Maybe the best game of its generation, Metroid Prime is a fantastically well designed game, which never ceases to amaze.
The game starts in similar vein to the SNES classic Super Metroid, where you make your way through a few tunnels, fight a big boss, and then escape before the whole area self-destructs. After this, you are plunged into the Tallon IV Overworld, and it is from here where you can eventually explore every corner of the planet Tallon IV.
At the beginning of the game, you will only have access to your power beam, and as you progress through the game, you get 3 other beam weapons, missiles, morph ball bombs, and various suits.
Every time you collect one of these power ups, you get an immense feeling of satisfaction as you realise that you can access an area that you could not before, and a whole new world of opportunities opens up with each item.
Of course, with the heavy emphasis on exploration, you're bound to get lost along the way, and the game helps you out here. If you spend too long ambling around, not achieving anything in particular, the game will give you a hint about where to go next, and while, at least for me personally, it doesn't totally eliminate the need to look up hints on the internet, it does help in figuring out what to do, and it's nice to be pointed in the right direction from time to time.
Metroid Prime, from the stunning visuals, to the beautiful, eery, atmospheric soundtrack, and the flawless level design, is a stunning technical and artistic achievment, and not only does it stand up to the great games of its generation, it's sheer quality in every department earns its right to be compared to any game declared as the greatest game of all time, which, in many people's opinion, it is.