Metroid Prime: Hunters

Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Review Type: Touchy
Version: Retail

I'm still not entirely convinced that 3D gaming works on the Nintendo DS. And yet somehow Metroid Prime: Hunters milks as much nuance as you can expect from a difficult control scheme. It helps that there are four control options -- two use the stylus for movement, two use buttons and the d-pad. I figured I'd go for the latter, but discovered the rigid camera movement in that mode to make me mildly motion sick.

I've got big hands, so I'm playing with a large stylus. Even so, I'm experiencing a bit of cramping in my trigger finger. The biggest drawback of playing with the stylus is the need to double tap the touch screen to jump. Deliberate moves like this are fine when playing through the game's story mode, but it feels like a distinct disadvantage when playing against other players online.

Despite all these gripes, Metroid Prime: Hunters is still a pretty good game. Multiplayer is fast and extremely challenging. And the single player, while not as organic-feeling as the GameCube games, still contains enough exploration and interesting boss battles to keep things interesting.

Most interesting is the way this game highlights the game cliches that this series desperately needs to outgrow. Who designs security systems that unlock doors once you've killed every living thing in a room? And seriously, couldn't the writers have come up with quest for Samus? This time she's hunting for an item that grants its bearer "ultimate power." Since when where there ninjas in the Metroid universe?

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