Metroid Prime 3 is Getting Noticed, Why Didn't Hunters

There are a few things I have noticed recently while reading up on gaming news prior to the release of the new Metroid game. And the major thing, along with the fact that the game should be awesome, is that other developers are actually taking notice of the way Metroid plays rather than ignoring it like they did with Metroid Prime Hunters. Now let me give you a little bit of history on this subject. Metroid Prime Hunters came out for the DS in March of 2006 with the best FPS controls that any handheld has ever seen. Not only does the game control like a dream but the game had some really well implemented online features too. There was voice chat, a rivals system, and multiple games modes to choose from. Since Hunters came out and sold just over a million copies I figured other developers would start pumping out FPS games on the DS with similar features and controls. But I was wrong. Since that games released there have been zero FPS games released for the DS and only one game with voice chat over WiFi Connection (Pokemon Diamond and Pearl).

Recently there have been a few interviews with various game developers that are currently making FPS games for the Wii. There is EA Canada making Medal of Honor Heroes 2 (with 32-player online multiplayer) and there is Demiurge doing the bulk of the development for Brothers in Arms for the Wii. In both interviews they have been asked about Metroid Prime 3 and they have both agreed that the game is influencing the way they control their new games.

IGN: Have you been following Metroid Prime 3? Because people have been saying it really nails FPS controls on the Wii.

Reed: We have absolutely been following it. Every time the tiniest bit of press about Metroid would come out we'd grab it and we'd ask Gearbox and Ubisoft to talk to Nintendo and see what information we could get about what they were doing.

This can only be good news for us gamers, considering Metroid controls wonderfully, but it makes me wonder why this hasn't happened with the DS Metroid. The next DS FPS is Call of Duty 4, one of my more anticipated games for the holiday, and it looks great. But why did it take over a year for this to happen?