Metroid Prime (game)

Metroid Prime Metroid Prime North American Cover Art

Publisher Nintendo Developer(s) Retro Studios Platform(s) Nintendo GameCube Genre Action Adventure, First-person Shooter Ratings ESRB: T OFLC: M15+ ELSPA: 11+ PEGI: 12+ USK: 12 Modes Single-player Media Nintendo GameCube Game Disc Input Nintendo GameCube controller

Metroid Prime (メトロイドプライム, Metoroido Puraimu) is the first game in the Metroid Prime series, released for the Nintendo GameCube in November 15, 2002. Metroid Prime is the first game in the series in 3D and the first Metroid game released in eight years after Super Metroid. The game was developed by the Nintendo-owned Retro Studios and published by Nintendo. One of the significant new features that the game had, was the use a first-person perspective instead of a side-scroller perspective. Despite the new perspective, the many differences in gameplay that Metroid Prime had to other first-person shooters made Nintendo to officially classify the game as a first-person adventure.

Metroid Prime was first announced on E3 2001. It was later revealed that the game was meant to be played in a first-person perspective instead of a third-person point of view. This news was met with a cold reception from the fans who thought that it was a disgraceful transition to 3D. In addition to that, due to frequent layoffs and corporate reorganization at Retro Studios during development, the game was believed to be a failure throughout gaming related message boards, publications, and magazines. When it was released Metroid Prime was critically acclaimed and became a commercial success, selling over a million copies on American alone. A remake was done for the Wii with updated controls and improved graphics, released in Japan as part of the "New Play Control!" series and in North America and Europe it was released together with the other two games of the Prime Trilogy in the collector´s edition package Metroid Prime Trilogy.

Plot

Samus Aran detected a distress signal from the Space Pirate´s frigate Orpheon. She boarded the frigate and found it in disrepair, and largely devoided of life. Data found on computer terminals within the frigate suggested that it had been recently used to research the material Phazon, which the Space Pirates discovered on Tallon IV, the planet the Orpheon was in orbit above. When Samus reached the ship's Reactor Core, she discovered the most successful biological experiment of the Space Pirates, the Parasite Queen. Samus was forced to battle the creature. Its corpse fell onto the reactor, causing it to become critical. As Samus began to evacuate the ship she was confronted by Ridley. Ridley caused an explotion that greatly damaged Samus' Power Suit, reducing it to basic functionality. Samus quickly returned to her gunship. Ridley flew away to the planet and Samus decided to follow him. The frigate eventually fell to the planet.

Samus discovered that Tallon IV was formerly inhabited by the Chozo. Thanks to the Lore the Chozo left on the ruins and temples of Tallon IV, Samus discovered that the planet was struck by a meteor many years ago. The meteor, which would later be discovered to be a Leviathan, carried with it a strange substance, known to the Chozo as the "The Great Poison". As the poisonous substance brought by the meteor spreaded over the planet, it caused great damage to the biosphere. At the time of Samus's arrival, it had already caused widespread mutations in the local organisms, and rendered some areas lifeless. Samus also discovered that the Space Pirates estimated that life in Tallon IV would perish in a span of 25 years.

The various carvings scattered around the Chozo Ruins documented the Chozo's struggle to destroy the substance emanating from the meteor and return the planet to its original state. The Chozo, who were themselves being eroded by the substance, were unsuccessful in their attempts to right the planet's ecosystem. Eventually, they resolved to seal the meteor and the Impact Crater from which the substance was emanating. The Chozo built a Temple over the crater to contain the Worm and to stop the spread of the substance on the planet. They also sealed its entrance and left twelve artifacts scattered all over the planet that served as keys to break the seal. After this the Chozo left the planet.

After exploring the planet, Samus discovered that the Space Pirates had built a base on Tallon IV, and were experimenting with the "Great Poison" and its effects on Metroids and other local species. The pirates officially named the substance Phazon. After hacking their database on the Phendrana Drifts facility, Samus discovers that the pirates had accidentally entered the temple the Chozo built, from the underground and discovered a strange creature within. The creature killed the miners, but was later captured and subjected to study. It was discovered that the creature was genetically similar to a Metroid, though, much more evolved. It was then named by the pirates, Metroid Prime. It was also discovered that the creature was inmune to the negative effects from Phazon, and that it had also a high appetite for the substance. The creature was kept on a statis tank, but it eventually was able to escape. In the process it absorbed some of the pirate weaponry to its body and then returned to its lair on the Impact Crater. Samus also discovered the presence of several Chozo Ghosts on the ruins of the ancient civilization. The corruption that the Phazon brought was so inmense, that it even contaminated the ghosts of the Chozo. Some Pirates were killed by these ghost forcing the Pirates to prevent any access to the Chozo Ruins or Temples.

The Space Pirates wanted to extract all the planet's Phazon for use as an energy source and in continued biological experiments. They set up various research stations in different regions for the purpose of experimenting with Phazon. Finally, they begun excavations into the planet's surface so as to extract subterranean Phazon. This area became known ad the Phazon Mines. It was also home to many biological experiments.

Samus traveled over the surface of the planet, searching out the artifacts and recovering the lost functionality of her Power Suit.

Within the Space Pirates' Phazon Mines, Samus discovered that the Space Pirates had been conducting experiments involving subjecting embryos of their own species to Phazon. In a cavern in the lowest level of the mines, Samus discovered the most successful of these experiments, a huge Space Pirate called the Omega Pirate. The Omega Pirate attempted to kill Samus, but was unsuccessful. Despite its ability to heal itself by absorbing raw Phazon from the environment, Samus was able to defeat the Omega Pirate. However, it fell on top of her, deluging her in Phazon. The Phazon corrupted her Power Suit, turning it into the Phazon Suit, which gain the ability to resist Phazon radiation. It also allowed her to conduct Phazon from an external source to her arm cannon to be used as a weapon.

After collecting all twelve artifacts, Samus traveled to the temple the Chozo built, the Artifact Temple, hovering above the impact crater. There she used the artifacts to unseal the crater. However, before she could enter the crater, Ridley, now rebuilt with Pirate Technology as Meta-Ridley, arrived and damaged the temple. Samus and Ridley began to fight. After Samus dealt enough damage to Ridley, the Chozo temple reacted, firing a laser at Ridley directly to his chest. This knocked him to the abyss below.

With Ridley defeated, Samus entered the impact crater with the help of some Chozo Ghosts that had not been contaminated by Phazon. Here she discovers Metroids and the presence of Orange Phazon, a substance that the scan visor identified as 86% more mutagenic than normal Phazon.

In a room deep within the impact crater, Samus finally faced the Worm, and source of all Phazon in the planet, Metroid Prime. Due to its Phazon exposure, Metroid Prime became more powerful than anything Samus had yet encounter on Tallon IV. It had the ability to attack with diverse weapons, and was able to shield itself from all of Samus's weapons. However, it was not capable of shielding from all weapons simultaneously, so Samus was able to damage it by switching weapons repeatedly. When Samus had depleted all of its health, Metroid Prime fell to the lowest chamber of the impact crater.

The creature then left its exoesqueleton and revealed its essence and true form. In this form it became completely immune to all of Samus's weapons and also had the ability of cloaking itself in the visible, infrared, and x-ray portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. This form generated pools of liquid Phazon as waste while attacking; the creature also released Metroids to aid him in battle. By absorbing the Phazon and firing it out of her Arm Cannon, Samus was able to damage Metroid Prime.

Critically damaged, Metroid Prime collapsed into an unstable form. In this form, the creature grabbed Samus. As she attempted to escape from its grip, the Phazon Suit was ripped from her body, leaving her to escape in her gravity suit. Metroid Prime lost all cohesion and exploded. Samus was able to escape the explotion. After calling her gunship, she jumped onto it while the temple began to crumble and fall apart. Watching safely while standing abover her ship, Samus took off her helmet and stared sadly as the temple was destroyed. After this, Samus entered her ship and left Tallon IV.

Back on the planet, the pool of Phazon that used to be Metroid Prime merged with the Phazon Suit. A hand began to emerge out of the pool, at the back of the hand, an ominous eye began to look around. Dark Samus was born.

Locations

• Frigate Orpheon
• Tallon IV
  • Tallon Overworld
  • Chozo Ruins
  • Magmoor Caverns
  • Phendrana Drifts
  • Phazon Mines
  • Impact Crater

Gameplay

As in previous Metroid games, Prime takes place on an open-ended world connected by elevators. The player has to explore the world in search of various suit upgrades in order to access new areas. Many elements from previous Metroid games were kept such as backtracking, platforming and exploration. New to the series, the player is put in a first-person perspective inside Samus helmet. The HUD, also known as the Combat visor offers basic information to the player, such as the health meter, number of Energy Tanks acquired, Missile count, caution meter, acquired beams and visors. Super Metroid introduced the series to the use of visors. Prime expands the concept to a new level. The scan visor for instance, has a crutial role in the game. With the use of this visor Samus is able to scan the enviroment in search for clues and information. The visor also allows to hack into computer terminals, activate elevators and gives critical information, such as the weaknesses of the different enemies Samus encounters. The player also acquires two more visors, the Thermal visor and the X-Ray visor.

The main focus of the game is exploration. The player must explore the world in search of twelve artifacts in order to access the Impact Crater, look for new suit upgrades and defeat bosses and minibosses, some which will reward the player with an upgrade. In order to offer some clues to the player, the game offers a hint system that gives a clue to the player of where to go next. The game also provides a 3D map of the world which allows the players to plot their course with ease. Many weapons and items from previous Metroid games return to Prime, such as the Morph Ball, Power Beam, Power Bombs, Grappling Hook and others. Some, such as the Screw Attack were not able to be added to the game due to time constraints. Though most of the game is played in a first-person perspective, when entering Morph Ball the perspective switches to a third-person camera. In this form Samus can access various areas that she would normally not be able to enter and has access to Bombs and Power Bombs. In some areas, while using Morph Ball, the perspective changes from 3D to 2D.

The controls, despite the first-person point of view, do not use the dual-analog control scheme found on other shooters. Instead the player controls Samus fully with the left stick and is able to aim manually by pressing the R button and then moving the camera with the left stick. Though in this form, the player cannot move. To make combat possible, Retro Studios implemented a targetting system similar to the one found in the Legend of Zelda series. The player presses the L button to target oponents, and can move around the enemy by pressing the jump button and moving the left stick to the wanted direction. The player is able to switch visors and beams by using the C-stick and the D-pad.

The game offers different kinds of endings, three in total, depending on the number of items the player collects. Obtaining 100% completition in other tasks such as scanning, also unlocks an art gallery bonus accesible via the main menu. As in previous Metroid games, sequence breaking is also possible in the game. Though in the Trilogy version, sequence breaking is no longer possible.

Reception

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