Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Aug 28, 2007
The good news and the bad news is that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is very much a Metroid game, fitting perfectly and perhaps a little unimaginatively at the end of its trilogy. Metroid Prime catapulted the series and its colorfully clad bounty hunter heroine, Samus Aran, into the realm of 3D shooters. Metroid Prime 2 introduced a new twist with Dark Samus and her shadowy alternate dimension. And now Metroid Prime 3 comes along, providing a classic Metroid-style romp, without much of a gimmick other than its debut on the Nintendo Wii.
At least the transition is smooth. The game looks and plays great. It's a bit silly and contrived the way you have to twist and push and wave your Wiimote to operate Samus' spaceship, put energy cells into sockets, touch a hand sensor, or pull an enemy shield out of his hands. But it's a nice bit of Wii flavoring. As a shooter, the controls are precise and fluid. It helps that the new weapon upgrade system means you never have to choose different colored beams or types of missiles. This is a Metroid with a minimum of fumbling around, built for quick and easy action.
That action begins with a bigger than usual bang. Metroid Prime 3 opens on a battle right out of Halo, with space marines battling it out on a besieged ship being boarded by space pirates, and even some Flood-like critters swarming across the floor. But never fear. This is your father's Metroid. The Halo-ization takes a back seat (it briefly reappears at the far end of the game), leaving you to a good old-fashioned Metroid space crawl.
There are basically four different "worlds", but the game does a good job guiding you through a twisty path of switchbacks, back-tracking, and revealed connections to get the most out of this relatively small number of environments. You'll have to keep an eye on the map frequently to track where you're going, but the controls let you scroll and zoom freely to get your bearings. The puzzles are mostly easy once you accept that you'll have to use your scanner to feel out an area before trying to solve its mysteries. The new scanner upgrades provide some nice twists, including a return of the eerie X-ray vision and a bigger role for Samus' iconic red-and-yellow space ship.
The ratio of fun to frustration is much better balanced this time around. The bosses are challenging, but it's not impossible to beat them on your first try. The hint system helpfully provides you with a pointer if you get stuck. The save points are much more conveniently located, and the game will often save a checkpoint right before a cinematic transition. As you progress through the story, you'll find energy cells used to power up a creepy creaking derelict ship, which serves as a sort of side order of optional exploration. And, of course, there's always plenty of freedom to use your new powers to revisit old areas and search for power-ups, some of which can be revealed with a cool satellite system.
Samus' latest guns and missiles are a one-size-fits-all variety. Without different weapon types (which will doubtless vex some die-hard Metroid fans), everything you need to use is always right at your fingertips. The new Phazon overload system lets you burn your health to do extra damage, which raises the stakes and gives you more freedom from fussing with matching weapon types to enemy types. The new grapple mechanic during combat can be tricky, as can holding a target lock, but it keeps battles exciting and interactive.
As you play, you'll earn different types of medals, mostly for using your scanner to fill up your log book with entries about the mythos of the Metroid universe. You can use these medals to unlock concept art, and if you exchange friend codes with other players, you can earn special credits to unlock some clever easter eggs. It's a poor substitute for actual multiplayer support, but it's at least an interesting way to take advantage of the Wii's online capabilities.
The visuals are pushed to the limit, offering some really breathtaking vistas of the alien worlds, which do a mostly good job of avoiding traditional tropes like ice and lava (although both are present). With the finely detailed graphics and character animation, there are more distinct characters this time around, consisting mostly of a rogue's gallery of renegade bounty hunters for you to fight, including some nods to old friends and enemies.
If you consider the competition games like BioShock and Gears of War, Metroid is going to feel stilted and oddly paced. But if you're a fan of the long-running series, you'll probably be pleased how well this game fits into the canon, both in terms of gameplay and story. This is a classic Metroid game, made easy enough that it's also an ideal introduction for new players. Plus, you'll get a good look at Samus unmasked! In that regard, at least, Halo 3 has nothing on Metroid 3.