Metroid Prime Hunters - Retrospective

The Metroid series has always been one of my favorites from the gaming universe. I'd heard a lot about the game from friends, and even though it was a launch title for the DS, I never got around to playing it until just this month.

Overall, I found the game enjoyable, but it lacked the level of polish that the other Prime games have. While some of this can be attributed to the smaller screen and lack of processing power on the DS, the rest is actually a fundamental flaw with the game itself.

There are a total of 3 bosses in the entire game, 2 of which you fight 4 times apiece. While the bosses change slightly each time in order to seem harder, the learning curve built into the game doesn't adapt as fast as the player; Every version of the boss is actually slightly easier than the one before it.

I admit I'm not the greatest gamer in the world, especially when it comes to FPS games. Even so, I didn't run into any points in this game where I simply could not continue due to difficulty. On the one hand, this was helpful in keeping me interested in the game, but I can't help feel like better players will end up getting bored quickly.

But no reviewer worth his salt will talk about Metroid Prime Hunters without mentioning the multiplayer. This is where the game truly shines. Some would say it's the only reason to actually own the game. In a way, I'd compare it to Super Smash Bros: Single player is fun for a while, but multiplayer is fun forever. But as a primarily solo player, I can't help but think the game would benefit from being able to play as the other 6 hunters in the regular story mode.

The Good:

• Shockingly good graphics and online gameplay for a handheld title, especially an early generation DS title.
• 6 new bounty hunters vastly expand the game universe.

The Bad:

• No way to play as the other 6 hunters outside of multiplayer.
• Controlling the game on a DS Lite results in cramps in the left hand after only a few minutes of intense combat.

Defining Moment:

• Finding out I beat Slench 4 before Slench 3, and discovering that it was actually far easier than Slench 3.

Burning Questions:

• So, the great power in the Alimbic cluster was just a big powerful monster that killed everyone?
• Why doesn't Nintendo make a sequel to this game for the Wii with online play? It could easily be their answer to Halo. They could have multiple story lines for each of the 7 hunters, essentially septupling the single player mode's life.

Progress for August 28, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters - COMPLETED!

Well, this was unexpected. I beat it! Even after my last post, I got bored while watching TV and decided to pick up my DS and make some more progress. I didn't expect to go all the way to the end, or even to defeat Gorea on only my second attempt.

I had a prediction what kind of battle I'd be up against after reading the scanned information from the Alimbic Phantoms or whatever they're called. A large creature that changes color and powers depending on its vulnerability. Gee, how original! I've never seen that in a game before! (other than Mega Man, Metroid Prime, Kirby 64, Final Fantasy IV DS, Super Mario RPG...)

As with last time, I'll be posting my retrospective tomorrow. G'night everybody!

Progress for August 28, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters

Now the endgame begins. I have 7 of the 8 octoliths, and 2 of the 3 cube thingies to get the last one.
I just wish I could remember which level I found those 2 on. At least there are only 4 of them; not too many I have to check. I'm a little curious what the last Slench will look like; the third one was actually considerably easier than the first 2 simply because of his easier to avoid movement pattern.

I expect I'll be done with this game by the end of the week. Any suggestions for the next game? I want to do something console-based so I can use my pinnacle capture device to record game footage and get more people interested in my blog. Gaming videos are really popular on youtube.

Complete: 61%
Octoliths: 87%

Progress for August 27, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters

Trace headbutted me out of the map!

Now, I've worked in QA, and I realize that it's impossible to get all of the bugs out of a game. So this caught me more off guard than anything else. I fell into the abyss and hit the failsafe built into most 3D games: death. What really surprised me was the announcement that the hunter had taken an octolith. I'd never died to another hunter before (I didn't die this time, technically) but I didn't want to do whatever I assumed I'd have to do to get it back, so I just quit without saving.

Anywho, I'm up to 5 octoliths. I almost died when trying to escape Alinos after claiming the fifth octolith (Trace held me up here as well) I made it to the ship with 1.03 seconds remaining. This leads me into my next complaint.

Now, I understand the need for the doors to hide loading times, but this should NEVER be at the cost of gameplay. I just don't understand why they have to have TWO between every room. It takes a billion years to get through them.

I don't know why we, as gamers, have decided to simply put up with this. The NES had a 1 mhz processor, and there were never any obtrusive loading times. Books don't load. TV shows don't load. DVD movies don't load between chapters. Why have we allowed games like this to tease us for 20 seconds at a time?

Complete: 54%
Octoliths: 62%

Progress for August 24, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters

Instant death puzzles have no place in a Metroid game. Acid pools, 300-foot falls that make you have to climb all the way up again, deadly spike plants, these are all standard Metroid fare.

Instant death puzzles are not.

Anywho... I'm stuck now. I've been to all four planets/space stations and collected the 4 octoliths there. I'll keep exploring; there's probably something I missed, but I was expecting something a bit more climactic for the halfway point.

Complete 46%
Octoliths 50%

Progress for August 21, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters

Magmaul get!

I've started to have to backtrack to several other planets now before finding where I'm supposed to go. I'm not even sure I'm doing things in the right order, or if there even is a correct order this time; although if more open gameplay is what the developers are going for, it's probably something revolutionary for the Metroid series.

You know what I'm talking about.

Complete: 39%
Octoliths: 25%

Progress for August 19, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters

Nothing much to report, other than I expect the game will open up considerably very soon. I just got the Battlehammer, so all of the green doors are accessible to me now. I also fought Sylux, so that leaves only Noxus and Trace to run into now.

On a side note, I love the names and designs of the other hunters. They all seem plausible and just as unique as Samus herself, giving a good cross-section of backgrounds and abilities and a feeling that Samus really isn't alone in the search for the great power. The developers could probably have gotten away with just creating 6 variations of Samus' power suit with different color schemes and called them the new hunters, but they went above and beyond. Kudos to you, Retro Studios. Kudos.

Complete: 29%
Octoliths: 25%

Progress for August 18, 2008 - Metroid Prime Hunters

New game - Start!

So far, the game is pretty straightforward. Enter planet, navigate a small maze, fight a hunter, fight the boss for the octolith, beat a hasty retreat before the planet explodes, (I'm assuming that's what'll happen. I haven't run out of time yet.) I've already come across Kanden, Spire, and Weavel, having visited 2 planets so far. I would have preferred very much a control scheme closer to Metroid Prime, but without an analog stick, that's not going to happen. I suppose the stylus works alright, but it makes my left hand numb after playing for a while.

Complete: 19%
Octoliths: 25%