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Metroid Prime

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Metroid Prime is a first-person action-adventure video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the GameCube video game console. It was released in North America on November 17, 2002, and in Japan and Europe the following year. Metroid Prime is the fifth main installment in the Metroid series, and the first Metroid game to use 3D computer graphics. Because exploration takes precedence over combat, Nintendo classifies the game as a first-person adventure rather than a first-person shooter. On the same day as its North American release, Nintendo also released the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion, marking the return of the Metroid series after an eight-year hiatus following Super Metroid (1994).
Metroid Prime is the first of the three-part Prime storyline, which takes place between the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. Like previous games in the series, Metroid Prime has a science fiction setting in which players control the bounty hunter Samus Aran. The story follows Samus as she battles the Space Pirates and their biological experiments on the planet Tallon IV. The game was a collaboration between Retro's staff in Austin, Texas, and Japanese Nintendo employees, including producer Shigeru Miyamoto, who suggested the project after visiting Retro's headquarters in 2000.
The game garnered critical praise and commercial success, selling more than a million units in North America alone. It won a number of Game of the Year awards, and it is considered by many critics and gamers to be one of the greatest video games ever made, remaining one of the highest-rated games on Metacritic. In 2009, an enhanced version was released for the Wii as a standalone game in Japan, and as part of the Metroid Prime Trilogy compilation internationally.

System requirements for Wii

System requirements for GameCube

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Last Modified: Dec 14, 2024

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Metroid Prime reviews and comments

Except for the backtracking near the end, this is a masterclass of world design
It was alright. Probably prefer Dread to this game, but I'd have to replay through both to really know for sure. I thought that this game was cool in certain spots, but for the most part it was a bit frustrating. The combat especially was terrible, with every enemy being a HUGE bullet sponge and then making enemies immune to weapon types so you can't be DPS efficient :V Glad I experienced this one, but probably won't be going back to it anytime soon.  

Playtime:
~10 hours
Next to Super Metroid, Prime is one of the best games ever made. It's rare that a game can be fresh and innovative while simultaneously so perfectly executed, all while standing the test of time in every regard.

Despite the realistic art style, the graphics are still beautiful all these years later, with so many great details that even other games today have not included so well (the visor effects, such as Samus' breath fogging it up, the reflection of her face/eyes when hit with a flash of light, the patter of rain drops on the surface, add so much to the immersion). The music is a wonderful new take on the brooding alien atmosphere of past games. These components culminate in a unique style that hasn't been captured by anything else since.

From a gameplay perspective, Metroid Prime also accomplished something bold. They successfully translated the Metroid formula to the FPS genre,  expanded on it with features like the scan visor, and stuck the landing on making a platformer that really worked in first person.

If you haven't played Metroid Prime (or the rest of the trilogy, for that matter) do yourself a favor simply as a person who appreciates the medium; you won't be disappointed.
«Blew my mind»
«Time-tested»
I'll always remember looking up at the falling rain when first landing on Tallon IV. I was in awe as I watched the rain bead on my visor. Metroid Prime contains so many great moments, but this is the prime (heh) example of it's best accomplishment. Retro Studios took the time to get the little details right, and they coalesce into a living, breathing world. 
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