http://nintendopipeline.net/news/index.html/_/reviews/ Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:44:29 +0000 43200 Nintendo gaming reviews. http://nintendopipeline.net/news/index.html/_/reviews/metroid-prime-r11
Time and time again, gamers have been using this saying when presented with new ideas that developers implement within their games. Whether it be a new approach to the graphics, changing a few key gameplay mechanics or another factor to alter one’s favourite feature, gamers have always been struck with fear when given the idea of change.

Change can often be a good thing, however, and we have witnessed some great accomplishments. The platformer genre was redefined when Super Mario 64 transferred from 2-D into 3-D. Many consider The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to be the best game in all of gaming history, and it too utilized new designs and elements that would have otherwise been impossible to execute if the game was to remain completely in classic formula. Nintendo pulled off these and more amazing achievements and we began to trust in Nintendo to give birth to new marvels. But with the announcement of a 3-D, first-person Metroid game, why were gamers all of the sudden shaking in their shoes? Nintendo handed the baton over to rookie developer Retro Studios, who hadn't had any experience with past Metroid games. Many thought that the new Metroid game would be utter garbage, ruin the entire franchise, and ultimately cause the annihilation of life as we know it.


Does Metroid Prime follow in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's footsteps?

Metroid Prime begins as Samus receives a distress call from an abandoned ship orbiting the planet Tallon IV and sets out to investigate, only to discover that the frigate once belonged to the Space Pirates, a ruthless, technologically advanced race out to seek galactic domination. Navigating through the thought-of vacant ship, Samus learns that some sort of experiment has gone awry caused by the mutation of different life-forms. As Samus progresses through the vessel, the self-destruct procedure has been activated. She attempts to flee the frigate, only to encounter her arch-enemy Ridley, knowing that because he is here, the mystery that she has stumbled upon is bigger than what she had imagined. The bounty hunter escapes the ship, losing most of her upgrades in the process, and follows Ridley into Tallon IV. The adventure is only beginning.

What makes the story interesting and original is that it is learned through the environment rather than being presented to the player. Ruins lie in shambles, uninhabited by any intelligent life-forms. Technologically advanced machinery can be found within fiery caverns. If one wishes to know what is happening more precisely, the player can take advantage of Samus’s ability to scan her surroundings. Through this, the player can learn specifically about what has happened to a particular object, and even learn of events that have occurred prior to Samus’s arrival. It is through these actions that the player can weave together their own story, but it isn’t difficult to miss an important section of the tale during your adventure. Because of this, it can often become a hassle finding the missing pieces of the puzzle and leave an empty feeling once the mission is complete.

Empty feelings are virtually no where to be seen when experiencing the gameplay, however. Combined with old-school elements from previous Metroid adventures and a new 3-D, first-person feel, this is where Metroid Prime excels the most. At first glance, Metroid Prime looks like an ordinary shooter, but blasting enemies to bits is only your second main focus – the first focus being exploration. As soon as Samus lands on Tallon IV, the game gives the player very little direction as to where the player should go. Because no directions are being fed and no non-playable characters are present, a great feeling of remoteness is frequently what the player experiences.


Phendrana Drifts is one of the many environments that give the player a great sensation of isolation.

At first, you will often find that you have to perform some extreme finger acrobatics and even put the controller down and take a moment to remember how to fire a missile. This is due to the confusion that the control set-up provides. Although complicated and alien at first, the configuration begins to grow on you. One cannot help think, as they progress through the game, that the control scheme just makes sense, and wonder why they thought it was so silly and problematical at first.

Variety can typically be found just around the corner – and the corner after that corner. Players will never be bored when commonly being faced with new puzzles, new enemies, and new environments. Often with such challenges, however, one might become a little lost, seeking help. Luckily, a very unique feature has been implemented into the game that allows you to discover information that will ultimately aid you in solving puzzles or defeating enemies. By putting your arm cannon down and switching to the Scan Visor, players can unearth a plethora of facts, spanning from a weak spot in a wall to what species are indigenous to certain locations.

Unlike the Scan Visor, the majority of items are found through exploration. Often, you find expansions for missiles and life energy, but usually when you complete a large puzzle or defeat a difficult enemy, you are rewarded with an item that doesn’t only have an impact on the current area you’re in, but the entire game. Such items can help you reach new areas in places you visited near the beginning of the game and, for example, once the player receives that new beam weapon, they will at least remember a few places where they could use their newly acquired tool in past levels or rooms. Through these sorts of tricks, exploration and backtracking in Metroid Prime no longer feel like a chore.

As if exploration couldn’t be any more entertaining, Samus can uniquely switch from her tradional first-person view to a third-person view and morph into a ball, which is conveniently named the Morph Ball. Through this, the player can navigate through small crevices and reach thought-of unreachable places by taking advantage of half-pipes. As you progress, the Morph Ball can explore even more areas in even more ways. Interestingly, the Morph Ball can even be used for combat or means of escape, even needed during boss battles, which, on a side-note, are quite tough, especially near the last parts of the game.

Speaking of challenging, collecting all of the power-ups in the game is quite the task, although well worth it. Special bonuses, such as art galleries, are unlocked depending on your percentage of item collection; the more you collect, the more special goodies you receive. This offers some replay value, as well as, once you beat the game, playing the game on Hard Mode and playing the game with Samus’s Fusion Suit from Metroid Fusion by linking both games together via a GameBoy Advance-to-GameCube Link Cable.

Benefiting exceptionally from the transition of 2-D to 3-D are the graphics, and Metroid Prime has it all. The frosty peaks of Phendrana look desolate and still, with huge amounts of snow flowing down from the heavens. Magmoor Caverns heats things up with scorching fumes rising from the earth as massive machinery pump sweltering lava. Enemies look daunting, plants look thriving, and Samus herself looks intimidating. The vibrant cutscenes look like something out of a movie, as well. Everything looks stunning – from a distance. A wall covered with flora may look exotic and dazzling from afar, but when you are face-to-face with it, the quality of the texture on that wall diminishes.

What possibly looks even better, however, is the gargantuan amount of effects that were squeezed inside everything else. When standing under a waterfall, Samus’s visor is flushed with torrents of water. Flocks of birds can be seen flying under the blistering sun. The explosion of the Morph Ball’s bomb lightens a shadowy underground path for a split second, and fades rather quickly. When Samus is hit with a surge of energy, you can see her eyes reflecting off of her visor. The list goes on, and it’s these little features that really make the game an art piece. What pushed the GameCube to its limits and looked gorgeous in 2002 still looks phenomenal now, and is among one the prettiest games to this day.


Vibrant lighting effects in a gorgeous environment make one stunning game.

The same message shows true for the very memorable music and real-sounding effects. No matter where you venture, the music fits in and sets the mood almost flawlessly. The melody of Chozo Ruins fills the atmosphere in a mysterious, technologic feel, whereas when you hear the theme of the Space Pirates, it energizes the room with fear and battle. Most of the music is also very unforgettable, and often one can find him or herself humming to one of the many tunes. The screech of a Metroid, the crumbling of a stalagmite and the sound of a metal plate being blown off of a wall all sound realistic, as well as all of the other sound effects throughout the game. Metroid Prime even keeps true to its roots by remixing some ofMetroid’s past classic tunes.

Luckily, Metroid Prime did not bring destruction, but rather the creation of something innovative. Retro Studios managed to give birth to not only a technical marvel, but a truly remarkable accomplishment, and a message declaring that change can actually be an excellent thing. It was this that caused gamers of all sorts to come out from hiding and cross out that one particular phrase that had been fixated into their minds, and instead hold a new message in which sets value for all games, no matter how good they may be.

If something isn’t broken, improve it.]]> Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:27:02 +0000 eb163727917cbba1eea208541a643e74