forth to with your ship, but 90% of the time you’ll know what you have to do. There are a couple instances where you may end up spending a bit more time than you’d like just to find one thing, but that generally doesn’t happen in a collective sense. NST tried to fix this by having you face the other hunters, but chances are you’ll never be defeated by them.

Speaking of these ‘other hunters’, just who are they? Well it’s simple, they are six other completely different bounty hunters after the same thing you are. First you have Kanden. He was a lab experiment gone wrong, and he desires nothing but destruction and personal power. Next there’s Spire. Spire is a being made completely of organic rock. He’s also the last of his race, and he’s after the ultimate power to find out what happened to his people. Third is Trace. This fellow is a member of a race that exiles their members from the home planet after a certain age. Wanting to prove himself a warrior and expand his race’s population, he desires this power. Then we have Noxus. Noxus happens to be the closest to Samus in terms of overall objective. Just like Miss Aran, he wants to deliver justice to all evildoers in the galaxy. The fifth is Weavel. Weavel is simply out for revenge, as he’s a former Space Pirate general that was critically wounded in a battle with Samus. Finally there’s Sylux. Ironically he looks just like a Galactic Federation trooper, but his mind couldn’t be more opposite. He despises everything about the Federation and Samus Aran. No one knows why, but he wants them dead.

Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, Hunters still has a lot to offer in the single player. The game controls rather beautifully. There is a small learning curve for everyone who plays simply because there are no other games out for the DS like it. Just imagine a PC FPS game put on a handheld system and you have MPH. The stylus is like your mouse, the D-Pad like ‘W/A/S/D’ and the L shoulder button your left click. This does require a bit of a workout for your hands, but after a while you will really become accustomed to it. There are multiple control schemes as well, ones for righties and lefties. While it does take some time to learn, the game is just a blast once you get a hold of it.