Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

"Is MP2 really worth your money?"

Metroid Prime was named best game of 2002, and almost everyone agreed it deserved the title. It was fun, had high replayability, the controls were nil-excellent, and it helped revive the Metroid series. The first Metroid game came out with the NES, at which time everyone was told Samus was a cyborg. Then came out Metroid II on the Gameboy. And then Super Metroid on the SNES, which was also named best game of the year. For a decade, we heard nothing of metroid, besides on the N64 when Samus was a playable character on Super Smash Brothers. Then, just after the new millenium, Metroid Prime came out, and was named best game of the year. So, naturally, a sequel would keep any type of fan on the edge of their seats. One of the favorite games at the beginning of a new millenium contained a secret ending which implied a sequel, making this game all the more hungered. I, myself, could hardly wait for this game to be released, and the mere fact that I had to wait another month to get it made it harder to be patient. I did finally get it on Christmas morning, and I have enjoyed it thusly. Then I decided to give my opinion to you, so you may experience the joy I did from playing this game. I hope these words reach you well, and cause you to buy this game.

Gameplay - The game can be hard at times, but the challenge makes you want to press on. There are two bosses, however, that everyone seems to find ridiculously hard, varying from person to person. One of these bosses drove me crazy, and it's been the only spot I've died at. Considering this, I'm afraid I cannot give Gameplay a perfect score. Besides those two, this game is at a fair, challenging level. This game matches the first in gameplay, no competition. 9/10

Controls - The controls can be tricky at first, but it takes maybe 10 minutes to get used to them. They're the same controls as in Metroid Prime, so if you've played the first one, you'll have no trouble here. The controls seem almost fluent once you get the hang of it, like breathing, a normal reaction. You just...jump out of the way of that pathetic blast and blow the creature out of existance with a super missile or obliterate it with a power bomb without even thinking. It's only a matter of getting control of the controls. 10/10

Weapons - The weapon system in this game is really original. They have their own unique ammo system, completely new weapons (minus the Power Beam) and even new visors. The suits are also new, as of the Dark and Light suits, of which weakens the damage done by Dark Aether, and one that stops it. The new weapons have their own ammo. The Light Beam has one type of ammo, the Dark Beam another. When you kill something with the Dark Beam, you get ammo for the Light Beam, and vice versa. The Annilator Beam, as it's name implies, is extremely powerful, and mixes ammo from both the Light and Dark beams to work. One of the new visors allow you to see Dark Energy, even through walls, and the other allows you to see sound waves. 10/10

Story - Many people complain about there being little or no story in this or Metroid Prime. This is simply not true. If you get all the scans, then the story puts itself together rather nicely with plenty of details. If you don't want to read the story and just wanna blast things away, fine. Go ahead and don't scan a thing. If you want all the details and info, scan everything you see. It's like an optional story, if you don't want to see it, whatever. Personally, I like this method, and think it should be used more often. 10/10

Enemies - The enemies in this game require skill early on, so you may want to play the first one if this area frustrates you. After you acquire a taste for the controls, almost all enemies are a cinch, with two exceptions. The Spider Ball Guardian and Boost Ball guardian are the two bosses you are going to have trouble with. If you don't get coaught up in the Boost Ball fight, you will in the Spider Ball's. Be warned. With these exceptions, the enemies provide a fair challenge, and sometimes not even that much. Still, the enemies look and feel real, and you almost dread meeting some of them twice. 10/10

Graphics/Sound - There's no question here. Both the graphics and the sound are excellent. Though at times, the music can be reptitive, I barely tire listening to it, and won't mind it next time I play. The sounds are realistic, as are the graphics. You wanna be Samus and destroy Space Pirates and helpless little creatures. In fact, That's the best part of this game! The music also falls below that of Metroid Prime, but the Graphic compensate by being slightly better. There is no problem here. 10/10

Multiplayer - Yes, this is the first Metroid game with multiplayer, get over it! Although the multiplayer is mediocore, the new levels and music encourage you to play anyway. Although this is more of a side thing for the game, it is still part of the game. Even though the levels aren't so big, and the secret levels are bad, this small sidetrack could be just a stepstone, and prehaps even help make future multiplayer in metroid thingies better. 6/10

Play Time/Replayability - This game can be beaten in about 4 hours if you're really good, but generally takes between 10 and 20 hours. The replayability is bashed a bit, due two, you guessed it, those two bosses. Even though people usually only have trouble with one of the two, that's still enough to discourage you to play it again. Still, the replayability it relatively high, and this game will keep you occupied for a couple of hours. 9/10

Final Recommendation - Even though this game has no perfect score, It is unbelievably close. The score says 9, but that's only because I can't say 9.5 . If you want to rent this game and give it a test first, fine. Go crazy, nuts, whatever, and good luck getting it. I have never seen it up for rent. Trust me, the money is well worth it, and this game has plenty of secrets, including multiplayer levels, music, galleries, different endings, hardnesses, and more! This game is not quite as good as the first one, but is definitely close. Buy it.

OVERALL 9.5/10 - This Game is truly excellent. Many people say that this is only for Metroid fans. Well, then play this to decide if you are a Metroid fan. If you never play the game, you'll never know if you like it or not. The graphics surpass that of the original, and the music is only slightly downed. The play time is long, so this game should keep you entertained for quite awhile, and the replayability is high. The Gameplay is rarely good, and the controls haven't changed from the first one. The story is only read if YOU want it to be, so there's absolutely no conflict there whatsoever. The weapons, suits, and visors are new and original. This game deserves an excellent title and an excellent review.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/14/05