This is right up there with Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle for "Franchise entries that everyone thought would be terrible but turned out amazing".
When news broke that a western studio was developing a Metroid FPS, fans were beside themselves. A younger internet was littered with concerns that Super Metroid's long-awaited successor would have more in common with Goldeneye than Samus' three previous outings. Shortly afterwards, a clarification from Retro Studios dubbed the game a "First-Person Adventure", which led to even more confusion. Metroid fans waited 8 years for a follow-up to Super Metroid, and this was NOT how they expected it to go.
But the biggest surprise of all came in November of 2002: The game was actually fantastic.
When I finally saw Metroid Prime in person, I didn't realize what it was. I came into a room where my cousins had set up their GameCube, and I was amazed by the beautiful 3D alien world they were exploring. When I asked what game it was, my eyes widened. This was the Metroid FPS? This was the malicious FPS come to ruin a beloved-yet-niche IP?
Beyond being a good lesson for young, impressionable Alex about the dangers of judging something before experiencing it, that moment made me a Metroid fan for life. I soon afterwards sold all of my Pokemon cards to the only kid at school who was willing to buy (he gave me like $45 in quarters, a deal I still regret) in order to buy a GameCube of my own as soon as possible. I borrowed a copy of Metroid Prime from a friend after their parents got it for them, and began my own journey across Tallon IV.
In the years since, I've replayed Metroid Prime a handful of times. There are a few things that stick out to me today.
1.) This is one of the most beautiful games on the GameCube. The sixth console generation was barely taking the training wheels off of 3D, and Metroid Prime came right out the gate with visuals that wouldn't be topped by 99% of games for the remaining 3-4 years of that generation. I'm consistently impressed by what Retro did so early in the GC's lifespan.
2.) The method of storytelling is brilliant. If you want, you can blaze through the game without reading a thing. But if you're more interested in what's going on with Space Pirates, Phazon, and the Metroids themselves, you can scan all sorts of things, adding entries to your log which you can study at any time. These scattered bits of information amount to some seriously compelling lore, and the way they're never forced on you makes it all the more enjoyable. Instead of skipping cutscenes filled with dialogue, you choose to go out of your way to study up on the world around you. That choice makes you value the information more, feelings as though you discovered it rather than having it shoved in your face.
3.) The music is flawless. That's it.
4.) I don't mind the backtracking as much as I thought I would. It doesn't take too long, and because the world is so interesting and engaging, I don't mind taking trips back and forth across it.
5.) As much as I dislike the trope of "Start with all your upgrades, then OH NO they're taken away!!" it really is satisfying to get them back in MP. Reclaiming abilities you used earlier makes them feel more precious and necessary. When you get the grapple beam, for example, I didn't think "Okay cool, a new ability", I thought "Finally! I knew I needed to get that back, I'm so glad I found it!"
6.) The Phazon Suit might be the coolest thing I've ever seen.
I keep feeling the urge to replay this game, but I'm holding out for that rumored Metroid Prime Trilogy HD to come out on Switch.
...any day now.
When news broke that a western studio was developing a Metroid FPS, fans were beside themselves. A younger internet was littered with concerns that Super Metroid's long-awaited successor would have more in common with Goldeneye than Samus' three previous outings. Shortly afterwards, a clarification from Retro Studios dubbed the game a "First-Person Adventure", which led to even more confusion. Metroid fans waited 8 years for a follow-up to Super Metroid, and this was NOT how they expected it to go.
But the biggest surprise of all came in November of 2002: The game was actually fantastic.
When I finally saw Metroid Prime in person, I didn't realize what it was. I came into a room where my cousins had set up their GameCube, and I was amazed by the beautiful 3D alien world they were exploring. When I asked what game it was, my eyes widened. This was the Metroid FPS? This was the malicious FPS come to ruin a beloved-yet-niche IP?
Beyond being a good lesson for young, impressionable Alex about the dangers of judging something before experiencing it, that moment made me a Metroid fan for life. I soon afterwards sold all of my Pokemon cards to the only kid at school who was willing to buy (he gave me like $45 in quarters, a deal I still regret) in order to buy a GameCube of my own as soon as possible. I borrowed a copy of Metroid Prime from a friend after their parents got it for them, and began my own journey across Tallon IV.
In the years since, I've replayed Metroid Prime a handful of times. There are a few things that stick out to me today.
1.) This is one of the most beautiful games on the GameCube. The sixth console generation was barely taking the training wheels off of 3D, and Metroid Prime came right out the gate with visuals that wouldn't be topped by 99% of games for the remaining 3-4 years of that generation. I'm consistently impressed by what Retro did so early in the GC's lifespan.
2.) The method of storytelling is brilliant. If you want, you can blaze through the game without reading a thing. But if you're more interested in what's going on with Space Pirates, Phazon, and the Metroids themselves, you can scan all sorts of things, adding entries to your log which you can study at any time. These scattered bits of information amount to some seriously compelling lore, and the way they're never forced on you makes it all the more enjoyable. Instead of skipping cutscenes filled with dialogue, you choose to go out of your way to study up on the world around you. That choice makes you value the information more, feelings as though you discovered it rather than having it shoved in your face.
3.) The music is flawless. That's it.
4.) I don't mind the backtracking as much as I thought I would. It doesn't take too long, and because the world is so interesting and engaging, I don't mind taking trips back and forth across it.
5.) As much as I dislike the trope of "Start with all your upgrades, then OH NO they're taken away!!" it really is satisfying to get them back in MP. Reclaiming abilities you used earlier makes them feel more precious and necessary. When you get the grapple beam, for example, I didn't think "Okay cool, a new ability", I thought "Finally! I knew I needed to get that back, I'm so glad I found it!"
6.) The Phazon Suit might be the coolest thing I've ever seen.
I keep feeling the urge to replay this game, but I'm holding out for that rumored Metroid Prime Trilogy HD to come out on Switch.
...any day now.