THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE WII VERSION PLAYED ON WII U
Metroid Prime 2 is an overall improvement over Metroid Prime 1 that forgets it's an overall improvement halfway through the game. Let me explain. The biggest improvement this game did is cut down heavily on the backtracking. Each area on Aether is connected to each other, as opposed to Tallon IV in the first game where areas weren't connected to each other. As such, the moments when you did have to backtrack were nowhere near as bad, also the fact that they just happened less. During the first half of the game, the game is actually pretty clear on where you have to go which makes sense given this is a post-Fusion game. The introduction to the Luminoth was a very nice addition to the Metroid universe and i really do like that for once, Samus is actually able to save someone. Samus' story is one of loneliness and even the few friends she does make end up dying. But in this game at least, she actually does get to save lives (even if it wasn't the lives she was originally meant to go save).
The game is basically Metroid: A Link to the Past/Between Worlds and Dark Aether made for an interesting environment. Constantly having to stay in safe zones was a unique choice although i can't say Dark Aether's atmosphere is that much of a threat. Not only do Safe Zones heal you but they're everywhere. This is understandable tho, otherwise the Dark Aether segments wouldn't be as fun to go through.
.....around the halfway point is when this game starts running into the exact same problems Metroid Prime 1 had: lack of direction and bad boss fights. It starts in Torvus Bog when after getting the Boost Ball, you're supposed to go back to the Temple Grounds and get the Seeker Missile, because only then can you progress through the game. There's no indication that this is what you have to do and even if you turn on the Hint System, the hints come too late because by the time they do hit, you'd have probably been wandering around for 30 minutes (and considering this game came after both Fusion and Zero Mission, the lack of direction is kinda baffling). It also does not help that Torvus Bog is the water level, something Metroid's never been good at. It's particularly bad when you're forced to slog through an underwater section for 20 minutes before you can get the Gravity Suit (or Gravity Boost, in this game). This is also the part of the game that starts getting real cute and locks you into rooms you've already gone through and forces you to fight Space Pirate Commandos. But for once, the water level isn't actually the worst level in a Metroid game.
....Sanctuary Fortress gave me an absolutely miserable time. Rezbits that eat up like three Super Missiles and can hack your suit. Confusing as hell layout. Even more lack of direction and backtracking you aren't told about. Shitty maze puzzles. A barely functioning power-up in the form of the Screw Attack (look how they mascaraed my boy). But hey at least the area itself looks cool and had two cool bosses in the form of the Spider Guardian and Quadraxis.
....what is it with the Prime games having bad bosses, i don't get it? In Prime 2, the final boss of the Agon Wastes that i forget the name of was pretty cool. The Dark Samus fights are also pretty cool. Spider Guardian is a neat concept and Quadraxis is cool. That's it. The rest of the bosses are just annoying non-threatening damage sponges. Like c'mon. Well i should point out i was playing on Normal Mode here but the harder difficulties would've just given the bosses even more sponge and that's not something i needed.
And much like Prime 1, i used an 100% save file to skip the Sky Temple Key hunt because how in God's name do you make the endgame mcguffin hunt even worse than last time? In Prime 1, you're at least given hints as to where they are. In Prime 2, lol. The closest you get is the logs of deceased Luminoth that talk about the keys but give you about as much information as application-based math problems (nothing).
All of this combined with arguably the game's worst decision: ammo-based beams. For some unknown reason, the guys at Retro Studios thought it'd be very funny if Samus' beam upgrades had ammo. They thought it'd be even funnier if the Beam Ammo expansions were really rare. Considering how quickly they drain, all this did was make me not want to use the Light, Dark, and Annihilator beams during combat. Especially that last one since it drains both Light and Dark Ammo. The beams having ammo turned them from cool concepts into the lamest set of brand new abilities for Samus.
Prime 2 isn't a bad game and yes, it is an overall improvement over Prime 1.....when you compare it to Prime 1. Because in the grand scheme of things, the game isn't like, that good. It's just alright and unless Prime 3 ends up being really really good, then i don't understand how 2D vs 3D is even a debate for Metroid. Because as of right now, the Prime games, as fun as they can be at times, are only a mere shadow of 2D Metroid's greatness.
See you next mission.
Metroid Prime 2 is an overall improvement over Metroid Prime 1 that forgets it's an overall improvement halfway through the game. Let me explain. The biggest improvement this game did is cut down heavily on the backtracking. Each area on Aether is connected to each other, as opposed to Tallon IV in the first game where areas weren't connected to each other. As such, the moments when you did have to backtrack were nowhere near as bad, also the fact that they just happened less. During the first half of the game, the game is actually pretty clear on where you have to go which makes sense given this is a post-Fusion game. The introduction to the Luminoth was a very nice addition to the Metroid universe and i really do like that for once, Samus is actually able to save someone. Samus' story is one of loneliness and even the few friends she does make end up dying. But in this game at least, she actually does get to save lives (even if it wasn't the lives she was originally meant to go save).
The game is basically Metroid: A Link to the Past/Between Worlds and Dark Aether made for an interesting environment. Constantly having to stay in safe zones was a unique choice although i can't say Dark Aether's atmosphere is that much of a threat. Not only do Safe Zones heal you but they're everywhere. This is understandable tho, otherwise the Dark Aether segments wouldn't be as fun to go through.
.....around the halfway point is when this game starts running into the exact same problems Metroid Prime 1 had: lack of direction and bad boss fights. It starts in Torvus Bog when after getting the Boost Ball, you're supposed to go back to the Temple Grounds and get the Seeker Missile, because only then can you progress through the game. There's no indication that this is what you have to do and even if you turn on the Hint System, the hints come too late because by the time they do hit, you'd have probably been wandering around for 30 minutes (and considering this game came after both Fusion and Zero Mission, the lack of direction is kinda baffling). It also does not help that Torvus Bog is the water level, something Metroid's never been good at. It's particularly bad when you're forced to slog through an underwater section for 20 minutes before you can get the Gravity Suit (or Gravity Boost, in this game). This is also the part of the game that starts getting real cute and locks you into rooms you've already gone through and forces you to fight Space Pirate Commandos. But for once, the water level isn't actually the worst level in a Metroid game.
....Sanctuary Fortress gave me an absolutely miserable time. Rezbits that eat up like three Super Missiles and can hack your suit. Confusing as hell layout. Even more lack of direction and backtracking you aren't told about. Shitty maze puzzles. A barely functioning power-up in the form of the Screw Attack (look how they mascaraed my boy). But hey at least the area itself looks cool and had two cool bosses in the form of the Spider Guardian and Quadraxis.
....what is it with the Prime games having bad bosses, i don't get it? In Prime 2, the final boss of the Agon Wastes that i forget the name of was pretty cool. The Dark Samus fights are also pretty cool. Spider Guardian is a neat concept and Quadraxis is cool. That's it. The rest of the bosses are just annoying non-threatening damage sponges. Like c'mon. Well i should point out i was playing on Normal Mode here but the harder difficulties would've just given the bosses even more sponge and that's not something i needed.
And much like Prime 1, i used an 100% save file to skip the Sky Temple Key hunt because how in God's name do you make the endgame mcguffin hunt even worse than last time? In Prime 1, you're at least given hints as to where they are. In Prime 2, lol. The closest you get is the logs of deceased Luminoth that talk about the keys but give you about as much information as application-based math problems (nothing).
All of this combined with arguably the game's worst decision: ammo-based beams. For some unknown reason, the guys at Retro Studios thought it'd be very funny if Samus' beam upgrades had ammo. They thought it'd be even funnier if the Beam Ammo expansions were really rare. Considering how quickly they drain, all this did was make me not want to use the Light, Dark, and Annihilator beams during combat. Especially that last one since it drains both Light and Dark Ammo. The beams having ammo turned them from cool concepts into the lamest set of brand new abilities for Samus.
Prime 2 isn't a bad game and yes, it is an overall improvement over Prime 1.....when you compare it to Prime 1. Because in the grand scheme of things, the game isn't like, that good. It's just alright and unless Prime 3 ends up being really really good, then i don't understand how 2D vs 3D is even a debate for Metroid. Because as of right now, the Prime games, as fun as they can be at times, are only a mere shadow of 2D Metroid's greatness.
See you next mission.