Wii owners should definitely check this game out, even if it's the weakest in the trilogy.
The Bad: Still lacks the polish and marvel of the first game; voice acting and script is sub-par; story is predictable and bland; contextual controls aren't always good; lame fetch quest a la Metroid Prime 2.
Metroid Prime 3 was one of the most anticipated games announced for the Wii. It seems like a natural fit for the Wii's unique controls, and it certainly shows that a first-person shooter can use the IR controls to great effect. The game, however, seems to be stuck in somewhat of a no-man's land in which it can't decide whether it wants to be a traditional Metroid adventure title or a more action-oriented shooter.
The controls, as mentioned before, are rather good. It takes a little while to get used to aiming at the screen and moving around, but it feels really natural once enough time is spent mastering it. Some of the buttons on the Wii Remote don't work well, though. For example, it is really unwieldy to fire missiles. Thankfully, the control options offer some customization, though the missile button cannot be changed.
The core game is easily the weakest of the three games in the trilogy. It feels far more streamlined and run-of-the-mill than the past two games. The story is also lacking the mysterious intrigue and subtlety of the first game, instead opting for several cutscenes with full voice over. Strangely enough, Samus herself never speaks, though she is hardly silent in any of the other games, especially in the two GBA outings, in which she narrated and had open dialogue with other characters. Samus has been shown to have really strong character, so it is sad to see her relegated to the "silent heroine" role that so many other Nintendo characters face.
The levels in MP3 are separated onto different planets. This is a really bad move for the creators, as the greatest strength in the past games has been a very open and desolate seeming world in which to explore. It ends up feeling a bit like "Metroid Lite," even though it is on Nintendo's main console.
Complaints aside, Metroid Prime 3 does have a lot of polish, clever boss fights, beautiful vistas, and lots of interesting unlockable content. It is certainly not a bad game, and fans of the previous games in the series would do well to try this one out. It offers a fairly good conclusion to the amazing trilogy, though it lacks the grandeur of the original game.