A fitting end to a great trilogy.
The Metroid series has been around for a long time now and they have always been a staple for Nintendo gamers. However, it seems to be a "love it or hate it" type of game. Some people really enjoy the aspect of adventuring around the world and going back to previously explored areas with a new power-up to see what new treasures can be unlocked, while others would much rather never see the same place twice, let alone three and even more times in a single play session.
Enter Metroid Prime. Arguably one of the greatest games to come out for the struggling Gamecube. It was the first time Metroid Prime went into first person, and the first time the Gamecube received a "killer app" in the eyes of most gamers. However, the same Metroid gameplay was in this game as it was in the past games: explore area, find a power up, move to next area, find another power up, go back to first area for another power up, go to second area to use that power up, then go to a new area to use all those power ups to find another power up, and then the cycle restarts.
Sound boring? Well, that's why the Metroid series isn't as popular as the rest... at least, that's how it used to be. Enter Metroid Prime 3.
Metroid Prime 3 sticks to the Metroid formula but adds the most important layer that so many Wii games have been messing: a great control scheme. Simply put, the Wii controls for Metroid Prime 3 are the best I have ever seen in a first person shooter. Forget waiting three seconds while you hold the analog stick to the right to look behind you. Here you simply move the Wiimote to the right side of the screen and Samus will be quickly gunning down those unsuspecting Space Pirates (nice and original name, eh?).
Even with the low number of buttons on the Wiimote and Nunchuck, Metroid Prime 3 controls perfectly, especially if it is on the Advanced control setting (don't let 'advanced' scare you... this way is much more intuitive and is the BEST way to play Metroid Prime 3). Missiles are sent flying with the bottom button on the D-pad and the '-' and '+' buttons control visor switching and corruption mode accordingly.
"Corruption mode? You mean we're talking about politics now?" Well... not quite. New to Metroid Prime 3 besides the amazing control scheme is the introduction of Corruption, an element which is so important to the game that it earned its way into the title of the game! When you hold the '+' button, Samus will let Phazon take over her body and she becomes a woman on a mission, destroying anything stupid enough to get in the way of her Phazon-enhanced-mass-destruction laser beams.
I'm glad to say that, while Corruption does make the game much easier, Retro Studios did a decent job of limiting it's usage. While it can still be used frequently, it will take away an entire health cell, so it's costs sometimes outweigh the benefits. Something about with great power comes great responsibility?
Now, to you non-Metroid fans, why should you buy this game? You've hated Metroid ever since you first had to backtrack to a level you had already beaten in your first Metroid game. Why is this game any better? Besides, you obviously didn't play Metroid Prime 1 or 2, did you?
Good thing for you, the story in Metroid Prime isn't the most in-depth storyline we've ever seen in a video game. Something about Samus fighting things called Space Pirates and these weird floating things called Metroids. That's about all you need to do. Metroid Prime 3 gives you a great sense of story through its entirely voiced cutscenes (sorry, Samus is still mute though!). Even if you've never played Metroid Prime 1 or 2, you'll still get a good sense of the story and feel like you accomplished something at the end. So, you can easily get through the game without beating the first two games in the series, and still understand the story.
Like I said in the beginning of the review, the control scheme makes this game much better for fans of FPS who have never gotten into the First Person Action Adventure type of games. Metroid Prime 3 seamlessly transitions from a FPA to a FPS throughout the game, so fans of constant action will be pleasantly surprised at how much work their trigger finger will get in.
That's basically Metroid Prime 3 in a very small nutshell. The sound is great, the graphics look amazing for a Nintendo Wii game, and the controls are unbelievably perfect throughout the entire game. Some small quibbles such as the short length (8-14 hours for most people) and still the reliance on backtracking are put aside at how great this conclusion to a trilogy is. Even if you've never touched a Metroid game before, I highly recommend this game to anyone who is looking for a great FPS-type game on the Wii.