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 It’s
been a long time coming. For years, rumor and speculation drove Metroid-induced
madness in all gamers who had been fond fans of the series since the original
Metroid and the absolutely outstanding Super Metroid. As the months
passed without an announcement of Metroid for the GameCube,
fans swore to burn Nintendo to the ground if Metroid was not
released in this generation. Then the announcement was made that a game was in development, but by the
largely unknown Retro Studios - and it would be first person. After days of fanatical
assaults on Nintendo, it became clear that Nintendo must be onto
something if they were going to entrust one of their most valuable licenses to a
company recently assembled to develop the title. When Nintendo
dubbed the game a “first person adventure,” many scoffed that Metroid
would be done as some random first person shooter - a mockery of what the series had represented for so long. Surely, Nintendo
had lost their collective minds and was about to trash Metroid
as they had done to the recently ‘rebranded’
StarFox universe. And so, the long wait began. Now
that it's here and I’ve had a chance to play it thoroughly, I can now produce an accurate review of the game from the perspective of
one of the game's harshest skeptics.
Does it really
live up to the hype or is it just a glorified
Half Life trying to take advantage of the fact that few
remember or have played the originals? Once
again, we take on the role of Samus Aran to face our
nemesis - the metroid.
The
game starts off innocently enough with Samus tracking down the
arch-villains, the space pirates, to their research facility in orbit
above Tallon IV. The research facility not only serves as a
training ground where the user can get some quick instruction in how the game is controlled without the risk of being killed outright, but
also serves to introduce a new and foreign aspect of the Metroid universe: the story.
Unlike other games that narrate through the use of cut-scenes or full motion video, the story of Metroid is
conveyed through examination of the environment itself. The player examines the environment through
the use of visors that allow Samus
to scan objects, see in the IR or x-ray spectrum, etc.
The implementation of the visors is top-notch and is believably integral to the way the game plays. By simply pushing
a direction on the D-Pad controller,
one can effortlessly switch from visor to visor, and this is very
important - especially in many boss battles. By using the visors as you move through the
environment, you can decipher space pirate logs and transmissions to follow the story, find hidden platforms (nicely
implemented), and much more that I will not divulge in this review. While it is unclear if the
information in the logs is really necessary - reading the information serves to draw the player deeper into the
environment. As you near the end of the training level, you’ll
be greeted with a nice boss fight that will teach you some interesting
tips (like scanning bosses for weakness) and then you’re left
to escape the facility post-haste.
 This
is where the game comes across one of its few stumbling blocks.
The controls take a while to get used to - a time that varies from
person to person. I’ve talked to many gamers who
claim to have picked them up overnight and others who claim that they
are still getting used to the controls weeks later. While I’m
not in the latter category, the controls are certainly unique - forced in no small part to what
I consider an absolutely bizarre game pad controller for the
GameCube. Many make excuses for the way the controls are the way
that they are, but one must admit that they remain awkward even later into the game. To me, the
controls just never feel natural - though this could be because of the awkward sizing of the controller
buttons and their placement. I frequently found myself pressing
buttons that I didn’t intend to press. Targeting is generally
straightforward since the game employs a fairly useful auto-targeting
system. Since most of the enemies die pretty easily, there is rarely
an instance where you have problems shooting at enemies. Don’t
let the auto-targeting fool you though; killing enemies still provides
a good deal of challenge, especially when enemies attack in
numbers. The primary reason this is a problem is because, as
with all ‘auto’ targeting systems, you will sometimes target
enemies that you didn’t intend to attack. On more than one occasion
I’ve ended up targeting some lesser creature only to be torn to shreds by an automated defense turret.
Sound
in the game is very well done. Creatures make memorable sounds
that help you to identify that which you cannot yet see, including
those wonderful hidden power-ups. I’ve spent many a day
passing through areas hearing the sound of an upgrade and devising
ways that I might be able to reach it. All of the sounds are
nice and crisp and the subtle background track adds atmosphere to the game while not
being overwhelming. There are a couple of unpleasant areas in
the sound. Some of the visors make annoying sounds (the IR visor
for one), and the menu system's pitch and volume is unnerving when the
game is played at loud volumes - but these are relatively minor defects in an overall polished sound engine
design. Nicely done.
 Graphically,
the game is as impressive as any game currently out. From the first moment you land on Tallon IV to your final encounter with
that-which-will-not-be-named, you will be treated to the best graphics
the GameCube has dished up yet. I have found very few
faults or inconsistencies in the graphical engine. It does the
job it needs to do and it adds on a lot of things that I didn’t
expect to
find, like the first time I fired the charge beam a lot and saw the
heat effect over the nozzle. The graphical engine also shows
some prowess in that water looks believable for games of this
generation, with the game getting bonus points for implementing mist,
water droplets from rain, light fog, etc. as a visual effect on the
players visor. Many will say that the game is not on par with
many Xbox games but, while it really doesn’t matter one way or the
other, I think Metroid Prime most certainly holds its on in terms of
graphics.
And
for the most important question: Is it a Metroid game? Yes. Without question, Metroid Prime plays with the
mystery and exploration of a Metroid game. It rarely gets
bogged down in the standard first person shooter fare and remains true
to its heritage. During your escape from the research station, you will lose all of the
‘extra’ capabilities that you started with and you will revert to a much more basic configuration, left to find
everything else you’ll
need during the game. This exploration and discovery play
mechanic has served the franchise so well over the years and it works to good effect here as well. Discovering
how to reach a power-up or missile container actually feels rewarding and not just ‘something to pass the time’
as it is in many other games. Have Retro Studios been able to implement everything that made Super
Metroid the über-game it was? No. There are many aspects of
gameplay that are missing. There will be times that you will be
playing the game and saying to yourself, "Man, in Super Metroid I
would do…." This, however, doesn’t tarnish what is a stellar attempt at moving Metroid into the modern age. I would say that this
conversion is just as successful as the conversion of Super Mario
Bros. into Super Mario 64.
While
there are things that I will miss, what is there is all gold
and there are many new
gameplay elements that advance the franchise. Metroid Prime
is a shining
beacon in a market full of mediocrity.
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