Though not an original Metroid fan, I found Metroid Prime to be a great game. However, I do not feel the sequel is nearly as good. The game is almost exactly like the original, which is tolerable, but Echoes seems to be a few strides behind its pioneer. The Dark World causes exploration to be a major pain. Braving the harsh environment is fun, but in a game that encourages the player to examine the entire area, it melts into nothing more than a burden. While the original Metroid Prime gave hints of the next destination, the makers decided that it would be much more fun to frolic around the same scenery over and over again until stumbling upon a random object that can use the newest item in an obscure fashion. A hint will only be given after about a half-hour of running around. Though the more difficult bosses, enemies, and action in general are enjoyable, the out of whack ratio of ten minutes of wandering around lost for one minute of action manages to kill the sequel in one swipe.