Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

"Erraaaa....Retro Studios....Errrraraaa.....Nintendo....errrrarrrr present the newest Metroid out now, But how does it stack up to the past?"

Great, Metroid Prime 2 Echos is Nintendo's newest installment in the highly respected Metoid franchise. The series keeps itself afloat by huge words ready for you to explore and backtrack. So if you do not enjoy backtracking, a lot, which consists of going back to the same place with new items and abilities, you will not like this game. There is a multiplayer mode, it is not that vast, but it is something.
Anyway on with the review.

Controls 10
The Metroid series controls like no other. So if you are use to playing Halo, or those Bond games then before you swear and curse you must take time to learn how to play this game, and it will bless you with its ease. The button to shoot your beams, is well placed as is the one for missiles. They are between the jump button, this is very important because in metroid, you need to press your beam and missile button a lot either at the same time, or alternate them. You will also be jumping to dodge attacks or reach new areas, so knowing how to blast and jump is something you may want to look into. The trigger button allows you to look freely while stationed still, which is good, because some enemies move so fast you must predict where they go instead of just shooting at them. And the other trigger allows for your map and to lock on to enemies and side step and side jump so you dodge their attacks while staying locked on. Your control pad changes your visor view, which is needed to find information about enemies weak spots, once found all data is recorded in your log book so you can read it at a later time or never, and once a weakness is detected the auto lock on point will change to be the enemies weak spot. Your C stick controls which beam you have out at the time, and as said before, later on you can charge your beam and missiles to make them more powerful than before. Your ball mode puts you in a first person perspective of the world, allowing you to see only the little bit around you. It actually makes no sense how you can get so small, but in the data log entries you find a few little tidbits of information that should make you appreciate them. To tell you the truth, this games weapons are just like last games weapons, but with new names and better balance overall. You see, dark beam weapons can hurt dark enemies, but not as good as power beam, and the light beam whoops the dark enemies but and vice versa. And you no longer have unlimited beam ammo, you must replenish the beams by destroying enemies and crates with the opposing beam, which keeps you from holding a plasma beam for the whole game knowing no one can touch you.

Graphics 10
The graphics in this game, are hands down in the top ten for the Gamecube, and top ten for a three sytems, including the Xbox and Playstation Two. There is slight gore so when an enemy dies they leave a few remains left over, and such, or their body may just fall to pieces. Samus herself is rarley seen but when she is, shes stunning to look at. Explosions and other effects are on cue and such things as wading through the water or just looking at the natural flora and fluana is nice to do once in a while. All the enemies have striking features that lefts you easily tell them apart in fact, the graphics are used not just to wow you, but to make the game better. For instance you can only damage some enemies in the mouth, by shooting them or blowing them up, if you take a close look you can see the inner workings of the enemy and what weapon is needed. I am not huge on graphics but you will like them, trust me. Another big plus, is this game has no load times. You may have to wait a second to turn the game on, and you wait on the elevators, but that is common Metroid gameplay. Switching from beam to beam and seeing how it shoots and how it effects enemies is a great thing to check out. One beam blows them against the wall, another freezes them so they break up into little pieces and another beam burns them to nothing in an instant.

Gameplay 11/10
What separates Metroid from other shooters or adventure games, is the shooting mechanisms and the way you explore the world. The game rewards you for playing smart, not just mashing buttons to victory. There are also many puzzles to upgrade yourself and items to help you advance throughout the game. I say help because not all these items are needed, Metroid is knwn for speed runs, which is a contest between any and all players, to beat the game as fast as possible. That means, avoiding boss fights, avoiding extra energy or missles, and avoiding upgrades, all while still beating the boss at the end without using codes or anything of that manner. So when played in the traditional get everything you can method, you can also come back to this game at a later time and try to master it. Since you are given the option of getting extra energy, not only can you put the game on hard mode which makes the puzzles harder, but if you really want this game to be hard, skip fifty extra missiles, skip a few energy tanks, skip the boost jump and then see how you fare against the game.

Also, the multiplayer option is not just bang bang shoot them up, it involves power ups and tactics to sneak around opponents and crush them, or simply see who is the better bounty hunter. There are also a few morph ball puzzles, basically Samus rolls up into a ball and can do things such as boost, bomb, and well that is about it. But while in ball mode she is usually navigating a small area or moving around faster. Most of the puzzles that you find yourself doing will require a quick wit and quick fingers to match. One of the things people wanted in this game was more ball puzzles, and they got it. The difficulty got ramped up, and you will need to find other ways to beat your opponent, or find an exit, quick. Enemies in the dark room take no mercy on you, and since you are always losing energy, you can no longer afford to just not fight back. You had better leave in a hurry, or run to a safe spot. And do not think about quiting the game, taking your spaceship home or something like that. Because you crash land here, and your ship recovers through the whole game. You spend the game powering yourself up while your ship recovers and fighting off Dark Samus, who feeds off of phazon energy, and has a better overall line up of weapons and gadgets than you. Compared to any other Gamecube game, only a few can stack up against it. The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker, Animal Crossing, and of course Metroid Prime. It is not only the use of graphics, but how the enemies are, how many there are, and the whole package rolled up into one great looking game. And the dark beam looks like purple grape jelly, so do not eat the enemies after you shoot them.

Story 8
The story of this game makes great progress and makes plenty of sense, if you have played the other metroid games, you will soon realize more and more things as your progress through. Because though some events have yet to happen in the metroid series chronologically, you have already experienced them through gameplay, and it just makes you think. If you have yet to play other metroids then just know this, stay out of the dark world. The dark and light worlds are the same worlds that need each other to survive and you need to battle evil and combine them before darkness wins. The only problem is, the dark world has the items from you and the light world. So you must battle the creatures who have taken your weaponry to reclaim it, and then battle posseed machines and other such things to beat the game. There is not much talking in this game, and once it is over you will be glad. Though this is called Metroid Prime, you do not see to many Metroids in this game at all, mostly you only encounter strange enemies which triggers you to scan them which triggers you to read up about them which only enhances the story. Also, there are data long entries throughout the game, that unravel what has happened in the past, and lead you in the right direction, also, you can predict the future with those log entries. Though in the beginning of the game, it is somewhat complicated because you have to go only into a few certain spots and you get frustrated, but the game will give you a hint as to where to go, but freehand exploration is always a fun method and way to spend your time while trying to beat the game. Remember, though it is timed, you are not hurt for taking long. The goal is your percentage, meaning, can you beat the game with one hundred percent? Or if you are doing a speed run, can you beat the game with less of a percent

Music 9
The music in this game is great, the light world is full of upbeat music that truly sets the tone for your settings, while the dark world is full of dreary music that inspires dread and fear. There are few remixed songs from old metroid games as well as new songs, so when you play this game it is like dipping back a decade or two. The weapons also have their own unique sounds and there is also a visor you get that is based solely on sound, which plays a certain tune, you will notice it once you use it. The melodies for simply solving a puzzle is going to put a smile on your face, and the music will put you in the right mood all the time. Certain bosses trigger a certain type of music as does switching worlds, it is really amazing what a good job has been done on this game.

Major Gripe
The only real problem I had with this game, was the items. There are so many items, but not enough time and space to use them all to their extent. Later on you get such powerful weapons, but there just is not enough world left to play with them. And back tracking can take a long while and make you tired. Luckily, as in every metroid game near the end the map interlocks and you can travel quickly through it with your new weapons and gadgets. The multiplayer could have used a LAN or online mode, that is always something that is annoying about shooting games. Which again leads me back to my major gripe, the usefulness of items. Your items at the end or beginning of the game are powerful to destroy so many enemies, but you rarely get the chance to use them, because they use so much ammo and you simply rarely get the chance to ever do such a feat, your jumping ability is also squandered by coming out late in the game instead of earlier for your jumping enjoyment. Or simply to just solve puzzles, but their use is nonexistent if not limited.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/05