Simply put, this game is a masterpeice!
User Rating: 10 | Metroid Prime GC
Let’s get this out and on the table: Metroid Prime is single handedly, the best game on the cube, and one of my favorite games ever created. From the second you see Samus flip off her ship, to the last blow with her phazon cannon, Your senses are toyed with, your fingers have gone numb and one of the most celebrated gaming franchises have been fully realized in true 3-D. The game begins on a futuristic, space lab, and the quiet ambience leaves the player feeling rather lost and quite interested on what will break the silence. The game quickly picks up and doesn't let go for another 15 plus hours, the gameplay is highly varied and is so new and fresh. It’s not a first-person shooter, but not a full fledged adventure game, thus Nintendo coined the term "First-person adventure" and coincidentally fits the game quite well. Samus is placed in many beautiful and vast landscapes that take advantage of both the shooting the many creatures and enemies, and searching down to every crevice and cranny above and below what seems to be visible to the eye, and also what isn’t. Another major gameplay enhancement is the different type of visors; many might call this system too cluttered and inconvenient, but once one has adjusted themselves to it, it is quite evident that this just adds to the experience by giving the player knowledge over any minor detail and creature in the game There are also heat, and skeletal visors that let the player see things that don’t usually register in the normal visible spectrum. Retro has done a fantastic job in integrating such a vividly alive world with smooth, seamless gameplay with not one second of loading time. In Metroid Prime, control and gameplay run hand in hand, especially with a game that has so many options; this game literally uses every button on the controller, and for once, they are all used quite often. At the beginning of the game the controls may feel a little too overwhelming, and the use of only one joystick to move Samus, instead of the standard two for most first person games, but after spending a mere thirty minutes with the game all feelings of awkwardness is gone, and it is realized that the game must be set up this way to completely involve the player in a non-interruptive experience. Metroid Prime is not only the best looking gamecube game, but is up there with the most beautiful games ever created. Sure, this game may not have the fancy bitmapping, and flashy full-motion video, but it doesn’t need it. This game is so detailed that it is easy to find yourself just looking around for hours in awe of the great architecture, and lush green landscapes that just breathe with life. The game also runs at a smooth sixty frames per second and never experiences any slowdowns (opposed to many shooters’ thirty frames). The audio in Metroid Prime is also beautiful and interactive. The music changes through every world you travel to: there’s the pseudo-classic tune played on Tallon Overworld and the subdued tune played in the Phendrana Region just submerge you in this great experience, but never gets annoying or in the way. The sound is what really makes this category soar; every weapon Samus wields has its own distinct sound and explosion that shatter with numbing effect. Not only does the game feature an abundance of distinct creatures, but the game includes different shrieks and reaction grunts for every single one; it is truly astounding. It is apparent how great the sound really is when they all work in unison. For example, in the Chozo Ruins, there are hauntingly loud Chozo Ghosts who startle the player with their eerie shrieks, as the interactive music picks up the tempo and really pulls on the gamer’s strings. With the top-notch graphics and sound so perfectly integrated, a game that is so atmospheric, it truly makes you feel that there is a living, breathing, Tallon IV out there somewhere. This game has kept many players coming back years after its release due to its multiple difficulty levels, and option to finish the game at 100%. There are also multiple endings, including a surprise cutscene if you do in fact finish the game at 100%. Not to mention that this game is fun enough to play through more than once, or even five times. Metroid Prime is truly one the greatest most original gaming experiences available on any platform ever, and is a revival of one of Nintendo’s forgotten flagship franchises. Few times has a game ever compelled me enough not only to play the game through, but to search for every item, creature, and life form like Metroid Prime has, and none have since. 
