Great multiplayer makes up for the sub-par single player.
Now Metroid Prime: Hunters isn't much like the other metroid games you might have played. Hell, it's not that similar to the prime games on the consoles. It can be considered "metroid for the masses". The reason why is because of the emphasis is more on fast paced action that exploring and upgrading your suit. Nowhere is this more evident that the single player game.
In the single player game, Samus receives a strange telepathic message about an ultimate power (SPOILER: it isn't the Death Star) in a distant, dangerous galaxy. Naturally, the government wants her to secure this power for them, or destroy it so nobody else can use it against them. To make things more difficult, several other powerful hunters have also received the same message and are trying to secure the ultimate power for their own respective purposes. The goal is to collect 8 objects called "octoliths" on the 4 visitable planets while scanning objects for info and defeating rival hunters. It's fun and engaging to explore and scan, but it's much more combat oriented than past games. Unfortunately, it tends to get repetitive. The worst part though is the bosses guarding the octoliths. You won't see any Kraids, Ridleys or Metroid Primes here (no metroids at all, in fact). Instead, here are two different kinds of bosses. You have to fight these two different kinds of bosses over and over again, with little variation or difference. After you kill the boss and take the octolith, a countdown starts and you must run back to your ship before it ends. You also fight your rival hunters over and over again, which can be tedious since there is little to no challenge fighting them. Overall, the single player experience is nothing special, and can be tedious and too easy in most parts, while disgustingly frustrating in others, particularly in getting all scans .
Fortunately, the game's multiplayer saves it. Weapons and hunters are nice and varied, as are the arenas. Weapons can range from quick firing sprayers to snipers to balls of lava that set your foes on fire. The hunters are unique, and each has their own distinct feel. Every hunter has their own alt. form (Samus has the morph ball) and special abilities that can add additional strategy. Arenas themselves have their own distinct feel, and players will often find themselves preferring certain ones over others.There are options for single card, multicard and wifi games. In single card, everyone but the host must be Samus and you must play a standard deathmatch, while in multicard, you can choose your hunter and game type, from capture the flag to standard deathmatches to king of the hill. Wifi is really where the fun begins, though. You get a customizable hunter license (gamertag for MP:H) which tracks your wins, losses, draws, headshots, kills, time playing, friends and rivals (more on rivals in a second), along with other stats. You can exchange dreaded friend codes with someone and play friend matches, where you have all the options of multicard play and voice chat. You can also play with random people around the world. Although you can't add random people to your friends list, you can add them to your rival roster and play friend games with them and your friends (minus voice chat). Random matches can only be played as standard deathmatches, but you get to choose your hunter.
Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks to multiplayer. Hackers, spammers and bug abusers are fairly common in random fights. The games can lag, which can be frustrating. People also like to disconnect, which ends the match if their doing poorly. Fortunately, their is a penalty for disconnecting, and hackers are much less common then they used to be.
Overall, MP:H isn't a standout FPS. It plays a little like unreal tournament and quake, while retaining a metroid feel. If this was on a console, it would be hyped for awhile, but then forgotten among the halos and call of duties. For a portable, however, it's incredible. Not only is this easily the best FPS on the DS, it's one of the best multiplayer games on the DS. The graphics and sound, though not amazing, are wonderful for the DS. This great little title will give you FPS fans a good reason to pick up your DS again!