For those who have been waiting month after month for Metroid Prime Hunters, the wait is finally over. Originally displayed on the Nintendo DS when it was first released, fans got a taste of the game in the form of demo. Time has long since past from that beginning, and the world has continued to evolve. Along the way they teased us with a game, including a rumble pack, when Metroid Pinball was released. Actively it is the only way you can get the rumble pack, which can even be used on this full-fledged game.

A lot can be said for the game of Metroid Prime Hunters, even straight out of the box. You originally start off in a space station that you navigate through discovering how to use and abuse your powers. You will learn how aim, move, and even shoot, but you will be surprised how easy it is to do. You have three main buttons that you will use though, that is the left trigger, which activates your weapon. You have the d-pad, which controls your movements, from forward back, to side to side. You will steer yourself with the stylus, which works not only for aiming your weapon, but your entire visor. Depending on which mode you are in you will also scan the local area for markers or weapon upgrades.

If you are not into the type of battle that you control with a stylus, you can also switch it up with three additional modes, that either switch it from a right hand to a left hand control, or allow you to use the A, B, X, Y buttons, normally used for jumping, to be what controls the viewer, and ultimately your targeting devise. I did not find it as handy as using the stylus, which is amazing for keeping the weapon targeted on your enemy, but this mode does work very well.

You have two main screens and the bottom screen is used as a radar, which highlights the enemies around you, as well as the items. It is not specific to which level they are on, so when you are just around one dot, you may not be able to find it, because it may be just below your feet. If you hit the start button you will get a 3D map that you can also control with your stylus that guides you to your call. Back in the field you will also turn your scanner on by pressing a button on the bottom screen, but you will also active the ball switch on the bottom screen as well. This ball switch allows you to morph into a ball, roll around, and get into areas normally inaccessible. What is neat about the ball mode as well is that you can either use your stylus to control your character, or the d-pad. Flicking the stylus quickly you can even achieve a boost speed.

You have different sets of weapons depending if you are in your ball mode, which will also depend on the character you are playing, if in multiplayer. When using Samus you will use the time tested mine attack, dropping them on the ground where they will blow up after a second. If you station your ball on top of them will get launched into the air that helps you reach even more areas, as well as it is a very nice touch from older games. In this mode you appear to move much quicker, while you are unable to jump by normal means. It is a great way to quickly navigate through the levels even though your weapons are quite limited.

When you are in your normal mode, you will have several different types of weapons. You will have your regular blaster, which will fire several shots rapidly, but if you hold the firing trigger you will hold out for a larger blast. While holding on for the larger blast as well, it will suck any adjacent items around you closer, so that you back pick up the health and weapon packs. After the blaster you move onto your missile launcher. You normally can just fire one at a time, which does nice damage, or you can charge these as well. These attacks are limited though, unlike the regular blaster. Firing a normal shot will take up one piece of ammunition, while a charge blast will take up three. They also appear to hone in on your target if you are a tad off, but it is enhanced if you use your charge attack.

You also have something called the sub weapon that comes off more like an augmentation. Some lose the ability for a charge attack, but they do have their rapid-fire abilities which more than makes up for it. They allow you to fire off many rounds quickly to keep action furious. Furthermore each of these sub weapons has special powers, and you can only activate one at a time, before needing to switch it up at your bottom screen. They will assist you with taking down enemy hunters, as characters will be strong to one type, but incredibly weak to another. You have the judicator, which shoots a beam chilled almost to absolute zero. If it does not hit its target on the initial attack, it bounces off of the floors or walls aimlessly. You have the volt driver, which obviously fires quick energy blasts with a high hit probability. The charge attack launches an aerobomb that movies slowly towards its target.

The remaining three weapons are the magmaul, shock coil, and the imperialist. The magmaul shoots superheated magma that has a napalm affect. Once it hits a target it continues to burn away at their life totals after the initial hit. The charge of this attack causes the attack to have a larger explosion. The shock coil fires blasts of high-density neutrinos in burst, which sends multiple concussive waves towards the enemy. Finally the imperialist is the main sniping weapon. It firsts a thin, but powerful laser over long distances, and even includes a zoom feature. It is easy to use, especially with the use of the stylus.

You will slowly unlock each of these weapons in the adventure mode. You will interweave their attacks across a few of the worlds, where each new weapon will open a new set of doors, while allowing you to collect the key items that allow you to go further. These are called Octoliths, and you need to collect four of them before you can enter the end of the game. The adventure mode does have its ups and downs, where you may question which would that you need to go to next, but that draws out the enjoyment before you are ready to put this game down.

As for multi-play, the game supports several different versions. For single card multi-play, mainly for when you have the game and your friends do not, you can allow them to connect to your system and play against you, with up to four people total. Each of the characters needs to be Samus, but it gives a nice taste of the game. Moving from that, for the multi-card play, where your friends also have the game, they can play not only as Samus, but also the new breeds of hunters. When you are alone though, and you want to play against someone, this game also has the WiFi ability that allows you to connect and play online. What is cool about this feature is that you can either choose to play against your rivals, but you can also either choose to play against your region or worldwide. Furthermore you can choose to play against any rank, or any rank there is out there. That means you could be teamed up against varying levels of difficulty, so each new game will be a new experience.