Metroid Prime (2002)

15 ish years ago I was playing through this on the Gamecube and my file corrupted near the end of the game.

Today I finally finished my second attempt at a playthrough (this time on the Prime Trilogy collection for Wii) so I can truly check it off my list. I don't really feel like I want to write up a full review but I do want to touch on something.

I really don't get why you need to collect the Chozo Artifacts to fight the final boss. They're set up like extra little collectables, such that you can easily miss getting most of them in your playthrough only to be confronted right at the end of the game with the realization that they are required and you now need to go backtracking through much of the world to get them. And then once you have them it doesn't really matter because Ridley destroys the whole temple area anyway. Just kind of feels bad and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth right at the end.

Dropping this down to a four.

I really like this game a lot, but there are a lot of outdated quality of life things that have made me conclude this is NOT quite a five star masterpiece, at least in the Switch remastered form:

• I just completed a section of the game where you have to fight all these powerful enemies, but the problem is there are very few save stations, so you are basically white knuckling it through this section. Unfortunately, I died during it, and was so frustrated, I took a break for a bit, before trying again. Second time was a charm, plus I found a room where you can refill your energy if you angle yourself correctly and keep shooting enemies that respawn and picking up their energy capsules. But yeah, I don't have tolerance anymore for the "you have to keep playing until you find a save station" style of challenge.

• Enemies respawn way too often in this game. You will blast all these powerful enemies, leave the room, do some things, come back to the room, only to have to fight them again. And there is no rhyme or reason for how this works. Sometimes, you beat the enemies and they stay gone, and other times you beat them and they come back.

• Some of the platforming parts are just a pain. This is something I feel a lot of first person games deal with when they try to incorporate jumping into the game.

• The boost ball sections can kiss off. There is a section where you can get a missile tank if you boost enough to get on top of this loop. I attempted it for about 20 minutes, felt dizzy and decided "screw it." I don't have the time and patience for crap like that anymore.

Again, great game, but lacking quality of life things I want in games these days.

Metroid Prime is one of my favourite games ever. It was already a masterpiece and looked great even before this remaster, so I'm looking forward to seeing just how much better some of the environments look.

It's just so nice being back in this beautifully crafted world, lost and alone. I only wish I was doing it for the first time .

While this hasn’t quite got its hooks in me the same way 2D Metroid games tend to just yet, I’m still really enjoying it. I’m very pleasantly surprised by how well the core loop translates into a first person game. I can see why people were skeptical before this originally came out, but it’s very clearly the work of people with a strong appreciation of the series. Looks great too.

The scan visor feels a little dated, but not overly so—I’m still deciding whether I prefer the extra background of the flavour text or the “here’s some weird shit, draw your own conclusions” approach the 2D games (excluding Fusion) take.

As I reached Metroid Prime after defeating Meta Ridley last night I have a few initial takealways having now essentially completed Metroid Prime for the first time in roughly two decades.

1. It is an exceptional game that holds up beautifully well, and is a testament to how the GameCube era was one of admirable 3D platforming refinement for Nintendo.
2. It's still a very beautiful game with gorgeous art and sound design.
3. The remaster is wonderfully done, with updated elements that feel organically integrated in a way that enhance the feeling of reliving the original while updating it for a contemporary platform.
4. Improved controls that offer a flexible UX. Being able to chose from the original controls, to motion controls to standard dual-stick controls means the game can be enjoyable for a wider audience. And I, for one, am very thankful for the dual stick approach because it felt the most comfortable to me based on my console FPS preferences.
5. If the game has one gameplay flaw, it is Phazon Mines. As much as the level design is still enjoyable, the spacing of save stations in the area leaves a lot to be desired.
6. If the game has a second gameplay flaw, it is its collectathon nature. I unlocked 100% of the log back on the GameCube, so I didn't bother this time. Best decision I made. Furthermore, I could do without the fact that the end is gated by collectable items. It's not nearly as bad as other 3D collectathons, but my desire to collect them all was on the low end. Compared to other Metroidvanias, I don't find seeking out 100% of the collectables as satisfying as I do in games like Hollow Knight.
7. If the game has one UI/UX flaw, its the fact that the default configuration favours visor switching over weapon switching, and aside from Metroid Prime's second phase there is no time when quickly switching visors grants a greater advantage over the ability to switch weapon type. I highly advise toggling this default so that switching weapons is given priority, and switching visors is the action that requires pressing a button combination.