Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, ends an amazing trilogy on a very positive note- This final installment is simply s
Just like the previous Metroid Games- the immediate story is secondary to the backround story which you can obtain bits and pieces of over the course of the entire game by scanning logs. However- Corruption Manages to give both the backround the the immediate conflict an equal sense of importance- because your objectives will come at you faster- and the game itself is more streamlined- but at the same time, exploration, and going off the beaten path will always have it's benefits. Dark Samus once again makes an appearance- but there isn't really a main antagonist- the story more revolves around Samus's exposure to phazon (a bio-mutagenic material of sorts)- which can be at the same time, beneficial, and detrimental to her. This gives a slight internal conflict to the plot. The overall goal remains as simple as it ever was in the end- complete the mission you are given.
You've probably heard alot about how well the wii's motion controls work in fps- and I cannot stress this enough- what you heard is true. (I would like to note, that these controls are so impressive, and so fun, you will never want to play Metroid with a Gamecube controller's analogue sticks again, so I recommend looking into the Metroid Trilogy set). In previous game's, auto-aim made aiming incredibly precise- just by tapping the lock on key repeatedly, you can down 5 small enemies in just several seconds at incredible distance- which made you feel dam cool to be a bounty hunter- you'll be pleased to know due to spot-on sensitivity you can do the exact same thing, with the precision of being able to aim for enemy weak spots.
The trade-off however, does mean combat is much easier, and once you've gained some upgrades- you will die quite rarely. You probably won't notice how easy the game is- as you will get close to death from time to time, but there is always a way to get health and survive. Also, you no longer have to backtrack furiously to go to a save point before exploring- as you won't have to worry about having to restart from your last save due to the difficulty- and even if you get unlucky, your ship acts as a mobile save point- which takes alot of stress out of travel, as it can also take you to different points you've previously visited- - this also makes exploration more accessible- so prepare to have plenty of upgrades by the end of the game. Overall, less frustration is worth an easy game, even one that will mainly be played by veterans of the series who know their way around a power beam.
Phazon is the biggest addition to combat- and it's glorious. At any time- for the cost of some of your own health, Samus can enter hypermode- which makes you into a VERY formidable force for a short period of time. This of course, would make dying impossible- if there wasn't a penalty for using the power often- you can experience phazon overload, which means you'll have to expel your phazon by shooting as fast as you can- or die. As you gain more energy tanks, you will become less and less cautious about spending an energy tank on using this ability, and you'll find you will rarely fight a strong enemy without it- still, in boss fights this ability is a commodity- that if you don't ration correctly, you will find yourself in a tight spot, because expending all your energy early means you won't be able to adequately hit a weak spot with phazon- which is very necessary in a boss fight.
One thing Metroid does very well is exploration- and many games have tried to mimic it's emphasis on it- attempting to give the player more time to spend on the game in return for rewards like weapons- but none have perfected this art as much metroid has. Exploration is as fun as it is rewarding- and you'll revist planets several times just to use new power-ups to reach new places- it doesn't feel at all like you are constantly backtracking, because the more equipment you get, the more places you can acces that were previously unaccessible-. And because you can use your ship to fast travel- no place will feel to far away to bother going to in search of missle expansions.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is certainly one of the best looking wii games out there. The wii has gotten a fair share of criticism for not being a graphics powerhouse- but indeed, the gameplay mechanics greatly overshadow the fact that the game you are playing isn't perfectly photo-realistic. What is indeed commendable- is the graphic design- and that goes for characters, enemies, and environments. The design behind Samus's Varia suit has remained unchanged- and it will be the suit you start out with. This design has held up incredibly well, and looks great. As the game progresses, you will see a noticeable change in Samus's appearance coinciding with gaining new upgrades- her suit looks cooler and cooler as the game progresses.
The graphics in general are smooth and vibrantly colored- which can sometimes obscure the green-colored aiming reticule, which can be a slight annoyance at times. There are some outstanding vistas you'll see- especially when on a ship looking out into space, the view is gorgeous. There's no texture pop-in or frame rate issues to spoil the visuals either- I've never seen a single instance of either, and loading screens are non existent once you start playing- the tradeoff of course, is a few cases were doors take several seconds to open as the area beyond it loads- other than that, Metroid is a smooth ride all the way.
Boss fights are a big highlight of Corruption, and indeed some imagination has been put in to making these encounters more than just waiting for vulnerability and shooting the weak spot. These fights are always fun- and there are enough of them spread out very evenly through the game to keep you eager for the next one. They are not particularly challenging, but you will have to scan your target to get a better understanding of where and when to strike. Also, for the third time, a Metroid Prime game ensures the last boss fight is always the best one- and ends the game with a bang.
So, if you've played the first two games in the prime trilogy- you definitely need to see the spectacular finish that is Corruption- but if you haven't gotten into metroid prime- and you have a wii, then the Trilogy will give you the most value for 50 bucks you've ever gotten, EVER.
There are only a couple of flaws in this adventure: too easy difficulty and still not enough new added to this last installment- so it's not perfect, but it is very close- and everything you'd expect from a Metroid game