Taste-Test: Metroid Prime

Rated: T for Teen Developer: Retro Studios Publisher: Nintendo Players: 1 Saving: 1 Block for 3 files

The game I’ve been waiting for since Super Metroid came out is finally here. I’ve wanted to see Samus again for such a long time, and was extremely pissed off that she never made it onto the Nintendo 64. Needless to say, I’ve been a fan of the series since the original and still go back and play Metroid and Super Metroid quite frequently. When Metroid was first announced back in 2000 for the GameCube I was ecstatic, but that joy soon faded when I learned they were putting it into the first person. This royally pissed me off for a good while, until I saw the game in action. That is when I realized that you were always meant to see through Samus’s eyes.

I am currently two hours into this insanely great game, and I love it. To start out, the graphics are simply the most stunning, rich, realistic graphics I’ve ever seen on the GameCube, and it even tops most Xbox and PC titles as well. I still can’t get over the lighting and smoke/fog effects; I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.

Looking through Samus’s helmet works perfect for the game. You really get the sense that you are Samus and that your suit is a part of you. This was one thing that worried me. I was afraid that the helmet view would become a distraction and take away from the gameplay. This is definitely not the case. However it does take some getting used to.

Another great aspect of Metroid Prime is the physics engine. This was also something that worried me about Metroid’s transition to 3D. Retro very well could have used a standard FPS engine, which would have been terrible for the feel of the game. Instead they used a whole new engine that not only looks good, but plays good. The suit feels heavy just like you’d expect it to, which is a very different feel for a first person game. Usually first person games feel really light and smooth, and if Samus’s power suit had felt light, the gameplay wouldn’t be the same. The only problem with the feel is that jumping isn’t near as high as you would expect it to be. In Metroid, Super Metroid, and even Metroid Fusion, Samus jumps huge heights effortlessly, but in Prime jumping has too heavy a feel to it. I’m hoping this changes when I get the high jump upgrade. Aside from feeling a little heavy, jumping works perfectly in Prime. It almost becomes second nature as you jump from platform to platform, and just like in the classic Metroids, if you miss a jump it’s usually because you get in a hurry, not because the controls suck. I’ve never played a first person game that has jumping as intuitive as Prime’s. The closest game that I can think of was Half-Life, and it was pretty shoddy and annoying at times, Prime is light years beyond anything in this aspect. It even rivals many 3D platformers with its ease of use and control.

Controls in Metroid Prime are a superb mix of Ocarina of Time and any standard FPS. This sounds like a weird mix, but once you start playing you fully understand. The targeting system for Prime feels just like Ocarina of Time’s Z Targeting. Simply tap the L button and an enemy, item, or other random object pops right into center view. Once locked on to enemies you can use the control stick to strife left and right, and hit B to do a quick jump left or right to dodge attacks. This is what makes Prime play like an adventure game. If you are not locked onto an enemy and want to strife you still have to point at where you want to center the strife, then hold L and use the control stick. In other words, unless you are battling an enemy there isn’t a good way to move sideways and peak around corners. At times I wish that you could manually strife using the C-stick like most first person shooters on the GameCube, because it makes turning corners a ton easier, but it makes sense to leave it out because range of motion wearing a suit like that would probably be somewhat limiting. One complaint I’ve heard from a lot of people is that you can’t look around while moving. This can be annoying, but there really is no reason to. Just like any Metroid game, you can’t look around until you defeat baddies in the surrounding area anyway, or you’ll get killed. You can use the scanner while moving, which greatly helps when you are scanning enemies, but other then that, moving and looking is fairly pointless. This feature makes the game feel a lot more adventure like then FPS like.

The most stunning aspect of Metroid Prime, besides graphics of course, is the audio. The techno soundtrack sets the pace of the game perfectly and sticks in your head. I sure hope that Nintendo releases a Metroid Prime soundtrack like they did for Eternal Darkness (only a lot sooner), because I definitely want it. However the pumping music tracks aren’t what make Prime’s audio truly shine. Retro put Dolby Pro Logic II in full force, and it is easily one of the best sounding GameCube titles to date. It even rivals Star Wars Rogue Leader.

Level design for Metroid Prime was done perfectly. Not only are the worlds massive, but also span all directions in great length. Just like in the classics, you not only have to travel on ground level, but reach great heights as well. What really impresses me about the level design is that they so closely fit with the designs of Metroid and Super Metroid, and lend to vast exploration. Unlike Metroid Fusion, which is very linear as I complained about in my taste-test, Prime feels a lot more like the original two Metroids, allowing you to go wherever you want, whenever you want. That is of course if your suit can handle it.

I still can’t believe that a company as new to Retro Studios was able to pump out such a well-defined title. Nearly everything about Metroid Prime has been done right, and they looked into every possible detail. Not to mention being way ahead of most other companies in tapping the GameCube’s true powers.

In my best guess, most of my trivial complaints will disappear once I progress farther into the game, so look forward to reading my review. Metroid Prime is definitely shaping up to be the game of the year.

Matt Schraeder