Review By

Brad Gallaway

I agree with Matt when he says Nintendo's franchise updates have been ahead of the curve. As noted, keeping the good parts and reinventing what doesn't work really is the "secret" to making it happen. Nintendo's not the only company to successfully pull off revamping a classic, but they certainly have a higher rate of success than most. However, I fully expected their winning streak to end in a big way when it came to Metroid.

I've been a fan of the series (and armor-clad heroine Samus Aran) since the original on the NES. After hearing that a virtually unknown American studio was bringing the title to 3D and using a new First-Person perspective, I had given up all hope. I just couldn't see how it could be done. The task seemed impossible without ending up as an ill-conceived update trashing an entire legacy. In this particular case, I've never been so happy to be wrong.

The best thing that can be said about Metroid Prime is that the game is classic Metroid regardless of the restructuring and next-generation trappings. Matt's done a good job of making a case for the game, and I'd have to say that I agree on nearly every point. To avoid repeating everything that he said, let me simply state for the record that 98 percent of the game is complete and total brilliance.

However, his opinion and mine do diverge a little bit on that last two percent. My main sticking point (and it's a small one) is about the control. For the vast majority of playtime, everything is smooth and responsive. The layout of the GameCube's pad is definitely attuned to exploration, and that's quite appropriate. But during heated battles things weren't as solid as they should be. Under heavy combat pressure, the control didn't lend itself well to dodge-and-shoot maneuvers. It's rarely an issue and learning patterns of bosses helps compensate, but it should still be mentioned.

The only other area where we part ways is the storytelling. While the level of immersion as Samus was fantastic and cohesive, I felt a few more cutscenes thrown in would have been the perfect icing on an otherwise delectable cake. Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking Final Fantasy-level cinematics here. But the amount of scanning to be done was tedious at times, and reading bits of text just wasn't very satisfying (not to mention it was a little hokey to glean concise data from every computer screen you run across-try finding something important on my PC, Samus!). The Metroid series has never been about telling a story and Prime has more plot than any installment except Fusion. This is a good thing. However, I can't help but feel this aspect of the game wasn't as explored or realized as much as the other portions were. On the flipside, I guess I should be thankful the disc didn't get saddled with cheesy, two-bit voiceovers or cliché melodrama.

Those nitpicks noted, there's nothing else to say about the game except that it's a must-play for any GameCube owner, it's easily one of the best games (if not the best) of 2002, and Metroid Prime is destined to go down in gaming history as an outstanding achievement. Retro Studios' creation has earned a place alongside such hallowed names as Super Mario 64, GoldenEye 007, and The Ocarina Of Time—and that's no small feat. 'Nuff said.

John Silver says...
Metroid Prime's value can hardly be exaggerated. This is more than superb: This is a whole new concept that the term "videogame" acquires.

I'm not going to list more qualities of the game, I'll just say that Metroid's style and construction are art. The philosophy of the Chozo, its contrast with the materialism of the Space Pirates, the harmonies and conflicts of nature and technology, of biological and electronic life, and overall the omnipresent feeling of a metaphorical tension between future and past, are all something more than the typical videogame rhetoric.

Most importantly, this value is not achieved through narrative; this is not artistic because it is an interactive film. Metroid is the first example of a videogame as a form of art. Just as a painting, a film, or a book, Metroid has that unique value which can not be transposed. It is a videogame, and only as such it can express its artistic value.

Everybody should play this game. The birth of a new form of art happens once every x-hundred years, and it's happening NOW. This is more than Super Mario 64, this is more than The Legend Of Zelda, this is more than any other game. Metroid is the proof that within fifty years, with some luck, videogames might become much more than entertainment.

RATING: 10

lawrencevanrijn says...
When I saw the demo of this game I was immediatly hooked. I must admit that I was a Metroid virgin. I did not know the games that came before.

This game is everything that I expect of a game: challenging in nature and mesmerising in sound and vision. The graphical excellence is so high that I cannot understand how it fitted on the disc. Metroid Prime game seems linear, however, the way places are connected leaves the impression that you could run around for months and never go to the place you needed to go. In subtle ways the game hints where to go next; what you do is up to you.

The game invites you to get a perfect score, but doesn't demand it. Nintendo truly sets a new standard in gaming with this one.

RATING: 10

karthik says...
This is the first review of GameCritics.com that has misled me. Honestly, I think the adventure and exploration becomes tedious after a while and the backtracking, repetitive. The controls, sound and graphics are very qualitative but Metroid Prime serves up a one directional gameplay buffet. The enemies are quite a chore to eliminate, particularly in the first half of the game. I felt quite restricted in the environments of Metroid Prime, which hampered the overall experience. To sum it up, Metroid Prime is a very well made title, which did not excite me at all (a chore to play).

RATING: 8.5

MrPeanut says...

Simply put, the positive parts of Prime are the text bits from scanning items and logs, and the many impressive special effects and environments. The downside is the art direction, the sound effects, and the gameplay.

Prime is a gorgeous game. The visual effects are dazzling, and there are many excellent details added, such as water droplets, fog, frost, and even Samus's reflected face, showing on the visor under some circumstances.

The results of putting a game rife with tedious jumping puzzles into a first person perspective are horrific. Continually, the player is met with areas where repeated long distance jumps are required just to reach the next room. One mistake will result in falling to the bottom. There are parts where one wonders if the designers actually tried to make the game annoying, such as taking the aforementioned terrible jumping sequences and putting them underwater, doubling the irritability of the task.

The target audience of the game was lowered by about seven years, resulting in overly bright colors and exaggerated characters. Samus Aran, the heroic woman of so many previous Metroid games, now has two colossal, symbolic breasts for shoulders. Other parts of her suit have been downgraded from the perfection of the Supermetroid suit.

Finally, several of the sounds in the game are wrong. The standard creature death sound is more akin to a trash can falling over.

RATING: 7.0
Published: May 26, 2004

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