Retro Studios, the developer behind 'Metroid Prime', has been having a difficult time recently, the company torn apart by redundancies, release date delays and the scrapping of projects, mostly due to harassment by the perfectionist zealots we know (and love) as Nintendo. For a long time the ... Read review
Samus Aran's entry into the bumper-and-flipper world is a sleek, sci-fi classic gaming ... more
adventure that has her careening into gigantic boss monsters and bouncing through a variety of exciting pinball tables. Play tables across two screens at the same time using the touch screen to nudge the pinball table. Battle deadly enemies and experience a number of special modes such as Clone Machine Multiball and the Wall-Jump Challenge while you blast and bomb your high score into a state of pure pinball pandemonium.Multi-Mission Mode: Play through six different pinball table regions, each with its own Metroid theme and game-play style. Collect hidden artifacts, find weapon upgrades, battle bosses and play dozens of pinball mini-games in the quest to unlock new regions and battle Metroid PrimeWireless Mission: Metroid Prime Pinball features the world's first simultaneous eight-player game play using DS Download Play with a single game card. Players hit targets to release Metroid enemies on opponents' tables as they try to beat one another to the top score.Single Mission: This mode features two single-player modes. In Score Attack, players play a traditional pinball game on the board of their choice. They try to collect extra balls, because if they run out, it's game over. In Time Attack, players try to defeat a boss in the fastest time possible.The Nintendo DS Rumble Pak, the first DS accessory to make use of the secondary expansion slot, gives players an added level of immersion by rumbling and vibrating in response to the action on the screens. The Rumble Pak is the same size as a Game Boy Advance game pak and activates when the pinball hits a bumper or when enemies attack.
The Metroid series chronicles the missions of bounty hunter Samus who protects the galaxy ... more
from the depredations of the Space Pirates and their attempts to harness the power of fictional organisms such as the eponymous Metroids. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption set a new standard for first-person motion controls in video games. Now Metroid Prime trilogy will bring those controls to the rest of the celebrated series, allowing players to experience the entire Metroid Prime story arc with the peerless precision of the Wii Remote. Each game maintains its original storyline and settings, but now Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes let players use their Wii Remote to aim with precision as heroine Samus Aran. Based on the breakthrough control system that debuted in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, these new Wii controls bring an entirely new level of immersion and freedom to these milestone games. In edition to offering this great 3 game collection all adapted to utilise the controls of the Wii, it will be presented in an exclusive collectable sleeve, and every game will contain a poster summarising the history of the series. What better way to celebrate the series, and herald the start of a new era.The new Wii controls will bring an entirely new level of immersion and freedom to these milestone games, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3 Corruption.Metroid Prime Trilogy will offer the ultimate Metroid Collectors item for all Metroid fans and those who are looking for the ultimate first person action game.
If you think you knew what it felt like to be the bounty hunter behind the visor, think ... more
again. The Galactic Federation?s network computer, Aurora Unit, is suddenly and completely corrupted with something like a virus. The Federation believes Space Pirates may be behind the problem and are soon attacked. Samus and other hunters leap to their defense only to find that the enemy they face is Dark Samus, armed with immense power that no one can withstand. Players control Samus by moving with the Nunchuk and aiming with the Wii Remote allowing for a level of immersion unlike anything they have ever experienced. Through the eyes of Samus, players experience a quantum leap in first-person control as they wield the Wii Remote, the ultimate device for the first-person shooter genre. Samus will employ well-known power-ups like the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball, as well as a bunch of new surprises, to help her survive her coming trials. The game also incorporates a new system involving Phazon. If you fill Samus' Phazon supply to a certain level, Samus will temporarily go into hyper mode, a state in which she can pull off incredible feats. On the flip side, if she exceeds the maximum Phazon level, she'll perish. Also, for the first time in the Metroid series, Samus' ship will be used in active game play.
The Metroid series chronicles the missions of bounty hunter Samus who protects the galaxy ... more
from Space Pirates and their attempts to harness the power of fictional organisms such as the eponymous Metroids. The Wii controls will bring an entirely new level of immersion and freedom to these milestone games, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
Experience the ferocious first-person action of the Metroid Prime universe on the Nintendo ... more
DS in the playable demo, Metroid Prime Hunters DS: First Hunt. For a limited time, Metroid Prime Hunters DS: First Hunt comes packed-in with every Nintendo DS system. In the Regulator training mode, you must fight your way through angry swarms of hologram targets and make your way to the exit before time runs out. Survivor pits you against a never-ending horde of Zenomorph enemies, and Morph Ball mode challenges you to complete a complex diagnostics program by racing to collect modules before time runs out. The training modes are great, but First Hunt's real appeal is its action-packed multiplayer mode. The ability to wirelessly connect with up to three friends and wreak havoc gives this game the legs that are missing in most demos.
The new Wii controls will bring an entirely new level of immersion and freedom to these ... more
milestone games, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Metroid Prime: Trilogy will offer the ultimate Metroid collector's item for all Metroid fans and those who are looking for the ultimate first-person action game.One Disc, packaged in an exclusive sleeve, offering all three great Metroid first-person action titles but now all adapted to be played with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.Players control Samus by moving with the Nunchuk controller and aiming with the Wii Remote controller, allowing for a level of immersion unlike anything they have ever experienced. It's a quantum leap in first-person control.Samus employs well-known power-ups like the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball, as well as new surprises, to help her survive. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers, players will be able to grasp and pull things by using actual arm movements, as well as execute amazing feats like aiming and blasting in midair or at a full run.Collect coloured badges throughout all three titles and swap them for extras.
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
If you think you knew what it felt like to be the bounty hunter behind the visor, think ... more
again. The Galactic Federation?s network computer, Aurora Unit, is suddenly and completely corrupted with something like a virus. The Federation believes Space Pirates may be behind the problem and are soon attacked. Samus and other hunters leap to their defense only to find that the enemy they face is Dark Samus, armed with immense power that no one can withstand. Players control Samus by moving with the Nunchuk and aiming with the Wii Remote allowing for a level of immersion unlike anything they have ever experienced. Through the eyes of Samus, players experience a quantum leap in first-person control as they wield the Wii Remote, the ultimate device for the first-person shooter genre. Samus will employ well-known power-ups like the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball, as well as a bunch of new surprises, to help her survive her coming trials. The game also incorporates a new system involving Phazon. If you fill Samus' Phazon supply to a certain level, Samus will temporarily go into hyper mode, a state in which she can pull off incredible feats. On the flip side, if she exceeds the maximum Phazon level, she'll perish. Also, for the first time in the Metroid series, Samus' ship will be used in active game play
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
; The guide covers all THREE games: Metroid Prime Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid ... more
Prime 3: Corruption all with Wii controls. ; Maps will be provided for every level of each game. Keeping you on track to get Seamus where she needs to go. ; Every puzzle solved! Strategy for all chokepoints to help you run through the games flow smoothly.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:3-5 working days
The new Wii controls will bring an entirely new level of immersion and freedom to these ... more
milestone games, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Metroid Prime: Trilogy will offer the ultimate Metroid collector's item for all Metroid fans and those who are looking for the ultimate first-person action game. One Disc, packaged in an exclusive sleeve, offering all three great Metroid first-person action titles but now all adapted to be played with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.Players control Samus by moving with the Nunchuk controller and aiming with the Wii Remote controller, allowing for a level of immersion unlike anything they have ever experienced. It's a quantum leap in first-person control.Samus employs well-known power-ups like the Grapple Beam and Morph Ball, as well as new surprises, to help her survive. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers, players will be able to grasp and pull things by using actual arm movements, as well as execute amazing feats like aiming and blasting in midair or at a full run.Collect coloured badges throughout all three titles and swap them for extras.
Postage & Packaging:£0.00 Availability:Out of stock
Advantages: Best game of 2003: great graphics and gameplay Disadvantages: Controls a bit unusual
...cannot challenge your friends to Metroid deathmatches. As an action-adventure, there was never really much chance of this, although it would have been nice. Metroid Prime 2, anyone?
GRAPHICS:
Breathtaking environments with fantastic effects. Unrivalled.
SOUND:
Good atmospheric soundtracks; but no masterpieces.
GAMEPLAY:
Truly masterful (once you get used to the unusual control scheme). ...to complete, there are three endings to achieve depending on how thorough you are with scanning and there are numerous bonuses, including the original 'Metroid' for NES for people who also own a copy of 'Metroid Fusion' for Game Boy Advance.
VERDICT:
This is the best game available for the Gamecube at the time of writing and is quite possibly the best game of 2003. It's a game you'll play through once and then keep coming back ... more
Retro Studios, the developer behind 'Metroid Prime', has been having a difficult time recently, the company torn apart by redundancies, release date delays and the scrapping of projects, mostly due to harassment by the perfectionist zealots we know (and love) as Nintendo. For a long time the future of 'Metroid Prime' was uncertain: early screenshots of the game were impressive, but it was unsure if the gameplay would come up to scratch, and do justice to the original 'Metroid' game and the classic 'Super Metroid' on the SNES. Things seemed to change when Nintendo intervened, however, and the game really began to take shape until, after months of intense anticipation, it was unleashed upon the world. And I can say for certain that it was worth the wait.
As interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran, you must enter Tallon IV, a planet once inhabited by the peaceful, indigenous Chozo, but now devastated by a sinister poison which has mutated the native wildlife beyond recognition. You are the saviour, prophesised by the ancient Chozo, who must pursue the evil lurking within the depths of Tallon IV. During your quest you will encounter various harsh environments, ranging from the freezing blizzards of the Phendrana Drifts to the fiery depths of the Magmoor caverns, all of which contain hundreds of evil critters you must blast your way through, including some very VERY big bosses.
You start the game on the orbital platform of the Space Pirates, where you are shown the basics of the game, including the rather unusual control system. Unlike most first-person shooters, 'Metroid Prime' does not have dual analogue controls, which means you cannot move and look around at the same time. Instead you lock onto and strafe around enemies by holding down the L-button and using the control stick and you look around by holding the R-button and using the control stick. While these controls might seem difficult at first (especially if you are a fan of games like 'Timesplitters 2') they are really quite simple to master and actually make progressing through the game a lot simpler, allowing you to concentrate more on your objectives and less on aiming at enemies. The game actually handles very well, despite the odd controls; personally I think they just make this game even more unique: an example of 'The Nintendo Difference'.
While shooting aliens clearly plays a big part in 'Metroid Prime', there is a lot more to it than this. The game is set out more as an action-adventure than a standard first-person shooter; instead of a series of set missions to accomplish, there are a number of different 'worlds' to explore, including a main overworld from which the other areas are accessible. While it is always made clear where the next objective is situated, 'Metroid Prime' does not give the impression of being linear, but seems to give the player a degree of freedom, as there are often different routes to reaching the goal. There is also an emphasis on completing puzzles and collecting upgrades, which might seem more suited to a role playing or adventure game. Indeed, the game has been described as 'a space-age Zelda', although I don't feel this is quite true. The environments you find yourself in are never anything less than hostile; there are few safe areas and no friendly characters to chat with between the action, like there would be in a game like 'Zelda'. Clearly, 'Metroid Prime' is a first-person action-adventure role-playing shooter. Or something.
While much of the game is played in the first-person, Samus' suit has the ability to roll into a ball at the touch of a button, at which point the camera moves into a third-person view. While in the morph ball you can access areas that would normally be out of reach. You can also lay special morph bombs that can be used to open up new passages. There are a number of upgrades to be collected for the morph ball to increase its uses further, including the boost ball (which gives you bursts of speed useful for getting up ramps) and the spider ball (which lets you move along special magnetic track systems on the walls and ceilings of certain areas.
'Metroid Prime' is unique for a first-person game in that you view the game from behind the visor of the main character. One of the best touches of the game is the environmental effects on the visor. For example, in certain conditions the visor will steam up, get splattered with slime or become filled with static interference. If there is an explosion nearby, you can even catch a fleeting glimpse of Aran's reflection on the screen. As well as the standard combat visor, you will also obtain the thermal and x-ray visors, two very cool upgrades useful in certain situations. Also, to really complete the game fully, you will need to use the scan visor in every area you enter. The scan visor is used to activate switches, give information about the environment and enemies, and expose weak-spots in bosses. The more you scan, the more bonuses you get. The completeness of your logbook also determines which of the three alternate endings you get when you finish the game.
The fun doesn't end there, however. If you own a copy of 'Metroid Fusion' for the Game Boy Advance and have a Gamecube-GBA link cable, you can link the two games together to unlock a bonus upgrade to your suit plus the full version of the original 'Metroid' for the NES, which should come as a pleasant surprise to retro gamers.
The graphics in-game are truly amazing, making the most of the Gamecube's hardware. The textures are nice and varied, and Retro's attention to detail is exceptional. Also, if you have a scart cable and a television supporting 60Hz refresh rates, you can enjoy a more flicker-free game, which helps you appreciate the fantastic visuals even more. In terms of sound, the game offers atmospheric soundtracks which are nice but which at times I felt to be little more than background noise. When the action begins, howver, the music really picks up; the sound effects are overall very good. As for gameplay, you'll probably have gathered by now that 'Metroid Prime' definitely has lived up to its predecessors and has exceeded all expectations. This is a fantastically good game; words just cannot do it justice.
While it does have a huge lifespan, 'Metroid Prime' is a single player game only - unfortunately there is no two player co-operative mode and you cannot challenge your friends to Metroid deathmatches. As an action-adventure, there was never really much chance of this, although it would have been nice. Metroid Prime 2, anyone?
GRAPHICS: Breathtaking environments with fantastic effects. Unrivalled.
SOUND: Good atmospheric soundtracks; but no masterpieces.
GAMEPLAY: Truly masterful (once you get used to the unusual control scheme).
LIFESPAN: The game will take weeks to complete, there are three endings to achieve depending on how thorough you are with scanning and there are numerous bonuses, including the original 'Metroid' for NES for people who also own a copy of 'Metroid Fusion' for Game Boy Advance.
VERDICT: This is the best game available for the Gamecube at the time of writing and is quite possibly the best game of 2003. It's a game you'll play through once and then keep coming back for more. Go out and get this game right now! Don't have a gamecube? Well it's about time you did!
Advantages: Graphics, controls, longetivity, sound Disadvantages: Lots of back tracking, long scanning system
...this isn't the case with Metroid Prime. What Nintendo and Retro Studios have done is create one of THE best games on the Gamecube.
The game begins on a space station where you learn the basic controls. Moving around is relatively easy but when it comes to the combat newcomers will have some slight problems but it's nothing that another 5 minutes or so won't fix. After fighting a few space pirates and a gigantic bug, you try to leave the station ... ...The graphics and environments in Metroid Prime are mind blowing. From the snowy cliffs of Phendrana Drifts, with its frozen waterfalls and sparkling caverns to the industrial, lava-filled caverns of Magmoor and the radioactive neon-blue of the Phazon Mines, all of these are intimidating yet simultaneously awe-inspiring. Along with this is the amazing sound. Metroid Prime has some of the best game music I've ever heard. Each place has their own special ...
Lipe 30.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Metroid Prime (GameCube)
Advantages: Massive | Stunning looks | A lot to do Disadvantages: Scanning my put people off
...on the GameCube yet.
Metroid Prime is the new addition to the popular Metroid series. While it was never that big in its home territory of Japan the Western gamers lapped up the adventures of the bounty hunter Samus Aran. Now Retro Studios has brought the series into a vast 3D world. Starting the game on a docking platform on a Space Pirate ship Samus is all set to infiltrate it. However it all goes slightly wrong as a huge explosion goes off and ... ...Unlike other First Person Shooters, Metroid Prime has no ‘free look’ system so you cant look around and fire at the same time. It may sound strange but works well in concept and there are reasons for this. A big reason being that, while maybe having the C stick as a free look control may have worked in other shooters, in Prime there are so many different controls the joy pad needed to be used in every conceivable way so that if you wanted to use ...
3rdRockSatan 18.05.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Metroid Prime (GameCube)
Advantages: Great effects Disadvantages: Lots of retracing your steps
...original side scrolling version of Metroid that was released on the SNES (Super Nintedo Entertainment System), so I wasn't really interested in ths at first.
It was my brother that was interested in this game. He purcashed it, and he placed it in to the Gamecube. I grabbed the rectangular box and let my eyes scan across it. On the front is the logo of the game as well as a image that fills tne whole front up. It looks quite smart. The instruction ... ...The sound in Metroid Prime is splendid. The boss battle music differs, and is really climactic. Some of the tunes change slightly through out of the game as you make progress. The second version of the Phendrana drifts tunehas to be my favourite.
Metroid Prime has a lot of replay value. After you complete it you unlock a hard mode. (Th normal mode was hard enough!). Replaying through the game is a lot of fun and it sure does take a while to complete ...
benraiben 08.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Metroid Prime (GameCube)
Advantages: One amazing product, a must have GC game. Disadvantages: Well, not a lot really, especially at the £20 price tag.
...at the history of the Metroid franchise shall we!
HISTORY
-------
An action adventure game was released on the NES in 1986, which was Metroid. Little known at the time in Europe, but when it arrived boy did it make a storm! The character Samus Aran, a female bounty hunter in a space age suit went on quest, and battled the titular energy vampire Metroid at the end of the game. If you did it right, you'd see a graphic of Samus in her binkini!
Following ... ...played to be believed.
METROID PRIME
-------------
So coming up to date and also to the review of the game, Metroid Prime is the original, brought into the 21st century!
Firstly, the game is seen from a first person view, in the futuristic helmet of Samus, in her rather spiffy amazing power suit. As usual, she has an arm cannon fitted, and can scan things. Once again, a massive part of the gameplay is exploration, which means finding parts to ...
eaglesas 24.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Metroid Prime (GameCube)
Advantages: excellent graphics, gameplay is outstanding, Samus returns Disadvantages: first-person shooter adventure may be difficult for some people
...2000 or 2001 I believe, Metroid Prime was probably one of the ones I was looking forward too the most. Sure the new Zelda got me excited, Mario, Eternal Darkness, and the Resident Evil exclusiveness, but none got me more excited than Metroid Prime. After the announcement, numerous movies and screenshots were released, and soon after, I knew I would definitely have to own this title. Well, now that Nintendo is starting to wade into the swimming pool, ... ...with than Metroid Prime, as Nintendo has outdone themselves once again, and has given us Gamecube owners even more faith and hope in Nintendo. For the past three years or so, Nintendo has always released a AAA game sometime in November, just before the Christmas rush, and now instead of a Zelda (which, sadly, got pushed back to February), we are presented with Metroid Prime. So how did Nintendo do? The answer awaits you. p l o t / s t o r y
At one ...
rock_on 17.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Metroid Prime (GameCube)
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Advantages: Depth, Longevity, Atmosphere, Clever Puzzles, Totally Playable Disadvantages: Too similar to its predecessor?
When MetroidPrime intially hit the shelves it was critically acclaimed and deemed by many enthusiasts (myself included) to be the best game on the GameCube. So when Retro Studios announced they were making a sequel to this game, it got many a Nintendo gamer's heart in all of a flutter. Surely if they just got rid of some of the (very few) niggles of the first game, then thi iteration would be superferlous?
Well that was the plan anyway. Gladly, through further guidance by Nintendo themselves, Retro Studios using the same engine as MetroidPrime, set out to make a sequel, with the results being truly that of a masterpiece.
The whole Metroid series is based around a heroine (yes a lady!) by the name of Samus Aran, who is an intergalatic bounty hunter. She is a sworn enemy of the Space Pirates - an advanced band of (um) pirates that ...
Advantages: Great graphics, multiplayer, great storyline. Everything? Disadvantages: See review.
I'm sure everyone has heard of MetroidPrime. And from the large audience who know of MetroidPrime, a huge percentage from that huge percentage of the world loved it. It was a great game, different from the others but it still had many elements from the past Metroid games. Newcomers of Metroid even loved it. As being released as one of the GCN's first games, it really shocked the audience with it's beautiful graphics, storyline, and gameplay. Not to mention stunning atmospheric music.
Now, two years later we meet MetroidPrime 2. How does it stand up to it's predecessor? Better? Worse? Find out.
The story is in two parts, (although the instruction manual doesn't let on to this). The first part is about the Luminoth, a long forgotten race residing on the Planet Aether. They were a peace-loving group with advanced technology, who ...
Advantages: Great graphics, storyline and gameplay Disadvantages: Music found wanting somerimes , still some mindless backtracking
After the release of MetroidPrime on Gamecube a sequel was inevitable. The combination of silky detailed graphics, action orientated gameplay and challenging/enjoyable puzzles made gamers want more. And so Retro Studios, in conjunction with Nintendo, duly obliged.
The original game had it all. Great storyline, great graphics, challenging gameplay and fitting music. Many thought the transition of the Metroid series from 2D to 3D wouldn't work, and the core mechanics of the game would suffer. Instead we were presented with one of the most thoroughly enjoyable first person shooters.
It would perhaps be best if I first explained the Metroid series. You play a bounty hunter named Samus Aran, an attractive woman no less, who is hired out by the Galaxy Federation to rid planets of your sworn enemies, the Metroids of the series title ...
