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The DS is an innovative little gem, a revolution to handheld
gaming. The DS may not match the graphical standards of the PSP but tops it all the way in playability and quality.
If you don't have a DS go and buy one, NOW. The DS probably costs halve the amount of the PSP. Take our advice, the DS is a must for any Nintendian, you won't be dissapointed.
TLOZ: Phantom Hourglass (Left)
The game seems to be a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, or, at the very least, a game that takes place in the same universe, because one of the game's levels required players to navigate the waters, all the while taking out enemies with your cannon. While the boat sales on autopilot on the course you sent it out on, you can rotate the camera 360 degrees to see all enemies attacking.
The boss battle in this E3 demo also showed a lot of promise. Both screens worked together to create a tall, vertical display where the boss would float up in the sky. The idea is to knock him out of the top screen and bring him down to the lower screen by tossing bombs at him. When he's brought down to your level, you simply hammer down on some sword attacks to weaken him. A few times in this pattern and the boss is toast.
The game mirrors the cutesy look of the GameCube Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker using a combination of 3D and 2D. Much of the game uses 3D models for characters and enemies, but items and objects are prerendered sprites. The camera system is also rooted more closely to the classic Zelda design, instead of offering an over the shoulder view like in past 3D Zelda titles. The early demo had some glitches, but because this is an early look at a game that's releasing later this year, we can ignore some of the bugs that arose in our test.
Metroid Prime Hunters (Left)
First, the NST DS team pushed the 3D elements of the Nintendo DS to recreate the same through-the-visor viewpoint that Retro Studios developed on the GameCube. Nintendo has always downplayed the Nintendo DS system's 3D capabilities ever since the debut of the system back in 2004, placing it close to the level of a Nintendo 64 in visual performance. But honestly, few N64 games looked this good and flowed this smoothly. The engine that NST produced on the DS moves at 30 frames per second with a level of detail that can get pretty stunning. Samus' morph ball, for example, has a glossy sheen that isn't particularly necessary, but it's the spit and polish that lifts a game's visual appeal from adequate to beautiful. On occasion the game has a tendency to chug when the environments throw a few too many effects at the player's screen, which shows that perhaps NST pushed the hardware just smidge too hard in places. Even still, these places are few and far between and really don't detract from the Metroid Prime experience.
Next, using this 3D engine, the team worked the first-person action and adventuring aspect of the GameCube design on the Nintendo DS. But where the GameCube game limited the movement of view to streamline the control for the analog sticks, NST pushed touch-screen control that closely mirrors the keyboard and mouse combination that most first-person shooter fans swear by on the PC. Players can configure the controls for left or right-handed play, or totally forgo versatility for more rigid and digital movement of the D-pad and button combination, but it's using the touch screen like a mouse that really breaks Metroid Prime out of its shell.
Of course, the bigger issue becomes exactly how you decide to use the touch screen control. There are two ways: one, the stylus. Here, you can simply hold the system in one hand with the thumb on the D-pad and a finger on the shoulder button, or if you're a lefty the A, B, X, Y as a D-pad with a finger on the other shoulder button. With a little practice this works pretty well if you can stand supporting the weight of the system with the same hand that's manipulating Samus' run. The other option is to use the thumbstrap included with US Nintendo DS systems, which makes it easier to hold the system at the expense of not being able to use all of the touch-screen real estate. Honestly, it's control, and the high learning curve surrounding the control, that's Metroid Prime Hunter's biggest nemesis. But if you can fight the initial cramps and awkward amount of time practicing the controls, as well as the accidental touch-panel button pushes, you'll get one of the most intense and fun action experiences on the Nintendo DS.
The game's single player experience is surprisingly close to the same style of game design as the GameCube Metroid Prime duo. In this game, players, as Samus, set out into four planetary locations to locate eight "octolyths" that, when snagged, will answer the mystery of a strange psychic message broadcasting into the heavens. To do this, players will have to work their way through ruins and structures, hopping up platforms and activating switches to reach the next part of the area. Like Metroid Prime, scanning is key to both the gameplay and unraveling the storyline, as the entire plot of Metroid Prime Hunters unfolds in how players interpret the messages they read.
