Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

The Metroid legacy, for me, started with disbelief. I just couldn’t imagine that Samus Aran was a woman. Don’t get me wrong I don’t have a problem with female characters in videogames but I was shocked to discover that Samus was female. In fact, I didn’t believe it for several years after I completed the first Metroid game. I thought to myself “Here is this amazing, incredible game for the NES and the lead character is a girl!” Mind you, I was a young teenager when the first Metroid game was released so I didn’t have an open mind just yet. Not even after Super Metroid was released for the Super Nintendo did I want to believe that Samus was a female. But, I was slowly coming to the realization that I couldn’t change the game no matter how much in denial I was to the truth.

Then another term of disbelief came about when Nintendo announced a first-person perspective Metroid game for the GameCube. How could a Metroid game be presented in a first-person view? How would it play? Would it be the same Metroid gameplay that some gamers grew up with or would it turn into a first-person shooter like Quake or Doom? Some gamers grumbled and moaned while other games (myself included) looked forward to the change and were happy to have a new Metroid game to play. To say Metroid Prime blew me away is an understatement to how incredible the game turned out to be. All of the classic gameplay from the earlier Metroid games were included, but now with some of the most amazing graphics and levels ever designed. I didn’t care that Samus Aran was a female, I just cared about the magnificence that was the game itself. I couldn’t stop playing Metroid Prime; I had to finish it, and I had to no matter what happened. It became almost an addition to me and, in the end, Metroid Prime became one of my favorite games of all time.

But then after Metroid Prime there was nothing left. Sure we had some excellent Game Boy Advance Metroid games released, but I wanted another Metroid Prime game. The sequel was announced and the waiting commenced. In fact, it really wasn’t that long to wait for the sequel to come out. Two years isn’t that long compared to some of the other big title games that were released in 2004 (and you know who you are). Is Metroid Prime 2 worth the wait? YES!! Is Metroid Prime 2 better than the original game? No, but it just as good (especially if you loved the first game). For gamers that enjoyed the first game, they will feel right at home with the sequel. The biggest change made to the sequel is the inclusion of a multiplayer mode that allows up to four players to square off against each other. In fact, if you really enjoyed the first game then this is an amazing sequel. If you thought the first game was good but could have been better, then there really isn’t anything that will blow you away with the sequel.

The premise of Metroid Prime 2 involves the world called Aether. The creatures that lived on the planet, the Luminoth, were a peaceful race until a meteor crashed into their planet. The effects of the meteor caused the planet of Aether to become split into two separate worlds, Light Aether and Dark Aether. The world of Dark Aether was a mirror opposite of Light Aether, and soon a terrible race of creatures, called the Ing, and were causing chaos and violence on both worlds. The Ing were using portals between the two worlds to inflict violence on Light Aether. The Luminoth followed the Ing to Dark Aether, but Dark Aether was a poisonous planet for the Luminoth. The Luminoth had to create temporary barriers on Dark Aether in order to survive. However the struggle with the Ing was almost too much to bear for the Luminoth, and soon the world of Light Aether began to suffer. Because of the meteor strike the energy of Aether was split between the two worlds. Both the Luminoth and the Ing were fighting to gain the power from the other world, and to ultimately take control of Aether entirely. After the incident on Tallon IV (the first Metroid Prime) Samus receives a communication from the Galactic Federation that a troop is missing on the planet of Aether. As Samus goes to investigate what happened to the troops her ship is rendered useless by the atmosphere of Aether. Stuck on the planet Samus has to discover what happened to the troops and discover the mysteries of Aether, the Luminoth and the Ing.

For those that never played the first Metroid Prime game, this isn’t a first-person shooter. I believe the developers use the term “first-person adventure” because Metroid Prime is really about the adventure. The key element for all of the Metroid games has always been the discovery and collection of items. You discover new and unusual weapons that you can use to destroy the enemy, but these items can also be used to discover new areas to explore. The same elements are the foundation of Metroid Prime 2. During the game you will discover what happened to the troops that are missing, what is happening to the world of Aether and also why the Space Pirates have a strong fascination with Aether. Some people could overlook all of these elements and just focus on the action parts of the game, but you will be missing a huge part of the game. The game tells the story of the Luminoth, the planet and the Space Pirates by items that you collect in the Logbook. You can skip reading all of the Logbook entries but it will leave you with a sense of emptiness as you get farther along in the game. The Logbook offers a rich understanding of what happened to the planet before Samus arrived.

Looking at static screen shots of the game might have you believe that the game controls like a first-person shooter. It does not. One of the biggest complaints people had with the first Metroid Prime were the controls. People that played FPS games expected to have the dual-axis controls that console FPS gamers had played with other games. But Metroid Prime (both the original and the sequel) has it’s own proprietary-control scheme that can take a while to get use to. Even though I loved the first game and had no problems with the controls, I had completely forgotten how the control scheme worked. I guess all of the FPS shooters over the last two years made me forget about the controls in Metroid Prime. You control Samus by the analog stick on the GameCube controller. This allows you to move forward, backwards and side to side. Your view is always centered in front of you but the “R” button allows you to look around. It seems awkward reading about it and if you’re a hardcore FPS fan it will be awkward. But you owe it to yourself to keep playing and get use to the controls.

After a few minutes of play you shouldn’t have a problem, especially in combat since you still have the lock option with the “L” button. At anytime that an enemy is near you can press the “L” button to lock onto the enemy and keep the enemy targeted until defeated. This is very handy not only in combat but also in exploration. This is where the all-important visor comes into play. The game starts you off with the Scan visor that allows you to scan objects in the game. While scanning objects you can unlock secrets that would normally stay hidden. The scan visor also allows you to read entries left by the Luminoth and the Space Pirates. At anytime if you can lock onto a target then it will probably be worth scanning the item for some clues. Scanning the creatures in the game will also provide you with weak spots to target during battle. There are a few visors in the game, with the Dark Visor and Echo Visor being discovered later in the game.

The weapon upgrades are the other essential ingredient in a Metroid game. Now this is where I have an issue with both Metroid Prime games. The games starts you off with all of your weapons and items available only to have the items taken away from you after just a few minutes of gameplay. Then you spend the rest of the game looking for these items so you can discover hidden areas and more powerful weapons. But why even tease us with all of the weapons being available at the beginning of the game? Why couldn’t the items become non-operational because of the planet being split into two different worlds? Finding and discovering the weapon and suit upgrades are a key role in every Metroid game but couldn’t we try something a little different this time?  I’m sure I’m not the only one that would love to have all of the great weapons and suit upgrades available right away and then discover even more unusual and amazing upgrades. Fortunately there are some cool and unusual items to discover in this game that weren’t in the previous Prime game. You will get a sense of deja vu, but that’s really a bad thing all of the time.

The other key part of the game involves the planet itself. Since the planet Aether has been torn into two individual planets (Light and Dark Aether) you will have to jump back and forth between each planet in order to finish the game. Some parts of the game are only available on Light Aether while other parts are only available on Dark Aether. Luckily you can view the map of each world at any time to see if there is an area that you haven’t explored. Some of the items in the game will even appear but can’t be activated or picked up because they exist on the other world. Transporting between the different worlds can be a little time consuming especially since you have to locate and activate a portal to the other world. Fortunately the portals are spread out in good supply across each world, but sometimes are located in different areas than their light or dark counterpart. For instance if you go through a dark portal you will end up on Dark Aether but the closest portal back to Light Aether could be in a different area. Some of the portals are only one way but there are two portals available as well.

Since we have two different worlds to explore, you will discover that the overall tone of Metroid Prime 2 is a much darker game than the original. In fact, one memory that will stick in my head is seeing the bodies of fallen Galactic Marines hanging from the ceiling at the beginning of the game. This isn’t to spoil the game for anyone but it set a clear tone for the game right away that Metroid Prime 2 is darker and more sinister than the original. The graphics are still just as amazing as the first Metroid Prime but (as I mentioned) with a darker overtone. Sometimes the darker tones become a problem, especially on Dark Aether. It makes it especially difficult to target and track a dark enemy when the world around you is dark.

In conclusion, Metroid Prime 2 is another great example of what Nintendo does better than anybody else: they make great games. The great gameplay, amazing graphics and excellent story will have you attached to your GameCube for a while. How many of us can say that has happened in a while? But the control setup and repetitive item tracking system might have some gamers looking elsewhere for their gaming fix. I applaud Nintendo for making the Metroid fan base happy by releasing this game. I try to tell everyone that I talk to about gaming how incredible the Metroid Prime series is on GameCube. If you had the first game and you want another challenge, then jump right in with Metroid Prime 2.

Gameplay 9.0
The classic gameplay of the previous Metroid games lives large and strong with Metroid Prime 2. The controls will be the biggest obstacle for some gamers. Not having the standard FPS-shooter setup will surely disappoint some hardcore gamers. However, the controls are a piece of cake once you get use to the setup. Occasionally the game will have a hard time locking on to one object if there are multiple objects/enemies in one area.

Graphics 9.0
The same amazing and incredible graphics from the first Metroid Prime game are included in the sequel. Some gamers will probably not even notice a difference in the graphics from the first game to the sequel. It’s not to say the graphics are bad or dated but they look similar to the first game. The frame rate was always steady and solid no matter how intense the action would get. The darker tone of the Metroid Prime 2 creates a unique atmosphere for the game and the graphics do a great job of creating this atmosphere.

Sound 9.0
The sound effects and music of Metroid Prime 2 were great. The music is similar to the first game but with some new mixes and tracks. Some of the music creates a great ambiance and setting for the game. You get a great dark and mysterious type of music during the game that will change once you encounter an enemy. All of the sound effects from the first game are included in the sequel except for some of the new weapons. The sound effects and music come across clear during the game and are always present during the game.

Difficulty Medium
Metroid Prime 2 is a slightly harder than the first game. Dark Aether is a very harsh and hostile planet, and this is represented in the gameplay. Once you enter Dark Aether you can take damage from the environment. The enemies on Dark Aether are also relentless and sometimes sneaky. The enemies will blend in with their environments more often making it more difficult to lock onto them during battle. Some of the boss battles can be tricky this time as well. The scan visor doesn’t give you all of the weaknesses for the enemies in the game, which can result in a few restarts or deaths by the player.

Concept 9.0
The premise of a Dark and Light world isn’t new in videogames. In fact Nintendo did the same concept in a Zelda game years ago but this time the Dark world coexists and is constant struggle with the Light world. Seeing creatures transform in front of you because of the changes in the world was a cool effect that will keep you on your toes. The different visors in this game do offer some unique ideas that we haven’t too often in other games.

Overall 9.0
In summary Metroid Prime 2 is a solid, entertaining, spectacular game that will please Metroid fans around the world. The great graphics, excellent gameplay and intriguing story line will have gamers glued to their GameCube for hours. Some gamers might be disappointed that the game isn’t that much different than the first Metroid Prime. It’s a different world and different story but the game still plays similar to the first one. But I loved the first Metroid game, and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed with the sequel.