Metroid Prime Comments by Kristan Reed

It is fantabulous.

Heh. My recent Cube purchase is now entirely justified. Hopefully this should silence (or at least quieten down) some of those who say the Cube has too much of a "kiddie" image. Great review. :)

Edit: Reviews :)

Metroid games have always had respawning enemies, its part of the series. Now where's the postman with my copy?

Hmmm... pack with black GC + Metroid for 199€. Very tempting!

Westy, I appreciate that, but does that make it right, having to endlessly plough through enemies you've killed maybe 100 times before?

Nobody has ever complained about it before. If the areas in the game are so big, it'd be pretty boring trecking back through them with nothing to challenge you. Just look at the trecking parts in Starfox Adventures - boring as hell.

Smid, I admire your one-handed typing skills!

Wouldn't you run out of pickups if the enemeys didn't respawn?

/gathers all the GC boys around for a group hug/

10/10 and 9/10 from the lads. I was waiting for the EG review just in case, will now pick this fella up today.

Question. Are you guys using the Wavebird? If so, how much rumble are we gonna miss out on going wireless...

The respawning enemies in Metroid Fusion make it easier in a way, as you can just sit tight and kill them over and over again to max out on health and missiles whenever you're running low.

No, to be truthful the maps aren't THAT big, so the trekking isn't tedious, but fighting the same posse of baddies 79 times can be. Suck it and see. It might not bother you, but getting stuck and then having to potentially die several times before you get any further is a bit snoozeworthy. It's best just to point these things out, as everyone's so quick to lavish praise on everything without stopping to think what might become annoying. I just prefer the Halo style of seeing all the corpses laying around.

Well this is my first Metroid title and I'm rather enjoying it, thank you postie this morning.

The controls didn't take too long to get to grips with although I kept trying to look around with the C-stick for quite some time!

It does look and sound absolutely fantastic. I assume the slightly plinky-plonky music towards the end of the station level is a nice throwback to the game's origins even if I hadn't played them.

Soooo...

What did this game score in Edge?

Edge gave it a 9 as well but didn't say anything bad about it as I recall. Can't understand why they didn't give it 10 based on the glowing review.

Whizzo - the original Metroid music is in here, i remember it from Super Metroid all those years ago.

Widescreen mode really isn't an issue here...it doesn't look at all distorted, unlike, say, Splinter Cell on Xbox.

Heh - kinda forgot this one was out today. Woke up this morning thinking I'd exchange a couple of games for something new and then realised this was out. It was going to be Panzer Dragoon Orta but the demo from X Box Magazine actually convinced me to not bother. So as of this evening, consider me fully Metroid-enabled.

The Cube is saved? hardly - it has many great games imho, just poor sales are shafting it. I bought my cube for this and zelda when i saw them on the release list. hopefully this might spur sales a bit!

If this doesn't kick the Cube up the arse, sales wise, nothing will.

Although widescreen would've been nice, I've been playing it in 4:3 mode and no complaints - it's still the most beautiful console game ever.

Best thing about it are the locations. It never feels like you run somewhere built for this game, but simply explore a planet that has been there for ages. The ruins of an ancient, enlightened civilization always make my cry tears of loss. It's strange.

Wer, Tom gave it 10. I think it's fantastic, but it's not a 10 to me thanks to the poor signposting, endless backtracking and respawning enemies.

Wer, call me cynical, but did you read the review, or just scroll to the bottom to see the score? Were you aware that there are two reviews on the page?

There's also the link-up features with GBA Metroid Fusion - you get the original Metroid if you hook up a completed copy of Fusion.

well thats answered my question.

Metroid it is.

'There's also the link-up features with GBA Metroid Fusion - you get the original Metroid if you hook up a completed copy of Fusion'

Have to complete Fusion first though :o(
Curse that bit with the overgrown vegetation where you have to get past SA-X......

25 squid from argus :D

Thats the hardest bit of the game, try freezing SA-X and then running (quickly).

'Thats the hardest bit of the game, try freezing SA-X and then running (quickly). '

I do, I do!!!!
Nearly got away a while back. I have read nearly every walkthrough on gamefaqs for tips. I'm sure some concerted effort will see me through. Glad it's the hardest bit, as it means I should get through the rest OK. :o)

Gnnnnnnnnng! Must. Not. Buy. Cube.....

/falls over

So would it be fair to say this is the Gamecube's Halo or GTA III? It'd be weirdly ironic if Nintendo's console's saviour wasn't one of the usual suspects like Mario or Zelda.

Heh - got this on the way to work today along with ISS2(second hand - £10!)and Eternal Darkness....I've only had the damn thing for a week!

*Battles inner demons to stop taking a sickie and going home early*

I haven't played it, but the idea of a FPS/Adventure/Platformer set in space doesn't really make my blood rush south. 10/10 makes me damn curious though. You're essentially saying that this is as good as it gets?

Thing that I don't get is why they localized it to Japan first before PAL, seeing as the game has never been as popular over there as it has been over here. Not to mention that the Cube is doing pretty well in Japan anyway, compared to Euro (esp UK) and the relase of the game earlier would have had major benefits.

Actually it's obvious, Ninty like Japan better than Europe, and as they're based in Japan that's not a real problem, but better business sense to release it here first?

For me, this is the best videogame ever made. Pure and simple.

The key is the Miyamoto dynamic: the player can discover things at his/her own pace, enjoy the feeling of exploration, gain new abilities which are better tools to explore and advance in the environment and in the end, tell the whole narrative through his/her own actions.

And to add that the technical brilliance: the aesthetics are just marvellous, with the architecture and the textures surpassing anything made before.

Just try it, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed.

Some of the effects in the game are amazing, like the warping of all scenery when you use a charge beam. And they manage to do all this with absolutely no obvious loading.

I think Nintendo Of Europe must be cursing its inability to release this last Christmas.

The game this really reminded me of was the first Tomb Raider. Metroid Prime has the same sense of atmosphere, the same compulsion to progress through some beautifully realised landscapes. Hell, the Phendrana Drifts music even sounds strangely familiar... Unfortunately, to my mind, it also shares TR's relatively uninspiring combat, but luckily that's not really the main focus of the game, and generally the controls are excellent.

If you go in expecting this to the best game ever, you may well be disappointed, but it is still a brilliant game, so as long as you don't overcook your expectations the chances are you'll love it.

'Thats the hardest bit of the game, try freezing SA-X and then running (quickly). '

I do, I do!!!!
Nearly got away a while back. I have read nearly every walkthrough on gamefaqs for tips. I'm sure some concerted effort will see me through. Glad it's the hardest bit, as it means I should get through the rest OK. :o)

I'm sorry to say that I've got past that bit and am now stuck fairly soon after finding that I can't get to the nav room after I snuck into sector 4 thru a secret tunnel.

Really for the SA-X part there's no real knack to it, unlike the arachnid boss just before. Just don't get spin attacked by the SA-X, so freeze it in the first room, wait for it in the second room and freeze it again when it appears so that you're not faffing around with power bombs when it enters the room. Then run like buggery.

looks like a good review day for the cube what with gamespots review of zelda too. although they are a bit fanboyish

I think Nintendo Of Europe must be cursing its inability to release this last Christmas

I whink WE should all be cursing nintendo of europe for not releasing this last christmas!

I'm sorry to say that I've got past that bit and am now stuck fairly soon after finding that I can't get to the nav room after I snuck into sector 4 thru a secret tunnel.

Don't look at a walkthrough for this if you get frustrated - I did because it felt like I'd messed it up, but of course this is exactly what you're supposed to be doing - the way forward is just quite well hidden.

Read as 'very well hidden'

By the way, after reporting that Argos were dropping the GC the other day, are we going to report today that Argos aren't dropping the GC after all... :-)

Was in town ealier today to pick both MP and PDO and was wondering where the hell are the GC MP promotions?!?!? Saw a poster that looked like it came from magazine put on one shop window and that was it! Not even displayed well in the shop! just a normal game they are taking this for :/ Wanted to buy it in Argos or Dixons for £24.99 but neither have it or even going to stock it :/ So had to buy it at £37.99 from Gamestation :/

Anyway... quite pleased so far (1hr 30mins play) but I just can not for the life for me get use to the control system or the pain in the arse back tracking :/ Maybe i'm just use to Halo to much. Story sucks so far but maybe that unveils later into the game I don't know. Looks lovely and smooth nearly as nice as PDO.

Would play more but I'm away for the weekend and I don't think im gonna rush right back to it just yet :/

I want to add that I have never been a Metroid fan so you fanboys don't go bashing my personal thoughts ok :p

Anyway have fun all and laters! :p

Don't look at a walkthrough for this if you get frustrated

Oops, too late. I checked out gamefaqs just after I posted that comment. Never mind, I'd got so frustrated with that bit that I'd given up playing the game (temporarily at least). It proves that I'd discovered most of the hidden parts but I was just missing what was right under my nose. Strange, because I thought I'd bombed everything in that room.

speaking of the Argos GC thing:
(from xengamers.com)

Speaking about the spike in demand, Argos' marketing director Paul Geddes said, "The demand has been unbelievable. We've struggled to keep up and cleared out most of our overstock. It's been an unbelievable increase in demand. The previous Saturday we sold 100, this Saturday this leapt to almost 5,000."

For an alternative view, the BBC review is here.

Why do the various BBC game correspondents sound like disgruntled Foreign correspondent rejects?

That BBC guy is incredible, I've never seen him write a positive thing about the Gamecube since Day 1, and he always manages to get in some Xbox reference. I swear he's a Redmond plant.

I swear he's a Redmond plant.

Isn't everyone these days?

Would you rather be a Redmond plant or a Redmond bush?

about bbc Is this guy ( Darren Waters
BBC News Online ) a real gamer? Doesn't certainly sound like it.
By the way, how are the controls, similar to Goldeneye? The thing I hate about cube is the gamepad...