Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 10
Sound:8
Value: 8
Tilt: 9

Understand this: If you go into Metroid Prime Hunters expecting the robust exploration-based gameplay that we've all come to love about the Metroid series, you will be disappointed. In fact, Metroid Prime: Hunters should be thought of more as a derivative of the series rather than a true Metroid game. That said, Hunters also features by far the most robust Wi-fi offerings on the Nintendo DS to date and some of the most well-balanced multiplayer deathmatch I've ever seen, which alone make this game a worthy addition to any DS owner's library.

The single player follows the exploits of everyone's favorite intergalactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, in the far-flung reaches of the Alimbic cluster, attempting to uncover the mysteries of a lost civilization before its power is claimed by rival factions for their own. To be honest, I don't feel like spending a lot of time talking about the singleplayer; just understand that it's surprisingly straightforward and linear for a metroid game, even exponentially more so than Metroid Fusion. The single player mode will last you between 10 and 20 hours and it stays decent at best throughout. You'll probably end up finishing the game more to unlock the game's gorgeous cutscenes and to gawk at the fantastic graphics of the game. And the graphics are spectacular; it is by far and away the best-looking game for the DS yet.

The bulk of the lasting appeal of this game comes from the online multiplayer aspect of the game. To keep the review short, let me just say that the multiplayer is excellent, and by excellent I mean it does for the Nintendo DS what Goldeneye did for the N64 and what Halo did for the Xbox. You can choose from seven bounty hunters (including Samus) in this mode, each with their own special affinities and powers. For example, Samus can roll into her signature morph ball, and her charged missiles home in on their targets. One hunter turns invisible when wielding the sniper weapon and staying still for 3 seconds, and another one can detach his body from his legs and moves around on his arms, while the leg portion of his suit fires laser rounds from a turret mounted on the top. Despite the wide variety featured in the multiplayer, the game is incredibly well balanced and no single character outclasses the others (however, you will have to figure out different ways to deal with each of the other hunters' special abilities). The game features over 26 maps and a half dozen game modes such as king of the hill and timed matches, and, perhaps best of all, voice-over IP (VOIP) in friend matches that works surprisingly well given the hardware it's running on

All in all, Hunters' multiplayer is what makes this game really shine, although many Metroid fans will undoubtedly be upset at the lackluster and nontraditional single-player game. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Metroid Prime: Hunters an 8.5.



8.5