Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
September 03, 2007
The coming months are definitely going to be a terror for my both my poor wallet and my utter lack of time. Why's that? Well, there are so many stupendous looking games coming out that I simply won't have time for them all! This week's distraction is brought to you by the letter "M".
Nintendo carries with them a little bit of our childhood. The collective gamer psyche, if you will, has ingrained within it Mario, Zelda and Metroid. These three series provide the major cash-cow that keeps Nintendo Corp. afloat amongst it's 20+ fan-base. If you can tell me that there is not one game in those three that you are not utterly-scarily-guy-in-a-fox-suit in love with - then you are not a gamer - or you're David who missed out on the 8bit and 16bit era.
Super Metroid is quite possibly my favorite video game of all time. It had all the elements that I loved as a kid. There was side-scrolling shootie action, suit upgrades, slight RPG elements and tons of exploration of a gorgeously detailed amazing environment. Everything was beautifully memorable for me - the first time the surveilance eye shone on my new Morph Ball self, the giant lumbering robots in The Wrecked Ship and bursting through the pipe in Maridia... there were so many kick-ass elements that you never wanted to stop.
Fast forward to the era of the GameCube and witness with me Metroid Prime. This, a Metroid game was not. It was interesting, sure. It had character building elements, sure. However, there was absolutely nothing memorable to me. Perhaps I didn't truly "appreciate" the game, but I ended up just playing until I could get to the next save point and getting bored with it. To me, the Metroid series had died at the hands of lulz3dgraphics.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was much the same. There was an interesting story, which to this day I wish I had the energy to advance through, but the gameplay was boring. Hugely boring involving lots of fiddly jumping bits with me praying for a save point.
Last week, however, Retro Studios finally released a game that doesn't utterly abuse the Metroid license. While MP3 is not a true Metroid game, only being set in the Metroid universe, it is an astoundingly great game worthy of high praises.
The game opens as you fiddle around inside your ship, with the Wiimote of course, and dock with a giant starship to find a new bounty. Sure enough, big things happen and shit blows up sending you scrambling back to your ship fighting Space Pirates all the way. It isn't until you reach a planet's surface and finally begin exploring that you realize how much of a treat you're in for. Your first mission has you actually teaming up with other bounty hunters in order to accomplish your goal - and after your first Ridley battle (bastard... I killed you five games ago!) you appreciate the help.
Throughout the game you will be constantly reminded of the reason that you purchased the Wii - the beautiful Wiimote. I've never liked the motion sensing on the Wiimote, but the pointer action is definitely where it's at. The feeling of actually moving your arm and watching Samus' waggle around is... surreally awesome. It just feels right. You at least owe it to yourself to play the game, just to see that a First Person Shooter can really be done well on the Wii.
The game itself looks gorgeous and the artwork is beautiful. When you first touch down on Byyron and see the defense golems, you'll be reminded of why the Metroid universe keeps us coming back for more. The architecture is wonderfully designed and the creatures are definitely a treat to engage in battle. Even the user interface looks delicious, right down to Samus staring back at you from the inside of her helmet while you use your scanners. MP3 really does leave you wondering why none of the other Wii games look this good.
While I mentioned before that this is merely a game set in the Metroid universe, I can't help but say that this is a game worthy of being named in Metroid's honor. Good controls, good gameplay and a kick-ass story make this a game to definitely add to your library. What's better? It's your Wii library! That's right kids, there's actually something worth buying for the Wii!
My Verdict: Definitely Buy
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16 Comments
| Tagged: Metroid, Memories, Wii, VideoGames
Andy 2007/09/03
How is it not a metroid game? Do you now play as Samus? Are there not actually any metriods in it? Or do you just not consider a FPS to be a metroid game?
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/04
Well, you do play Samus. It is a Metroid game very much how Sonic Pinball is a Sonic game. While the same characters and universe are shared, the gameplay mechanics are not. Metroid and Super Metroid were incredibly vast and dynamic. You could, if you wanted to, go almost instantly to Norfair and get your ass melted off - or go straight to the tube entrance to Maridia, or to the sealed gates of the Wrecked Ship.
I think part of what made the original Metroids so great was the baiting. You frequently SAW where your destination was, but getting there was a totally different story. The Prime games don't have that. They're mostly linear with clearly defined "areas" that you can't really jump immediately to. Now, Corruption goes a good way t fix this - and a lot more of the game is open from the beginning - but it's still limited.
Anyway, Emily has started playing Heroes on the DVD player... must... not... oh shit there's an otaku trying to save the world! Sayonara!
Andy 2007/09/04
So it is a true metroid game. You're just being nitpicky because you're afraid of change.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/05
Whoa there. I never said that the game was bad. I love the game. I had the day off yesterday and played it for like 3 hours straight. I'm just saying that the Prime games in general lack certain crucial qualities that the originals in the series did - not that it's a bad thing. It would be like making Die Hard 456: The Romancing of Mildred or Crouching Tiger Hidden Chris Rock. While they may be good movies, they're not like the others. That's not a bad thing, I'm just saying that it's not like the others.
Also, Corruption does go a long way to bringing itself more in line with the originals in the series. There is a good bit of exploration and non-linearity added later in the game. It's very nice when you see these sorts of things working their way back into a series.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/05
Also, considering that I've been playing FPSs non-stop since the days of Blake Stone and Wolf3d - I wouldn't exactly consider an FPS to be "change".
Draz 2007/09/05
I agree with Jordan at least on the fact that Super Metroid was, and still is, better than the Prime series for Gamecube. It may just be personal preference, but I think the gameplay was better and there was a lot more suspense. I mean, you're escaping from an exploding space station within five minutes of starting the game! That's epic.
I really wish Nintendo would stop bringing Ridley back, though. Samus has killed him so many times it's ridiculous.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/05
I actually kind of like Ridley showing up again and again. Heck, both Ridley and Kraid made appearances in Super Metroid. Samus and Ridley oddly seem to be the only two constant characters in the series. Do the Metroids even show up in the Prime series?
I loved the space station intro. You work your way through the dead station only to find the red glowing eyes of Mr. Ridley. The ensuing race against the clock (very much like the end of the original Metroid) has you going crazy running through the rotating tilting tunnels until... climax and release. Then you're on Zebes again and it's completely quiet and peaceful. Wonderful intro.
Have you gotten Prime 3 yet Draz? What do you think? I'm still loving it as I get further into the game.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/05
Actually, thinking about it... how cool would it be if Super Metroid were to get redone using the Prime 3 engine? Or would it? Would things get lost in the translation? I wonder... I would definitely buy it to see!
Andy 2007/09/05
I agree with the fact that Super Metriod is the best in the series and that the 2d games are superior. But the Prime Games are still part of the metriod series; More than just games set in the universe as you said. Now, if you played as someone other than Samus I may agree.
And yes, Metroid being a FPS is a change. The series changed the entire way the game played. Shifting genre's in a change. When I said you were afraid of change I didn't mean that you were afraid to try new genres, I meant that you didn't like it when game series you like switch genres.
So my point is, all the games with the Metriod name are as much a Metriod game as all the others with the title. Some are better than others, but Metriod games they all are.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/06
Like I said before - I wasn't saying that I disliked the changes made to the games. I even corrected you on that one. Metroid Prime 3 is a fantastic game. I love it and it makes me very happy to own a Wii. I really don't understand where you're coming from with the whole" Jordan dislikes change" thing. I love change, and hate when things are stagnant. If I disliked change, would I be playing new games like BioShock (w/ an Xbox 360 controller btw) and Prime 3? Or would I still be playing emulated versions of Metroid? Would I have been one of the few who loved C&C:Renegade or BattleZone?
I don't know where you came from with the whole FPS thing. What I mentioned being different were questions of the exploration and epic scale of the world... not whether you were looking through Samus' visor or looking at her side-on. I could really care less about that - like I said before, I think it would be awesome and incredibly sweet to see a Super Metroid remake using the Prime 3 engine.
I won't argue with you on whether or not they are all Metroid games - because the truth is that in title they are. Once Nintendo grants the usage of that trademark, it's done. I believe that there are core qualities (not just two characters and a name) that must be retained in games to qualify to really be considered as "successors". You don't. We really can't debate something that we consider to have two different definitions.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/06
Sorry if I come off a little harsh, it's just that I really do love change in things. I love dynamic and different things that are different every time that I go to them. I wasn't saying that the changes made were "bad" it's just that they were large enough that, while still sharing a character or two, they were enough to totally set the games aside from the originals which spurred them. That's all.
Andy 2007/09/06
You said it wasn't a true Metriod game. I say it is. I think it boils down to that.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/06
... except that I've actually put forth some effort into supporting that they weren't really Metroid games while hoping for a good discussion, meanwhile you've simply attacked me while ignoring everything that I've said. Your second comment was pretty insulting - maybe something got lost in electronic-land, but I had hoped that you would have picked that up in my later comments.
James 2007/09/07
lol, Internet fight.
Andy 2007/09/07
You put your ideas forth. I still disagreed. As for the insulting comment, surely you should know that coming from me it was meant in jest. I'd think you know me better than that.
I'm not ignoring what you're saying. I'm disagreeing. I didn't realize you were even taking this that seriously and I'm sorry if I've offended.
Jordan T. Cox 2007/09/07
Alright. I suppose that I've never really disagreed with you on the great Interwebs before. Are we doing D&D this weekend then?