From NoE:
An interview with NST's game director Masamichi Abe and game designer Richard Vorodi from the V.I.P. lounge, here are highlights:
● Since E3 2005 the single player became more sophisticated, while multiplayer got meaner and headed online.
● There are seven multiplayer game modes. Here is a brief explanation:
1. Battle mode: The players compete to see how many opponents they can defeat within a certain amount of time.
2. Survival mode: The player who survives to the end is the winner.
3. Bounty mode: The player picks up an item called the 'Octolith' and carries it to the goal to score. The player with the highest score wins.
4. Challenge mode: The players battle for control of an area. The player who accumulates the most time in control is the winner.
5, Prime Hunter mode: The first player to defeat another player becomes the 'Prime Hunter'. When the Prime Hunter is defeated by another player, that player becomes the Prime Hunter. The Prime Hunter enjoys increased speed, jump ability, and attack capability. This continues until time is up. The player with the most accumulated time as Prime Hunter is the winner.
6. Capture mode: Teams of players battle for control of Octoliths. A team scores each time it brings the enemy teams Octolith to its home base. The first team to score a certain amount of points is the winner.
7. Nodes mode: Players battle to control a circular area called a Node. When a player is in a Node for a certain amount of time, the Node is activated and the player gets points. Whoever accumulates the most points wins.
"The number of rounds, play time, and points needed to win can be changed by the player. The player may also change the capability of the weapons, and may turn the radar on or off. All game modes are available in Wi-Fi (Friends & Rivals) and local wireless play. Finally, an AI-controlled player, or BOT, is available in local wireless mode. BOTS are great for practice, and as additional players to fill out a game. The Hard mode BOT is really tough to defeat - give it a try at least once!"
● There is a mode called Rival Radar, which is similar to a feature in Nintendogs - you take your DS out in public and have it hunt down other Metroid Hunters players. Once you get home, you open the DS and youve got some new prey to blast online.
● With the exception of AI opponents in local wireless mode, there is no difference between local wireless and online multiplayer.
● A feature called the 'Hunter Licence' records the results of multiplayer games played in Hunters. It records statistics such as how frequently a weapon is used, and Alt Forms used to defeat enemies. [Alt Forms are the rival bounty hunters' equivalent of Samus' Morph Ball - Ed.] When players make Friends and Rivals in Wi-Fi mode, they can check each others Hunter Licences. Each players skill is indicated by the number of stars they have, which increases and decreases depending on the performance of the player.
● Hunters sits somewhere between Prime 1 and Prime 2. Samus wears the suit found in Echoes but will be piloting the ship she flew in Prime 1.
● Samus shows up fully powered, but will still need to augment her Power Beam with the Hunters weapons in order to progress through the different worlds.
● The single player game is divided into four worlds, and the player travels between the worlds in Samus ship. In each world Samus battles with enemies and solves puzzles, while trying to figure out whats going on in the Alimbic Cluster. There is more than one way to complete the four worlds, so the player can choose his/her own path through the game. Each world has a unique character and individual game elements.
● To create balance we decided on the character setting to make every single hunter unique. Then, we started brainstorming for Alt Forms and weapons from there. We implemented those ideas in the game, tested them, and adjusted them over and over - I thought it would never end! However, the never-ending (but we finished!) adjustment and test play, in the end, brought out a well-balanced game. There are a lot of ideas that we couldnt implement in this game, unfortunately. But if you, Metroid fans, request for a sequel for this game, we might be able to add these unused ideas to it.
● Vorodi is a big fan of GoldenEye and Perfect Dark.
Sounds great, looking forward to playing it.
An interview with NST's game director Masamichi Abe and game designer Richard Vorodi from the V.I.P. lounge, here are highlights:
● Since E3 2005 the single player became more sophisticated, while multiplayer got meaner and headed online.
● There are seven multiplayer game modes. Here is a brief explanation:
1. Battle mode: The players compete to see how many opponents they can defeat within a certain amount of time.
2. Survival mode: The player who survives to the end is the winner.
3. Bounty mode: The player picks up an item called the 'Octolith' and carries it to the goal to score. The player with the highest score wins.
4. Challenge mode: The players battle for control of an area. The player who accumulates the most time in control is the winner.
5, Prime Hunter mode: The first player to defeat another player becomes the 'Prime Hunter'. When the Prime Hunter is defeated by another player, that player becomes the Prime Hunter. The Prime Hunter enjoys increased speed, jump ability, and attack capability. This continues until time is up. The player with the most accumulated time as Prime Hunter is the winner.
6. Capture mode: Teams of players battle for control of Octoliths. A team scores each time it brings the enemy teams Octolith to its home base. The first team to score a certain amount of points is the winner.
7. Nodes mode: Players battle to control a circular area called a Node. When a player is in a Node for a certain amount of time, the Node is activated and the player gets points. Whoever accumulates the most points wins.
"The number of rounds, play time, and points needed to win can be changed by the player. The player may also change the capability of the weapons, and may turn the radar on or off. All game modes are available in Wi-Fi (Friends & Rivals) and local wireless play. Finally, an AI-controlled player, or BOT, is available in local wireless mode. BOTS are great for practice, and as additional players to fill out a game. The Hard mode BOT is really tough to defeat - give it a try at least once!"
● There is a mode called Rival Radar, which is similar to a feature in Nintendogs - you take your DS out in public and have it hunt down other Metroid Hunters players. Once you get home, you open the DS and youve got some new prey to blast online.
● With the exception of AI opponents in local wireless mode, there is no difference between local wireless and online multiplayer.
● A feature called the 'Hunter Licence' records the results of multiplayer games played in Hunters. It records statistics such as how frequently a weapon is used, and Alt Forms used to defeat enemies. [Alt Forms are the rival bounty hunters' equivalent of Samus' Morph Ball - Ed.] When players make Friends and Rivals in Wi-Fi mode, they can check each others Hunter Licences. Each players skill is indicated by the number of stars they have, which increases and decreases depending on the performance of the player.
● Hunters sits somewhere between Prime 1 and Prime 2. Samus wears the suit found in Echoes but will be piloting the ship she flew in Prime 1.
● Samus shows up fully powered, but will still need to augment her Power Beam with the Hunters weapons in order to progress through the different worlds.
● The single player game is divided into four worlds, and the player travels between the worlds in Samus ship. In each world Samus battles with enemies and solves puzzles, while trying to figure out whats going on in the Alimbic Cluster. There is more than one way to complete the four worlds, so the player can choose his/her own path through the game. Each world has a unique character and individual game elements.
● To create balance we decided on the character setting to make every single hunter unique. Then, we started brainstorming for Alt Forms and weapons from there. We implemented those ideas in the game, tested them, and adjusted them over and over - I thought it would never end! However, the never-ending (but we finished!) adjustment and test play, in the end, brought out a well-balanced game. There are a lot of ideas that we couldnt implement in this game, unfortunately. But if you, Metroid fans, request for a sequel for this game, we might be able to add these unused ideas to it.
● Vorodi is a big fan of GoldenEye and Perfect Dark.
NoE: Multiplayer Mario Kart DS is our official lunch break pastime in the office. What cool thing about Hunters would make us swap Mario Kart for Metroid?
RV: "Well for one, you cant headshot your friend and then turn invisible in Mario Kart!"
Sounds great, looking forward to playing it.