Metroid Prime: Hunters is, essentially, a handheld version of the multiplayer mode that Metroid Prime 2 will feature. Players assume a different colored Samus and get unleashed in a closed environment. Movement is done by the D-pad: side-step left and right, run forward and backward. To lock onto a target, players hit the L trigger. Aiming, rotation and shooting is pulled off with the stylus; dragging the stylus around will have Samus turn and look up and down, offering a sort-of "mouselook" FPS control to this shooter on the DS. Shooting is performed by repeatedly tapping the screen…obviously the faster players can tap, the more shots they can get off. To morph into a ball, players tap the stylus on the "button" in the corner of the screen.
The engine running on the Nintendo DS hardware is rather stunning since, at first glance, it really does look like the GameCube game but in shrunken down form. In reality the game's running at a slightly lower framerate and doesn't feature the same amount of special effects that the console version does, but even that said the game looks damn impressive…especially since Nintendo seems to be downplaying the handheld system's 3D capabilities. The camera featured the same expert handling of the GameCube game, with the view seamlessly moving from first person to third person when going to and from Morph Ball mode.
Ultimately the game's supposed to show off the wireless capabilities of the Nintendo DS, how four systems can easily connect together for some four player battle mode. As mentioned before, the DS systems were hardwired together due to interference on the show floor. Even with that said, the action never bogged own in this early concept deathmatch. There wasn't any option to play the game in a single player mode or with fewer than four players.
It will be interesting to see how this game evolves from concept demo to full-fledged game, since the controls seem just a tad awkward for a handheld system. It's difficult to gauge the comfort of this control scheme due to the fact that the systems were bolted down into a fixed position at Nintendo's booth.
