A game with real staying power...even when compared to Metroid Prime 3. *long*
With Metroid Prime 3 in my possession, it seemed unlikely that I would want to return to Prime's roots. Completing the trilogy felt proper but not necessary. The lack of motion controls, voiceovers, and snazzy graphics were not exactly encouraging to start from the beginning. Older games do not have the marketing power and hyped anticipation created by today's games. However, thanks to great design, gameplay and pacing, Metroid Prime stands well next to its successors. Metroid Prime is such a focused piece of work that doesn't pull fast punches. There are no overdramatic cutscenes or slow-mo cinematic sequences that last for more than a few seconds. Metroid Prime also stands as one of the few FPS games that do not use the dual-analog design of control - a control abused by many FPS games. Despite the fact that the game plays mostly from a first-person perspective, there is alot of variety and things to do in a huge vast world. More importantly, your map tells you where to go next and it fits within the context of what you need to do. The game does more than just have you find one special power-up after another. Prime gives you tidbits of information for why they were created and placed in those areas. This is done through Samus Aran's Scanning Visor - One of Metroid Prime's nifty gameplay twists. The Scanning Visor adds context to the game by translating or analyzing anything into your logbook for future reference. Want to find out if that mushroom is edible or that plant is really friendly? Scan it. The game extends this twist by allowing Samus to acquire other visors that can perform x-ray scans and infrared. This little but ingenious twist is probably one of the reasons that influenced the decision to go first-person and it works very well. Add a ton of very diverse areas to walk through complete with very good (yet obligatory) exploring music and the experience of finding things becomes pretty fun. Metroid Prime is a game that rewards people who like to collect stuff, solve puzzles, and defeat seemingly unbeatable bosses. As you get deeper into the game, the stuff that you get allows you to go after the stuff you couldn't reach before. What's really nice is that every item and power-up you find will always have a use throughout the whole game. Metroid Prime does not believe in obselete power-ups and its enemies are evidence of this. Backtracking to an area where you remember seeing something will get you more missiles, more enegery, another power-up or a shortcut to another level. In any case, more stuff leads to more discovery. Basically, finding things and solving problems are really fun. Like the other few great games out there, Metroid Prime also contains some of the most satisfying puzzles you will find minus all of the frustration of dying. Even the massive bosses you'll come across force you to make tactical decisions and good use of Samus Aran's abilities. In addition, the developers have also done their homework by logging in time with some of the older Metroid games. Alot of the stuff you will see is best appreciated by a Metroid fan since alot of the stuff you'll do in this game will make you feel like you've done it before. Many of the puzzle elements of the game also make good use of the third person camera. Amazingly, these camera angles are reminiscent of the side-scrolling adventures done in earlier Metroid games. I already felt at home.
There are a few negatives but not many. A few things within the levels felt out of context such as random spider ball rails, floating platforms, or respawning Space Pirates but the pacing is so well done that you may not even notice.
Metroid Prime is a classic in its own right that not only extends new gameplay experiences but compliments its predecessors. The game rewards people who love to think and find ways to get that elusive power-up. The levels and environments are vast and downright overwhelming but fun to explore. It is a very satisfying experience, especially for those who like to get 100% of everything or do speed runs. radcastro.com