Metroid Prime

One of my gaming regrets is not purchasing the Metroid Prime Trilogy for the Wii. Until it comes down to a price that doesn't require me to sell off my kids, I'll have to settle for the Gamecube version of Metroid Prime and the Metroid Prime Corruption only Wii disc. Sadly, I've never played Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, but I would like to. I keep putting off picking up a cheap gamecube copy, holding on to the hope of one day owning that Trilogy Disc.

Add the sound of angelic singing here.

All that aside, here are my feelings on the original Gamecube Metroid: Prime.

This game has been out a few years now and most everyone knows whether they like it or not. Playing through it again, however, it surprised me how well this game holds up. Should that be a surprise? Probably not. Most all Metroid games hold up. I still have as much fun with Super Metroid as I did when I was 12. The difference, to me, is that the old 8 and 16 bit games have their charm. The graphics are what they are and gameplay was what drew you to 'em. The same is true here. Though, it must be said that the graphics hold up very well. This is still a beautiful game. The environments are breathtaking and realistic. It definitely looks better than some of the Wii games out there.

The beauty of this game, as is true with the rest of the series, is the sense of immersion and exploration. The isolation. The sheer atmosphere of it as you discover new parts of a dying world. There is a sense of history surrounding you and you must make your way through various puzzles and enemies to find the items that let you continue to explore the world and try to take out the vile Space Pirates using it for their own Phazon-induced schemes. And you feel like you are there every step of the way.

The bosses are fun, huge and varied. I enjoyed facing the bosses in this game. The challenge of figuring out their weaknesses, learning their patterns and taking them down was quite satisfying. Also, they were neat to look at.

The scan system works, it's very effective in filling in backstory and the history of the planet, as well as figuring out how to deal with enemies. I don't mind the scan system for those reasons, but I can see how it can be frustrating for some players who feel like all they're doing is scanning objects. Especially if you are a completist (I'm an "near completist", I don't have to have every single thing, but I will put in effort to get enough to get as close as I can and also not get the lamest ending).

Though I have to throw in that this game does include 2 things I absolutely hate:

1)Water Levels: These are never fun for me. They are more a chore and I have a deep irrational fear of deep water (even in video games). It must be noted that this isn't quite as bad once you get the gravity suit.

2)Chozo Ghosts: No particular reason, I just hate Chozo Ghosts. They pop up way to often and make backtracking more difficult than it should be (I guess that is a reason after all).

Yes, this game has put a few years behind its release date and there have been a handful of Metroid titles sinc, but I have a feeling I'll be playing this game more than once or twice in the future (especially if I get my paws on that ever elusive Trilogy Wii disc!). Just a fun, immersive experience.