Devs talk Metroid Prime 3

Up until today, this is what we knew about Metroid Prime 3: Retro Studios is making the game for the Revolution. Not much to go on for longtime fanatics of the series. That all changed today, however, as Nintendo released an interview with Retro Studios, the game's developer. On a Metroid fan site (accessible only to members), the Austin, Texas-based company answered some questions from fans.

Extracting from the 16 questions answered, Metroid Prime will once again feature the famed heroine Samus Aran in a first-person shooter. The high-tech visor returns, as do composer Kenji Yamamoto and concept artist Andrew Jones, who drew up the lush environments in Metroid Prime 2. "The player can expect to explore different, quite varied environments in Prime 3," said a Retro rep in the interview. The mysterious substance known as phazon will also "definitely play a major role in Prime 3."

The game's story is apparently already complete and will feature both old and new foes and friends. "The plot of Prime 3 is about closure, told against the backdrop of an epic struggle." It's unclear whether this means the end of the series or just "closure" of this immediate storyline.

The game's engine, which was revamped between the first two installments of the series, will once again undergo an overhaul. "Our engineers are a very talented and dedicated bunch, and they're constantly looking for ways to make our games run smoother with more detail."

Retro did mention the Revolution's controller...barely. "We plan on taking advantage of a number of new features in the Revolution, including the controller."

There has been no mention of a release date for the game. GameSpot will have more on Metroid Prime 3 as information becomes available.