Metroid Reviews (retro)

A couple of you have asked me what I think of the new Metroid games. Here's what I think:

Metroid Prime for the GameCube official site
What they did was they took the best technology they could and made a first person shooter out of a game that should never be in first person. Perhaps the most fun thing about the Metroid series is the play control and your ability to maneuver Samus. Well you know what you can't enjoy that kind of thing in this genre of video games. You can't even see your frickin' feet. Now true to Metroid form, the graphics and sound are outstanding. I don't play games because they're pretty though. Yeah it helps make the experience more enjoyable but if the game isn't fun then why play. Now I'm not saying that the game isn't fun. It's no Metroid though. This series was built on games with superior game play. The outstanding graphics and sound were extra. In this installment they seem to be the focus. Nintendo could have very easily have done what Konami with the new Contra game. They took all the technology and made a beautiful game out of Shattered Soldier but left the format alone and kept it in third person. I praise Konami for having the guts to make an awesome game rather than fall into the trap of going first person just because the genre is so popular. So to sum things up, only buy Metroid Prime if you're a die hard Metroid fan or really enjoy first person perspective games. If you're looking for a Metroid game like you've played before you wont find it here.

Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance official site
Now this is a Metroid Game! We've got side scrolling action at it's finest. There are two draw backs though. The biggest being that you have to play it on the Game Boy Advance's little screen and inadequate speaker. Fine for short periods of time but becomes tiring after a while. The second problem is that you have to check in with your ship every 15 minutes or so. You have to do this to find out where you're headed next. Now I'm not very far in the game (no thanks to Nintendo for not shipping it on the day I took off to play it) so this may just be to help you get the feel for the game. Other that that the game is outstanding. It looks better and feels just like Super Metroid. There's new abilities like you can grab on to cliffs and climb ladders. I haven't come across any new weapons or items yet but as mentioned I haven't had much time to play. (Damn you Nintendo.) This game comes highly recommended to any fan of the series. Also if you have a Game Boy Advance and have never played Metroid go get it. You'll have lots of fun with it.

OK so there is one really cool thing about Prime. If you own both games and spend the $15 on the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable then upon completion of Fusion you can link the two up and unlock the original Metroid on the GameCube. That in and of it's self may be worth the $50 for Prime.