It might have started as a bet: could a team of developers create a fully 3-D first-person shooter, with a robust multi-player component, for a hand-held system? The programming challenge must have been too tempting for Nintendo’s brainiacs to resist. What no one stopped to consider was whether the idea was a good one. Which is not to say that Metroid Prime: Hunters is a bad game, only that it sacrifices what’s necessary for it to work on the Nintendo DS.

The Metroid series has never been about action. Sure, the numerous weapons upgrades, low-grade nuclear explosions, and battles against bosses the size of Mount Rushmore might make it seem that way to the casual observer. But really, Metroid is about exploration. From the original NES game to Metroid Prime 2: Echoes on the GameCube, each installment has provided a living planet to explore. Progress was made not by obliterating ever-gnarlier foes (though that certainly helped) but by navigating the depths of a hostile planet. Precious items and upgrades were hidden just out of reach, begging you to come get them. Metroid Prime: Hunters, on the other hand, is a shooting game.

Let’s give credit where credit is due. This could have been a disaster, starting with the presentation. We’ve seen some decent visuals on the DS to this point, but nothing rivaling the average PSP game. Hunters incorporates fluid animation and detailed character models. The textures are a little rough around the edges, but on the small screen that’s not an issue. There’s even some limited CGI, occasionally employing the dual displays for some 24 -style split-screen shots. Given their recent lack of emphasis on graphical prowess, it’s refreshing to see the Nintendo folks show they can still butt heads with the big boys when they want to.

Play control is also nicely done. That it works at all is impressive; that it works well is miraculous. You move with the D-pad and fire with the left shoulder button, and you can opt to control aiming and other functions with the stylus or with the buttons on the right side of the DS. I preferred the more precise aiming of the stylus. Tapping the appropriate fields on the touchscreen also activates the scan visor, switches you into Morph Ball mode, and selects different weapons. It’s easy to switch weapons accidentally, though at least the scan visor requires you to hold the stylus on the correct button for about a full second. Plus, my left hand started to hurt after about a half-hour of gameplay.

The single-player mode feels anemic. It’s short and linear, two traits that have never been associated with the Metroid brand. Since Hunters is pitched more as a multi-player game, that’s understandable, but battle mode is similarly thin, despite several different gameplay modes. Getting on-line is a snap: you select the option to find a game and then wait for three other players to be recruited. Then you start shooting until everyone is dead, just like every other multi-player game since Quake. The other variants are all cookie-cutter — a Capture the Flag mode, a tag mode, a King of the Hill mode.