Samus could have saved the GameCube. If anyone knew she was there
With its stunning production quality, sublimely intuitive controls, and immersive atmosphere; this game is true to the vision of series creator Gunpei Yokoi, and adds considerable layers of depth to its meta-narrative.
Metroid games have always done things differently. The entire series seems to straddle the genres of shooter, platformer, and adventure. The first Metroid game to take place in three dimensions continues this trend of bucking trends. One of the trends it bucks is narrative sequence! Metroid Prime takes place just after the events of METROID. Which is kind of odd when you consider that the previous entries into the series were called: METROID, Metroid II, and Metroid 3.
Metroid games and their stories unfold in a very unique and subtle manner, and this is for one key reason: Most of Samus' enemies have no knowledge of her language, and Metroids themselves can't speak at all. However, onscreen, these creatures interact and communicate nonverbally, and their exchanges onscreen require no words to tell those who are paying attention what's going on.
Super Metroid had virtually no text, except at the beginning, but all of its story happens while the controller is in your hands and you're manipulating Samus. It brings the concept of interactive story full-circle, and Metroid Prime introduces a whole new method of allowing that to happen. Scanning.
Scanning is a brilliant and under-appreciated feature of this game. Your scan visor serves the role of Navi and Tatl from the N64 Zeldas and gives you a concise and well-written description of environmental details or the creatures and their habitat. It also clues you into puzzles and weak points on bosses. My favourite part of the Scan system however, is the Chozo Lore and Pirate Data. These two sets of narrative weave the backstory of the game, and give your actions more meaning. The beautiful touches come in the form of Chozo Lore's poetic and sombre tones contrasted with the formal, technical speech of Pirate Data, which slowly turns into anti-Samus propaganda the further into Tallon IV she treks.
Metroid Prime is an easy game to get into. The control scheme is perfect for the unique asymmetrical setup of the GameCube controller. I went to buy my GameCube way back in December 2002, and until that point, I hadn't really figured out why Nintendo decided to abandon what I thought was a perfectly sensible set-up: the diamond pattern. Metroid Prime, within minutes of loading up, laid to rest all my doubts about the design. The game handles brilliantly, every action is the perfect distance from the main button, based on the necessity of its utility. To clarify, the jump button is right beside your thumb, and the position of the missile button in relation to the shoot button makes firing beam-missile combos a breeze. While the morph ball button only takes your hand a short distance from the combat buttons and the map button requires a conscious (read: always-intentional) button-press of the 'Z' which is half trigger, half face button.
Most of Samus' most famous latent abilities are back, including the ubiquitous Morph Ball. Which, along with some new spins on old items, takes the platforming elements of Metroid to new and extremely enjoyable heights. The combat is thrilling and engrossing, but it is most certainly not the primary gameplay element of Metroid games; Retro realized that, and made a conscious decision to /not/ make this game a First-person shooter (at the behest of Nintendo executives I'm almost certain). Exploration and platforming are the primary gameplay mechanics, and provide the real entertainment value in this game. The layout and interconnectedness of the world is in true Metroid fashion, and this is what makes me put the disc in my Cube again and again even though I've already completed it nearly a dozen times.
The game does not have perfect visuals, there are slight flaws here and there, but you'll forget the minor aliasing on the hatches after the first time you see Samus' reflection in her own visor. Her face is always rendered -- at different times you will see different degrees of reflection, but Samus is always blinking and looking around. The game is colourful, though not as colourful as the 2D Metroids, the architecture and environment design are great, but not all that imaginative. Metroid Prime falls short of the level of Super Metroid and the original in this regard. The majority of Tallon IV's environment is stone-and-steel or organic spaces that replicate Earth to a large degree. In fact, from appearance alone; if not for the creatures, your weapons, and the fact that the statues are not of humans you would think you're playing a souped-up, first-person version of Tomb Raider. The creature designs' whimsy, detail, and the sheer grotesqueness of the bosses are what bring the game's visuals up to the level of "superb".
On the other hand, Metroid Prime's score and sound effects are unsurpassed. Great remixes of old Zebesian favourites, a few new ones, and big booming attack and damage sound effects accentuate the action extremely well, and also add a lot to the excellent atmosphere. In fact, one might argue that the aural aspects of Metroid Prime are really what hold its immersive atmosphere together.
All in all, the main mission to Tallon IV in Metroid Prime is a great value, but this alone isn't what makes the Metroid Prime disc worth purchasing.
Metroid Prime and its portable, simultaneous-release cousin, Metroid Fusion make excellent use of GBA-GC connectivity. When you beat Metroid Prime and link up, you can unlock the Fusion Suit in full 3D, which has four variations, and appears in each cinematic of the game. Beat Metroid Fusion, and you unlock the one that started it all -- METROID, the NES classic playable on your television, each time you load Metroid Prime. No need to write down the 24-character password when you die. Your last-used password gets saved automatically onto your memory card without using an extra space. Don't worry though, you can still write in your password manually if you choose -- something that should please all those creeps -- I mean fanboys -- I mean normal, upstanding individuals -- who wish to see Samus in a bathing suit in all her green-haired, 8-bit glory. But even that isn't the source of Prime's perfect 10 in the value category; that goes to Metroid Prime's sequence-breaking, time-and-percentage record-breaking opportunities; and of course the fact that Tallon IV is the kind of planet you want to come back to over and over again.
For all those who want to see just what it takes to make a great piece of interactive art, you need to check out Metroid Prime. This is the game that gave Nintendo the guts to make /Nintendo-style/ games again on the GameCube. An idea they seemed to abandon at the launch of the system
