Metroid Prime 1 Review - 9/10

The Metroid Prime Trilogy has officially been released in the United States and with the expected release in Australia just months away now, it's time for hardcore Metroid fans to start playing through the original two Prime games in anticipation of the Trilogy, which boasts added motion controls and updated graphics. The first game in the series; Metroid Prime, is the one we'll want to be looking at first.

For those unfamiliar with the original Metroid Prime game, it is about about Space Pirates who are trying to conduct experiments with a substance known as Phazon which happened to have fallen on the once-peaceful planet of Tallon IV. Players take control of bounty hunter Samus Aran in a science fiction first person shooter game in the quest to get to the origin of the Phazon and destroy the ferocious creature known as Metroid Prime.


The Metroid Prime is one hell of a beast.

The game begins up in space where bounty hunter Samus Aran is investigating a space lab, where many Space Pirates appear to have been overpowered, resulting in critical injury and death. As you advance through the lab the presence of a very powerful force become increasingly evident. Before long, you're in your first epic boss battle, tackling the mighty Parasite Queen as you come to grasp the basics of the game, which include a very solid control scheme.

No Metroid game is complete without a malfunction of your Power Suit, of course, so after you take down the Parasite Queen and execute a daring escape from the space lab, assessments made conclude your suit has malfunctioned seriously, meaning that not only will you have to take on increasingly dangerous enemies on your quest to rid Tallon IV of danger, but you'll also have to find the rest of your suit to be able to.



As you advance through stunning environments including Magmoor Cavern, an underground cavern with lava pits and fire-breathing dragons, and Phendrana Drifts, a stunning ice area with dangerous, freezing enemies, you'll find that you will want to explore every nook and cranny to get missile and health expansions, just to get the edge over some potentially 'life'-threatening enemies.

Speaking of enemies, Metroid Prime was really the first game in the whole Metroid Series to have such a varied range of enemies. In the first few Metroid games, all of which were platformers, you'd have maybe 3 or 4 different enemies for each of the different environments. Prime, however, introduced 78 enemies, always making it a challenge for you to advance further in the game. You'll also find the boss battles will not let you down in the challenge department.


Flaahgra is one of the first bosses in the game, yet still manages to offer considerable challenge

Many enemies have their weak and strong points against your weapons, and it is up to you to find out which of the Power Beam, Ice Beam, Wave beam and Plasma Beam will fare you best in your quest to obtain the 12 Chozo Artifacts and travel to the Impact Crater, where the origin of the Phazon resides.

Along with the 3 extra weapons are the 3 extra suit visors that become a necessity to advance through increasingly difficult environments. Be it the use of your Scan Visor to find out information about enemies and trigger different events in rooms; the use of the Thermal Visor to track enemies and objects via their heat patterns to see in dark areas; or the X-Ray Visor to see invisible enemies and panels, you really will cherish the abilities the visors provide as you begin to ready yourself for tougher enemies and boss battles.


You really will cherish the different visors on your quest to conquer Metroid Prime

The stage really is set well in Metroid Prime, a great storyline which is clear to even the newest Metroid gamers, good build-ups to major events and boss battles, and a huge world for you to explore. You'll finding yourself wanting to do just that - explore - to get various expansions to give yourself that edge over your enemies.

There really is a lot of positive things that can be said about this game. Here's how I'd summarise the instant-classic which appeared on the Gamecube, and not long from now will appear on the Wii with updated graphics and controls:


Gameplay - 9.5/10
There's a lot to do in this sci-fi shooter which was indeed ahead of its time, with huge environments to explore. With an incredibly large and diverse range of enemies and boss battles that won't let you down, you'll find a very challenging experience in this game and the combat within.

Graphics - 9.0/10
The visuals in this game were very much on par with the visuals on other consoles at the time, if not better, and can definitely compare to some of the graphics we see on the Wii today. Stunning environments around a joy to gaze at as you advance through the game.

Audio - 8.5/10
A diverse range of audio tracks and sound effects add to the atmosphere as you battle your way through Tallon IV.

Value - 10/10
Considering the most likely way of anyone obtaining this game anymore will be through the Metroid Prime Trilogy, this is absolutely 100% worth the price you'll pay. You'll get this game along with two others for the standard retail price of one Wii game.

Overall - 9.4/10
With such a large world to explore and stunning environments as you do so, it is not hard at all to grasp the reasons of this game being so critically acclaimed. Getting this game as part of the Metroid Prime Trilogy will be one of the best purchases you make this year as you'll get the bonus of motion controls and updated visuals. Definitely a must-have!

KK1387 23/08/2009

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