Not only is this perhaps the best Gamecube game, but perhaps the best game in the Metroid series.
It wouldn't be until around the release of the Gamecube before Nintendo finally announced a new Metroid title was in the works. Their latest project was going into the hands of a then unknown Retro Studios and that the game was going to be in First-Person. This immediately drew in negativity for that people were afraid that it was just going to turn into another standard Sci-Fi shooter with the Metroid license. But upon its release it was met with near universal acclaim and it became a must-own title for the Gamecube. And I couldn't agree more. Not only is this perhaps the best Gamecube game I have ever played, but this is perhaps the best game in the Metroid series.
The game follows the continuing chronicles of professional space bounty hunter Samus Aran and her continuing efforts to stop the Space Pirates. The game's story takes place between the first Metroid title and Metroid 2: The Return of Samus for the Gameboy. Samus pursues the Space Pirates to a desolate planet called Tallon IV and discovers the Space Pirates continuing experimentations. While there is no spoken dialog there is a lot of context to be had. In order to fully figure out what the Space Pirates are up to and how the residence of the planet have disappeared you'll need to scan for logs and various environmental objects to fill you in. It seems strange at first, but this is common for a Metroid game not to provide a heavy back story.
As is standard for the series the game is incredibly nonlinear. To help you progress to important plot elements the game occasionally marks a point of interest on your map. How you get there is up to you. Tallon IV is an incredibly large planet that makes it great for you to explore. Exploration and backtracking is important as taking the time to explore helps you discover hidden items to help you along your journey. Certain areas of the game cannot be accessed until you obtain a certain weapon or ability. Even though the game is in First Person and you will be shooting things, the game relies more on exploration, which is a positive. Exploration has always been a key element in the Metroid series and this game certainly doesn't falter there. Traversing through Tallon IV is made easy thanks to the excellent controls. The controls and the control scheme in this game are incredibly intuitive and very rarely do they ever falter. Even the camera is pretty good, though it can be tricky making certain jumps.
The series trademark items and weaponry make a return here. As you progress you'll come across staples like the Morph Ball, Space Boots, the Varia Suit, Gravity Suit, Wave Beam, Ice Beam, Plasma Beam, Grapple Beam, and Missiles. These weapons and abilities not only help you fight enemies, but are also useful in solving environmental puzzles. The main items you collect are usually health orbs and ammunition, as well as expansions for your health and missiles. Your weapons, ammo, and health can all be seen on Samus' helmet, which serves as the heads-up display. There are also different visors that you can collect: The scan visor, thermal visor (which, of course, senses the temperature of an enemy), and the X-Ray visor, all of which can also be found on her helmet. Out of the three the scan visor is the one you'll be using the most. You'll need to do a lot of scanning to not only progress through the story but it is also necessary if you are wanting to get 100% completion (yes, you must scan everything).
Probably the most important items in the game are the Chozo Artifacts. You'll need to collect 12 of these in order to access the final area. Unfortunately this is the game's biggest flaw. Unless you have a guide on hand then you're going to have some trouble finding these. You are given clues to their location but sometimes it still isn't clear as to where you can find them. However, if you do love exploring than it really shouldn't be a huge ordeal.
Classic enemies from the previous games make a return, ranging from familiar space pirates of all flavors to the dreaded Metroids themselves. You'll also be encountering plenty of cool bosses and sub-bosses. Some can put up a good challenge, but their method of defeating them isn't too brain taxing.
This is simply one of the very best looking game to ever come out for the Gamecube. This game easily topped many PS2 and Xbox games at the time. The game has an incredible atmosphere that really sucks you in and makes you instinctively want to go exploring. The environments look exceptional and the character models are top notch. While some of the lighting can be a bit too dark it works great. The developers were even able to add in small, cool-looking graphical details, like weather effects being shown on Samus' helmet and brighter areas that can show a glimpse of her reflection. The sound design is also brilliant and just enhances the atmosphere even more. The music is engrossing and at times even haunting. The various sound effects are also very effective.
To sum things up:
PROS:
-Superb graphics
-Excellent music and sound
-Engrossing atmosphere
-Great controls
-Great bosses
-Retains that great Metroid atmosphere
-Excellent exploration value
CONS:
-Collecting the Chozo Artifacts
It is without question, for me, that this is one of my favorite games of all time. All Gamecube and Wii owners, Metroid fans, and exploration fans must have this game. Even if you were never too big of a fan of the series I urge you to try this game out, because you may end up liking it. This is simply one of Nintendo's finest games and Retro Studios has certainly done the series justice.