Metroid Prime (game): Difference between revisions

{{Game-infobox|

|image=[[Image:MetroidPrimebox.jpg|300px]]

|publisher=Nintendo

|released=(NA) November 17, 2002<br>(JP) February 28, 2003<br>(EU) March 21, 2003<br>(AUS) April 3, 2003

|ratings=ESRB: T<br>OFLC: M15+<br>ELSPA: 11+<br>PEGI: 12+<br>USK: 12

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==

When ''Metroid Prime'' was being localized for a European market, alterations were made to the scan visor logs and other in-game text, substantially altering the plotline. The American ''[[Metroid Prime Trilogy]]'' version of ''Prime'' uses a third set of logs that more closely adheres to the European plot than the original plot. It is not currently known which of the three plot lines the North American Player's Choice or European ''Trilogy'' versions of ''Prime'' follow.

[[Retro Studios]], the creators of the ''Prime'' series, has previously announced that the changes made to the European version of ''Metroid Prime'' are unauthorized and incorrect. However, the subsequent release of ''Trilogy'' by Retro Studios calls into question whether or not that decision still stands.

[[Samus Aran]] detects a distress signal from the [[Space Pirate]]s' frigate [[Orpheon]]. She boards the frigate and finds it in disrepair, and largely devoid of life. Data found on computer terminals within the frigate suggest 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 reaches the ship's [[Reactor Core]], she discovers the most successful biological experiment of the Space Pirates, the [[Parasite Queen]]. Samus is forced to battle the creature. Its corpse falls onto the reactor, causing it to become critical. As Samus begins to evacuate the ship she is confronted by [[Ridley]]. Ridley causes an explosion that greatly damages Samus's [[Power Suit]], reducing it to basic functionality. Samus quickly returns to her gunship. Ridley flies away to the planet and Samus decides to follow him. The frigate eventually falls to the planet.

After exploring the planet, Samus discovers that the [[Space Pirate|Space Pirates]] have built a base on Tallon IV, and are experimenting with the "Great Poison" and its effects on [[Metroid (species)|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 Chozo temple 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 [[Metroid Prime]] by the pirates. It was also discovered that the creature was immune to the negative effects of Phazon, and that it had also a high appetite for the substance. The creature was kept in a stasis 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 in the Impact Crater. Samus also discovers the presence of several [[Chozo Ghost]]s in the ruins of the ancient civilization. The corruption that the Phazon brought was so immense that it even contaminated the ghosts of the Chozo. Some Pirates were killed by these ghosts, forcing the Pirates to prevent any access to the Chozo Ruins or Temples.

After collecting all twelve artifacts, Samus travels to the temple the Chozo built, the [[Artifact Temple]] hovering above the impact crater. There she uses the artifacts to unseal the crater. However, before she can enter the crater, Ridley, now rebuilt with Pirate Technology as [[Meta-Ridley]], arrives and damages the temple. Samus and Ridley begin to fight. After Samus deals enough damage to Ridley, the Chozo temple reacts, firing a laser directly at Ridley's chest. This knocks him into the abyss below.  

With Ridley defeated, Samus enters 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 identifies as 86% more mutagenic than normal Phazon.  

 

In a room deep within the impact crater, Samus finally faces the Worm, source of all Phazon in the planet, [[Metroid Prime (specimen)|Metroid Prime]]. Due to its Phazon exposure, Metroid Prime has become more powerful than anything Samus had yet encountered on Tallon IV. It has the ability to attack with diverse weapons, and is able to shield itself from all of Samus's weapons. However, it is not capable of shielding from all weapons simultaneously, so Samus is able to damage it by switching weapons repeatedly. When Samus has depleted all of its health, Metroid Prime falls to the lowest chamber of the impact crater.

Critically damaged, Metroid Prime collapses into an unstable form. In this form, the creature grabs Samus. As she attempts to escape from its grip, the Phazon Suit is ripped from her body, leaving her to escape in her gravity suit. Metroid Prime loses all cohesion and explodes. Samus is able to escape the explosion. After calling her gunship, she jumps on to it while the temple begins to crumble and fall apart. Watching safely while standing above her ship, Samus takes off her helmet and stares sadly as the temple is destroyed. After this, Samus enters her ship and leaves Tallon IV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**[[Chozo Ruins (Tallon IV)|Chozo Ruins]]

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|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]], [[Beam|Power Beam]], [[Bombs|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|sequence breaking]] is also possible in the game. Though in the ''Trilogy'' version, sequence breaking is no longer possible.

==Development==

During the entire Nintendo 64 period, many fans awaited for a new ''Metroid'' game, but no Metroid game was released during the Nintendo 64 era. [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] stated that Nintendo weren’t able to “come out with any concrete ideas”.

[[Retro Studios]] was created in 1998, by an alliance between Nintendo and the former Iguana Entertainment founder Jeff Spangenberg. Retro established its offices in Austin, Texas in 1999. That year, the studio received five game ideas for the Nintendo [[Gamecube]]. Later on, the five game ideas were all left in favor of one game: the new ''Metroid'' Title.  Nintendo members, such as Shigeru Miyamoto, Kensuke Tanabe and Kenji Miki, as well as Metroid designer [[Yoshio Sakamoto]], communicated with the Texas-based studio through emails, monthly phone conferences and personal gatherings. The game was originally envisioned as having third-person perspective gameplay, but this was changed to a first-person perspective after Miyamoto intervened, causing almost everything already developed to be scrapped. Miyamoto said that the new perspective would benefit the visor.

The game was directed by [[Mark Pacini]]. Pacini states that they tried to make the game so that the only difficult parts would be boss battles, so players would not be "afraid to explore", because "the challenge of the game was finding your way around". In 2000, three games were canceled to establish focus on Prime, and in 2001, the fourth other project (an RPG called Raven Blade) was canceled, so that ''Prime'' would be the only game in development.The first glimpse of the game was first seen on the ten second video at SpaceWorld 2000, were nitpicks of other games such as Mario and Zelda were also shown. But it wasn’t until E3 2001 that the game was officially announced. It received mixed reactions from fans and critics, many of them concerned about the change from a 2D side-scrolling point of view, to a first-person perspective.  

Music in ''Prime'' was the only part of the game that was completely done in Japan. Composer [[Kenji Yamamoto]] returned to compose the music for the game, assisted by Kouichi Kyuma. Some of the game’s soundtrack were remixes from previous titles. Yamamoto said that the reason to do so was that he wanted, “to satisfy old Metroid fans. It’s like a present for them.” Music such as the one found in the Tallon Overworld is a remix of the Brinstar theme found in the original [[Metroid (game)|Metroid]] game, the music found in the Magmoor Caverns is a remix of the Lower Norfair region in [[Super Metroid]]. Tommy Tallarico Studios aided in developing the sound effects.

Though the game kept many elements from previous games, some of them were not able to be included due to time constraints. [[Kraid]], a boss from the original ''Metroid'' game and ''Super Metroid'' was meant to have an appearance. Designer [[Gene Kohler]] modeled and skinned him, but he was not included at the end. The [[Screw Attack]] and [[Speed Booster]] were also meant to be featured in the game, but were also not included. The ''Screw Attack'' made an appearance in later installments.

[[Category:Metroid Prime series‎]]