The Nintendo Gamecube’s true force has arrived in style, and it's not a plumber. It is a golden armor-clad bounty hunter
But that’s not all you’ll see. Samus’ visor also displays her vital statistics (still "energy barrels" for us old school), missile count, radar and the occasional map scan locater (so you never get completely lost).
Another element that Retro could have easily messed up on is the actual combat, but of course they nailed that on the head as well. Samus can now lock on to her enemies with the push of the L button. When she does this you are given the ability to strafe around, dodging their attacks and retaliating with your own. The combat system will remind you more of the Zelda games of recent years than your typical FPS, but it fits the game well.
The D-Pad switches the several visors Samus will acquire over the course of her time on Tallon IV, which are all very cool. These can help you solve several of the stumpers you’ll come across, and even aid you in combat. Don’t know how to fight a creature? Scan it. Can’t see it but you know its there? Pop on the thermal visor and dispose of them predator style. The choice is all yours, and you’ll have to think like a galactic bounty hunter in order to play as one.
Another element I must go over is jumping, since it has always been a main focus of the series. Even though Prime uses a first-person perspective, it still keeps in line with this classic staple of the franchise. You will still need to jump from platform to platform to reach that just unattainable door you need to have the Ice Beam for. To be blunt, jumping in Metroid Prime is easier than most other games in general. The only time you’ll fall is when it is you the player who made an error, not because of some glitch or sloppy controls. With the simple push of the B button you are up in the air; that's all there is to it.
What about the rest of the gameplay? It is something you will have to discover for yourselves. Well, maybe this will give you a better idea. Dig out a copy of Super Metroid and play it again. Now take all those things that made that game so sweet and convert them all into a living 3D world that you view from the heroine’s perspective. There you go, Metroid Prime's gameplay in a nutshell.