With all the big name titles coming out in the final months of 2004, Echoes stands against some big competition. After a very successful premiere on the GameCube by Retro, the sequel to Metroid Prime will determine whether that success was beginner's luck or if it was pure talent. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes follows in its predecessor's footsteps and delivers an adventure that will satisfy any Metroid fan.
Echoes controls and feels just like the previous game. The control scheme will be loved by some and hated by others. The controls definitely take some getting used to if you're new to the game but the controls really do work well once you become comfortable with them. Most of the old suit upgrades make a return and Retro even incorporated some cool new ones such as the Screw Attack, Seeker Missile, and Gravity Boost. The Scan Visor is still the most important device as it is used to uncover weaknesses, attain information and unlock certain areas. Two new visors have been added: the Dark Visor and the Echoes Visor. Samus puts on her traditional Power Suit, but her wardrobe grows with the Dark Suit and Light Suit. There are three new weapons for Samus to use as well: the Dark Beam, the Light Beam, and the Annihilator Beam. The whole game is based around a light & dark theme, and the usage of the new weaponry, suits & visors. To overcome enemies and puzzles, the player will have to use the new beams and visors. Light weaponry is effective against dark creatures/objects and vise versa, while the Annihilator beam has its own special traits. Invisible objects can be found using the Dark Visor and sound waves that are created by locks or enemies can be found with the Echoes Visor. The new suits will allow Samus to progress to areas unreachable due to suit limitations. The light and dark theme is also used to progress in the game via dimensional travel between the two worlds. A puzzle that is unsolvable in the light world may be shadowed by things in the dark world. Therefore, the player might be required to travel to the dark world by means of carefully placed portals in order to find a solution. Changes in the dark world will have a mirroring effect in the light world. The light and dark world theme may sound like standard fare but there are some very well designed puzzles in the game. There is an expansive world for Samus to explore, filled with wide open areas and cleverly hidden locations. Most of the dark world is just a silhouette of the light world but there are also has many unique areas in the dark world. There are also more Morph Ball areas then in the previous games, including some Morph Ball boss fights. Echoes, though very similar to the previous installment, is a very well crafted and clean adventure. Echoes feels much closer to Samus' 2D adventures with cleaver puzzles, lots of exploration, well placed secrets, tough enemies, and amazing boss fights than Metroid Prime did. But Echoes carries with it some flaws, many of which make this game inaccessible to the average player. The controls do indeed work well for most of the game, but dual analog support would have attracted more new players. The game still requires a lot of backtracking and patience, and the game is difficult and a bit frustrating at some points. But for anyone who enjoyed the previous game, this game is pure bliss. The challenging adventure will take around 20 hours and even longer for those purists that want to find everything.
Echoes embraces a Metroid first: multiplayer. The multiplayer mode of Echoes is very limited to two modes and six levels and uses the same basic play mechanics of the single player game. There is a basic deathmatch and a bounty mode, where you shoot other players for coins and the player with the most coins wins. The multiplayer mode has some of its own unique touches. Hacking is a neat ability in which one player hacks another player to make them lose their upgrades. Players can use the Morph Ball to make quick getaways or use special powers. The multiplayer mode is different to say the least, but Metroid fans (specifically, Metroid Prime 1/2 fans) will find it appealing.
One look at Echoes and you will be amazed. At first glance, the game may not appear to have advanced very far since the last game. But the graphics engine has been given a boost and everything has been given a facelift. There are much larger environments, the lighting looks remarkable, and the special effects are stunning. More importantly, the environments are even more organic then ever and are full of life; no two areas are alike. There are more cut-scenes this time, which all look great. The HUD and Samus' suits look much better. The art is, once again, bounds and leaps ahead of other games. The game does suffer from the occasional occurrence slowdown and jumps but not to a point that it becomes bothersome.
Sound quality hasn't improved much, but the quality is still excellent. Everything sounds clean and clear. The audio is never a step off and the surround does its job fittingly. The music in Echoes was brilliantly composed and much better then that of the previous game. The music does well to fit the moody, atmospheric areas and the intense fights and situations.
Stepping up a notch, the story plays a bigger role this time around. Aether, home to the Luminoth, is caught in a dimensional flux. Samus must help the peaceful Luminoth defeat the oncoming Ing horde and return the energy that the Ing horde stole from the Luminoth. The story is once again text and cut-scene based and reveals the planet's past, disasters, advancements, and individual lore of its people as well as others. The story is very interesting, even if it's a bit plain.
Retro has created another great game in the Metroid series. They have proven that they are masters at their trade. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes delivers an eerie and characteristic first person adventure, with beautiful settings and first-rate gameplay. To Metroid fans, this game is ecstasy. But to others, this game does little to attract attention.
Final words: Another magnum opus in the Metroid series; highly recommended for any GameCube owner.
-Vinny
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