Metroid Prime: Hunters

The games coming out March 20, and it is looking like one of the best DS titles to date.

There have recently been an extensive amounts of information revealed on multiplayer, showing the game to be full of online options that were sorely lacking in Mario Kart: DS. The 20+ maps in the game, the 7 playable bounty hunters and all 7 multiplayer modes are available online, and it now has been revealed to include a Voice over IP chat function available in the pre and post game lobby. The drawback to this is that you can only speak to opponents on your Rivals list (this games equivalent of the friends list), but a welcome addition is the freedom to add opponents to your list online without the hassle of tracking them down on message boards and posting codes.

In addition, there is extensive stat tracking from the game detailing information such as kills and deaths using each of the hunters, favorite weapons, most used morph forms, number of intentional disconnects (it only counts disconnects from the player turning the system off, not from dead batteries), win/losses, headshots and more. This information is public information to your opponents, and can also be found on Nintendo's website.

Also improved from Mario Kart DS's online interface is match making. A player can now host a match, in which they will select all the rules and the map for the round, and other players can join freely, with the host starting the match at any time, or you can simply browse the matches open, and pick one that you would like to join.

The single player is being met personally by mixed emotions. On one hand, recent interviews have stated that it is fairly long, only being slightly shorter than Metroid Prime. However, Samus begins this adventure fully powered. In addition, the single player campaign is level based, with each level being a different planet Samus travels to. Still, the developer's promise plenty of exploration, puzzle solving and the oversized bosses Metroid fans have grown to love alongside the shooting, so it has promise as well.

Some screenshots below (courtesy of IGN):



And some plenty of gameplay movies and information at:

http://metroidhunters.com/launch/index.jsp

It really looks like a polished game that won't disappoint when it is released this month.

FRIEND CODES:
WraithTwo: 4982-8383-0672
BlueMikey: 4166-7940-2040
Darkcomet72: 2663-5552-7906
NES Oldskooler: 3479-5991-0223
Ronz: 3178-9512-4349
StarmanDX: 5455-2841-2680
Tails: 4166-7937-2335
Triad: 2534-7054-1123

EDIT: Added link to official page

EDIT 2: Added friend codes list

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Turbo

Ohhh man. I am looking forward to this game, more for the multiplayer part over the single player... Almost as long as metroid prime? Thats crazy, fitting that on a DS catridge? AND included multiplayer? Nuts.

The lobby seems to be a step in the right dirrection for nintendo, stats tracking, even Voice over IP seems to be a major plus (if its really going to be there). I wodner though, is the DS system itself capable of managing that? Online game, 8 people fragfest, (8 or 4?, cant remember) shouting at eachother? I'd imagine some lag happening there...

Speaking of VOIP, does that mean we'll finaly be able to see the DS 'headset' or microphone? It would look kinda strange screaming into the little hole on your DS. Just my two cents.

Well, the VoIP is DEFINITELY in there, IGN had a hands on with the game, and they said that it actually worked quite well. The online is limited to 4 players though, and the VoIP isn't active during the game, it only exists for chatting pre and post game. For those that don't wanna look silly talking to their DS, there is also text chat supported.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Akai-chan

I could have sworn that I heard that there will be bots...

lol, I just came back to the thread because I forgot to mention that there are bots available of varying difficulty to fill out games. It has a limited single card mode as well (all 4 players are Samus, one map).

- WraithTwo -

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Hybrid Hunter

No bots in online mode though, thats what i read somewhere...
Either way i'll just wait and see if at least 3 other people i know get it so i can play online.

Why do you need more people that you know for online play? You can always find someone to play online whether you know them or not, and its even better now, because you can add those you're playing to your friends list.

- WraithTwo -

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Newbie1234

From the videos I've seen, the game looks pretty bad in my opinion. I personally would've preferred another 2D Metroid.

Who WOULDN'T prefer another 2D Metroid? But seriously, ya can't think of this as another Metroid installment, but a damn good looking online portable FPS.

- WraithTwo -

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by galen

Yes you can, it's easy:

1. Read the Box.

2. Notice the title says "Metroid Prime: Hunters."

3. Easily conclude this is a Metroid game.

However, it doesn't contain all of the gameplay elements that one would associate with Metroid. I'm just warning that as a typical Metroid game, it may fall short, but as a shooter, it looks to be excellent.

- WraithTwo -

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by chaofan

Now here's hoping the other bounty hunters are unique and don't feel exactly like Samus ala SSBM clones. Sure, the moves were the same but Nintendo did a great job and making them feel different from the characters they were cloned off.

Maybe Rare will set up a subsidary company to release a Perfect Dark spinoff on the DS? In my dreams.

Well, the additional hunters have vastly different morph forms, and they each specialize in a different weapon giving them additional abilities when they use it.

Samus
Morph: Morph Ball (not even gonna explain this one)
Specialization: Missile. Samus does a little more damage with Missiles and is the only one that can fire homing missiles (currently unclear as to if Samus must charge them for the missile to lock on)

Trace
Morph: Triskelion (fast, can partially cloak, only form of offense is a hard to aim lunge attack at enemy)
Specialization: Imperialist. The Imperialist is the Sniper Rifle in this game, no word as to what his specialization does for the weapon though.

Weavel
Morph: Half Turret (His body splits in half, with the lower half creating an immovable auto turret, and you control his upper half. While controling his form, you can use his energy scythe to attack opponents)
Specialization: Battlehammer. Not sure what this weapon is yet.

Sylux
Morph: Lockjaw (gains a degree of flight, drops mines. When an enemy approaches the mines, a beam of light connects the mine to the enemy, and the mine rides along the beam then detonates. can only have 3 mines active at a time)
Specialization: Shock Coil. Not sure what this weapon is yet.

Spire
Morph: Dialanche (turns into a huge boulder that can attack anything in a radius around him, and can scale vertical surfaces, but is slow for an alternate form. This form is the same speed as the bipedal forms)
Specialization: Magmaul. With his specialization, the beam when charged will set the target on fire, dealing additional damage over time.

Noxus
Morph: Vhoscythe (yay top form! spins like a top, hard to control, can attack all in a radius around his spinning form with a spinning blade)
Specialization: Judicator. Not sure what this weapon is yet.

Kanden
Morph: Stinglarva (turns into a bug that can fire missiles from behind with limited homing capabilities)
Specialization: Volt Driver. Not sure what this weapon is yet.

FELIPE NO

It ships today, most stores get it tomorrow. I get out of school at 11 on Tuesdays, and am running by EB to pick my pre-ordered copy up right after.

- WraithTwo -

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Darkcomet72

I have absolutely no idea whether to get this game or not. On the one hand, I am not the biggest fan of FPS's, and they don't last much long for me. Also, I have never played the GCN Metroid Prime games, so major complications there, especially if the skills between the three games are interchangable.

On the other hand, I had quite a bit of fun with the demo even with it's flaws and quirks. I am pretty sure that practicing the Demo version won't make me much better because of the seemingly revamped control schemes I'm hearing about in the main game, which is a GOOD thing. I don't want to be left behind skill wise because I didn't practice the demo often .

Especially because I have the chance to pick it up tomorrow (unless it's sold out), I have to think fast about this. There are so many games coming out in such a small period of time that I want, and it's not the holiday season WTF.

Well, I've played the NEW demo, and the main control scheme isn't any different, simply tighter and more refined feeling (with added sensitivity adjustment).

- WraithTwo -

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Cactuar

There's still only one review of Metroid Prime Hunters on Gamerankings, they're taking their time to review this arent they?

Yeah, only Nintendo Power and Gamepro have even reviewed it. NP gave is an 8 and an 8.5, and Gamepro gave it a 4.5/5. Kind of annoying that we haven't even seen anything from IGN or Gamespot yet (IGN has even had a billion previews for the game, but no review).

- WraithTwo -

There's nowhere I can't reach.

yeah, I LOVE this game. Its soo fun, even though I'm not great at it. Is it just me, or are the bots pretty good? They run when getting whooped, aim better than I can, know when to morph and how to find strategic positions on the maps. Single player is great so far. I'm on the first visit to the fourth planet currently, and I have two of the beams. Will add my friend code as soon as I get online.

- WraithTwo -

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yeah, sure, I'll take care of it tonight after work.

EDIT: Friend codes have been compliled on the first post, so add away.

- WraithTwo -

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by nazpyro

Somewhat of a storyline question:

I haven't played a single game from the Metroid Prime series. Would this detract at all from my playing experience? If so, in what ways?

This game is very disconnected from all other Metroids, in story as well as gameplay. You'll enjoy this if you want a varied, fun fps on the go. The single player is good, but a bit repetitive. Its definetly good enough for one playthrough, but I don't know about 2.

In short, no you don't have to know anything about Metroid to play this game.

- WraithTwo -

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Turbo

So I got me Hutners today, and I just beat the second planet. Pretty okay so far... I hope it gets more... metroidish though.

Not gonna happen. As much as I love this game, it just isn't Metroid. This is a game made for multiplayer, the single player is not really up to par (although it is decent).

- WraithTwo -

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?