Metroid Prime Hunters, the best FPS game on the DS?
There are some games on the DS which are totally awful, make no use of the features and are just ported from other systems. There are some games which make bad use of the system features. This game is not one of them, but a great game in it's own right.
Graphically, this is probably the best game on the Nintendo DS. In fact, anyone who is some obsessed PSP fan boy who thinks the DS is not capable of great graphics needs to so see this game while it is being played, as it looks at least better than any Nintendo 64 game, and better than many average Gamecube games. The locations and characters look amazing, and you will just not believe this is running on a handheld console, as it looks almost like a game on a home console of the genre.
Sound wise it varies. Most of the sound is good, and then sound effects do work well for this kind of game. However, music is widly varied in quality, and there are both some music tracks that are absolutely awesome to listen to after a time and some which feel just too boring and quiet to put up with after a few seconds.
On a gameplay note though, the game definetly shines. The quality of the game and how it is made is awesome, the puzzles are relatively clever (however, as I will say later, it needs more actual game and less shooting things) and fighting via the touch screen and controls is a thing to enjoy, which really helps the multiplayer. Multiplayer wise the game is excellent, leaving no gaping flaws, with well built arenas which while compact enough to find the opponents, are large enough to hide in without going miles off the path and getting stuck. The weapons are relatively balanced (note that word, as some hunters with some weapons are better than others) and the game just feels complete, with many more power ups and items added not found in the main story. Plus, you can play online against people around the world and use voice chat, if that means anything to you.
Length wise it is okay. The multiplayer adds stacks of time played to this, just messing around against opponents is hilarious, and the single player is lengthy enough to keep you playing for a long time. The only problem though is that story mode is too short. While some areas like Celestial Archives, Alinos and parts of Acterra are long enough not to let you get bored, Vesper Defence Outpost is far too short, with both visits ending very shortly after arrival and beating the boss. And they could have added about 2 more areas, as parts do feel a bit short. It does not have a massive effect though, as you will enjoy the game itself, and multiplayer should keep you playing.
Overall, it is an excellent game, with plenty to do, unlock and have fun with. However, if you do not play multiplayer (you likely will), the game can be a bit short in the single player part, and some parts are, admittedly a bit samey, with only what seems like two bosses faced through most of the game, and those were not amazing like the final battles. Overall though, it is an excellent purchase, and I highly recommend it.
95% (88% without multiplayer).
