I really wanted to like this since I have such fond memories of the original Metroid - and while it's a really good game, it's not a great one. The graphics were amazing, and I liked the gameplay - the area layouts, the puzzles, the way you interact with the environment. Even the constant scanning didn't bother me that much to be honest. But why, oh why, did they have to make it first person. Perhaps it's just the bias of someone who's primarily a PC gamer and has played a lot of FPS games on the PC, but first person on a console just tends to be awful. Halo did a much better job, but even that just made me wish I had a mouse and keyboard. The inability to look around while you're moving is a serious flaw - I felt restricted, having to constantly stop to look around. I found myself moving around in Morph Ball mode as often as possible since the third person perspective was so much better. If only the whole game was done from that perspective it would have been amazing. TV sets simply don't have the resolution to present first person well - I felt like I had blinders on, staring at a tiny little postage stamp of my surroundings. It was like looking at something through a telescope, where you constantly have to move it around to take in your surroundings and can't just pull back and take it all in. As for the controls, I suppose they were as well done as could be expected, given that FPS style gameplay just doesn't work well with a gamepad, at least not if you're used to a keyboard and mouse. I found with a lot of the puzzles and bosses, especially at the start, half the problem was figuring out what to do, and the other half of the problem was actually trying to do it. Anyway, in spite of all that it was a good game - great atmosphere, gorgeous graphics, fun puzzles and gameplay. But why, oh why, couldn't it have been third person (like Morph Ball mode) all the time. Make the C stick the camera control like Zelda, make L/R on the directional pad control visors, U/D control beam weapons and I would have given it a 10 probably.
This game surprised the hell out of me. I’ll admit that I was one of those who scoffed the instant I learned that the new Metroid would be first-person. A Metroid first person shooter? That can’t be done. There’s no way ... Read Full Review
Metroid started out as a side scrolling adventure. Now Retro studios and Nintendo have changed the side scrolling legend to an awesome game in Metroid Prime. The game isn’t a side scrolling shooter. Retro studios ... Read Full Review
