i played through all of the 2d metroids in relatively close succession, but aside from a couple small attempts at playing this game on the gamecube when i was too young to understand what was going on i had never really given metroid prime a shot. i couldn't really tell you why, maybe i wanted to wait until prime 4 had a more solid release date so i wasn't waiting in agony like the rest of the metroid prime fans, but then nintendo did the evilest thing i think they've ever done... make the perfect remaster for a phenomenal game to get me so incredibly invested it hurts.
this game was such a fucking joy to play. i don't know if a game has ever truly nailed atmosphere as hard as this game (that i've played) on top of such an incredibly well designed and thought out world. this usually isn't such a talking point for me but i was so incredibly invested in the world, helped by nothing short of a legendary ost and sound design. everything is so carefully planned out and it all flows together really well. i found myself worried/a little annoyed at the lack of fast travel, and while i think that's still a problem the world being so well designed and connected never made me feel lost and especially by late game item clean up i felt like it was never a slog to get somewhere with all the shortcuts i unlocked. another aspect of being so invested is how fucking gorgeous this game is. i know it holds up shockingly well on gamecube too but this remaster took it to a whole new level. every area is so distinct and pretty. it may not be ps5 level realistic but the art style makes it absolutely stand the test of time and is all around an amazing looking game.
gameplay is solid, i'm not the biggest FPS guy (sorry nintendo i know u technically classify it as "first person adventure") but shooting felt great with the new dual stick controls, and the lock-on feature being as good as it is. platforming mostly felt good but movement and stuff didn't really stand out as anything other than serviceable. that's obviously fine and not why you're here, you're here for the world and how much fun it is to explore but i felt like i should mention that. the morph ball on the other hand is a blast to roll around in, the physics are super fun and going up halfpipes to find secrets was always a joy, i wanted to be the morph ball as much as possible! the upgrades are all solid and feel exciting to find. each new weapon especially was satisfying, none more than the plasma beam. god damn did getting this thing feel GREAT. absolutely melts standard enemies and can kill enemies previously only effected by missles. it was so satisfying going on the late game item clean up just tearing through everything. that's exactly what metroid is about to me and this game nailed it. i realize it'd pretty much break the game and i honestly have no clue how it'd be incorporated but i do kinda wish we got a screw attack lol.
the only slight negatives i have is that overall the bosses felt kinda weak. none of them were BAD, the final 2 especially had some alright ideas/sick songs but none of them stood out as truly spectacular. that's something dread did phenomenally that this one falls a bit short on, there wasn't a ton of spectacle to the bosses and they were pretty easy with pretty simple attack patterns. again, i wouldn't call any of them bad so it didn't hinder the experience much but it also didn't elevate it too much either. the other complaint i have is the game, especially early on is pretty back tracky without giving you much direction. considering how limited you are in where you can go it's a lot of mindless wandering until you eventually find the thing you have to do. later in the game i started getting these map pop ups, not sure what caused them... probably time spent not progressing the game or just because the map got bigger so they wanted to give a bit of direction and those helped a lot. but it was still a little rough early game.
it is fucking baffling to me that there was a point in time where i thought i didn't like the metroid series. i happened to give the metroid 2 remake a shot at that nintendo world championship thing nintendo was doing in best buys around america and while i was waiting for the mario odyssey demo i thought "ok why not" and thank god i did because it's one of my all time favorite franchises now. this game fucking ruled, i really hope 2 and 3 eventually get this same treatment but regardless i'll go back and play them because this was wonderful. i still think dread takes my spot as favorite metroid just because the control is so fun and those bosses are fucking phenomenal, but this game is a very solid second. so glad to have finally played it.
this game was such a fucking joy to play. i don't know if a game has ever truly nailed atmosphere as hard as this game (that i've played) on top of such an incredibly well designed and thought out world. this usually isn't such a talking point for me but i was so incredibly invested in the world, helped by nothing short of a legendary ost and sound design. everything is so carefully planned out and it all flows together really well. i found myself worried/a little annoyed at the lack of fast travel, and while i think that's still a problem the world being so well designed and connected never made me feel lost and especially by late game item clean up i felt like it was never a slog to get somewhere with all the shortcuts i unlocked. another aspect of being so invested is how fucking gorgeous this game is. i know it holds up shockingly well on gamecube too but this remaster took it to a whole new level. every area is so distinct and pretty. it may not be ps5 level realistic but the art style makes it absolutely stand the test of time and is all around an amazing looking game.
gameplay is solid, i'm not the biggest FPS guy (sorry nintendo i know u technically classify it as "first person adventure") but shooting felt great with the new dual stick controls, and the lock-on feature being as good as it is. platforming mostly felt good but movement and stuff didn't really stand out as anything other than serviceable. that's obviously fine and not why you're here, you're here for the world and how much fun it is to explore but i felt like i should mention that. the morph ball on the other hand is a blast to roll around in, the physics are super fun and going up halfpipes to find secrets was always a joy, i wanted to be the morph ball as much as possible! the upgrades are all solid and feel exciting to find. each new weapon especially was satisfying, none more than the plasma beam. god damn did getting this thing feel GREAT. absolutely melts standard enemies and can kill enemies previously only effected by missles. it was so satisfying going on the late game item clean up just tearing through everything. that's exactly what metroid is about to me and this game nailed it. i realize it'd pretty much break the game and i honestly have no clue how it'd be incorporated but i do kinda wish we got a screw attack lol.
the only slight negatives i have is that overall the bosses felt kinda weak. none of them were BAD, the final 2 especially had some alright ideas/sick songs but none of them stood out as truly spectacular. that's something dread did phenomenally that this one falls a bit short on, there wasn't a ton of spectacle to the bosses and they were pretty easy with pretty simple attack patterns. again, i wouldn't call any of them bad so it didn't hinder the experience much but it also didn't elevate it too much either. the other complaint i have is the game, especially early on is pretty back tracky without giving you much direction. considering how limited you are in where you can go it's a lot of mindless wandering until you eventually find the thing you have to do. later in the game i started getting these map pop ups, not sure what caused them... probably time spent not progressing the game or just because the map got bigger so they wanted to give a bit of direction and those helped a lot. but it was still a little rough early game.
it is fucking baffling to me that there was a point in time where i thought i didn't like the metroid series. i happened to give the metroid 2 remake a shot at that nintendo world championship thing nintendo was doing in best buys around america and while i was waiting for the mario odyssey demo i thought "ok why not" and thank god i did because it's one of my all time favorite franchises now. this game fucking ruled, i really hope 2 and 3 eventually get this same treatment but regardless i'll go back and play them because this was wonderful. i still think dread takes my spot as favorite metroid just because the control is so fun and those bosses are fucking phenomenal, but this game is a very solid second. so glad to have finally played it.