Metroid Prime

Obsession: an unhealthy preoccupation with something or someone.

This is how i defined my experience with Metroid Prime. I couldn't put it down. Kinda like those Reese's Bites...

First thing's first, I'm a jaded gamer. I can honestly say i'm so picky about what i like lately in video games its sick. There have been very few games in the last couple years i can honestly say i've played from beginning to end, let alone enjoyed the entire experience. I would like to thank Retro for putting together a truly enjoyable first person adventure. This will prolly be the new chic term for games like this. Mainly because its not an all out FPS. Its all the puzzle solving and a lot of the platforming of the Metroid games that came before it. Its not perfect, but then again, what game ever is?

I'm not gonna talk about the story... mainly cuz you could head over to gamefaqs or somethin and read about that on their boards. But, i will say goin thru the game you "scan" data and it not only informs you of the enemy and weapons/items, but also about the chozo (the ancient race that inhabited the planet long before you go their to kick space pirates and metroids ass). This is one of the way to open up secrets also. To scan everything possible. I'm not sure exactly how much i got, but i know i scanned at least 50% (the game tells you when you hit that mark).

Suppose you wanna know what the gameplay is like. Well simply put, imagine a FPS with platforming and sometimes insane puzzle aspects. Its more adventure and exploration than shooter, which is why i think it just keeps you goin. Too many late nights i found myself saying...i'll quit at the next save room i get to! But i kept goin... This also leads me to one of the couple faults in the game. Platform jumping in first person mode. At times it was almost infuriating, until i got the space jump. Made it infinitely better because i could just double jump to compensate for short jumps. Shooting shit was pretty simple, you just lock on with the L button and fire. You get missiles, weapon upgrades like the old games. Power Bombs, charged shots, you can even old school bomb jump. Didn't see any parts in the game where it was necessary tho... too bad.

This kinda leads me into one of the only other faults i found. Because the way the controls are set up, your C stick (the yellow one retards) is used to switch between beam weapons. So unlike your typical FPS you have to use your R button (hey look at your shoes if you don't know which one that is) to look around. It takes a while to get used to, but after a while it becomes 2nd nature. Sometimes its a pain in the ass to target enemies that jump around, especially with no quick turn or 180 flip type of command. That would've been ideal for some of those bosses that kicked my ass over and over.

This game is the best game on the Gamecube. The graphics and gameplay are top notch. Especially coming from a company thats had very little experience with this type of game. The game will likely last you in the 15 to 20 hour range. Come to think of it, this is the first game on Gamecube i've played for more than 10 mins. I liked it so much i even bought Metroid Fusion for GBA. Maybe when i beat that i'll do a review for that, after all i gotta unlock old school Metroid 1! I can't say i'd recommend buying a Gamecube for this game alone, but if you have a GC, you should own MP. Oh yea final thought, you unlock Hard difficulty after beating it the first time. I haven't tried it yet, but i got serious hand cramps on some of those bosses, i can't imagine doing Hard mode.

P.S. Give it up to the guys that submit faqs on www.gamefaqs.com and post on the boards. Yes i had to get help a few times.

Ralfein[tB] (aka FUCKASS)


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