-D12-_LMN8R
12-11-2002, 04:40 PM
I just beat Metroid Prime....and all I have to say is wow. Amazing. Enormous. Fun.
Let's get this out of the way - Super Metroid was my favorite game of all time. Keyword was .
Metroid Prime is not only classic Metroid brought perfectly into 3d, but it far surpasses any possible expectations that anyone had of the game before its release. Fans worried that it would be just another first person shooter. Fans worried - especially after the announcement that it would be in first person - that the classic Metroid gameplay wouldn't be possible. Even I - one of the biggest Metroid fans out there - thought that while it could be a good game, it couldn't possibly live up to the past.
Retro Studios proved us all wrong.
First thing's first - Metroid Prime is absolutely NOT your average first person shooter. In fact, the only reason why people call it that is simply because it's in first person, and you shoot. But look at it this way: Is Morrowind a first-person-sword-swinger-magic-caster? Is Thief considered a first-person-shooter? Isn't Deux Ex considered an RPG? Just as those games do not fall under the classic FPS label too well, don't get caught up calling Metroid Prime a first person shooter.
Then what is it? It is an adventure game all the way through. Except for the first - an ONLY - "level" (the space station you start on), the game is just one huge world waiting to be explored. Just as in previous Metroid games - you start out in a huge overworld, with multiple locations you can see but can't quite get to. After the space station, it still may seem linear, considering you can only go through one door, but after that the world opens up at a seemingly exponential rate, not to mention endlessly.
Every single area you explore grows every time you go back to it. And importantly - every powerup you get in the game is unique, creative, and absolutely necessary to proceed in the game. However, you will constantly be using every item you collect throughout the game . Items are not thrown in to prolong the game - they enrich the experience .
Of course, there still IS plenty of shooting in the game. At first, people criticized the game because of its lock-on feature. However, the only thing the lock-on does is make enemies more challenging and more fun to fight . Rather than first person shooters, where the main difficulty in killing enemies and bosses is getting your crosshair on them (usually a pain in the butt on consoles), the difficulty and challenge is created by needing to actually think to defeat your enemies . Not to mention, enemies get progressively tougher as you move on in the game. Yet even though enemies respawn after you go two rooms away (just like in every Metroid game), you never get bored fighting them . Tougher enemies also replace simple enemies as you get further into the game to up the challenge. Finally, the "boss" concept of a game is FINALLY made fun again . The bosses are extremely creative, usually very challenging, require you to think logically and use your different visors and cannons creatively , and just plain cool.
If you go into the game expecting regular first person shooter controls, you are sorely mistaken. The controls are as follows:
Left analog stick – turn, move forward and backwards
Right analog stick – switch gun
Digital D-pad – switch heads-up-display visor mode
A shoots, B jumps, Y fires missiles, and X turns you into a morph ball
L locks onto enemies, or when in scanning visor mode, scans objects
R stops you so you can look around
“WHAT??? NO FREE LOOK?http://campcaen.engin.umich.edu/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif” – probably a common complaint you’ve heard, made by people who’ve either played the game for 10 minutes, or never at all. The truth is, this control scheme works perfectly . Simply put, you don’t need to look around while walking. You can strafe by holding down L – whether you’re locked on to an enemy or not, and after playing the game for a bit, everything seems completely natural. Yes, lock-on could still be done with free-look mapped to the right analog stick, but later on you’ll need to switch weapons quickly and efficiently, so having that mapped to the right stick is absolutely necessary.
Another thing that could’ve gone horribly wrong in the game is if the jumping was needlessly difficult. Unlike first person shooters such as Turok, Half-Life, or other games – mainly FPSs on consoles – where jumping is awkward and stiff, Retro has somehow perfected first person jumping mechanics. Sure some jumps are still difficult – but they’re sometimes supposed to be. Otherwise, you can jump refreshingly high and long, and it just plain feels right. Who knows how they did it – they just did.
I talked about scanning briefly during the control rundown. In Prime, you get many different visors – again I won’t tell you what they are, finding them out on your own is part of the fun – that allow you to see different ways. You start the game with a scanning visor, which allows you to get information on the many different materials, enemies, and other such things in the world. Word of advice – scan everything. There’s a ton to scan on the space station, and at first it seems somewhat boring, but once you get around 25-30% through the game, the story of the game is told through these scans. The story is in fact told from the very beginning, you may just not realize how important everything is. You can make it through the game without scanning anything – scans do not affect your game percentage, NEITHER DOES YOUR PROGRESS IN THE GAME (only the items you’ve collected - but you do unlock art galleries by scanning stuff. Anyway, scans get very interesting and chilling later on – it’s worth it IMO to scan everything.
Let’s move on to graphics. I will not lie. You won't find bumpmapping in this game. You won't find fancy shadowing effects and advanced lighting techniques. If you want to see the most technically impressive graphics to date - as well as USEFUL graphics - go play Splinter Cell. However, in order for graphics to be good, they do not need to be technically brilliant . Don't get me wrong - textures are extremely varied, some at very high resolutions. The visor effects - steam, sweat, goop, water - are phenomenal. Not to mention, the game runs at a constant, steady 60fps , except for during a couple cut-scenes and when a huge amount of action is going on.
Where Metroid Prime excels is its astonishing style and diversity. The world of Tallon IV is brought to live with some of the best level design and atmospheric effects that I’ve ever seen. There are hundreds upon hundreds of rooms – some huge, some just big – and they are all completely unique and never repetitive. Yet even with this vast diversity of areas – lava, mines, ice, and more – you can tell that each area is part of the same immense planet. Oh yea, did I mention that when you turn into a morph ball and the camera pulls into 3rd person – the ball effects are absolutely beautiful? As you get suit upgrades, they look cooler and cooler, and the ball becomes more and more beautiful.
Finally, sound. One of the most important parts of a game in my opinion. The music is awesome. Remixes of old Metroid songs, with an addition of plenty of new ones. Again, I will not lie – the music is MIDI. But Factor 5’s ingenious MusyX sound system allows for the best MIDI that you’ve ever heard. MIDI or not, Prime’s music – while not being as creative as Super Metroid’s – is atmospheric, again never gets boring, and pulls you into the gaming experience even more.
Sound effects. Wow. Everything sounds natural and perfect, and if you have a receiver that supports Pro Logic II, you’ll get even more fantastic 5.1 sound. Every sound is flawlessly created, and is reproduced just as if you were standing right on Tallon IV yourself.
Finally, the game is not short. The game keeps a percentage of the total number of items you collect (missile tanks, energy tanks, etc.), and even after exploring for hours, I only finished with 91%. Yet it took my 25 hours. The game counter said 20 hours, but I and many other people have noticed that the counter is a bit slow – I once played for an hour, and my counter went up only 45-50 min. Anyway, it’s a long game, and I will absolutely be going back to play this game again many times in the future . A hard mode – making the enemies more difficult – is unlocked when you beat the game, and that and the desire to get a better ending with 100% items will make me absolutely play the game through again. I’ve played Super Metroid through 5-10 times since it came out 8 years ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up meeting and possibly beating that record with Prime.
If you own a Gamecube – go buy this game today. If you don’t have the money, rent it. If you don’t own a Gamecube, this game is absolutely worth the $180 you’d spend to get it with ($20 rebate when you get a new Platinum Gamecube with Prime). If you don’t have the money, borrow, steal, rent – whatever you can do – to play this game. And remember – the space station is slow. Once you get to Tallon IV, you will never want to leave.
Presentation – chilling story, jaw-dropping menus, stunning atmosphere. It brings you in and doesn’t let go
10/10
Graphics – Nothing too technical, but a constant 60fps and unique rooms and environments galore absolutely make up for it. A couple frame rate stutters when a lot’s going on though.
9.5/10
Sound – Everything is perfectly in its place. The music is awesome, but no matter what you do – it’s still MIDI. It’s the best MIDI that I’ve ever heard. Sound effects are awesome, and in 5.1 if you have a PL2 receiver.
9/10
Gameplay – Metroid Prime is Metroid brought perfectly into 3d. What more do you need to know? Everything – even the jumping mechanics – were somehow perfected in the game. It NEVER gets boring.
10/10
Overall – Hands down, Metroid Prime is the best game out for Gamecube, heck one of the best games ever created. Its perfect gameplay, and the absolute fun you will get out of it far surpasses what flaws it may have.
10/10
Let's get this out of the way - Super Metroid was my favorite game of all time. Keyword was .
Metroid Prime is not only classic Metroid brought perfectly into 3d, but it far surpasses any possible expectations that anyone had of the game before its release. Fans worried that it would be just another first person shooter. Fans worried - especially after the announcement that it would be in first person - that the classic Metroid gameplay wouldn't be possible. Even I - one of the biggest Metroid fans out there - thought that while it could be a good game, it couldn't possibly live up to the past.
Retro Studios proved us all wrong.
First thing's first - Metroid Prime is absolutely NOT your average first person shooter. In fact, the only reason why people call it that is simply because it's in first person, and you shoot. But look at it this way: Is Morrowind a first-person-sword-swinger-magic-caster? Is Thief considered a first-person-shooter? Isn't Deux Ex considered an RPG? Just as those games do not fall under the classic FPS label too well, don't get caught up calling Metroid Prime a first person shooter.
Then what is it? It is an adventure game all the way through. Except for the first - an ONLY - "level" (the space station you start on), the game is just one huge world waiting to be explored. Just as in previous Metroid games - you start out in a huge overworld, with multiple locations you can see but can't quite get to. After the space station, it still may seem linear, considering you can only go through one door, but after that the world opens up at a seemingly exponential rate, not to mention endlessly.
Every single area you explore grows every time you go back to it. And importantly - every powerup you get in the game is unique, creative, and absolutely necessary to proceed in the game. However, you will constantly be using every item you collect throughout the game . Items are not thrown in to prolong the game - they enrich the experience .
Of course, there still IS plenty of shooting in the game. At first, people criticized the game because of its lock-on feature. However, the only thing the lock-on does is make enemies more challenging and more fun to fight . Rather than first person shooters, where the main difficulty in killing enemies and bosses is getting your crosshair on them (usually a pain in the butt on consoles), the difficulty and challenge is created by needing to actually think to defeat your enemies . Not to mention, enemies get progressively tougher as you move on in the game. Yet even though enemies respawn after you go two rooms away (just like in every Metroid game), you never get bored fighting them . Tougher enemies also replace simple enemies as you get further into the game to up the challenge. Finally, the "boss" concept of a game is FINALLY made fun again . The bosses are extremely creative, usually very challenging, require you to think logically and use your different visors and cannons creatively , and just plain cool.
If you go into the game expecting regular first person shooter controls, you are sorely mistaken. The controls are as follows:
Left analog stick – turn, move forward and backwards
Right analog stick – switch gun
Digital D-pad – switch heads-up-display visor mode
A shoots, B jumps, Y fires missiles, and X turns you into a morph ball
L locks onto enemies, or when in scanning visor mode, scans objects
R stops you so you can look around
“WHAT??? NO FREE LOOK?http://campcaen.engin.umich.edu/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif” – probably a common complaint you’ve heard, made by people who’ve either played the game for 10 minutes, or never at all. The truth is, this control scheme works perfectly . Simply put, you don’t need to look around while walking. You can strafe by holding down L – whether you’re locked on to an enemy or not, and after playing the game for a bit, everything seems completely natural. Yes, lock-on could still be done with free-look mapped to the right analog stick, but later on you’ll need to switch weapons quickly and efficiently, so having that mapped to the right stick is absolutely necessary.
Another thing that could’ve gone horribly wrong in the game is if the jumping was needlessly difficult. Unlike first person shooters such as Turok, Half-Life, or other games – mainly FPSs on consoles – where jumping is awkward and stiff, Retro has somehow perfected first person jumping mechanics. Sure some jumps are still difficult – but they’re sometimes supposed to be. Otherwise, you can jump refreshingly high and long, and it just plain feels right. Who knows how they did it – they just did.
I talked about scanning briefly during the control rundown. In Prime, you get many different visors – again I won’t tell you what they are, finding them out on your own is part of the fun – that allow you to see different ways. You start the game with a scanning visor, which allows you to get information on the many different materials, enemies, and other such things in the world. Word of advice – scan everything. There’s a ton to scan on the space station, and at first it seems somewhat boring, but once you get around 25-30% through the game, the story of the game is told through these scans. The story is in fact told from the very beginning, you may just not realize how important everything is. You can make it through the game without scanning anything – scans do not affect your game percentage, NEITHER DOES YOUR PROGRESS IN THE GAME (only the items you’ve collected - but you do unlock art galleries by scanning stuff. Anyway, scans get very interesting and chilling later on – it’s worth it IMO to scan everything.
Let’s move on to graphics. I will not lie. You won't find bumpmapping in this game. You won't find fancy shadowing effects and advanced lighting techniques. If you want to see the most technically impressive graphics to date - as well as USEFUL graphics - go play Splinter Cell. However, in order for graphics to be good, they do not need to be technically brilliant . Don't get me wrong - textures are extremely varied, some at very high resolutions. The visor effects - steam, sweat, goop, water - are phenomenal. Not to mention, the game runs at a constant, steady 60fps , except for during a couple cut-scenes and when a huge amount of action is going on.
Where Metroid Prime excels is its astonishing style and diversity. The world of Tallon IV is brought to live with some of the best level design and atmospheric effects that I’ve ever seen. There are hundreds upon hundreds of rooms – some huge, some just big – and they are all completely unique and never repetitive. Yet even with this vast diversity of areas – lava, mines, ice, and more – you can tell that each area is part of the same immense planet. Oh yea, did I mention that when you turn into a morph ball and the camera pulls into 3rd person – the ball effects are absolutely beautiful? As you get suit upgrades, they look cooler and cooler, and the ball becomes more and more beautiful.
Finally, sound. One of the most important parts of a game in my opinion. The music is awesome. Remixes of old Metroid songs, with an addition of plenty of new ones. Again, I will not lie – the music is MIDI. But Factor 5’s ingenious MusyX sound system allows for the best MIDI that you’ve ever heard. MIDI or not, Prime’s music – while not being as creative as Super Metroid’s – is atmospheric, again never gets boring, and pulls you into the gaming experience even more.
Sound effects. Wow. Everything sounds natural and perfect, and if you have a receiver that supports Pro Logic II, you’ll get even more fantastic 5.1 sound. Every sound is flawlessly created, and is reproduced just as if you were standing right on Tallon IV yourself.
Finally, the game is not short. The game keeps a percentage of the total number of items you collect (missile tanks, energy tanks, etc.), and even after exploring for hours, I only finished with 91%. Yet it took my 25 hours. The game counter said 20 hours, but I and many other people have noticed that the counter is a bit slow – I once played for an hour, and my counter went up only 45-50 min. Anyway, it’s a long game, and I will absolutely be going back to play this game again many times in the future . A hard mode – making the enemies more difficult – is unlocked when you beat the game, and that and the desire to get a better ending with 100% items will make me absolutely play the game through again. I’ve played Super Metroid through 5-10 times since it came out 8 years ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up meeting and possibly beating that record with Prime.
If you own a Gamecube – go buy this game today. If you don’t have the money, rent it. If you don’t own a Gamecube, this game is absolutely worth the $180 you’d spend to get it with ($20 rebate when you get a new Platinum Gamecube with Prime). If you don’t have the money, borrow, steal, rent – whatever you can do – to play this game. And remember – the space station is slow. Once you get to Tallon IV, you will never want to leave.
Presentation – chilling story, jaw-dropping menus, stunning atmosphere. It brings you in and doesn’t let go
10/10
Graphics – Nothing too technical, but a constant 60fps and unique rooms and environments galore absolutely make up for it. A couple frame rate stutters when a lot’s going on though.
9.5/10
Sound – Everything is perfectly in its place. The music is awesome, but no matter what you do – it’s still MIDI. It’s the best MIDI that I’ve ever heard. Sound effects are awesome, and in 5.1 if you have a PL2 receiver.
9/10
Gameplay – Metroid Prime is Metroid brought perfectly into 3d. What more do you need to know? Everything – even the jumping mechanics – were somehow perfected in the game. It NEVER gets boring.
10/10
Overall – Hands down, Metroid Prime is the best game out for Gamecube, heck one of the best games ever created. Its perfect gameplay, and the absolute fun you will get out of it far surpasses what flaws it may have.
10/10