NoE Interviews Metroid Prime Hunters Producer

Nintendo of Europe have conducted an interview with the producer and a game designer of Metroid Prime Hunters. Head inside to see why there won't be any online features and the first snippits of information on the single-player mode.

Nintendo of Europe: Could you tell us what your role on the game is, please?

Kensuke Tanabe: "I am the producer of Metroid Prime Hunters."

Richard Vorodi: "And I'm a game designer at Nintendo Software Technology, in Redmond, Washington."

NoE: Could you explain more about the different characters that will figure in the game? We've heard that there are six different bounty hunters in this game?

RV: "Yeah, for the first time we're really expanding Samus' universe, and we're really showing that there are new characters out there. There are going to be six in total and they're going to be unveiled in time. At E3 we showed a character called Noxus, who's really cool. All the hunters have really interesting back-stories, and we want to leave most of that as kind of a surprise for the players.

?But to tell you a little about these characters, Noxus is a kind of spiritual being who's trying to cleanse the galaxy of evil. But the character itself may be evil, so that's kind of interesting. Then there's Spire; Spire is one of the last of his kind, he's a rock-based creature, trying to find out the origins of the disappearance of his race.

?And then we have my personal favourite, this guy Kanden. Kanden is really cool because he was an experiment, he was designed to be an unkillable soldier who actually escaped the lab, and has since been out killing and doing bad stuff throughout the galaxy. He's a real evil bounty hunter. As for the other characters, that's a surprise. But they're cool, trust me.?

NoE: Another thing that all the different characters bring with them, presumably, is the need to balance their powers, if they all have different weapons for example? How do you go about making sure that the balance is correct in the multiplayer games?

RV: ?Well, in multiplayer we have a pretty big weapons system, and it's going to be interesting for players to learn how to use these weapons; we have primary fire and secondary fire functions on most of them. And then on top of that, the Hunters themselves actually have an affinity, so some Hunters use certain weapons better than others. So that's where the strategy and depth comes from in the multiplayer games.?

NoE: What was the strategy behind not taking this game online?

KT: ?Really, we could have made this game online. But Nintendo's vision of online play is different from that of other companies. We wanted it to be free, easy, and easy to access for everybody. To set up the kind of infrastructure that we needed, and to meet the launch date we have for this game, the two just didn't match.?

RV: ?Right, but I don't think we look at it as a negative thing, because as we're not focusing on the Internet we got to focus on the wi-fi stuff, so four players can jump in like that (he clicks his fingers theatrically for emphasis). And if only one person has the game, well, you can download it too, and then play with your friends. I think it's going to be the perfect multiplayer game because of that.?

NoE: So how many people can play together?

RV: ?This is a four-player game, even off one Game Card.?

NoE: Can you tell us something about the single player game?

RV: ?Yeah, I think the single player game will help make Metroid Prime Hunters be a unique game in the series. We're actually trying to change things a little bit; add some freshness and vitality. One of the things that players will notice right off the bat is that Samus is fully powered at the beginning of the game, and it's not so much about her trying to find parts for her suit; she is looking for relics of an alien species that has disappeared, and she's not alone.

?So the other games were claustrophobic, and they focused on powering up to get through. This game is about being powerful, and being surrounded, and how the tension plays back and forth between sometimes being the hunter, sometimes being the hunted.?

NoE: So can you tell us about the power of the relics? If you find a relic, what does it let you do?

RV: ?That right there is going to be a surprise for the players to discover for themselves.?

NoE: OK. And can you tell us what your own favourite first person shooting games are?

RV: "Yeah, that's pretty easy. On the N64 there's a game called Perfect Dark. Man, I must have logged 100, maybe 300 hours on that baby, it's all me and my friends did, play that game. Recently there's been some amazing games too. Half-life 2 on PC for instance is really pushing the boundaries.?

KT: "First I have to tell you that the first person shooter is not a popular genre in the Japanese market. And the [only] first person shooter that I played through to the very end was Metroid Prime!"

NoE: Well that's a very good game. Thank you very much for your time!

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Comments

• 

  As a huge Metroid fan, I'm still not convinced by this game. I still really want it but they really do need to show some more of the single player mode. I don't like the idea of not upgrading Samus' suite though, that's what Metroid is partially all about! Guess we'll have to wait and see...

  haywardian23, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  But, the single player will be huge, as told in an interview before. It will be told through FMV sequences running on the MP2 engine. You can travel to different worlds.

  skarma, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  I really hope that single player mode won?t be just unoriginal fps with Samus Aran...

  twilight, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  Thanks a bunch, I was looking for this interview without the need of signing up.

  Chris Michael DS-x2, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  THEY GAVE CRAPPY EXCUSES FOR NO ONLINE! BOO!

  Chris Michael DS-x2, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  They should postpone the game till november or something and put online wifi into it. Very disappointing. So is it only being 4 player multiplayer. doom 3 deathmatch sucks, more people needed! 6 at least because there's six characters. Sounds like multiplayer wont be as amazing as we'd all like it to be.

  Opium, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  I can't believe that I won't be able to one mode I'm looking forward to and thats the Multiplayer. They always go on about how you can share the game between 3 other people, and they can join "just like that" but first of all I need friends that own a DS. If there had been the inclusion of online play or even just bots then that problem would be solved. Looks like I'll only be playing the single player, should still be fun.

  Viruscool, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  This game will be extremely slow if they try to make it on-line.

  LeSomeGuy, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  hopefully, Hunters 2, will be online!!

  NiNe9cEnTs, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  it will be online...that is if this one is succesful...cough cough can't wait for this!!! hopefully there are bot to play against...no one around me has a DS...

  tiamat1990, 30-11--0001 at 00:00
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  WOW I THINK IAM IN LOVE SNIP OUT OF IT JESSICA LYNN IT IS A BOY GAME

  devilchick911, 30-11--0001 at 00:00