Anyone with even a marginal interest in action/adventure or shooter games needs to experience Metroid Prime.
User Rating: 9.6 | Metroid Prime GC
Metroid Prime is bar-none one of the best games of our generation, and it is sure to be noted a classic by gamers for years to come. The game starts off with a thinly veiled tutorial that serves to introduce Samus' motivation for persuing her quest as well as to give players the opportunity to get acquainted with the game's unique control setup. Retro opted for a unique control scheme in favor of the tried-and-true dual-analog control preferred by many for first-person games, and the type of combat, as well as the level of it, make the new setup very appropriate. As you move from point to point, information is flashed on the HUD of Samus' Varia suit, dictating you on what to do and when. It's easy to grasp the setup, and you'll be bouncing around on Morph Ball bombs before you know it. Before the tutorial is over, however, all but Samus' most basic abilities are stripped from her in an "accident," and you'll need to recover them as you progress through the game. As per the Metroid formula, Samus' space ship crash-lands on an unfamiliar planet called Talon IV -- a planet about which Samus has no prior knowledge. Her trusty suit nearly destroyed, and only her brevity to motivate her, she steps away from the safety of her ship and begins her quest. The level of atmosphere in the game is startling, as the vastness of Talon IV slowly and consistently comes to life during your exploration. Many developers strive for this level of ambience, and now they have a model from which to learn. It's important to note that the story in Metroid Prime, while perhaps one of the most moving stories in recent gaming history, could be completely overlooked by any player not interested in knowing it. It is told in it's entirety via Samus' scan visor -- the only powerup she didn't lose when her other abilities were taken. Throughout Talon IV's vast areas, pseudo-heiroglyphic lore, as recorded by the planet's host species, the Chozo, are dispersed, and are automatically translated when scanned. Further into the game are computers with inputs from the bane of the Chozo, known only as the Space Pirates, whose information can likewise be scanned. None of the entries, be they Chozo or Pirate, seem out of place or forced. Beautifully articulated and almost proverbial in tone, the Chozo Lore seem to have come straight out of any of the most well-written Hollywood screenplays to date. Everything from the values they place on nature, to their contempt of the Space Pirates and their intentions, all the way to the Chozo pleading for the prophetic heroine (guess who) to rescue them from their enemy are masterfully presented in subtle detail. It is this subtlety that is the beauty of the storytelling method, as it gives enough information about the varying cultures to enrich them, but leaves just the right amount of detail to the imagination, and allows us to form our own motivations to press on in the game. This is something we just don't get from FMVs. There is a fine line between being subtle and being lazy, and Retro's feet stand firmly on it. Playing the game will be a tad awkward for those already comfortable with the traditional dual-analog control setup found in many games in first-person perspective. Basic movement is assigned to the left analog stick. Holding the "R" trigger down in conjunction with directional input from the left analog stick allows the player to remain still while looking around. Holding the "L" trigger gives the player the ability to strafe and will lock Samus' eyesight in place if you were already looking up or down. The function changes slightly, however, during combat, as pressing the "L" trigger will command Samus to lock on to the nearest enemy and strafe around them while blasting away with her arsenal of space-age weapons. Once you get comfortable with moving Samus around the rest of the control setup will probably feel pretty natural. The "A" button fires all of Samus' beams as well as her Morph Ball Bombs, while the "B" button does the jumping and evasive dodging. The "Y" button fires Samus' missiles and various beam/missile special attacks. Pressing "X" commands Samus to go into Morph Ball mode, forming her entire body into a nearly perfect sphere and giving her the ability to evade danger quickly and navigate otherwise unaccessible areas. Exploration is perhaps one of the biggest aspects of Metroid Prime. As you venture about Talon IV you will encounter obstacles that you cannot pass, or doors you cannot open, until you find the necessary upgrades. The upgrades come in the forms of the Charge Beam, Wave Beam, Ice Beam, the Morph Ball, suit upgrades, the double-jump-enabling Space Boots and a variety of usefull visors, as well as a few others. It's simple to toggle between your various beams by pressing the different directions on the right analog stick, and equally simple for the visors, as they are similarly mapped to the D-pad. Each of the beams finds its own niche in the game, allowing tactical advantages against certain enemies or by simply allowing access to new areas. Along with Samus' Scan Visor and default Combat Visor you can acquire the Thermal Visor and the X-Ray Visor. Each does what its name implies, and will allow you to see previsously invisible enemies, goals, or hidden items. Admittedly, changing visors and weapons can be a bit dodgy during the tougher shootouts since it's easy to confuse the function of the D-pad and right analog stick in a pinch. However, most of the time you will likely have your visor and beam selected as you play, so that helps keep controlling our "shero" from being too daunting. The action is fast-paced at times, but pretty moderate most of the time -- especially during the beginning areas. A melee attack would have been great for this game, as it's easy to see your life meter drop like a toilet seat if you get trapped against a wall versus some of the melee-attacking Space Pirates. The game is filled with life and firepower upgrades, however, and since save points, generously dispersed, for the most part, refill all of your life, the game is not too hard in the beginning. Near the end of the game, your skills will likely have improved and afford you the ability to dispatch of the most wearisome opponents more efficiently than when you first start to play, so it achieves a nice balance, even though it's not perfect. The most intense battling, predictably, is done against the many bosses in Talon IV. All of the boss fights are exciting to play, and each demands that you use your noggin as well as your weapons to properly exploit its weaknesses. Some of the boss fights toward the end of the game are really challenging, though not impossible to beat. There is a special "Hard Mode" available after you beat the normal mode, and it too can reasonably be beaten. Not much can be said for the level designs in Metroid Prime, as the game really only has one level. There are highly distinguishable areas of the standard video game variety (an ice level, a fire level, etc.) as well as other original areas. The genius behind the level designs is the way that Retro masked the load times when going from one area to the next. Each time you move to a new area, a short video of Samus transporting up an elevator (ala classic Metroid games) plays, rather than blatantly stopping the action and showing a "load" screen. The time it takes to travel from one area to the next is very short, but it's still worth mentioning the steps Retro took to avoid the monotony of load screens in any case. Suffice it to say extreme detail was given to Prime's visuals. Real-time lighting accents every shot from Samus' arm cannon, and sharp observers will notice that firing a charged shot actually distorts the visuals around the beam. It's a nice touch, given the fact that the text tells us that the Charge Beam actually absorbs the energy from around its source. Light rain will leave droplets on Samus' visor, and the fluids of some vanquished enemies will actually splatter on the visor as well. It's a nice touch, and it doesn't last long. It's a good thing too, because close inspection reveals some blocky graphics. The same blockiness can be seen during Samus' elevator rides as well as some of the other brief FMVs, but the rest of the game doesn't suffer from any noticeable jagginess. Perhaps the most impressive touch is the way that Samus' face can momentarily be seen reflected in her visor during bright flashes of light. It's a teffific effect that displays the level of craftsmanship and care taken in developing this game. The audio is at least on par with the visuals, if not trumping them as they come off flawlessly. If you're walking on mossy areas, Samus' footsteps sound padded and wet. Walk on metal surfaces and the appropriate clinking of metal is audible. Samus' beam shots sound stronger or weaker depending on how much or little you charged them up before firing, and you could probably tell which of the three special beams were being fired even if you had your eyes closed. The music is always appropriate to the levels. It's the kind of good where you won't even notice them, necessarily, unless you listen for them. Once you do notice them, however, it can be hard to get them out of your head, even if you quit playing the game hours before. Looking back, I just wish I would have tried Metroid Prime sooner. It's one of the most complete games to hit retail in a long time, and given the vast amount of great games on the market, that's saying a lot. Having never been a big fan of any Metroid game before, and being basically inept at FPSs, I almost let this classic slip me by. Anyone with even a marginal interest in action/adventure or shooter games needs to experience Metroid Prime. 
