Is Metroid Prime: Hunters really the best first person shooter for a handheld? More than likely, even though it’s probably the only one in the eyes of the average gamer. Some people seem to forget that both Doom and Doom 2 were released on the GBA just a couple of years ago, not to mention the countless number of homebrewed Doom and Quake ports on portable devices. As a finely tuned FPS, Metroid Prime: Hunters certainly delivers what you would expect, carrying over elements from the Gamecube versions that made them some of the best games I’ve ever played. The controls are suprisingly easy to get used to, but the lack of custom configurations is limiting for those that aren’t huge fans of the touch screen and default button assignments for Right and Left handed players. The aiming and “mouselook” with the Thumb-strap felt completely natural as someone who plays FPS on the PC regularly, and I’m impressed how easily this control scheme has been adapted for the DS. As a result, the multiplayer feels fast and action-heavy, and a lot like playing Quake III Arena. The race for the big weapons and bunny hopping to dodge rockets is usually most players’ default strategy. The fact that it plays so well without me realizing I’m using a handheld is evidence enough that Hunters has managed to make full use of the DS’ abilities. But that’s where some reviews seem to end. What about the game?

The premise behind Metroid Prime: Hunters is that you’re one of seven bounty hunters searching the Alimbic Cluster for ancient artifacts called “octoliths”. Staying true to the Metroid theme, your missions take place amongst the ruins of ancient civilizations and wayward space stations which are accessible by your ship. The engine appears to have improved tremendously since I played the “First Hunt” demo that came with my DS, and is amazingly fluid and detailed. It makes it hard to believe that you’re experiencing it on a handheld.

The Metroid series has always been about exploration. However, what is immediately noticable is the way Hunters is set up to direct you along a prescribed path towards a) facing an opposing hunter b) beating a boss monster and c) getting an Octolith. The action becomes predictable, and the linearity is obvious after the first two missions. Though completing the second mission opens up the field by allowing you to fly to more than one planet, but this ability to travel to different planets comes across as a feature that is intended to make the game seem larger than it really is. The missions on each planet seem small and confined, not at all reflecting what has been done previously on the Gamecube or even the classic 2D Metroid adventures. The linearity is further exaggerated by the goals that the game sets for you. It’s obvious that the Octoliths are important to the story. But they don’t do anything once you collect them, and the relics found on each planet only serve to unlock a few doors. The only new powers you can look forward to obtaining are new beam weapons – which are great in their own right – but this hems very close to the traditional FPS that is centralized around the acquisition of bigger weapons, not “powers” or special items that are needed to further explore your surroundings.

There are no save points in the game, which isn’t a total loss because the levels are basically “split” in half by portals leading back to your ship (where you can save) and on to the final boss battle. What is easily the most frustrating aspect of each mission are the timed sequences that begin after you kill the boss monster on each planet. You have a set time period to return to your ship and leave the planet’s surface. Though the game doesn’t make it easy – aside from remembering the correct pathway through the all but indistinguishable hallways, there are often enemies in your way that must be killed in order to proceed. Timed sequences are lazy ways of making the game hard. There is a checkpoint after you killed the boss if you fail, but there aren’t save points – if you have to quit you’ll be starting the boss battle again.

I think it’s an interesting move to introduce a bunch of new characters into the Metroid universe – it’s become quite tiresome to be fighting the same enemies in every installment, like Ripley and his space pirate cronies. It also makes Samus Aran seem a little less important in the game’s universe, which is good, because it leaves room to develop some original storylines. Each of your adversaries has their own special attacks, including their own “small forms” that allow them to get into otherwise inaccessible areas. Even their HUDs are different when you choose to play as one of them in multiplayer.

When I first connected to Nintendo Wi-Fi, I was notified that my DS and Metroid Prime: Hunters game card would be considered a “set”; that is, only my Nintendo DS and my copy of Hunters would be able to play multiplayer via Nintendo Wi-Fi. While this eliminates the possibility of piracy, what about people I lend my copy of the game to? No information is stored locally about the game – it’s all saved on the game’s cartridge. Furthermore, what about the people that want to replace their Grey Brick with the sleek and sexy DS Lite? I’d be curious to see how this is handled. I was also a bit annoyed at the limitations in setting up multiplayer games. There are no provisions to allow you to set up your own game and effectively “host” a match (you can only do this in local multiplayer); instead you’re dumped into a default lobby with a few other people where you can select your Hunter and vote for the map you want to play on. You can’t change any settings like time or frag limits, or what weapons can be used. There is an exponential improvement over Mario Kart DS for the amount of player data collected, however – everything from your favorite weapon to the number of kills is recorded. You can also add people you’ve played through a random match to your rivals list by selecting them in the game summary after the match. This is a great feature to make those random match-ups seem less anonymous.

It’s hard not to be distracted by the way Metroid Prime capitalizes on the DS’s many strengths. It’s obviously well-polished, and tried its hardest to convince me that it would be one of the best games I would play all year. However, I can’t help but feel that this was simply a showcase for the technology rather than a full realization of the game’s potential. Hunters is a great introduction to what can be done with FPS on the DS – I just expected there would be a lot more to see.