Metroid Prime

The Good
well... Coming at this game from liking lots of various types of games ranging from platform, RPG, shoot em ups etc.. I didn't quite know what to expect from this game, or the GAMECUBE itself for that matter!! I had this game free with my Cube console and always wondered exactly what the whole METROID thing is about (being a Sega mega-drive/genesis owner, I didn't play super metroid on the Nintendo.. or even care about it!)

YOU MUST CARE! OK, If you want your game time to be graced with amazing gameplay then yeah, you care! There are lots of games out there, LOTS of which are just mindless (if you have ever played Men in Black 2 then you'll understand) shooting games too! The thing is, If you like shooting things, but, also like exploring and to have your game push your consoles power then your looking at the right choice.

I didn't quite know what to expect about this game. Mostly I thought this would of been just another first-person blaster. I was wrong.. again! Playing the first hour of it was just a simple way of getting you into the style of the game, then, you have to earn all your attributes to proceed through the vast world it has for you. The whole game is very well presented, very, very smooth and THE MOST AMAZING PART is that there is minimal loading times (you DO NOT get a loading bar or fancy loading screen or OPENING RESIDENT EVIL DOOR LOADING SCREEN! which is fantastic because you are constantly enveloped in its atmosphere) This game is a brilliant first-person shooter, always constantly giving you something new to achieve.

The Bad
There are a few disappointments.. Although, I never really complained until I completed it. Its nothing like the other metroid games (I personally don't think its better than or worse than, its a new type of game with the metroid name) The soundtrack is fun and atmospheric to start off, but then.. once you have played the same area for about an hour (being stuck) then it can get a bit annoying. But I actually quite liked the overall sound of it! Combining old style metroid soundtrack to a new metroid is an iffy subject because you can create a whole new atmosphere with new music (but i think the developers wanted to please fans of metroid as much as they can by sticking the other parts of this to its original form) Apart from that though the ONLY other bad point is that once you have completed it, the best extra bits you earn can only be earned if you have metroid fusion and a Gameboy Advance! Which costs alot if you add them up. And alot of money for just an old port over of the first metroid and a new outfit!

The Bottom Line
This game will probably take up a wonderful 17 hours of your life trying to achieve 100% glory and seeing the different endings and its a very well made product! Really smooth and the engine is spot on! Ever wondered what metroid is like in 3D? then you are in for a treat here. Also, if you want to own one of THE best games that has ever been developed then please, trust me, and get this on there!! This game is out on PLAYERS CHOICE now, which means its, like, HALF the price it used to be! Pick it up pre-owned somewhere and your in for the bargain of the year by far!

The Good
The graphics..... AMAZING!!!!!!! Nothing compares except maybe Rouge Leader. If you walk under a waterfall, your visor will get water on it and drip. If you are in a hot enviornment, the visor will steam up. The weapons and visors look cool and it's fun scanning all the diffrent stuff. The first level also is terrific and fun to play.

The Bad
The gameplay. The controls are frustrating (like alot of other things in this game...) You'll destroy your controler the 50th time you fall down a cliff while trying to jump in FIRST PERSON!!! The power-ups make the game harder instead of easier as you go along. Instead of going through diffrent levels, you are dropped in an ENORMOUS enviornment. It's not so bad the first few hours, but after you get finished with the treasure hunt for diffrent power-downs, the enviornment will become very large. There are at least six enormous sections in the game. Each new power-down let's you get through a new door in a completely diffrent sections. So, you go through the same place over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over etc. This wouldn't be so terrible if enemies didn't respawn. After fighting to get to a new area, you just fight the same guys again when you come back after you get x to use with y to do z etc. This creates alot of frustration when for instance you get x. "Gee", you say, now I can get through door y. Getting through door y(after fighting the same guys you fought 50 times before) You unlock the door. You continue for an hour until you reach a seeming dead end. "You need z" a text message on the screen tells you. Now you get to go back, find z, and come back through the same enemies and obstacles you beat before and do the same jumping puzzles etc. After it took me 30 min just to get to the door you just spent an hour getting the needed power-down to open it, I quit the game and have never played it since. The prize for repeating the same levels and enemies 1000 times should be a refund for the money you just wasted. In the end, despite it's incredible graphics and music, repetition is what makes this game a frustrating and overall unenjoyable game experience.

The Bottom Line
Playing this is like reading a book where you have to read the all the other pages you've read before 50 times before you get to the new page.

The Good
There is nothing to dislike about this game, it is such a perfect piece of gaming history. Once you have played this stunning adventure every other first person game is instantly exposed as a boring piece of faecel matter. Those critical of it point to it's flawed control system which is utter nonsense. At first it is alien to the usual 1'st person controls but over time it becomes as unique as the game itself. The simple lock on mechanism invites you to explore new tactics in defeating enemies and the game is the first to ever properly allow you to jump. The way that Samus' abilities are re-introduced to you and their timing make the whole journey so fresh and interesting. There is a lot of backtracking and trying to work out the best way to go using the map system was a little frustrating but the acquisition of a new skill such as the double jump make it quicker and more enjoyable. You notice the 'Nintendo' difference when rolling Samus into a ball for the first time and enjoying not just the ability but the wonderful physics involved with just this tiny part of the game. Also the different views of the visor, which have been seen to some degree in other games but haven't affected the game as much as here. You need certain visors to access different parts of this game. I will never forget the feeling of being totally lost and isolated only to recieve a visor upgrade which allows you to see beyond the enclosed walls around you to your escape. Wondrous. This is the only game to ever keep me awake at night with the enemies and journey racing through my mind.

The Bad
Maybe the ease of use of the map, the 3d method is necessary but needed to be easier to control.

The Bottom Line
The God of games.