Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

The first Metroid Prime for GameCube was amazing! It ranked as my game of the year when it was released.  Now Samus has returned for some more action in an all new adventure.  This time it revolves around a planet that is torn into light and darkness.  Samus has to undercover the mysteries of the planet and what is happening.  Along the way she will discover new weapons including the new Light and Dark Beams.  But probably the biggest change is the addition of a multiplayer mode. 

Graphically the game appears to be exactly the same as the first Metroid Prime.  Now this isn’t a knock on the game or the graphics since the first Metroid Prime was amazing.  But for gamers expecting another quantum leap in graphics, you might be disappointed.  The graphics engine is a solid piece of gaming technology that should be exploited to its full potential, which is thankfully why we’re getting this sequel. 

The demo has you fighting through a stage against some different creatures than the first game.  Just as in the first game you start off with a certain number of beams to use and abilities to use as well.  The morph ball was in full effect on the demo and still controlled beautifully.  One area of the demo had you fighting two to four different creatures that soon jumped out of the battle.  But instead of leaving the area they jumped into some gun turrets that were attached near the top of the stage.  So now Samus is trapped within the cross fire of gun turrets and you don’t have a huge assortment of weapons as you did late in the first game.  This was especially cool since the majority of the combat in the first game was close combat and now in this game the creatures are using additional weapons in the area.

Near the end of the demo you had to unlock a portal to move to the next area.  Once inside of the portal you’re treated to a rather unusual cut scene with Samus looking around inside of the portal very confused.  Once she comes out the portal and moves around in the next area she meets up with appears to be her clone, but decked out in dark plasma like costume.  Not sure if the developers are following a similar story line that took place in the first Game Boy Advance version of Metroid or if they have something new up their sleeves.

The multiplayer mode was unfortunately, to this writer, disappointing.  Everyone was wondering how Retro Games/Nintendo would do a multiplayer mode in Metroid with the auto lock control system.  The auto lock controls do not apply in the multiplayer mode which is both a blessing and a curse.  It’s a blessing because it evens up the playing field for everyone since no one can auto target you and blow you to bits.  It’s a curse because the game just doesn’t feel the same without the auto lock controls.  You’ll either over or under shoot the other players most of the time.  But you can battle it out while in the morph ball mode as well.  In fact one of the stages in multiplayer had a section where once you rolled onto the platform in the morph ball it would shoot you to another area in the game.  That part was very cool and fun.  Changing in and out of the morph ball seems to leave you open for an attack for a split second.  The morph ball change isn’t immediate so there is always the few seconds where someone can frag you.

While the graphics engine is amazing in the single player game, it seemed to have some trouble in multiplayer mode.  Since this is a split screen game, your viewing area is restricted to just a little section on the screen.  The frame rate was very sporadic while playing in multiplayer.  There was considerable choppiness and the game lost all of its detail and luster in multiplayer.  Why oh why Nintendo why don’t you give us an internet mode for this game?  Or just give us a LAN mode like you did in Mario Kart so we can have a LAN party with the game.

For the single player game, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is going to be an impressive follow-up to the first game.  The graphics are just as impressive as the first game, the controls are as impressive as ever and the storyline appears to be very intriguing.  The much hyped Multiplayer mode might need to stay in the oven a little bit longer.  Hopefully the developers can iron out the rough edges before the game’s release in November of 2004.

For All E3 2004 Previews