The first official 3D Metroid game is all what's its cracked up to be!
STORY: There isn't much story told to you in person, but you are given a chance to scan ancient runes on Planet Tallon IV to learn of its culture, history, and prophecies. This is an interesting aspect, and was later used in all of the other Metroid Prime games. Anyway, the story takes place after the events of the original Metroid, and Samus, the bounty hunter, is out to hunt and kick some Space Pirate ass once again. 8/10
GAMEPLAY: You play as Samus Aran in 1st person, and get to shoot badies as you go collecting powerups and killing bosses. You aim by holding the right trigger and using the joystick, or you can lock on to targets with the left trigger. You use B to jump, A to fire, Y to fire missiles, and X to enter morph ball mode. To switch beams or visors, you use the C stick or the D Pad, respectively. The controls work very smoothly, save for few times when you're locked onto a boss and you attempt to fire a missile and instead hit the X button, entering you into morph ball mode, which can be annoying at times. Aside from that, every button serves a purpose, and controls work rather smoothly. In fact, the controls (imo) are better than those used in Metroid Prime 3, though thats probably my sensor bar's fault. 9/10
GRAPHICS: The graphics for this game are solid, and some of the best seen on the Gamecube. Aside from a little delay when several enemies appear, every animation is superb, and all of the landscapes are well-thought-out. 10/10
MUSIC: Every track in the game is excellent, and those who played Super Metroid will find Magmoor Caverns' music very familiar. 10/10
This is an excellent game that EVERY Gamecube owner should have. If you don't have it, you NEED to hunt it down for your Wii or Gamecube. NOW!