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Metroid finally rolls onto the Nintendo DS.

When the Nintendo DS launched nearly a year ago, a Metroid Prime Hunters demo card was thrown in for free to show off the features of the DS. The game has seen a few delays and still hasn't made it to the market, but that didn't stop Nintendo from releasing a new Metroid game for their 2 screens portable. What at first seemed like a horrible idea (Samus in a pinball game?) has resulted in an easy to pick up game with lasting appeal. This is even more impressive considering Fuse Games played the major role in developing the game. This is the same company that released the awful Mario Pinball Land last year on the GBA. Luckily, Metroid Prime Pinball escapes the traps of bad game design, thereby strengthening the ever-growing list of fun games on the Nintendo DS.

Metroid Prime Pinball is one of the first games to successfully meld both DS screens into one gameplay field. This extra real estate allows for the entire pinball board to be seen at all times, no scrolling required. At its core, the game is strictly a classic pinball game. The L and R buttons control the left and right flippers. Since Samus is in morph ball mode, she can lay bombs to take out foes and collect weapon upgrades as they become available. As in any good pinball game, there are many paths to travel, complete with suspended metal tracks on many levels. There are plenty of bumpers and lights to activate and special holograms that will trigger events and rewards. Enemies will often appear to try and take out Samus. If she triggers the "combat ready" saucer she will morph back into her upright position and you will be able to blast the bad guys with her gun. Some levels will pit her against a boss that will require use of more powerful weapons, like missiles and power bombs. Collecting artifacts will open up new areas and mini-games can be played and unlocked as well.

The differing pinball tables are ripped straight out of Metroid Prime. You will see familiar locations like Magmoor Caverns, Phendrana Drifts, and Tallon Overworld. These boards are all extremely intricate in design and sport very nice graphics. When playing on the Tallon Overworld it will often rain and then flashes of lightning and thunder will erupt. Puddles of water will form, reflecting your ball as you roll on by. To complete the experience, the music tracks are lifted from Metroid Prime as well. They are well orchestrated and will please any Metroid fan.

Included with every copy of Metroid Prime Pinball is the new Nintendo DS Rumble Pak. This device is the size of a normal Game Boy Advance game and fits into the GBA slot in the Nintendo DS. You will feel every time the ball hits a bumper, lays a bomb, shoots a weapon, etc. It's strong enough to make a subtle impact and does add to the interactive experience. Plans are already in the works for future games to use the rumble add-on. One such game is Mario & Luigi 2, due out later in November. In addition to the rumble, the game uses the bottoms touch screen to slightly tilt the pinball table. Tilting the table at just the right time can help avoid losing a ball.

Like many DS games, this one includes a wireless single card multiplayer mode. Up to 8 people can play simultaneously for a high score. You don't really get to see what your opponents are up to. The challenge is reaching a set score before everyone else. You'll be able to send Metroids to your opponents to drain their energy and impede their scoring. This mode is fun to mess around with a few times, but it really doesn't hold interest for too long. Pinball is more of a 1-player experience anyway, so although it's nice to have multiplayer support, it wasn't really needed in the first place.

If you're looking for a game that's immediately accessible to all ages and happen to like pinball games, Metroid Prime Pinball could be the game to get this holiday season. The graphics are nice, the music is great, and it's fun to play. The Metroid tie-in actually works quite well in this case to create a richer environment. If you're looking for something more than pinball, however, you'd best look elsewhere.