Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime. Where it all began. Uhh, well, sort of. Note: this review is late. It was drafted August 29th, and I finished the game August 27th, I believe.

I am assuming you know what a Metroid is. I wrote a bit about it (as well as a short history and explanation of what exactly a Samus is) in my Metroid Prime 2: Echoes "review" (it was one of the first reviews I ever did, so there aren't many details, but I did write up a slight history). Long story short, the game is fantastic (especially in light of the groundwork it laid), and it is a must-have title, even for the Wii.



At first, I was apprehensive about Prime. I had a terrible fear of Turok 2, and I was afraid "it" would happen again. In fact, I lost my nerve and quit less than an hour into Prime (this was in 2005; Echoes was already out or was to be out shortly). Yet somehow I convinced myself to try again. Best. Decision. Ever.

Soon I discovered Metroid Prime is nothing like Turok (the game that made me stay up all night too afraid to go to the bathroom, sobbing and PEEING ALL OVER MYSELF!). You have tools in Metroid. Notably, the ability to scan, letting you gain information about a lot of things. I like outwitting, and the scanning aspect is great for this. Plus, doesn't it make you want to kill when you don't know what something is?

The story itself is not amazing. It feels generic and is a little boring, much like the graphics (they're fine and certainly fine for such an early title, but a little too "clean"). That said, it does retain its Metroid feel. And though it is very good in that it laid the groundwork for the rest of the trilogy, it's rather bland in this installment. It'd be difficult to discover much of Samus' history through mere in-game scans, something I'd have liked.


One thing with Metroid Prime which wasn't fixed in Prime 2 (or even Prime 3, as far as I can tell), is that enemies do not recoil in pain. I dislike that. I figure you would lose the use of an arm for at least a few seconds if you got shot in the shoulder by an energy weapon. Now, I'm not saying they have to explode and shoot blood and gore 40 feet in each direction. Just...be hurt for a second. Oh, also, I did not see breasts on any of the creatures that I killed (I did not look too closely...), so I can assume I did not kill any females.

The controls are splendid. The fire button is A; I like that, as it makes it seem more digital and advanced. Sorry. The controls are responsive and every single button is used (even the D-pad! Wowzers, Bowser!). The physics are great and easy to get accustomed to, Samus' abilities make it especially fun, and it's even better in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (much better upgrades in Prime 2).

Despite (or maybe because of) an amazing lock-on combat system, the combat does get repetitive (even if you only play every 6 months or so) and, often times, even in Hard mode, it's just too easy. This was aided somewhat in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes; more enemies were added and given enough moves that you had to watch out for them (ING!). I am perturbed that some of the enemies in Metroid Prime are...wrong. They copy your abilities. It does not fit. It's annoying, and cheap. It makes it feel...God help us all...generic.

Metroid Prime works off of a "beam" weapon system, contained within Samus' awenem arm cannon; there are no guns, and you cannot pick up enemy weapons, and (aside from Missiles) you have unlimited ammunition. The beams seem interesting, and have their uses, however...they are not really that great. The cannon fires..."blunt" shots, so there isn't any blood or gore. That can be good or bad; personally, I don't like it when enemies look like they've been through a blender when you shoot them once with a pistol.

Due to lock-on targeting and scanning, your L-button finger will start hurting if you're not used to the Gamecube paddle. It was a problem for me this playthrough (I had to be mindful not to hold the L button the wrong way), but has not been near a problem in the past (when I was accustomed to the paddle).

The bosses are good (though many are lacking in having meaningful areas), with some exceptions that are near-awesome. It feels a bit clunky moving around the map, and it can get frustrating on a second playthrough. I suppose Prime does not have a totally terrific playthrough rating.


As you may know, Samus is a true silent protagonist; she never goes to try to talk and is interrupted, for example. She just does not talk, at all. She does not even hint at thinking of talking. The girl does not have a tongue, as far as I can tell.

And I am a sucker for silent protagonists. They twist my heart strings. They fly kites with my heart strings. They knit sweaters with my heart strings. They wrap my heart strings around wooden dowels holding together cylindrical pieces of wood and perform tricks titled "around the world" and "walk the dog" with my heart strings. You get the idea.


In ending, I give Metroid Prime a 9.6 out of 10, with You're A Moron (Must Have) and Unique Gameplay ratings.



Oh, also: One extremely good point of Metroid Prime- one which keeps the series above all others in my view- is that even though the main protagonist is a female human with blond hair and blue eyes who has been infused with Chozo (anthropomorphic alien bird) blood, they do not...play that up. She is shown in her armorsuit the entire time. Any skin which is shown is her taking off her helmet once. Oh...her eyes and a good portion of her forehead and nose are shown during elevator cutscenes. Overall, not that much. Very respectable.

Note that I'm not tweaking and screaming about how women shouldn't wear pants; I'm simply stating that, today, when do you ever, and I mean EVER, see a franchise which does not have their females walking around in underwear?