Metroid Prime - 10 years and still a great game

This is a poll, evidently, but I'm going to start the topic by stating my opinion: Metroid Prime, the first game, aged very well. When I say Metroid Prime, there might be a technicality: I first played it on a friend's GC, back in '03. Now, I am playing through it again, on veteran, on the Wii (with the Metroid Prime Trilogy, which I finally managed to get :D ). The controls are, obviously, much better than on the GC: for a game where scanning things and changing your point of view are so important, being able to do so with the pointer is a godsend.

Let me cut to the chase as to why I think it aged well (specially in comparison to other games from that time):

1. Graphically. They aren't impressive, they certainly aren't as slick as they were back in the day, but they continue to be just as immersive. Going through Phendrana drifts had me awe-struck, for a second time. The scenarios look great despite the hardware they were built for.

2. Soundtrack. It's still my favorite soundtrack from the three Prime games. Don't get me wrong: all three have great and immersive soundtracks, but this one just topples them. Thardus' boss them - I fought him yesterday - is amazing.

3. Gameplay. What was great with the dual-analogs became better with the pointer. The gameplay is perfect - if your character does something you didn't want it to, it's your mistake - and everything in the game capitalizes on it. Boss fights have you dodging by an inch, platforming and exploring sequences are great -- something curious for a game in first-person, a notoriously limited point of view for platforming.

4. Storytelling. More so than the other two, Metroid Prime is a solitary game. You are thrust onto a planet, with no one to talk to. You are a stranger in a hostile environment, and the game depicts this perfectly: you talk to no one and there are absolutely no cutscenes (well.. occasionally you get a cinematic view of a boss or you see Ridley flying by) -- normally, this would make a game bland. In Metroid Prime, it just adds to the game's lone wolf, one-man army view on Samus: you have no one to help you, no one to tell you what happened - but you have evidence. You look at a body and you see that it was struck viciously by parasites. As you look at a panel of computer screens, each colors the recent events: how the space pirates began experimentation on Metroids... and how it went wrong. It is an amazing story, minimalistic to the right measure, in which you truely feel like an isolated Bounty Hunter.

5. Moments/events. This game, without using any cutscenes or dialogue, had some of the most impacting moments in gaming. I like to cite an example that marked me in '03, and I relived this weekend: the facility in which you first find the metroids. As you head down the research lab, you see one or two metroids in test tubes. You get to the bottom, and you get the heat visor -- you could call that a convenient thing, considering what happens next. The power turns off, and once you transition from your regular vision to your heat vision, you seeseveral metroids, along with Space Pirates you hadn't noticed up to then -- because they had cloaking devices. The pounding music and impending sense of danger create a feeling similar to the first thing you experience in the game: escaping from an exploding space station. Even without a countdown, you still hurry to the exit of the facility as if your life depended on it, and as if escaping is your priority.

These, and many other reasons (me being a huge Sci-Fi fan, for instance), are what made me crown Metroid Prime as the best game in '03, a title it still maintain's in '12. It is the definition of 'game': you are always in control of your character, the story is told in a realistic manner - without cluttering your experience, the gameplay is perfect (great before, perfect with the pointer) and the combat exhilarating. I rate it a perfect ten out of ten - judging by today's or yesteryear's criteria. Even with my undying affection for other classics, such as Planescape : Torment and TLoZ: OoT, Metroid Prime remains, in my view, the ultimate gaming experience.

Yes it's a masterpiece. It won't age in the way that other games do because the principles (many of which you've listed) are not withered by time. Just as the first Metroid has some appeal (even though there are plenty of other sci-fi platformers, Metroid still offers something else).so_hai

True. A lot of people give Super Metroid a lot of praise -- all well-earned, as it is one of the great SNES games -- but Metroid Prime just feels right. I was skeptic when I first heard they were making a Metroid 3D game, but they sure gave it the Zelda treatment: very expansive, quality-controls, beautiful scenarios and great level-design. I hope they revisit this side of the series someday, or innovate it into something just as good.

One of the greatest games on the gamecube. One of the best games that year. One of the best games that generation, and maybe even one of the best games that decade.

One of the greatest games on the gamecube. One of the best games that year. One of the best games that generation, and maybe even one of the best games that decade.

GamerEye

For me it's one of the best of all time. :)

I remember being a young teenager without the internet, buying all the Hyper and Nintendo magazines, and loving the screen shots to this game. I was looking forward to it so much. I remember looking at all the interesting creatures and the atmospheric levels, and I just couldn't wait. And I gotta say, it definitely delivered. Such a wonderful game.

It remains in my top 10 of all time. Possibly 5. Or 3. Or 1.

I can't speak for everybody, but for me the game has definitely aged well. But I'd say that anyway since it's my personal favorite title out of all the games I've played, ever. The game just got so many things right when it was released.

Everything in that world was subject to absurd amounts of detail- from the ancient Chozo writings to that unsettling hum of machinery present in the research labs and mines. Not to mention that it transferred the formula to 3D so well. You were jumping and bombing your way to new items as you were in the 2D titles. The soundtrack is remarkably fitting and the pacing was excellent. And all of it without dialogue or extended cutscenes. You spend at least 90% of the game atcually controlling Samus without anything to get in the way of the exploration.

That sense of enjoyable solitude is what made it my favorite gaming experience, and why it still is 10 years later.

Definitely aged unbelievably well to me. The strong art direction is going to hold up the visuals for a while, I doubt anyone will look back and say "GAH THATS UGLY" just because the visual design alone is so well done. Retro Studios is just that good :)

I've always considered the 1st MP to be the best of the trilogy. The only thing I disliked about it was when you had to find all those chozo artifacts. That really messed with the game's pace for me.

I think Metroid Prime is undeniably a masterpiece and that requires being able to stand the test of time IMO

Hell yes. Metroid Prime is amazing, and the Wii Trilogy version is even better. I love how the game tells a story without forcing cutscene after cutscene down your throat, something I have gotten annoyed with in a lot of Nintendo's more recent games, such as Skyward Sword and Metroid: Other M, it is also a fantastically beautiful world to explore, and really shows off just what Nintendo's systems can pull of if developers are willing to put the time and effort into it.

Now how did you manage to find Metroid Prime Trilogy? I want it so bad, but not $250 on amazon baddarkspineslayer

Now how did you manage to find Metroid Prime Trilogy? I want it so bad, but not $250 on amazon baddarkspineslayer

I see used copies going for around $70.

i still play the first Prime on Trilogy.It's fun as ever and the motion controls allow me to do stuff a lot faster than i could before :] Beware all Space Pirates! (PS:not one negative vote yet!)

i still play the first Prime on Trilogy.It's fun as ever and the motion controls allow me to do stuff a lot faster than i could before :] Beware all Space Pirates! (PS:not one negative vote yet!)

LoW-MisterSeven

I play the first one a lot on there too, its still so good!

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"]Now how did you manage to find Metroid Prime Trilogy? I want it so bad, but not $250 on amazon badPixel-Perfect

I see used copies going for around $70.

[QUOTE="Pixel-Perfect"]

[QUOTE="darkspineslayer"]Now how did you manage to find Metroid Prime Trilogy? I want it so bad, but not $250 on amazon baddarkspineslayer

I see used copies going for around $70.

Request a story transfer at GameStop.. our local store has 3 and they marked them down to 64.99 last I saw.. Seriously, every gamestop can just look and see what stores have a game and transfer it to theirs and hold it for you, I have no idea why anyone would pay over 70 for it when its available in stores for that :P

I got a used copy of Trilogy from Gamestop about 2 years ago for $40.00. It was really their "last copy" in the store. The game was almost in perfect condition and none of the extras were missing. I didn't expect that from Gamestop. And I agree about Metroid Prime still being great after 10 years.

It didn't. I played the first game for the first time few years ago on the Wii. The game still sounded and looked good and had some neat little touches but it wasn't fun to play. The Wii controls work really well and that's not the problem. Problem is that you are forced to run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth all the **** TIME. It get's really damn tedious and fast. I know that people try to defend this aspect by saying that it's part of the franchise. To those people i don't have anything else to say but that you people are (not really going to say it)

Backtracking is okay if it's done right but it certainly wasn't done right on this game. This game is one of those games that truely show how fanatic Nintendo fans are.

And no, i'm not going to response to your bickering (no matter what you spew)

It didn't. I played the first game for the first time few years ago on the Wii. The game still sounded and looked good and had some neat little touches but it wasn't fun to play. The Wii controls work really well and that's not the problem. Problem is that you are forced to run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth all the **** TIME. It get's really damn tedious and fast. I know that people try to defend this aspect by saying that it's part of the franchise. To those people i don't have anything else to say but that you people are (not really going to say it)

Backtracking is okay if it's done right but it certainly wasn't done right on this game. This game is one of those games that truely show how fanatic Nintendo fans are.

And no, i'm not going to response to your bickering (no matter what you spew)

-Flagg-

You end with 'no matter what you spew', but your whole post is rage-induced hatred directed at Metroid fans. I understand that you don't like the heavy backtracking in Metroid -- and it is the franchise's trademark -- but I disagree. I think it's fun to see how places you've been to before change as you progress in the game, and the new areas you can access with unlocked powers. It gives a realistic sense of exploration that most games lack. It breaks the ordinary linearity most games have, and turns what could be individual levels into a seamless world. That's how I felt playing Metroid Prime. A room that would ordinarily just be another room to go through turns into a part of the world you're in, not just a 'level' to go through.

That's how you show your opinion without being a dick about it. I don't know if some Metroid fan bullied you as a child, but there's absolutely no need to come into a place of discussion with such a defensive stance.

I played through it for the first time when the Trilogy was released on Wii. It does hold up very well visually and the pointer controls add a lot like you said... but it's not a game for everyone and requires a lot of patience.

Not knowing where to go or how to get to somewhere and spending half an hour wandering around aimlessly was the norm for me when I was playing it. My friends have said similar things, so I'm not alone in this. It's definitely something which could turn a first-timer off. Especially as linear games are the norm nowadays.

It didn't. I played the first game for the first time few years ago on the Wii. The game still sounded and looked good and had some neat little touches but it wasn't fun to play. The Wii controls work really well and that's not the problem. Problem is that you are forced to run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth all the **** TIME. It get's really damn tedious and fast. I know that people try to defend this aspect by saying that it's part of the franchise. To those people i don't have anything else to say but that you people are (not really going to say it)

Backtracking is okay if it's done right but it certainly wasn't done right on this game. This game is one of those games that truely show how fanatic Nintendo fans are.

And no, i'm not going to response to your bickering (no matter what you spew)

-Flagg-

Sorta get your point...it can be quite confusing with the map as well. You'd think 3d maps helps but nope. Its not for everyone. :)

I see trilogy for brand spanking new going for 29.99 at gamestop. (at least last time I checked)

I played through it for the first time when I the Trilogy was released on Wii. It does hold up very well visually and the pointer controls add a lot like you said... but it's not a game for everyone and requires a lot of patience.

Not knowing where to go or how to get to somewhere and spending half an hour wandering around aimlessly was the norm for me when I was playing it. My friends have said similar things, so I'm not alone in this. It's definitely something which could turn a first-timer off. Especially as linear games are the norm nowadays.

manicfoot

Pretty much this. As you said, the IR controllers are perfect. I actually think this is a game that benefits more from IR than it would from a mouse -- it tries to appeal to your sense of exploration, and the more immersion it can provide you (hell, for all I know my right arm is Samus' right arm), the better.

Concerning the non-linearity and the occasional periods of not having a clue what to do, I had those too. And I'm having them again, as I replay this gem. It took me half-an-hour after discovering the room where the Wave beam is to figure out what I had to do. I'm currently stumped after defeating Thardos and getting the spider add-on for the morph ball, but I still explore and find new things constantly, even if it doesn't yield actual progress in the story. That's the thing about Metroid (all games, this one even moreso. Maybe not Metroid: other M): you can't play to progress the story. You have to play as an explorer, and as you find different things and power-ups, you can reach different places, and every now and then you'll encounter something story-relevant (Metroid facility, Ridley, the bosses, etc.).

Sorta get your point...it can be quite confusing with the map as well. You'd think 3d maps helps but nope. Its not for everyone. :)

superbuuman

Yeah :lol: . I actually found the 3D maps to be helpful if you devote a bit more time to them, instead of just popping the map for an occasional glance. Twist, turn and zoom in and out when you're looking for something. They went for complexity to add immersion instead of simplicity to turn it into an easier experience, this time :P.

It didn't. I played the first game for the first time few years ago on the Wii. The game still sounded and looked good and had some neat little touches but it wasn't fun to play. The Wii controls work really well and that's not the problem. Problem is that you are forced to run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth all the **** TIME. It get's really damn tedious and fast. I know that people try to defend this aspect by saying that it's part of the franchise. To those people i don't have anything else to say but that you people are (not really going to say it)

Backtracking is okay if it's done right but it certainly wasn't done right on this game. This game is one of those games that truely show how fanatic Nintendo fans are.

And no, i'm not going to response to your bickering (no matter what you spew)

-Flagg-

hey look...1 negative vote now... i wonder who it could be?

I'd much rather play Metroid Prime than just about any other game released in the last ten years.meetroid8

With a name like that, I never would have guessed :P . I'm a bit against remakes, but seeing Super Metroid and Metroid rendered in Prime's 3D world, with similar storytelling styles, would be neat'o. Then again, the story is a bit irrelevant to the game's quality (great story, game would still be great without it), so any new games in the Prime style would be awe-some. Even if it goes against my lust for innovation, Prime's style is too good to die off after three games.

Metroid Prime is the best game I've ever played. I never played it on the GC, but I played it as part of the trilogy on the Wii and was blown away by the experience. So yes, it's aged very, very well.

Nice points, I agree with basically every one. Metroid Prime is still and always will be an incredible game. When I first played it 10 years ago, I couldn't believe how well they transitioned Metroid from 2D to 3D. Retro and Nintendo just did an amazing job, and they exceeded all of my expectations. I certainly hope that Nintendo brings back the Prime style for the next Metroid game... hopefully on the Wii U sometime.

I only wish Nintendo wouldn't have stopped producing the Prime Trilogy so darn fast! I'm still upset with them about that decision... 'cause I didn't pick up a copy in time :( Oh well, I'll pay the $150+ for a copy someday.

Nice points, I agree with basically every one. Metroid Prime is still and always will be an incredible game. When I first played it 10 years ago, I couldn't believe how well they transitioned Metroid from 2D to 3D. Retro and Nintendo just did an amazing job, and they exceeded all of my expectations. I certainly hope that Nintendo brings back the Prime style for the next Metroid game... hopefully on the Wii U sometime.

I only wish Nintendo wouldn't have stopped producing the Prime Trilogy so darn fast! I'm still upset with them about that decision... 'cause I didn't pick up a copy in time :( Oh well, I'll pay the $150+ for a copy someday.

Virtua_Souls

Yeah. I just recently got the MPT, so I've been going through the games using the Wiimote :) . About to finish the first one -- just got to the part where you fight Metroid Prime, but I died during his second phase because I had accumulated too much damage. The bosses aren't excruciatingly difficult, but at Veteran they're by no means easy (Omega Pirate and Meta Ridley had me dead once before I figured how to dispose of them properly). I expect to finish this game tomorrow, at a 20 - 25h playthrough, and start MP 2 - my favorite one, at least as far as bosses and difficulty go (puzzle and combat-wise).

Also, are you absolutely sure you can't request your nearest Gamestop or major game retailer to bring MPT from another one of their stores? You'll pay the price of a new game (US$50 - 60, iirc), but it's still much cheaper than US$150,00.

@iHarlequin - Ah yes, Metroid Prime's second phase, that thing was tough! If I remember correctly, it took me a couple tries to figure it out. And yeah, I don't think the Omega Pirate and Meta Ridley are ever that easy to beat, but dang, those two fights are awesome. MP2 really does have some great bosses as well. It's been a while since I played that one, I'm looking forward to playing it again when I can get the MPT.

Also, are you absolutely sure you can't request your nearest Gamestop or major game retailer to bring MPT from another one of their stores? You'll pay the price of a new game (US$50 - 60, iirc), but it's still much cheaper than US$150,00.iHarlequin

I just restarted playing :P

@iHarlequin - Ah yes, Metroid Prime's second phase, that thing was tough! If I remember correctly, it took me a couple tries to figure it out. And yeah, I don't think the Omega Pirate and Meta Ridley are ever that easy to beat, but dang, those two fights are awesome. MP2 really does have some great bosses as well. It's been a while since I played that one, I'm looking forward to playing it again when I can get the MPT.

[QUOTE="iHarlequin"]Also, are you absolutely sure you can't request your nearest Gamestop or major game retailer to bring MPT from another one of their stores? You'll pay the price of a new game (US$50 - 60, iirc), but it's still much cheaper than US$150,00.Virtua_Souls

Omega Pirate was fairly easy the second time around - I managed to get all three super missiles in on his first recharging phase (blow the shoulder bubbles with super missiles, the knee bubbles with regular missles - rapid firing them - and then send a super missile each time he switches from phazon pool to phazon pool during recharge phase).

Meta Ridley was much more a matter of switching from the regular beam to the plasma beam - very easy the second time, even if lengthy.

And as far as Metroid Prime 2 goes, it was a matter of figuring out his visor cycle - regular, x-ray and termal, iirc - and then disposing the metroids he spawns with super missiles (power bomb if he spawns a fission metroid) and wasting the entire phazon pool on him. His attacks are really easy to dodge, so once you figure out how to quickly rid him of his metroids, it's an easy fight.

I just restarted playing :P

*pic*

painguy1

Looks nice :). I'm less impressed by the dolphin upscaling than some people are, but it definitely has an improvement. I'll be (re)starting the second game this night (I got 25 minutes into the game but it was on normal - which is painfully easy in the MPT) -- it's much less atmospheric than the first, but the gameplay is still great (if not better).

Also: MP1 completion time was 13:40 o.o. I really thought it had been longer, but I guess that at 62% completion percentage that was expected. Not sure if I'll be 100%'ing all the games in Hyper Mode -- maybe by the time I finish MP3 in veteran I'll want to revisit MP1 on a harder playthrough :P.

@iHarlequin - Ah yes, Metroid Prime's second phase, that thing was tough! If I remember correctly, it took me a couple tries to figure it out.

Virtua_Souls

[QUOTE="Virtua_Souls"]

@iHarlequin - Ah yes, Metroid Prime's second phase, that thing was tough! If I remember correctly, it took me a couple tries to figure it out.

meetroid8

Both are easy. It's just that the second one can be genuinely annoying with its fission metroids -- until you decide to kill them off as soon as they spawn.

[QUOTE="meetroid8"][QUOTE="Virtua_Souls"]

@iHarlequin - Ah yes, Metroid Prime's second phase, that thing was tough! If I remember correctly, it took me a couple tries to figure it out.

iHarlequin

Both are easy. It's just that the second one can be genuinely annoying with its fission metroids -- until you decide to kill them off as soon as they spawn.

[QUOTE="iHarlequin"]

[QUOTE="meetroid8"] Isn't the second phase the one that only has shock wave attacks? Compared to the first, it was pathetic.

meetroid8

Both are easy. It's just that the second one can be genuinely annoying with its fission metroids -- until you decide to kill them off as soon as they spawn.

I'm judicious about using power bombs and missiles -- usually I don't, at all. Second time around I just spammed power bombs whenever a fission metroid showed up (Super missiles for regular ones).

Quick question: finished MP1, want to start it on Hyper - what do I do? I'm playing from the Wii (Metroid Prime Trilogy), I just killed off Metroid Prime and saved the file after the credits. Whenever I load it from the Metroid Trilogy menu, I start at my last save before the boss (Impact Crater) - I wanted to start a new game in the Hyper difficulty (to get all scans and 100% it), but I'm not sure whether I have to delete the file and start anew (and then I'll have the option for Hyper, along with Veteran and Normal), and I don't want to risk losing my save file. Does anyone know what to do?

Quick question: finished MP1, want to start it on Hyper - what do I do? I'm playing from the Wii (Metroid Prime Trilogy), I just killed off Metroid Prime and saved the file after the credits. Whenever I load it from the Metroid Trilogy menu, I start at my last save before the boss (Impact Crater) - I wanted to start a new game in the Hyper difficulty (to get all scans and 100% it), but I'm not sure whether I have to delete the file and start anew (and then I'll have the option for Hyper, along with Veteran and Normal), and I don't want to risk losing my save file. Does anyone know what to do?

iHarlequin

[QUOTE="iHarlequin"]

Quick question: finished MP1, want to start it on Hyper - what do I do? I'm playing from the Wii (Metroid Prime Trilogy), I just killed off Metroid Prime and saved the file after the credits. Whenever I load it from the Metroid Trilogy menu, I start at my last save before the boss (Impact Crater) - I wanted to start a new game in the Hyper difficulty (to get all scans and 100% it), but I'm not sure whether I have to delete the file and start anew (and then I'll have the option for Hyper, along with Veteran and Normal), and I don't want to risk losing my save file. Does anyone know what to do?

meetroid8

I'm going to risk deleting and starting over. I just checked my Wii inbox, I got a message from MP that has a screenshot saying 'Mission Final' - 'Hypermode Difficulty unlocked'.

Edit: Great, deleted the file and on the 'select difficulty' window there's only veteran and normal.

Edit 2: I'm not particularly mad about this :D. I'll take the opportunity to do a semi speed-run, and then start hyper mode next run. The game's so good I don't mind playing it three times in a row :lol:. I never read the pirate data lore, either, and it's pretty much how the story is told.

[QUOTE="meetroid8"]

[QUOTE="iHarlequin"]

Quick question: finished MP1, want to start it on Hyper - what do I do? I'm playing from the Wii (Metroid Prime Trilogy), I just killed off Metroid Prime and saved the file after the credits. Whenever I load it from the Metroid Trilogy menu, I start at my last save before the boss (Impact Crater) - I wanted to start a new game in the Hyper difficulty (to get all scans and 100% it), but I'm not sure whether I have to delete the file and start anew (and then I'll have the option for Hyper, along with Veteran and Normal), and I don't want to risk losing my save file. Does anyone know what to do?

iHarlequin

I'm going to risk deleting and starting over. I just checked my Wii inbox, I got a message from MP that has a screenshot saying 'Mission Final' - 'Hypermode Difficulty unlocked'.

Edit: Great, deleted the file and on the 'select difficulty' window there's only veteran and normal.

Edit 2: I'm not particularly mad about this :D. I'll take the opportunity to do a semi speed-run, and then start hyper mode next run. The game's so good I don't mind playing it three times in a row :lol:. I never read the pirate data lore, either, and it's pretty much how the story is told.

[QUOTE="iHarlequin"]

[QUOTE="meetroid8"] IIRC after you beat the game, an option comes up to restart the game or start from the previous save. You must have accidentally hit the start from previous save option. If hyper mode is unlocked, you'll have to delete the file. Just to be safe, it might be best to go through the final boss again, in case it glitched and hyper mode wasn't unlocked.

meetroid8

I'm going to risk deleting and starting over. I just checked my Wii inbox, I got a message from MP that has a screenshot saying 'Mission Final' - 'Hypermode Difficulty unlocked'.

Edit: Great, deleted the file and on the 'select difficulty' window there's only veteran and normal.

Edit 2: I'm not particularly mad about this :D. I'll take the opportunity to do a semi speed-run, and then start hyper mode next run. The game's so good I don't mind playing it three times in a row :lol:. I never read the pirate data lore, either, and it's pretty much how the story is told.

Maybe it's for the best. I needed to scan a lot of things, and doing so while under enemy pressure, in hyper mode, would not be easy.

One of the best games ever made and one of my all time favorites, Metroid Prime is, in a word, a Masterpiece, never such an inmerssive world has caught me the way Metroid Prime did, everything was georgeous both artistically and technically if any, the only thing i feel is dated is the gameplay, but only if you play the GC version after playing the Trilogy on the Wii.

[QUOTE="painguy1"]

I just restarted playing :P

*pic*

iHarlequin

Looks nice :). I'm less impressed by the dolphin upscaling than some people are, but it definitely has an improvement. I'll be (re)starting the second game this night (I got 25 minutes into the game but it was on normal - which is painfully easy in the MPT) -- it's much less atmospheric than the first, but the gameplay is still great (if not better).

Also: MP1 completion time was 13:40 o.o. I really thought it had been longer, but I guess that at 62% completion percentage that was expected. Not sure if I'll be 100%'ing all the games in Hyper Mode -- maybe by the time I finish MP3 in veteran I'll want to revisit MP1 on a harder playthrough :P.

13:40? wow thats actually pretty fast compared to what i got :P i dont even remember, but i know it was more than 40hrs hahaha. I spent so much time exploring for no reason at all.