More Articles on Metroid Prime
John Woo’s Metroid – OFFICIALMetroid Prime PackageMetroid Movie NewsMetroid Prime 2Metroid Movie!!!Latest Previews
Midnight Club: LA - MultiplayerFar Cry 2 - MultiplayerGears of War 2 - Hands OnNeed For Speed UndercoverMirror's EdgeUser Reviews
There are currently 1 User Reviews for Metroid PrimeWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Metroid Prime Preview
Jason Julier
00/12/0000
We take a look at the details released thus far...
Ladies let me tell you a secret, more often than not, the only way to make a grown man cry isnât a swift kick to the privates but to mention a game that brings back fond memories. Yes we are the tougher species but the mere mention of a classic brings a tear to the eye. One such game long forgotten by many is Metroid, part of the classic Nintendo series that many spent their youth playing. Wipe those tears away, Lara Croft step aside because Samus Aran has returned in Metroid Prime for the Gamecube.
Ever since it was announced last year Metroid Prime has been one of the most eagerly awaited titles for the Gamecube. A great deal of mystery surrounds the title and its story line, given the ending in the third game in the series. We know more about what makes women tick than the plot of Metroid Prime, in other words absolutely nothing. Rumours are very often complete fantasy but given the name and conclusion in the previous game, a prequel to original title does seem plausible.
Rather than speculate further on what might be weâd rather look back at the series so far. As Samus has not been seen since the SNES, there will be plenty of fresh new recruits with itchy trigger fingers unaware of the Metroid history. Pull up a chair and let the brief history of Metroid begin! Metroid is set in the future; the first title Metroid (NES) concerned a group of unsavoury types who stole a life form from a scientific research laboratory. This alien life form (called Metroid) had destroyed planet SR-388âs entire population and wasnât about to stop there. The thieves soon tried to harness the power of Metroid in the form of a biological weapon much to the disgust of the Galactic Federation. A war soon followed but when the Federation (no this isnât an episode of Star Trek) faced defeat they turned to a bounty hunter known as Samus Aran. This chick takes the cool of Boba Fett then doubles it as she defeated the leader of the thieves and everyone else. Like any good film it could not end there - a single Metroid was dispatched before the Federation and Samus could destroy it.
Samus went to the Metroid home world and again destroyed everything â“ guys do not mess with this woman. Again one Metroid remained but this baby was friendly and therefore survived. Of course it wasnât too long before the Federation had ideas about exploiting the Metroid forcing Samus to snatch it back and go into hiding. Eventually after more twists than a highland road the story concluded with the destruction of the entire Metroid race.
The final ending does raise questions, such as where does the series go next? Of course such things as death and destruction of planets didnât stop the Alien series growing into four films. The galaxy is a big place and quite possibly some Metroids were away on a galaxy pub-crawl when all the above took place. Alien did spawn sequels thanks to the wonders of cloning and sinister corporations â“ both of which could quite easily fit into the Metroid universe. It will be interesting to see what line Nintendo and Retro Studios take. The recently revealed opening sequence (all six seconds worth) at Spaceworld does not answer our questions.
The development to date seems far from smooth as the game is yet to be seen in a playable form, prompting much speculation from fans of the series. Adding to the mystery is that the developer is not Nintendo, instead American Retro Studios have been given the task of producing the Gamecube Metroid Prime. To put this into context try to imagine restoring the Mona Lisa but instead of using experienced professionals you hire a bunch of school kids to handle the restoration process. Of course the studio is not out there on its own, Nintendo have been involved in every aspect, often demanding changes or suggesting improvements. We do know that Miyamoto is involved and several members of the original Metroid team have been consulted. We can only hope that Retro Studios will produce the goods, whilst they have no track record to speak of, some members have respected previous employers. To their credit the team know the importance of the title and have even taken the step of cancelling their own Gamecube game (Ravenblade) in order to focus on Metroid Prime. Perhaps this change has been taken due to the slow progress of the title, one year on and its rumoured that the first level has only just been completed.
Nintendo have exploited their back catalogue to such an extent you would often believe if they had a granny sheâd be repackaged and sold off as well. It comes as a surprise then that Samus hasnât appeared before now particularly as it was a 2D series. Gamestyle firmly believe that games shouldnât be 3D just for the sake of it, some titles will only work in a 2D setting. Nintendo have perhaps on reflection the best track record of taking their 2D classics and putting them into a 3D world. Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart and Donkey Kong all made the transition while retaining their distinctive identities and in some cases improving on what went before.
It came as a bit of a shock to learn that Metroid Prime is very much set in a first person viewpoint. Occasionally the camera will switch the standard third person view when required i.e. when Samus goes into her round rolling form but you wonât have the option to switch between either. We can only hope that it does not lose its identity and distinctive flavour amongst the masses of first person bug shooting games on the market. Steps have been taken to avoid such a mishap, as the game will focus more on adventure and exploration rather than all out warfare. Retro had originally intended to use a third person viewpoint very much based on the Zelda lock-on style but Nintendo were unhappy with the results and the switch to first person was made. Can we expect the same tricky and difficult jumping and platform sections from the previous games? We hope not as if Turok showed anything, it was that platform jumping was not welcome with a first person viewpoint.
Those who have experienced Metroid will understand the importance of power-ups in the game. These apart from being fun were vital to gain access to new areas or tackle the impressive bosses, which will return in Metroid Prime. The monsters of Metroid where some of the most impressive bosses ever assembled and over-towered Samus. Atmosphere was very much a part of the series and with the use of cinematic FMV, Retro hope to increase this feeling to the player.
