Wii Warm Up: All things Metroid

by Alisha Karabinus { Sep 2nd 2007 at 10:33AM }

And so Metroid Week comes to an end. For those of you who picked it up, how far along are you now? How are the controls treating you? The difficulty? For us, exploring has really been the only thing we've had a little trouble with -- sometimes it takes a bit to find what we're looking for -- but we haven't found anything difficult otherwise. This is both good and bad.

For those who don't have it yet, did you see anything this week that colored your opinion of the title? If nothing else, at least you get to read everyone's reviews first.

Tags: Corruption, impressions, metroid, MetroidPrime3, metroidweek

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Bobby Harner @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:46AM

Havent picked it up yet. im gonna borrow it from a friend when hes done. im broke

Christopher Mitrione @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:08AM

I really like it. I always love the WHOLE Metroid series, not just "Prime". The controls make the game. I like the Wii "Prime" better than the DS "Prime" game. I really do love the game, but I'm sick of these LAST-GEN graphics.

I'm sorry. The controls are great, but the graphics don't pull their own weight. Even with the component cables and widescreen settings enabled.. they still suck. As many times as my 360 dies and needs repairing.. I can have a game run at 1080i/720p and be proud to show my friends.

lillink @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:32AM

I'm loving the game! I was never into Metroid before, but this game is great. The graphics were beyond what I was expecting and I'm totally impressed.

NintendoLonewolf @ Sep 2nd 2007 11:41AM

Have yet to play it, living in the UK has major disadvantages with game releases but has one great advantage - you get to read and watch the games to a great extent before potentially "wasting your money".

Alas, this can sometimes ruin a game.

I'm hearing good things about the game and it's a "must-buy" for me. The controls are sounding A*, so I can't wait for October now.

Luke @ Sep 2nd 2007 12:49PM

I am 10 hrs 53% complete on veteran. All the hype is true. This is great fun, good challenge and anyone unsatisfied with the graphics have their priorities misplacd.

Mr Khan @ Sep 2nd 2007 12:41PM

I just killed Mogenar. That game is fun as hell to say

Mooogenarrr!!

Mr Khan @ Sep 2nd 2007 12:42PM

*name

damnit

hvnlysoldr @ Sep 2nd 2007 1:15PM

I had a weird dream. It involved Resident Evil, Ghouls and Ghosts zombies, and Metroid. Well actually the Metroid part of my dream was separate. Anyway I'm playing it on DS when I get sucked in and move my arm like a cannon and then see Samus' and a Galactic Federation ship launching off the planet in all MP3:C graphic style. Man do I want that game.

ELIJAH @ Sep 2nd 2007 1:45PM

WITHIN THE FOLLOWING WEEK I SHOULD HAVE IT. THIS GAME IS GOING TO BE GREATER THAN GREAT, I ASSURE YOU.

Atdt1991 @ Sep 2nd 2007 1:42PM

What the heck is the display bar at the top-center of the screen (4 blocks)? Sometimes they're green, sometimes they're yellow, but I can't find any information about it online.

Also, I haven't been able to get any green credits yet because it never shows my friends as playing the game, though I know they are. It's very frustrating.

I also wish they'd spent more time on the instruction manual - it's very "old-school nintendo", and I'd have preferred something a little more "in the game".

Otherwise, I am very happy with the game. Gameplay, graphics, story, all great.

jman @ Sep 2nd 2007 1:43PM

i absolutly love the game...def the best in the series....i have played it a lot but have been forcing myself to take breaks so i dont overkill it and beat the game too fast..

Nick @ Sep 2nd 2007 1:45PM

Mogenar makes me so mad I want to punch a wall, but I couldn't because I was so cramped I looked like Stephen Hawking. I kept dying and dying, and ended up more frustrated than I would like, but it seems like I'm alone there =/ Maybe I just need more practice, but I want to get through that without crying much more.

Aaron @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:38PM

Similar to Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, this Metroid Prime entry is by far the best-controlling, most cinematic, and most highly-polished of the series.

However, also like Zelda: TP, this game is the most linear of the series. Some people like the fact that the game sweeps you along, requiring little backtracking compared to the first two. Others miss that the exploration element has largely been whittled down due to the fact that the game (Aurora) is constantly telling you where to go, and it's rarely someplace you've already been.

All in all, this is a AAA title top to bottom.

Jhongerkong @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:56PM

@9

the 4 blocks are actually the battery life of the wiimote.

Capn Safety @ Sep 2nd 2007 2:58PM

I just finished it and am beginning to replay it on the hardest difficulty. So far this is the best Wii purchase I have made since I actually bought the Wii.

CackNBallz @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:03PM

Atdt1991, the bars at the top indicate the battery power of your Wiimote. If you press home on the wiimote, you will notice that the battery bar corresponds with the HUD display in the game. Very handy.

In regards to your friends, they need to setup the Wiiconnect24 within the game in the extras menu. It is turned off by default.

CackNBallz @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:07PM

Ah. Jhongerkong beat me to it.

I just love the bobblehead (it shakes around when you take off) and screenshot functionality. I have taken some nice pics and then sent them off to some of my friends, with some funny captions.

doogles @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:12PM

I beat the game today, 92% in 14 hours. The ending and the 75% special ending were disappointing but the final three bosses were awesome. I could not be happier with this game.

Now to play on Hyper Mode difficulty and get 100%...later.

vidGuy @ Sep 2nd 2007 3:22PM

I've only played for about an hour, choosing instead to finish Super Metroid and MP2, but I can say that the controls are fantastic and the graphics are pretty good for the Wii. I fully expect the best adventure yet on the Wii.

Then again, I love Metroid games and have little bad to say about them.

NeuroMan42 @ Sep 2nd 2007 5:08PM

Stunning game and I am only 20% into it.

Genome4824 @ Sep 2nd 2007 5:11PM

I haven't gotten stuck once yet. Except that one boss in the Lancing field that took me quite a while. I'm only about 25% done though. I love exploring all the areas so I spend a while just looking at stuff, especially now that I have the screenshot tool

Hirsbrunner @ Sep 2nd 2007 5:14PM

Concerning FPSs (consoles only, no pc), I have tried many times to get into them. Each time my ability to grasp the controls has led to heartbreak. Moving w/the left ana., fine. Controlling what I see with the right...brick wall. No matter how I configured it, the end result was always the same.

Then last night, and with much hesitation, I picked up Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. Got home, put it in, and played over 5 hours straight before realizing just how long it'd been.

The controls are intuitive, responsive, innovative, and most of all, they MADE SENSE TO ME! It was like a million light bulbs going off at once. A genre I had tried so hard to get into was now open to me in a way I never thought possible.

Now I want to play every top-notch FPS ever made, as long as they have Wii-style, MP:3-caliber controls, or better.

Gonna go play.

Gareth Williams @ Sep 2nd 2007 5:33PM

Ahh, It's tough to read all this stuff while I sit here in the UK waiting until Oct 27th when I can get my hands on this.

Screenshot tool...sounds like that's up my tree, I love extra things like that plus the reward tokens for kills is a small but pleasant feature....can't wait!

Gareth Williams @ Sep 2nd 2007 5:36PM

I mean 26th October.

Lucien Takar @ Sep 2nd 2007 7:48PM

I beat the game 3 days after I got it. It took me 20 hrs and I got 96%. This is been the best Prime yet. Nintendo and Retro Studios did a fantastic job.

@#2

The graphics are amazing. They may not be up to Xbox 360 standards or PS3 but graphics aren't what make a great game. My fondest video game memories are from the SNES days. Of course I was brought up in the "golden days" of video games.

israfel @ Sep 2nd 2007 7:49PM

Atdt1991,

Since CackNBallz already addressed the battery and friends WiiConnect24 issue, I'll stick to your mention of the manual. You are 100% right. The manual for Metroid 3 is complete crap and serves only as a glossy marketing tool for a product that you only see once you've purchased the game. How nuts is that? That said though, manuals are a premium item these days.

You don't *get* a good manual for games anymore, you have to *buy* it as a strategy guide. Why? Because not everyone reads manuals, so they sell them to people who want them. It's an extra now. And, cynic that I am, if they make the odd bits of a game indecipherable, it's just more incentive for you to buy the strategy guide for $20. I'm fine with that practice though, but this manual goes too far.

The manual for Metroid only has the most cursory mention of some of the basic features/buttons for Metroid and doesn't even describe the entire menu system! At least document it; I may not need a complete description of every item in the menu, but at least give me a tree to find out that you've hidden the WiiConnect 24 feature under Extras, for pete's sake.

The Metroid manual's English portion is only 12 pages long. Of those 12 pages, only 9 are of content interesting to a user. And those 9 pages have triple paragraph spacing in FULL CAPS (in a crappy font as further insult). Who the HELL TALKS/WRITE IN ALL CAPS?! THAT'S STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.

The screenshots in the manual are also way too dark to make them really useful. Someone needs to open up PhotoShop next time and turn the brightness up a bit. Just a lazy oversight.

I love Metroid 3. I give the game an A- (no multiplayer). The manual for Metroid 3 gets a C-.

Do you think I should copy this post into my cover letter when I apply for a job at Nintendo next time?

Hoomamooma @ Sep 2nd 2007 8:03PM

I got the game a few days ago and so far I love it. I haven't had too much time to play but I have about 5 hours into it and I have to say it is my favorite of the Metroid Prime games. It took me a little while to find the frickin grapple beam but other than that it has been pretty smooth. I think that the graphics are pretty good. It's not a 360 game or something but I am not complaining at all. Plus, the gameplay and story more than make up for it. Also Mogenar sucks. I beat him, but he can go die in a fire.

Frank @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:40PM

I got to 50% in the first two days, but I haven't been able to play since D=

John @ Sep 2nd 2007 8:46PM

Conflicted with graphics... some levels look really well done.. but then you have cut scenes with your ship taking off or landing - pretty brutal - I don't know why they shade the entire ship as it take off in the distance... We're talking graphics seen on the PC 10 years ago in Star Wars Racer.

I've tried Mogenar twice, and died both times (VERY close to getting him this last time though)

I'd like it if the game had a more powerful regular gun so you didn't have to waste a tonne of single fire shots to kill guys. Charging your shot simply doesn't give you enough reaction time to hit some of the more agile guys... and hyper mode I've found should be used sparingly.

Dan @ Sep 2nd 2007 9:47PM

I really couldn't care less about graphics. I mean, you can't make a good FPS without solid 3D graphics. And solid 3D graphics need to have clear and distinct textures. But beyond that, it's all gravy.

When someone gives me one good *gameplay* reason to buy the 360 or PS3, I'll shell out the dollars. But right now, the vast majority of the games are the same old crap but in high definition.

I guess it's a matter of taste. I still swear by some of those SNES classics. Gameplay is king.

mchat2k6 @ Sep 2nd 2007 9:49PM

Just completed it with 17h 37m and 100%. I have to say it was one of the most satisfying games I've ever played. I found it to be the easiest of the Prime games, but worth every minute.

For the most part the controls were excellent once I got used to them. I wasn't crazy at first at how the lock-on system changed during the boss battles (normal enemies use a solid lock, bosses used that 'strife' lock) but once I got used to it, I saw how it was required and even preferred it.

The one thing about the game that I'm not crazy about but is still kind of a cool feature is the Friend Voucher system. I don't know anyone else who has a Wii so most of my extras remain unlocked. It's a minor gripe though, and one I can forgive.

It's definitely the best game on the Wii right now as far as showcasing the all out potential it has to not just be the casual gamer's machine.

WhoDey @ Sep 2nd 2007 10:38PM

I still haven't got around to picking this up yet. I will soon but this franchise runs a distant third to Mario and Zelda as far as my favorites so I'm in no hurry.

As for the instruction manual, of course I haven't seen it yet but it sounds just like the Super Paper Mario manual. Right after I bought that game I had an hour to kill waiting for my wife to get off work. I figured I'd devour the manual so I'd be ready when I got home. About 4 minutes later I was thinking, 'this is it?' It's a minor gripe, but still, atleast put some effort into it.

Jeremy @ Sep 3rd 2007 1:18AM

Ok I rented MP3 instead of buying in hopes that I could beat it in less than 5 days. Well I took out this game in 3 and loved it. My only problem is that I found it a bit to easy and laid out. So I am really happy with this game but I don't regret not buying it.

toxtle1993 @ Sep 7th 2007 1:12AM

IF you dont have a nintendo wii learn how to get one this is how i got mine.
http://getawii.blogspot.com/

ELIJAH @ Sep 3rd 2007 1:56AM

@ISRAFEL,IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A GAME THAT SHOULD BE WRITTEN WITH THE CORRECT CAPITALIZATION THEN YOUR CORRECT BUT THEIR ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE EYE PROBLEMS AND GIVEN THE BACKGROUND ON THE MANUEL'S PAGE IT MAY HAVE BEEN APPROPIATE, SO DON'T CALL PEOPLE WHO WRITE IN CAPS STUPID AND SINCE I AM THE ONLY ONE ON THIS THREAD WHO HAS DONE SO (BECAUSE I AM USING A CELLPHONE AND SWITCHING BETWEEN CAPS WOULD TAKE FOREVER.), THAT MEANS YOU FLAMED ME AND COUNTLESS OTHERS WHICH HAPPENS TO BE A BANNABLE OFFENSE ON OTHER THREADS SO DON'T DO IT AGAIN.

Wenis @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:01AM

I honestly think this is the best game for the Wii. The controls were the only thing I was questioning/worrying about before I bought this game, but they turned out to be AMAZING. So far I am 41% through with 12 hours play time, I'm just taking my time though, not trying to hurry through or anything.

The visuals are also very good, I wouldn't complain however if they were a tad better, but still good none-the-less. If you do not have this game, I would strongly recommend going out and buying it right now! (or at least wait until your local GameStop gets more copies in, haha)

L @ Sep 3rd 2007 12:13PM

Exploring hasn't been a problem for me. I'm a pro at remembering points of interest in large-scale, comlex locations. I've really had no gameplay problems with this game. It's just made of awsome. Although the art direction is phenomenal it seems like they spent more time polishing up certain areas than others. And with the less than stellar graphics capabilities of the Wii art direction is more important than ever. And I also wish the voice acting was more varied. I heard the same four or five different voices on every NPC. Overall though, this is the BEST made-for-wii game so far out of all of them.

Matt @ Sep 3rd 2007 1:47PM

Never played Prime 1 & 2 unfortunately, but I still picked this one up because it looked AMAZING. (And I was right)

The graphics are fine, I don't know why anyone's complaining. I could see if there were PROBLEMS with them. Sure they're not 720p/1080i/1080p or anything like that, but come on, they accomplish what they need to, and they still do it quite well, even if it's not the absolute best there is. I personally appreciate the graphics.

I'm playing on normal because I've never played the first two, but like you guys I haven't found any difficulties really. I almost died once. And that was b/c I was overzealous in my sensitivity settings and use of hyper mode. I still wound up winning the boss fight, though, once i recognized all the patterns and everything. I do wish the difficulty was greater, but I'm having enough fun with exploration personally to make it a worthwhile purchase. Plus I got it for $40 on GameFly, so it's a victory every way possible haha...

Mr Khan @ Sep 3rd 2007 5:19PM

@ israfel

damn do i agree with you, i was reading the Melee manual yesterday and was astounded at the depth. The way they're going, they don't need those dinky little manuals anymore, everything relevant could be told in a basic tutorial

And, not to sound condescending, but how could anyone be having trouble with Mogenar? He was a fun boss, but in no way hard (the defense drone i just hit today was pretty hard, because of how fast the antennae regenerated)

matt @ Sep 3rd 2007 8:59PM

I'm about 40% through the game and loving it. I agree about the manual -- I hate the current practice of bundling the English, French, and Spanish into the same manual so we only get 1/3 of the content they used to have. I'm assuming it's to cut costs so the same manual goes to Canada and Mexico, but it holds so little content now it's pointless.

Prof_Chaos @ Sep 4th 2007 9:19AM

I'm about 50% through the game and I'm loving every minute of it. As for the cut-scenes I wouldn't have minded pre-rendered scenes like Hunters, but I can live with it.

I find the puzzles are easier, but I wonder if that's because after countless Metroid experiences I have come to know what to look for. Oh well, happily playing on.

Sevon @ Sep 4th 2007 11:41AM

Mr Khan

I had trouble with him because I thought all the orbs had to be destroyed together before you could move on to the next step. Everytime I got all of them popped open on the front, he'd recharge before getting the back. It was a sudden revelation to work on them one at a time...went down quicker than a drunken prom date after that.