An interview with the game's designer and director plus a press conference on the game as well? Too much awesome info to handle!

First off, Nintendo Europe have updated their VIP Lounge - it now features an interview with Hunter's game director Masamichi Abe and game designer Richard Vorodi. They detailed the game's seven multiplayer modes which we have already reported on so won't go through again (click here for the details).

All the modes are customisable, with the number of rounds, play time, and points needed to win all changeable by the player and nineteen areans to choose from. The player may also change the capability of the weapons, and may turn the radar on or off. All of the modes can be played via local wireless and online over the Wi-Fi Connection - and nothing is lacking from the online mode, though game controlled bots (which apparently have excellent AI) can only be played on local multiplayer.

Rival Radar is a new feature for the game, similar to the Bark Mode in Nintendogs. By placing your DS in sleep mode then taking it out in public, your DS can hunt down nearby Hunters players, allowing you to then play them later when you get home or get to a Hotspot.

The game intelligently keeps tracks of all your stats via a feature called the 'Hunter Licence', which records the results of multiplayer matches, weapon usage stats, head shots, how often you use the Morph Ball - and best of all, how many times your opponent has weaseled out of a match! The game can differentiate between you going out of signal, and you switching your DS off so the game doesn't record a lose. All of these stats can be checked out on your mate's Hunter Licences when you take them on locally or online.

There are a host of control schemes, featuring both the stylus or buttons - not only that but the sensitivity of the controls can be adjusted to your liking, as well as the ability to invert the look scheme. The game is also DS Rumble Pak compatible! Graphics-wise, sources have said that this is the best looking game on the handheld to-date, with full dual screen FMV introductions to boss battles (like the movies seen in the First Hunt demo).

Voice over IP functions supposedly work like a walkie talkie - you hold A to send the message, while other people listen (only one person can send voice messages at a time). It takes less than a second for the soundbite to send, allowing for real-time chat. You can even instant message via an on-screen keyboard. Unsuprisingly, you can only voice-chat with people in your friend-list (you wouldn't want random strangers swearing at you for losing, only people you know).

Story-wise, the single-player game takes place between Metroid Prime and Echoes. Samus will be wearing the suit she begins with in Echoes, but her ship will be the one you saw in Prime.

The story mode itself will include almost as many game hours than the original Metroid Prime - the developers recently completed a run-through of the game and found it only a shade shorter. Unusually, Samus will begin fully powered, but will still need to augment her Power Beam with the Hunters' weapons in order to progress through the different worlds.

Each of the game's four worlds can be accessed by Samus' ship, and will feature the usual fare - enemies to defeat and puzzles to solve. With more than one way to complete the four worlds, the player can choose his/her own path through the game. Each world has a unique character and individual game elements, and all of them feature a traditional against-the-clock evacuation sequence!

Finally quote from Richard Verodi, when asked if Hunters could replace the lunchbreak fun of Mario Kart DS in the Nintendo of Europe office: "Well for one, you can't headshot your friend and then turn invisible in Mario Kart!"