Metroid Prime for Nintendo GameCube

Nintendo’s investment in Retro Studios was a risky gamble: the company canceled numerous projects and delayed Metroid Prime for lengthy increments of time. Many were worried that the game would not live up to the quality standards set by its predecessors, most notably because of its first person perspective and American developer, but Retro Studios has successfully recreated the classic feel of the Metroid series while introducing new gameplay elements never possible in 2D.

Metroid Prime takes place after the first Metroid game (NES, 1987) but before Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy, 1991). The planet Tallon IV is host to a powerful substance known as ‘Phazon’ - and the Space Pirates intend to use the Phazon for destructive purposes. Samus must descend to the planet and put a stop to the Pirates' activities while exploring the ancient ruins of the Chozo people, learning more about her origins in the process.

Metroid games are action packed, but they heavily emphasize exploration and item collecting over blasting creatures. Prime is no different: it has no narrative or cinematics. You, the player, direct the story as you guide Samus through Tallon IV and it's wide variety of habitats, discovering secrets and power-ups along the way. Each habitat contains its own biome of life, with most creatures being hostile. You will explore ancient ruins, dense jungles, oceans, fiery infernos, deserts and snowy mountains in your quest. Your suit’s computer collects loads of reviewable information about everything as you proceed: life forms, ancient texts, weapons and events. In this manner, Metroid Prime is like a solo Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider adventure. It bears a close resemblance to the classic computer game Unreal in its presentation and style. The game is as open-ended as possible without relying on sheer luck of discovery, unlike the previous Metroid games. Your suit’s navigation computer informs you of necessary goals and anomalies around you to prevent total confusion, but it does not utilize the driving narrative behind Metroid Fusion for Game Boy Advance. Prime supports the GBA-link cable with Fusion: you can unlock Samus’ Fusion suit and the original Metroid by completing both games.

Metroid Prime’s graphics are good, but not outstanding. The framerate moves along at a fluid 60 fps without slowdown, even during intense fights. The textures are moderate in resolution, but they are not painstakingly detailed. Monster models and world design feature high levels of detail. Other nuances enhance the game’s overall presentation, such as haze effects in large areas, water droplets rolling off Samus’ visor, heat steam clouding your vision and reflections of Samus’ face on the interior of the visor. The various radar scopes and secret detectors feature cool blurring and zooming effects. The lighting is Metroid’s strong part: many objects cast colored light onto their surrounding environments, generating a smooth, seamless glow.

Metroid Prime’s controls respond smoothly, but the setup of the controls is questionable. Navigation is accomplished with only one analog stick, not two as in other first person perspective games (Halo, Timesplitters, Red Faction). Exploration is more difficult because of this configuration, and there is no option to customize the controls. Sometimes it is difficult to aim your targeting recticle at objects and the ‘lock on’ feature makes it hard to use evasion during battles with many enemies. The significance of these problems gradually fades away as you move deeper into the game, but an option to customize the controls would have been a welcome addition.

With its smooth graphics, wondrous atmosphere and action, it is hard to dislike Metroid Prime. There is little originality in Metroid Prime: most of the things it features have been seen before, and the control issues take some getting used to. Nevertheless, Metroid Prime is a beautiful, absorbing game packed with details and a slick presentation.

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