The Metroid series has always been one of the widest-known and most respected franchises. The series was born way back on the original NES, and was followed by Metroid II on the Game Boy. Metroid and Metroid II were great games that helped Nintendo gain popularity among gamers. They did so much right that it was hard to fault them for their shortcomings. Although most consider the first two games in the series instant classics, no one was prepared for the amazing behemoth of a game that appeared on the SNES. Super Metroid not only was one of the most beautiful games of the age but also had a heap of personality and style not often seen in the 16-bit era. The game was aimed at the mature crowd and was a bit different than gamers were accustomed to seeing come out of Nintendo's developmental houses.
Little has been heard of the Metroid series since then. A Metroid title was scheduled to be released on the cartridge based Nintendo 64, but for reasons unbeknownst to us, never happened. Luckily, Nintendo still planned on releasing the title and went back to the drawing board. They gave the game's developmental tasks to a new outfit, Retro Studios, and also help Samus make the transition into 3D by creating the title as a first-person adventure style game. It's been eight years since Super Metroid, and the result is what we have today on the Nintendo Gamecube: Metroid Prime.
The most accurate way to describe Prime is that it's Super Metroid in 3D. The game remains very faithful to its roots, which is what makes the game so appealing. The storyline is virtually identical, the weapons remain similar in function, and even the original power ups, such as the morph ball and charge beam, remain intact. The intro sequence also remains true to the series, in which you must travel through a derelict space station, fight a boss, and get out within a time limit, a la Super Metroid. Retro not only did a great job making Prime's world look like a Metroid game but also feel like one as well.
One of the great things about Metroid Prime is that way that it is essentially an adventure game with a first person view. Prime is a totally different type of game than a small title you may have heard of called Halo. Whereas Halo is focused on action and causing chaos and destruction, Prime is more centered to exploration and discovery. You'll spend the majority of your time exploring the game's beautiful environments and finding a limitless number of upgrades for Samus' suit. The game's sense of satisfaction is amazing which becomes apparent even after collecting your first power up. Nintendo has this way of making even the most annoying tasks and challenges feel worthwhile in the end. It indeed does get challenging, especially during the difficult yet stylish boss battles, but remains thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
The amount of polish put on Prime is incredible and sets the example for all games to follow. You'll notice this in a variety of ways. Samus's disposal of gadgets includes four different visors which all must be used to progress through the game. The first one is your average combat visor which is essentially just the basic view, but following that you'll get three other types that really show the detail Nintendo put in the game. The first of the four aforementioned visors is known as the "scan visor." This does basically what it says it does and allows you not only to scan every enemy of the game and in turn find out more information and weaknesses of them, but you can also get a form of back-story by scanning certain objects such as data panels and technologic items. The pages of information are automatically saved into your log when scanned, which allows you to read them at your leisure. It is required to fill up your log to get a 100% completion rating and this may aggravate some, including me. The scan idea is really a great idea, but it seems as if Nintendo overdid it by putting in as many scannable items as possible just to add some time to the game. And if you accidentally miss a scan, than you're stuck having to travel all the way back to retrieve it.
That's not exactly a problem with the game because it's all in the eye of the beholder, but one fault with Metroid Prime's design is backtracking and point A to point B type of tasks involved within the game. Often times you will see an upgrade in plain open view that is retrievable only after acquiring a previous upgrade. You'll essentially be trekking back to previous areas a lot of the time to pick up stuff that was out of reach before. The game, stripped down to the bare bones, is basically a game of collecting an upgrade, which allows you to get another upgrade, and in turn makes it possible to acquire another upgrade, rinse and repeat. Prime, however, was designed with so many fun and unique forms of methods of game play and side quests that make the main quest actually feel nonlinear and enjoyable the whole way through, even if the backtracking is so apparent.
The first thing you'll notice about the game, as with all games, are the graphics. Metroid Prime pulled all the shots in this area. The environment is so beautiful that it makes Halo look a bit dated by comparison. Every element of the game is so detailed and fluid from Samus' many different visors to each and every one of the old school style enemies. Samus' world is vibrant and stylish in every nook and cranny. Not only that, but Prime's frame rate remains stable throughout and doesn't ever seem to drop. Even if you do not like Prime's style of gameplay, you can't help but like the look of the game.
Sound is also top quality. The weapons produce realistic and satisfying effects, and although there is no speech in the game, the enemies squeal and scream in all of their three dimensional glory. The music is at some points unfitting, but, for the most part, it works well with the game.
Metroid Prime's main game will take you around 20 hours of game time to complete. This is a long length of time in itself, but the game actually pushes around 30 hours after you consider the amount of time you may spend dieing and catching up from the last save point and also factoring in if you actually bother to explore every aspect of the game and scan every object possible. Also, once you complete the challenging game in its entirety, a new even tougher "hard mode" is unlocked for you to trek through. Basically, Prime isn't through with you until you're through with it.
Metroid Prime really is a true contender for the game of the year. It contains everything a title needs to be considered a classic. It has engaging and challenging gameplay, a vibrant environment to roam through, and is worth more than one trip through. Gamers were initially afraid that Retro would ruin their beloved franchise but, thankfully, it was in vain. Metroid Prime succeeds at practically everything it sets to do, and if it weren't for the slightly annoying backtracking, it would be a perfect game in and out. After eight years of waiting, the Metroid series lives on and hopefully we'll be able to look forward to future installments. (Hint hint)
Create an Account
Member Login
