Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

""Metroid Prime 2: Echoes" is a good game, no matter how you slice it"

I don't consider myself a "gamer." But once in a while, a game comes out that I feel I HAVE to get. “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” was one such game. I'd played MP1 when it first came out, and was completely blown away. It was such a beautiful game to behold. I thought the controls were almost pure genius (although I think I was one of the few people that originally liked the controls). The graphics were such that I'd never seen before. The story was very involved (for those that chose to actually follow it). And when Metroid Prime 2 came out, I HAD to see if it was going to live up to all the hype. I bought it, popped it in my Cube immediately, and it hasn't left the Cube since. In my opinion, it lived up to its hype in spades.

Game play: One of the most important aspects of any game. Thankfully, MP2 is a fun game to play for several reasons – once you get a power up such as the morph ball bomb or super missiles, there are tons of new opportunities open to you in terms of exploration. It's also noticeably harder than MP1. Even on hard mode, I found myself breezing through MP1 – I died only once or twice. But with this game, the Ing (the main supernatural bad guys) are able to absorb copious amounts of punishment, and deal it out as well as they dish it. Even regular enemies like Grenchlers are tough enough to force you to not get overconfident. This adds a dimension to the game that most FPS don't have - it makes you think before you actually go charging into a room. Also, the controls of MP2 are exactly the same as in the original, so if you got use to that, get ready for a smooth transition. All these aspects make the game a lot of fun to play. I will, however, comment on one complaint that I've noticed has been brought up many times before, and that I myself found rather annoying the first time through the game, and that is the atmosphere of Dark Aether. Yes, it sucks that you get hurt even when you're just standing there minding your own business or walking from room to room. But the reason this doesn't bother me a whole lot is because they have plenty of Safe Zone's where you actually regain energy instead of just not losing it, and so even before you get the Dark Suit (which is fairly early in the game, it turns out) it's not that hard. It's conceivable that one could have a lot of trouble initially with the poisonous atmosphere, but hey, it's not THAT hard to work around. And, of course, after the Dark and Light Suits, the issue of Dark Aether's atmosphere because almost superfluous. I didn't let it detract from the overall gaming experience. My score: 10/10

Story: This is something most Metroid games, indeed, almost all FPS skimp on (sadly.) Look at Goldeneye – that story was almost non-existent if you hadn't seen the movie or read the briefings before each mission. Anyway, here's a very brief summary: The Galactic Federation is in trouble again, so they send Samus Aran to investigate the planet Aether where they lost contact with some Space Marines a while ago. Samus crash lands on the planet, only to discover that something has killed all the troopers. Upon further exploration she gets drawn into an inter-dimensional war on Aether between the Luminoth (the good guys) and the Ing (the bad guys). Guess with which side she allies herself? But anyway, as in MP1, MP2 gives you the option of taking the FPS way and blasting the enemies till you beat the boss or actually downloading Lore and other data (which I think makes for a much richer gaming experience). And for those that take the time to hunt down all the Lore data, the story is actually just as good as MP1 (make of that what you will.) My score: 9/10

Graphics: See Metroid Prime 1. Exactly the same – and that's a good thing. My score: 10/10.

Sound: Everyone was raving about the soundtrack to this game, so it was something I was looking forward to listening to and passing my own judgment on. And what did I find? It's excellent. I find myself humming the tunes in the shower or as I'm falling asleep. The Temple Grounds music is probably my favorite. All of it truly sets the atmosphere. And hey, if you're one of those people that doesn't like listening to music while playing video games or for some reason thinks that this music is sub par, they included the option of turning off any or all the sounds/music just for you guys. My score: 10/10

Replayability: I've always thought this depends on the kind of gamer/person you are. If you're someone who feels you have to do everything on your own – get every power up, every scan, on every difficulty, and completely on your own without any guides – well, you're in for the long haul. If you're someone who just plays the game once then the magic is lost on you, then obviously the game replay value is pretty low. So like I said, it depends on what kind of person you are. I, personally, will probably play this game a few times through, not just to play it on hard after I beat normal (which should be near impossible) but also because it's genuinely such a good game that I'll want to play it at least a few times more. Now, of course the game has the “much anticipated” multi-player facet recently added to the Metroid franchise, but I'll be honest, it's really pathetic. I mean, if you really have no other multi-player games, it'll suffice for a little while, but pretty soon you'll be hurting. After games like Halo and the like that introduce such long, drawn out scenarios like Capture the Flag, it's hard to follow that up. I figured they could at least do something a little more original than just a four-man melee, but eh. Metroid was never supposed to be a multi-player game, and I'm sure that so many people have raised a holler about it this time around that should another Metroid game be made with multi-player it will include a bit more involved multi scenarios. Until then, though, this is what we got, and the single player is so good anyway that you'll hardly really be that disappointed in the multi cause you'll be too busy defeating the Ing Horde. My score: 8/10

Rent/Buy?: I bought it, and do not regret it. You can rent it, of course, but chances are you'll be so pressed for time to finish the game that you'll either be forced to use a guide, or if you're really good and can navigate through the huge levels and do everything on your own you won't be able to really sit back and enjoy the game for everything is has to offer – story, sound, graphics. I say buy, even if you wait a little while for the price to go down.

I wouldn't say Metroid Prime 2: Echoes it “the best game out there” or the “best Metroid game ever.” Let's not forget Super Metroid. And Fusion was pretty fun, too. But Echoes definitely offers a lot in the way of gaming that I think few people will be able to resist. Sure there's the occasional complainer that can't stand Dark Aether's atmosphere or the lack of a functional multi-player, but to those people I say lighten up. Relax. "Metroid Prime 2: Echoes" is a good game, no matter how you slice it, so don't let a few small things like that disrupt the whole experience that is “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes”. My overall score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/04