Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

So I got Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, for my Wii. The release date was listed as Aug 27th, so I went out to grab it late that day. However, Nintendo only ships on Tuesdays (for whatever reason) so I had to wait another day – what’s one more day, anyway? I haven’t played too much of the game yet, but I would have to agree with what most of the reviews are saying: it is awesome in nearly every way.

The controls are a big part of the awesome: well implemented Wii controls (thanks, Retro) make for the best console FPS experience I’ve ever had, only rivalled by the mouse and keyboard on pc. (Mouse and keyboard don’t lend themselves well to the couch, however.) Quickly changing Prime’s controls to the more sensitive “Advanced” mode, I find it hard to imagine anything coming as close to the mouse and keyboard in the living room. After taking a little while getting used to it, I found I was double-jumping around enemies and firing down at them while airborne with ease. I simply can’t imagine doing that on a dual analog control scheme. And a lot of the combat in Corruption takes advantage of this new found accuracy of the wiimote. I like the added immersion of the controllers representing each of Samus’ hands, even though at times it seems glitchy. Moving the wiimote backward (pull) and forward (push) when operating some controls, for instance, sometimes requires multiple attempts. Luckily, these situations are never in the heat of battle.. and when they work, they’re very satisfying.

Having read a couple reviewers’ comments on the game’s difficulty level being a little easier than the previous Metroid Prime games, I started on Veteran mode. A few puzzles have had me wondering around rooms for a while, but until this latest boss fight I’m on (the third boss, I believe), I haven’t really been out-performed by enemies too much. But wow this latest boss is really kicking my ass… after a few failed attempts, each getting a little closer, I decided to call it quits for the night. The boss fights are AWESOME, of course. 🙂

The game, in general, simply oozes polish – which makes sense, considering it was delayed nearly a year. The graphics are great and the frame rate is buttery smooth. There is quality voice acting and many nice in-game cinematics. Samus doesn’t talk, which is generally a good thing. This surge of other characters into the generally solitary you-alone-on-an-alien-planet Metroid universe is a bit of a mixed bag… Some of the added characters seem a little shallow and forced. There is some background provided through scanning objects and reading (optional) but a little more backstory on the other bounty hunters would be nice, for example – before first meeting them in the introduction.

Anyway, the game is fantastic, even though the original Prime blew people away more. Definitely not a casual game, which is a huge relief. But I’m trying to limit my time with it. A few hours a day, kinda thing. I haven’t actually played it for a couple days… Gotta get back there and beat that boss…. later tonight, I think. Oh yeah, I have to mention: Super Metroid, or Metroid 3, has been out on Virtual Console for a while, and that game is a classic.

6 comments

  1. I don’t see what pictures I could add that aren’t readily available via a couple clicks….

    But if you really want, there’s an 8.5 minute video review at gametrailers, and 1UP has some some pictures. Both contain spoilers, of course.

    Sorry, I can’t take a picture of me double jumping and shooting a bug… but I’ll definitely bring it with me for whoever wants to see. 🙂

  2. Oh yeah, I beat that boss… after many more failed watery eyed battles (really intense!)… I remembered I had a certain ability. Made it much easier. 🙂

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