Metroid Prime

2002 Nintendo

Its an all too well known fact that Nintendo fans get more than a little jumpy when the company in question decides to do shake up one of their major franchises. After adding a lick of Disney-coating to The Legend of Zelda and throwing a backpack onto Mario, it shouldnt have come as a surprise that Metroid would not come in any predictable form.

The buzzword for Nintendos next genre breaker is, FPA; First Person Adventure. We can already picture you reclining back in your internet-chair checking the press jargon written on the back of your beautifully boxed copy of Half-Life, but hear us out. Metroid Prime is a sequel to a game that already exists. That game is a 2D sci-fi adventure. For Metroid Prime to remain faithful to the metroid series it has to evolve, right? Well Retro Studios (as well as a little guy they call Shigeru Miyamoto) feel that a sci-fi adventure through the eyes of the heroine Samus is the only true way to recreate the Metroid universe.

Nevertheless, Retro hasnt restricted themselves to the first-person view. There are numerous occasions when Samus will be finally visible in glorious 3D (much to the delight of all those hormone charged teens out there), from this view she will transform into roll-ball mode and be-able to access previously inaccessible areas. As you can see, this game is far from a Half-Life clone, Metroid Prime is more like its hotter distant cousin.

Features

  • Much Loved Nintendo Classic Revived
  • See-Through the Eyes of Samus
  • Smoothly Animated Morphing Gun-Arm
  • Multiple Suits
  • Smooth Transition into 3D Morph Ball
  • Unobtrusive Camera System That Keeps Samus + Objectives in View at all Times
  • Detailed Scanner Mode within Samus Visor
  • Large Interactive Environments with Sharp Textures, Atmospheric Lighting, Particle Effects and More
  • Beautiful Samus Model
  • An Oil-slick 60fps
  • Stunning Real-Time Cut Scenes
  • Dolby Pro Logic II
  • Progressive Scan mode (PAL 60Hz)
  • Only on Nintendo GameCube

N-Side The Game

  • N-Past

    Samus has her history firmly embedded in the twines of the Nintendo family tree. The original Metroid was more of a hit with western audiences than at home in the far East, and being developer that tends to focus on home market success, Nintendo managed to let a console threequel slip for a couple of years. Infact they missed an entire generation by leaping over the N64/Playstation era, deciding to send Samus out in finer form on their GameCube.

    Unfortunately, this means that those who joined gaming during the era of 3D (gamings equivalent of the industrial era) will not have sampled the delights of the orange suited Nintendo legend (and this excludes sneaking a quick go on you older siblings cart... you know who you are...). It is therefore our job to inform you that Samus gaming life didnt start off in a Captain N re-run, nor did it begin on the N64 with Super Smash Bros., but it began all the way back in 1986 when men and sheep shared the same interests. Yes, that long ago.

  • Metroid (NES)

    Metroids legacy can be traced back to a group of space pirates that rampaged a science research facility and kidnapped a life specimen rescued from the assumed total destruction of Planet SR-388. The powerful life form with unnatural abilities such as floating and sucking life from victims was the cause of the planets demise, little to the knowledge of the pirates. However after some study into their newly acquired entity the pirates decided to use this Metroid to curtail their rule over law and order over the Galactic Federation (the law).

    This led to the Galactic Federation engaging in war with the space pirates. The battles would eventually lead them to the space pirates home planet of Zebes. However even with all the fighting that took place, the Federation had still failed to retrieve the harmful little Metroid. Step in Samus. Now, Samus is a bounty hunter. She takes advantage of superhuman abilities provided by the resistant suit she wears. Well, the Federation summoned Samus for a bounty she couldnt refuse on Planet Zebes, her mission being to explore Zebes, find and destroy mini-bosses Kraid and Ridley, exterminate any sign of the Metroids and finally vanquish their leader, Mother Brain (also of Captain N fame). Samus departs from Zebes in one-piece -depending on how good you were- but leaves one Metroid alive doh!

  • Metroid (GB)

    Samus finds herself back on SR-388 in search of mutated metroids in this episode of the saga. The bounty hunter is taking no prisoners this time, as the metroids are now stronger, faster, and more ugly than ever before. Samus must extinguish the alien threat for there to be any peace in the universe and that she does killing among others the Queen Metroid in the process. However, one metroid egg is left after all the carnage and hatches before Samus very eyes revealing an infant Metroid. It clings to Samus leg but doesnt seem to pose any threat to her so she decides to take it back with her for research.

  • Super Metroid

    In the beginning of Super Metroid our attention is focused on the solitary Metroid retrieved from the carnage on SR-388. Scientists on Ceres analyse the specimen and find that there are certain positives that can be beneficial to the human race. This specifically concerns its skills in absorbing, storing and releasing energy whenever it suits them. Things arent rosy for long when soon after Samus leaves the scientists they sound a distress signal, but by the time Samus answers it every one of them is dead and the Metroid is missing.

    Its not long before we find out Samus old foe Ridley is somehow alive and is the source of this hit and run. Our heroine takes to the chase after Ridley and finally finds herself in a place she thought was long gone, Planet Zebes. It seems it was completely rebuilt from the inside and the whole scheme was orchestrated buy -who woulda guessed it- mother brain. Samus eventually destroys Zebes; annihilating every foe that stood in her way. The planet disintegrates as Samus flys away safe and snug in her trusty helmet shaped spacecraft.