Metroid Prime Hunters
Encyclopedia
Metroid Prime Hunters is a first-person shooter
and adventure game
for the Nintendo DS
handheld video game console
. It was developed by American video game developer
s Nintendo Software Technology
, and was released by Nintendo
in North America in March 2006, in Europe and Australia in May 2006, and in Japan in June 2006. When the Nintendo DS launched in 2004, the console included an unrated early demo of Metroid Prime Hunters, titled Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, in most regions.
At the beginning of the game, the governing body of the galaxy, the Galactic Federation, asks bounty hunter
Samus Aran
to investigate a mysterious message that originated from the Alimbic solar system. Traveling throughout the system, Samus discovers that long ago, a creature named Gorea destroyed most of the peaceful civilization that once lived there, the Alimbics. Before it could do more harm, the Alimbics sealed Gorea away. Samus learns that Gorea sent the transmission to the Galactic Federation, and that she must defeat the creature before it escapes its intergalactic prison.
Reviews were generally favorable towards the game, which received an aggregated score of 85% from Metacritic
and a 84.23% from GameRankings. Praise focused on its gameplay and graphics, while criticism targeted its control scheme. Metroid Prime Hunters received several honors, including an Editors' Choice Award from IGN
, which also named the game the Best DS Action Game of 2006. Nintendo Power
gave it awards for Best Graphics, Best Shooter/Action Game, and Best Wi-Fi Functionality. Over 410,000 copies of the game were sold in North America in its first month of release, and it was the fourth best-selling game during its debut month in Japan.
, who is equipped with a Power Suit that allows her to access her gunship
from anywhere. She can scan almost any object in the game; the gunship will return relevant information retrieved from its database. An Arm Cannon is attached to the Power Suit, which she uses to attack enemies. To enter small tunnels, Samus can roll into a Morph Ball, an alternative form of the Power Suit that decreases her size substantially. In this form, she is given an unlimited supply of bombs but is only allowed to use three at a time. She can use the bombs to defend herself and destroy small objects.
In Metroid Prime Hunters, the Nintendo DS's top screen shows Samus's HUD
as seen from her visor, which displays the amount of remaining ammunition for the currently selected weapon along with her health
; in multiplayer games, the number of kills and time remaining in the round are also shown. The bottom touchscreen
displays the radar. When using the default control scheme, movement is controlled using the D-pad
, and aiming is controlled by dragging the stylus
along the touchscreen.
Metroid Prime Hunters features a multiplayer mode that supports up to four players and includes voice chat
capability. In it, the player is able to control Samus or one of six other bounty hunters featured in the single-player mode. Each bounty hunter has a unique alternative form, such as Samus's Morph Ball, and a special weapon. The game host can set options for point and time limits, and restrict the use of radar. Computer-controlled players
of varying skill levels can be added to games if the maximum of four players is not met.
and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
. At the beginning of the game, the governing body of the galaxy, the Galactic Federation, receives a strange telepathic message that states the key to the "ultimate power" resides in the Alimbic solar system. The Federation broadcasts a message to bounty hunter Samus Aran
, asking her to investigate and retrieve this power. Six other bounty hunters intercept the transmission and proceed to the Alimbic solar system to claim the power for themselves.
Through investigation of the planets and space stations that orbit the Alimbic sun, Samus gradually pieces together the history of the Alimbic race. She discovers that they were a peaceful, spiritual, highly evolved society. The Alimbic utopia was shattered when a meteor, called a Leviathan, struck the planet, and out of it emerged a monstrous creature named Gorea. The creature copied the cellular structure of the Alimbics, physically mimicking them and their weapons, and destroyed their civilization. Unable to stop Gorea's rampage, the last of their race transformed themselves into focused telepathic energy, then confined Gorea into a "Seal Sphere", which they placed in a starship
called the Oubliette. The ship was launched into a dimensional rift called the Infinity Void, to be released only when eight keys called "Octoliths" were assembled.
After warding off the other bounty hunters, Samus retrieves the eight Octoliths and opens the Infinity Void. Here, she and the other six hunters confront Gorea, who originated the telepathic message in an attempt to free itself. After the beast absorbs the powers of Samus' rivals, she defeats Gorea using the Alimbic weapon called the "Omega Cannon". As Samus and the other hunters evacuate the exploding Oubliette on their respective ships, three Alimbic spirits appear before Samus, and honor her with a salute.
(NST) was led by the game's director, Masamichi Abe
and the lead technical engineer, Colin Reed, who had both previously worked together on several games, including the Nintendo games Pikmin
and 1080° Snowboarding
. The team for Hunters was composed of thirty people, which Abe noted was larger than the development team of most other Nintendo DS games. Kensuke Tanabe of Nintendo Company, Limited
(NCL) in Japan came up with the original idea for the game. Retro Studios
, which developed previous Metroid Prime games, was unable to develop Metroid Prime Hunters because it was already working on a game. Therefore, Tanabe contacted NST with the idea, and let them develop it instead. NST developed the game instead of NCL because Nintendo wanted the division to influence Metroid Prime Hunters with western ideals, styles, and presentation.
While developing the game, most of NST's efforts were focused on its multiplayer aspect because of its first-person shooter
gameplay, and to take advantage of the Wi-Fi and voice chat capabilities of the Nintendo DS. One of the game's designers, Richard Vorodi, noted that "the hardware kinda dictated [their focus onto the game's multiplayer mode]." Wanting to introduce a new element to the Metroid series, Abe created several new bounty hunters after he realized that the game's multiplayer mode and the new bounty hunters could both be implemented seamlessly into the game: "We had this idea early on and thought that would be a good way to introduce [Metroid Prime Hunters] and [the new bounty hunters] to the gameplay and take advantage of that in the multiplayer." Metroid Prime Hunters includes several references to previous games in the Metroid Prime series. Samus' ship is from the original Metroid Prime, and her suit is the same one that appears in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The developers decided to add them because they wanted to show that the technology has evolved, and they also wanted to include something that was instantly recognizable to those who had played previous games in the series.
The game was first revealed at the E3 convention in 2004. An early demo, titled Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, was included as a pack-in game
with the Nintendo DS
when it launched in 2004. Only a single-player game, it consisted of training scenarios with no specific plot. After the demo was released, the game's controls shifted from a control stick
method to stylus
aiming. When Nintendo received negative feedback at E3 2005 about the game's lack of an online feature, the company announced in August 2005 that the game's release would be delayed to give the developers time to implement Nintendo WFC
support.
After the game's release was delayed to give NST time to implement the multiplayer feature, the developers took the time to make more changes. They worked on the game's framerate to make the graphics move more smoothly. The game's visuals were improved; a developer added reflections
to the Morph Ball. The other developers admired the effect, and added it to other parts of the game. NST collaborated with Retro Studios
, the company behind several Metroid games, to design the game's art and characters to make sure that they fit into the overall Metroid series. When asked why Metroid Prime Hunters was placed between Metroid Prime
and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
chronologically, Reed noted that the game was not influenced by the story of either game, so there were no continuity issues. He described Hunters as a side story to the Metroid Prime series.
and a 84.23% from GameRankings. Several reviews praised the amount of value that Metroid Prime Hunters offered on the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. GameZone
considered the game phenomenal, and believed that it used the DS to its maximum potential regarding graphical ability and innovation. The Toronto Sun remarked that the graphics were big enough selling points on their own for the game, and The Press
called Metroid Prime Hunters the best-looking game for the Nintendo DS. The Australian
agreed that the graphics are "outstanding" and push the Nintendo DS to its limits, and The Independent
asserted that Metroid Prime Hunters was perhaps the best first-person shooter ever for a handheld console. GamePro
s review stated that "it's hard to imagine how Nintendo squeezed Hunters into a tiny DS cartridge." Despite a few "small quirks", the magazine noted that Hunters "is a very polished game". The Times
concurred with these claims, remarking, "A lot of thought has clearly gone into making the most of the DS's touch-screen capability here, and it works gloriously."
Game Revolution
admired the "high-quality work" found in the game's production design and smooth online play. 1UP.com
asserted that fans of the Metroid series should recognize the technical achievements that the game showcases. GamesRadar
lauded Metroid Prime Hunters gameplay, and believed that the game was strictly for hardcore gamers "who live for fragfests
". Convinced that making a Metroid game different from its slow-paced adventure predecessors into a "nail-biting wrecking ball" was a "risky trick", they appreciated the results, stating, "Damn did it ever work." Both GameSpot
and Game Informer
enjoyed the game's "worthwhile" and "electrifying" multiplayer mode. Nintendo Power praised the game as a "new-school, action-packed" game that makes a "great addition to the growing collection of Wi-Fi titles", and The Guardian
claimed the game's multiplayer aspect as their favorite feature. The Sunday Times
wrote that Metroid Prime Hunters does a "staggering job" of replicating the style of previous Metroid Prime games.
Complaints about the game stemmed primarily from its control scheme. IGN
found that the high learning curve and "cramp-inducing" control scheme made it difficult to play. This sentiment was shared by Electronic Gaming Monthly
, which claimed that placing the interface used to switch visors and weapons on the touchscreen made the process unnecessarily complex. The magazine was also disappointed with the game's single-player mode, claiming that it does not live up to the experience offered in previous games in the Metroid Prime series. They criticized the levels as "contrived and predictable", and noted that the designs felt too formulaic "after a few worlds of hunting for keys, fighting repeat bosses, and escaping before the bomb blows". The Washington Times
agreed that the game's repetitiveness eventually grew tiring, and that "manipulating the DS controls will be a painfully cramped endeavor".
Concurring with this sentiment, GameSpy
noted that using the stylus to play the game felt a bit strange. Eurogamer
also expressed their disapproval of the control scheme, predicting it would lead to "the coming years of physiotherapy on [their] arms". They were also unhappy with the game's "flimsy" multiplayer experience, noting that it is best used when played locally with friends who also have the game. X-Play
had particularly negative sentiments about the game, stating, "This feels like yet another genre shoehorned poorly onto hardware that just isn’t equipped to handle it."
Metroid Prime Hunters was the fourth best-selling game in its debut month in Japan, selling over 32,000 units, and has since sold over 90,000 units there. Over 410,000 units of the game were sold in North America in its first month. Hunters received several awards and honors; IGN
gave it an Editors' Choice award and named it the Best DS Action Game of 2006. The game also received the awards for Best Graphics, Best Shooter/Action Game, and Best Wi-Fi Functionality from Nintendo Power
for 2006.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
handheld video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was developed by American video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
s Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation is an American-based first-party developer for the Japanese video game corporation Nintendo. NST was created to specifically create games for Nintendo consoles for the North American market. Although Claude Comair was co-founder of NST, he retired from his...
, and was released by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
in North America in March 2006, in Europe and Australia in May 2006, and in Japan in June 2006. When the Nintendo DS launched in 2004, the console included an unrated early demo of Metroid Prime Hunters, titled Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, in most regions.
At the beginning of the game, the governing body of the galaxy, the Galactic Federation, asks bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
Samus Aran
Samus Aran
is the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
to investigate a mysterious message that originated from the Alimbic solar system. Traveling throughout the system, Samus discovers that long ago, a creature named Gorea destroyed most of the peaceful civilization that once lived there, the Alimbics. Before it could do more harm, the Alimbics sealed Gorea away. Samus learns that Gorea sent the transmission to the Galactic Federation, and that she must defeat the creature before it escapes its intergalactic prison.
Reviews were generally favorable towards the game, which received an aggregated score of 85% from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and a 84.23% from GameRankings. Praise focused on its gameplay and graphics, while criticism targeted its control scheme. Metroid Prime Hunters received several honors, including an Editors' Choice Award from IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, which also named the game the Best DS Action Game of 2006. Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
gave it awards for Best Graphics, Best Shooter/Action Game, and Best Wi-Fi Functionality. Over 410,000 copies of the game were sold in North America in its first month of release, and it was the fourth best-selling game during its debut month in Japan.
Gameplay
Like the previous titles in the Prime series, Metroid Prime Hunters is generally classified as a first-person adventure to highlight the focus on navigation and discovery. However, the game differs from its predecessors with the removal of assisted aiming, more action-oriented gameplay, and the inclusion of an online multiplayer mode. The player controls Samus AranSamus Aran
is the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
, who is equipped with a Power Suit that allows her to access her gunship
Gunship
The term "gunship" is used in several contexts, all sharing the general idea of a light craft armed with heavy guns.-In Navy:In the Navy, the term originally appeared in the mid-19th century as a less-common synonym for gunboat.-In military aviation:...
from anywhere. She can scan almost any object in the game; the gunship will return relevant information retrieved from its database. An Arm Cannon is attached to the Power Suit, which she uses to attack enemies. To enter small tunnels, Samus can roll into a Morph Ball, an alternative form of the Power Suit that decreases her size substantially. In this form, she is given an unlimited supply of bombs but is only allowed to use three at a time. She can use the bombs to defend herself and destroy small objects.
In Metroid Prime Hunters, the Nintendo DS's top screen shows Samus's HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
as seen from her visor, which displays the amount of remaining ammunition for the currently selected weapon along with her health
Health (game mechanic)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
; in multiplayer games, the number of kills and time remaining in the round are also shown. The bottom touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
displays the radar. When using the default control scheme, movement is controlled using the D-pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
, and aiming is controlled by dragging the stylus
Stylus
A stylus is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery. The word is also used for a computer accessory . It usually refers to a narrow elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are heavily curved to be held more easily...
along the touchscreen.
Metroid Prime Hunters features a multiplayer mode that supports up to four players and includes voice chat
Voice chat
Voice chat is a modern form of communication used on the Internet. The means of communicating with voice chat is through any of the messengers, mainly Skype, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, inSpeak Communicator or Windows Live Messenger...
capability. In it, the player is able to control Samus or one of six other bounty hunters featured in the single-player mode. Each bounty hunter has a unique alternative form, such as Samus's Morph Ball, and a special weapon. The game host can set options for point and time limits, and restrict the use of radar. Computer-controlled players
Computer game bot
A bot, most prominently in the first-person shooter types , is a type of weak AI expert system software which for each instance of the program controls a player in deathmatch, team deathmatch and/or cooperative human player. Computer bots may play against other bots and/or human players in unison,...
of varying skill levels can be added to games if the maximum of four players is not met.
Plot
In the Metroid series chronology, Metroid Prime Hunters takes place third in the Metroid fictional universe, between Metroid PrimeMetroid Prime
Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...
and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, known as in Japan, is a first-person, action-adventure video game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console. It is the seventh game in the Metroid series, a direct sequel to Metroid Prime, and the first game in the series with...
. At the beginning of the game, the governing body of the galaxy, the Galactic Federation, receives a strange telepathic message that states the key to the "ultimate power" resides in the Alimbic solar system. The Federation broadcasts a message to bounty hunter Samus Aran
Samus Aran
is the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
, asking her to investigate and retrieve this power. Six other bounty hunters intercept the transmission and proceed to the Alimbic solar system to claim the power for themselves.
Through investigation of the planets and space stations that orbit the Alimbic sun, Samus gradually pieces together the history of the Alimbic race. She discovers that they were a peaceful, spiritual, highly evolved society. The Alimbic utopia was shattered when a meteor, called a Leviathan, struck the planet, and out of it emerged a monstrous creature named Gorea. The creature copied the cellular structure of the Alimbics, physically mimicking them and their weapons, and destroyed their civilization. Unable to stop Gorea's rampage, the last of their race transformed themselves into focused telepathic energy, then confined Gorea into a "Seal Sphere", which they placed in a starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
called the Oubliette. The ship was launched into a dimensional rift called the Infinity Void, to be released only when eight keys called "Octoliths" were assembled.
After warding off the other bounty hunters, Samus retrieves the eight Octoliths and opens the Infinity Void. Here, she and the other six hunters confront Gorea, who originated the telepathic message in an attempt to free itself. After the beast absorbs the powers of Samus' rivals, she defeats Gorea using the Alimbic weapon called the "Omega Cannon". As Samus and the other hunters evacuate the exploding Oubliette on their respective ships, three Alimbic spirits appear before Samus, and honor her with a salute.
Development
The development team for Metroid Prime Hunters at Nintendo Software TechnologyNintendo Software Technology
Nintendo Software Technology Corporation is an American-based first-party developer for the Japanese video game corporation Nintendo. NST was created to specifically create games for Nintendo consoles for the North American market. Although Claude Comair was co-founder of NST, he retired from his...
(NST) was led by the game's director, Masamichi Abe
Masamichi Abe
is a video game director and planner for Nintendo Co., Ltd.Abe joined Nintendo Co., Ltd., EAD after a successful tenure at Namco Ltd. He is currently working with Nintendo Software Technology Corporation....
and the lead technical engineer, Colin Reed, who had both previously worked together on several games, including the Nintendo games Pikmin
Pikmin
is a strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001. Pikmin is the first game in the Pikmin series of video games, and the third game for the Gamecube overall. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. Pikmin was released on October 26, 2001...
and 1080° Snowboarding
1080° Snowboarding
, often referred to as just 1080°, is a snowboard racing video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and first released in Japan on February 28, 1998. It was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console service in 2008...
. The team for Hunters was composed of thirty people, which Abe noted was larger than the development team of most other Nintendo DS games. Kensuke Tanabe of Nintendo Company, Limited
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
(NCL) in Japan came up with the original idea for the game. Retro Studios
Retro Studios
Retro Studios is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in October 1998 by the video game veteran Jeff Spangenberg after leaving Acclaim Entertainment, as an independent studio making games exclusively for Nintendo Company, Ltd.On May 2, 2002, Nintendo...
, which developed previous Metroid Prime games, was unable to develop Metroid Prime Hunters because it was already working on a game. Therefore, Tanabe contacted NST with the idea, and let them develop it instead. NST developed the game instead of NCL because Nintendo wanted the division to influence Metroid Prime Hunters with western ideals, styles, and presentation.
While developing the game, most of NST's efforts were focused on its multiplayer aspect because of its first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
gameplay, and to take advantage of the Wi-Fi and voice chat capabilities of the Nintendo DS. One of the game's designers, Richard Vorodi, noted that "the hardware kinda dictated [their focus onto the game's multiplayer mode]." Wanting to introduce a new element to the Metroid series, Abe created several new bounty hunters after he realized that the game's multiplayer mode and the new bounty hunters could both be implemented seamlessly into the game: "We had this idea early on and thought that would be a good way to introduce [Metroid Prime Hunters] and [the new bounty hunters] to the gameplay and take advantage of that in the multiplayer." Metroid Prime Hunters includes several references to previous games in the Metroid Prime series. Samus' ship is from the original Metroid Prime, and her suit is the same one that appears in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The developers decided to add them because they wanted to show that the technology has evolved, and they also wanted to include something that was instantly recognizable to those who had played previous games in the series.
The game was first revealed at the E3 convention in 2004. An early demo, titled Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, was included as a pack-in game
Pack-in game
- Characteristics :Pack-in games are intended to be system-selling games that make good use of the positive features of a given system. Sometimes a pack-in game will be changed to a more popular game, or another game will be added, along with the original pack-in, if it is perceived that a newer...
with the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
when it launched in 2004. Only a single-player game, it consisted of training scenarios with no specific plot. After the demo was released, the game's controls shifted from a control stick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
method to stylus
Stylus
A stylus is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery. The word is also used for a computer accessory . It usually refers to a narrow elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are heavily curved to be held more easily...
aiming. When Nintendo received negative feedback at E3 2005 about the game's lack of an online feature, the company announced in August 2005 that the game's release would be delayed to give the developers time to implement Nintendo WFC
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
support.
After the game's release was delayed to give NST time to implement the multiplayer feature, the developers took the time to make more changes. They worked on the game's framerate to make the graphics move more smoothly. The game's visuals were improved; a developer added reflections
Reflection (computer graphics)
Reflection in computer graphics is used to emulate reflective objects like mirrors and shiny surfaces.Reflection is accomplished in a ray trace renderer by following a ray from the eye to the mirror and then calculating where it bounces from, and continuing the process until no surface is found, or...
to the Morph Ball. The other developers admired the effect, and added it to other parts of the game. NST collaborated with Retro Studios
Retro Studios
Retro Studios is an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in October 1998 by the video game veteran Jeff Spangenberg after leaving Acclaim Entertainment, as an independent studio making games exclusively for Nintendo Company, Ltd.On May 2, 2002, Nintendo...
, the company behind several Metroid games, to design the game's art and characters to make sure that they fit into the overall Metroid series. When asked why Metroid Prime Hunters was placed between Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube, released in North America on November 17, 2002...
and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, known as in Japan, is a first-person, action-adventure video game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube video game console. It is the seventh game in the Metroid series, a direct sequel to Metroid Prime, and the first game in the series with...
chronologically, Reed noted that the game was not influenced by the story of either game, so there were no continuity issues. He described Hunters as a side story to the Metroid Prime series.
Reception
Metroid Prime Hunters was given generally favorable reviews, receiving an aggregated score of 85% from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and a 84.23% from GameRankings. Several reviews praised the amount of value that Metroid Prime Hunters offered on the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
considered the game phenomenal, and believed that it used the DS to its maximum potential regarding graphical ability and innovation. The Toronto Sun remarked that the graphics were big enough selling points on their own for the game, and The Press
The Press
The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is owned by Fairfax Media.- History :The Press was first published on 25 May 1861 from a small cottage in Montreal Street, making it the oldest surviving newspaper in the South Island of New Zealand. The first...
called Metroid Prime Hunters the best-looking game for the Nintendo DS. The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
agreed that the graphics are "outstanding" and push the Nintendo DS to its limits, and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
asserted that Metroid Prime Hunters was perhaps the best first-person shooter ever for a handheld console. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s review stated that "it's hard to imagine how Nintendo squeezed Hunters into a tiny DS cartridge." Despite a few "small quirks", the magazine noted that Hunters "is a very polished game". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
concurred with these claims, remarking, "A lot of thought has clearly gone into making the most of the DS's touch-screen capability here, and it works gloriously."
Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
admired the "high-quality work" found in the game's production design and smooth online play. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
asserted that fans of the Metroid series should recognize the technical achievements that the game showcases. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
lauded Metroid Prime Hunters gameplay, and believed that the game was strictly for hardcore gamers "who live for fragfests
Frag (video gaming)
Frag is a computer and video game term originating from the word fragging, a term indicating to kill an unpopular superior officer with a fragmentation grenade. A frag is roughly equivalent to "kill", with the typical main difference that the player being "fragged" can instantly respawn in most...
". Convinced that making a Metroid game different from its slow-paced adventure predecessors into a "nail-biting wrecking ball" was a "risky trick", they appreciated the results, stating, "Damn did it ever work." Both GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
and Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
enjoyed the game's "worthwhile" and "electrifying" multiplayer mode. Nintendo Power praised the game as a "new-school, action-packed" game that makes a "great addition to the growing collection of Wi-Fi titles", and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
claimed the game's multiplayer aspect as their favorite feature. The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
wrote that Metroid Prime Hunters does a "staggering job" of replicating the style of previous Metroid Prime games.
Complaints about the game stemmed primarily from its control scheme. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
found that the high learning curve and "cramp-inducing" control scheme made it difficult to play. This sentiment was shared by Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
, which claimed that placing the interface used to switch visors and weapons on the touchscreen made the process unnecessarily complex. The magazine was also disappointed with the game's single-player mode, claiming that it does not live up to the experience offered in previous games in the Metroid Prime series. They criticized the levels as "contrived and predictable", and noted that the designs felt too formulaic "after a few worlds of hunting for keys, fighting repeat bosses, and escaping before the bomb blows". The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
agreed that the game's repetitiveness eventually grew tiring, and that "manipulating the DS controls will be a painfully cramped endeavor".
Concurring with this sentiment, GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
noted that using the stylus to play the game felt a bit strange. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
also expressed their disapproval of the control scheme, predicting it would lead to "the coming years of physiotherapy on [their] arms". They were also unhappy with the game's "flimsy" multiplayer experience, noting that it is best used when played locally with friends who also have the game. X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
had particularly negative sentiments about the game, stating, "This feels like yet another genre shoehorned poorly onto hardware that just isn’t equipped to handle it."
Metroid Prime Hunters was the fourth best-selling game in its debut month in Japan, selling over 32,000 units, and has since sold over 90,000 units there. Over 410,000 units of the game were sold in North America in its first month. Hunters received several awards and honors; IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it an Editors' Choice award and named it the Best DS Action Game of 2006. The game also received the awards for Best Graphics, Best Shooter/Action Game, and Best Wi-Fi Functionality from Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
for 2006.