Metroid Prime (GameCube) > Reviews (24)

When a classic character like Samus Aran makes a massive change from 2D to 3D, it can sometimes ruin its legacy but thankfully 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 in a rush before it explodes into smithereens. Due to the explosion, Samus loses most of her vital equipment and lands on a planet called Talon IV to try and figure out what exactly is happening.

The gameplay is exceptional and one of a kind. For the first time in a FPS there is a lock on feature, so you can charge up your weapon, fire it and hide behind some cover, all while you're still locked onto your enemy. There is also a platform element in the game especially later on when Samus gets her handy 'double-jump' technique, where she can jump in mid air.

Samus is equipped with four different types of beams and four different types of visors which can be easily accessed with the control pad and the C-Stick. The gun instantly transforms into the next and the fluidity of the play isn't harmed. The same happens with the visors; a flick of the C-Stick and your new visor is immediately up.

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 music and the sound comes together perfectly with the gameplay. Everything in the game has its own unique sound; it truly is wonderful to hear.

Metroid Prime is a gigantic, stunning game that will take you months to complete. It also comes with three different endings depending on the percent you get at the end of the game. Collecting all of the weapon upgrades, suits, missile upgrades and energy tanks all raise your percentage.

Every game has to have its faults and Metroid Prime has a minor one. Samus is equipped with a scanner, which you use to scan various things, from enemies to data found on walls. This data will, slowly tell you the story of the game and will increase your percentage too. Due to this, it means you have to scan every little thing you find if you want to see the final ending. This can get a bit tedious especially when it comes to scanning bosses because of you miss one then you can't go back and scan it. But this is a minor flaw that won't stop the thrills and spills that this game has to offer you.

Metroid Prime is one of kind. Never before have I seen a FPS with this much attention to detail, an amazing and complex story and a stimulating combat system. If for some strange reason you still haven't got Metroid Prime then what are you waiting for? This is Gamecube's finest hour to date, it's quite simply astonishing.