Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii Review) by Zeypher

Metroid Prime Trilogy
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Retro Studios/Nintendo
System: Nintendo Wii
Release: August 24th 2009, North America

October 10th, 2009, by Zeypher (Carl B.)- Seven years ago, Nintendo and Retro Studios graced the GameCube with Metroid Prime -- an ambitious revival of the Metroid series, which was left dormant for several years. After Metroid Prime's success, Nintendo and Retro came back again with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes in 2004, a much darker take on the Metroid franchise. In 2007, Retro Studios revolutionized first person control with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo and Retro are back once more with Metroid Prime Trilogy: a compilation of the two GameCube games with Wii controls along with Corruption -- all on one disc. Is Metroid Prime Trilogy just a simple compilation, or does it take the Metroid Prime series to a whole new level?

Metroid Prime pits players as Samus Aran as she makes her was to Frigate Orpheon, who's crew has been slaughtered by Space Pirates. Samus then defeats the Parasite Queen on the Orpheon, and then gives chase to Meta Ridley, who leads her to the distant planet Tallon IV. On Tallon IV Samus hunts down the Space Pirates as they salvage for a radioactive energy source known as Phazon, and she eventually does battle with the Metroid Prime, a Phazon-mutilated Metroid. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes takes place after the events of Prime, and sees Samus venture to the planet Aether to investigate the deaths of Federation Marines. Samus discovers they were killed by an evil race known as the Ing, who are inhabitants of Aether's alternate dimension; dark Aether. Samus then navigates through the two dimensions of Aether to destroy the Ing, and also does battle with Dark Samus, the entity of the Metroid Prime inhabiting her old Phazon Suit. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption takes place six months after the events of Echoes. The Galactic Federation is attacked by Space Pirates, and with the help of Dark Samus, infect the Federation's computer network. Samus must then reactivate the Federation's computer systems on distant planets, while fighting Federation Bounty Hunters corrupted by Dark Samus; and eventually Dark Samus itself.

When you start up Metroid Prime Trilogy, you will be prompted to select a file where all their game data will be saved, and a Mii to use as an icon. After the file select screen, you can select from Single Player, MP2: Echoes Multiplayer, Options, and Extras. From the Single Player selection, you can choose to play Wii enhanced versions of the first two Metroid Prime games, and a version of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption that has slight graphical improvements.

The core gameplay for the three Prime games are, of course, the same as their original versions. As a staple of the Metroid franchise, Metroid Prime has tons of exploration and backtracking. Echoes has slightly less backtracking, but a large amount of exploration through light and dark Aether. Corruption has little to no backtracking, but the exploration element is still intact, and Samus' ship and gunplay have a larger role. As a truth with all three Prime games, Samus will explore an area until a point where she needs a new beam, item or visor to advance, then backtrack and explore other areas until she gains the necessary equipment to proceed, but we'll get to all of that in a bit. Backtracking may sound long and boring, but those were some of the most fun moments in gaming I have ever had. Part of this is due to the atmosphere of the three titles, but mostly due to the amazing Wii Remote controls.

If you have ever played Metroid Prime or Metroid Prime 2: Echoes on the GameCube, then chances are you're familiar with their odd and sometimes clunky controls. For what they were worth though, they worked quite nicely. You would move Samus in all directions with the control stick in first person view, and could lock onto enemies with the L trigger and aim while standing still via the R trigger. In Metroid Prime Trilogy, both Metroid Prime 1 and 2 have the same immersive Wii control scheme as Corruption, with some upgrades to make it even more intuitive. You can free aim at all times thanks to IR control, even while locked onto enemies or side dashing around them. It really sets the impression that you are Samus blasting away at enemies.

The outstanding presentation and feel of Metroid Prime Trilogy doesn't end there. For their time, Prime 1 and 2 had great visuals -- and an outstanding art style to boot. Even Metroid Prime 3: Corruption looked great for a Wii game released in 2007. In this compilation, the graphics for all three Metroid Prime games have been improved; with the greater improvements being on the two GameCube titles, and all three look a lot better than most games on the Wii. On top of that, all three games run at a steady 60 frames per second, adding to an already fluid and immersive first person experience.


To go further into detail about the level of exploration in Metroid Prime, if you're one of the few people who haven't played it before; it's basically to the level of Super Metroid, only 3-Dimensional and with a z-axis. There are several main overworlds on Tallon IV, all with specific themes and challenges. The planet is completely open and non linear, with new areas being open to you once Samus gains the necessary equipment. We're talking different kinds of beams (aside from the basic Power Beam): Wave, Ice, and Plasma; different kinds of Power Suits: Varia, Gravity, and Phazon; and different visor types (other than the basic Combat Visor, which is in all three Prime games): Scan, Thermo, and X-Ray. In all three Prime games, the switching of beams and visors can be done on the fly.

In Echoes there is a large amount of exploration, but it is divided between two dimensions: light and dark Aether. Light Aether has similar exploration gameplay to that of Prime 1, but dark Aether is a completely different story. The atmosphere of dark Aether is polluted, and Samus takes damage every second she's in it. Luckily there are safe zones spread out all around dark Aether; little pockets where Samus doesn't take damage from dark Aether's pollution. Like in Metroid Prime, Echoes has different beams and visors, along with Power Suit upgrades. Contrary to Prime 1, the different beams in Echoes (excluding the Power Beam) require special ammo to use. A difference in the Trilogy version of Echoes as opposed to the original is that the difficulty level for the morph ball guardians have been decreased.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has the basic exploration elements of the other two Prime games (minus dark Aether), except the element of backtracking is downplayed significantly. There are several different planets with hubs Samus can land her ship on and explore. Like the other two games there power beam upgrades, but they aren't selectable. When Samus receives an upgrade to her power beam, the new ability simply overlaps the old. Another difference from the other two are the inclusion of Ice Missiles and the Comand Visor; a special visor type that allows Samus to control her ship remotely. A new gameplay mechanic in Corruption is Hypermode: a mode Samus can go into when she reaches a certain level of Phazon corruption. Hypermode allows Samus to shoot at much faster speeds and with increased power, but can ultimately kill Samus if used too much.


In all three games, extra energy tanks to increase Samus' life can be found, along with missile expansions that increase the number of missiles Samus has on stock. Samus' trademark Morph Ball is also in all three games, and allows Samus to traverse through tight areas and bomb rocks. Powerups for the Morph Ball are in all three games and range from the Boost Ball to Power Bomb to Screw Attack.

The Scan visor is also constant in all three Metroid Prime games. By using the Scan Visor, you can scan hundreds of objects throughout each game to gain info on whatever was scanned. The Scanning mechanic really adds to the replay values of each game, whether you want to discover more about the games' story or just collect data.


The only real problem with Metroid Prime Trilogy is that the majority of the gaming population has played these games before. For people who have already played these games to death, Corruption's medal and friend voucher system makes a return for all three titles. When you obtain the necessary amount of medals; bonuses such as artwork, music, a screen shot tool, and Metroid Fusion's Fusion Suit can be unlocked. The screenshot tool, although it costs a lot of medals, is really cool. You can take snapshots of your current screen and save them to your Wii Message Board, and can even send them to friends if you so choose.

Fans of Echoes' multiplayer component can rejoice, as it makes a return in Metroid Prime Trilogy. You can choose Echoes' multiplayer right after you select your game file, before you can select which Single Player game to play. The multiplayer is exactly the same as the original version, except with the amazing new control scheme. The visuals also look superb, with a steady 60 frames per second for each player, even when four people are going at it.

The Verdict

Sound
15/15- The Metroid Prime series had an amazing musical score when each game was originally released, and that still stands true today. And why shouldn't it? Fresh beats will keep your head bobbing, and epic tunes will send chills down your spine. Every track from all three games can be bought in the extras section with the right amount of medals, and can be listened to whenever.

Graphics
20/20- Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes both had excellent visuals on the GameCube last generation, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has visuals that hold up to the top-tier Wii games. All three games have received graphical updates, mainly Prime 1 and 2; and the look utterly fantastic. Samus stepping into the Tallon IV air for the first time in Metroid Prime is still one of the greatest visual masterpieces in gaming; with the lush grasslands and relentless rain pouring.

Appeal
23/25- Metroid Prime Trilogy is a compilation of three of the best first person adventure/shooter games in history. This is where it starts and ends however, because if you've already played these amazing games there isn't a ton of new content to come back to. If you really loved Prime 1 and 2 the first time though, the truely immersive Wii controls and unlockables will be enough.

Gameplay
40/40- Backtracking in Metroid Prime and Echoes never feels like it is over staying its welcome, and the exploration elements of all three games are great fun. The best thing about it all are the updated Wii controls from Corruption. They're so perfectly crafted that it really feels like you're Samus behind her visor. It puts the fully customizable controls of The Conduit to shame; and a very fluid 60 frames per second doesn't hurt.

Overall
98/100- In short, Metroid Prime Trilogy is the best gaming experience on the Wii to this date. For the price of regular Wii retail games, $50 USD, you get three fantastic gaes with completely immersive Wii controls, and a really cool metal tin the disc comes in. If you loved the Metroid Prime series the first time around, you'll love this compilation even more; and if you've never played them before, go get Metroid Prime Trilogy now.

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