Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2, and Metroid Prime 3 are three of the best first-person shooters to grace a Nintendo platform in recent years, and they've landed on the Wii in one package.
Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are three of the best first-person shooters, or best games for that matter, to grace a Nintendo platform in recent years. When Retro Studios' Metroid Prime was released on the GameCube in 2002 (2003 in Europe), it did the impossible: it brought Metroid's classic side-scrolling shooter gameplay to life in 3D for the first time. The game featured gorgeous visuals, and its immersive gameplay included shooting, puzzle solving, and Metroid's iconic morph ball. It was one amazing package that earned a GameSpot editors' choice award and a score of 9.7. When Echoes came along two years later, it stuck to the award-winning formula, adding a multiplayer mode to the Metroid universe for the first time, along with inventive new gameplay, and it earned a score of 9.1 in the process. Finally, when Corruption brought the franchise to the Wii in 2007, it featured the most impressive graphics in the series and, most importantly, successfully incorporated Wii controls to become the benchmark for future Wii first-person shooter games.
So what is new in this package? Well, the biggest difference is that Corruption's tight control scheme now works in all three games. In the same fashion as the controls in Pikmin, Mario Power Tennis, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Metroid's controls have been given an overhaul for the Wii rerelease, and the GameCube controller has been swapped for the remote and nunchuk. While the GameCube's clunky control scheme limited you to a single analog stick, the remote's point-and-click control and the nunchuk's analog stick work supremely well together. Unfortunately, there's no added Wii MotionPlus support, but you can customise the sensitivity and options in all three games to your preference. We found that the advanced level of sensitivity works best, because this will rotate your view well before the cursor reaches the edge of the screen. While Metroid's FPS gameplay is particularly well suited to the improved controls, perhaps even better is that Metroid Prime Trilogy combines three fantastic games into one bundle, and for the price of a regular Wii title.
In addition to new controls, Corruption's bonus credit system has been expanded to all three titles, and you can earn points and unlock bonuses across all three games. Achievements such as killing bosses and collecting items or information will earn you points to spend on concept art and bonus items. Corruption's screenshot mode can be unlocked for all three titles, adding the ability to take in-game photos and post them to the Wii message board. Trilogy also adds new unlockable Prime and Echoes concept art to the collection seen in Corruption, with artwork of Metroid's environments, life-forms, creatures, bosses, and lead character, Samus. In addition to the 15 audio tracks added as a bonus in Corruption, Trilogy includes an additional 33 songs from the first two instalments. The concept art, bonus items, and tracks are purchased through bonus credits.
The Metroid Prime franchise has always been associated with great graphics, and both Prime and Echoes hold up well. The biggest improvement is that all three games are playable in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Retro has also given Prime's and Echoes' graphics a touch-up, adding some slightly higher-resolution textures and additional light bloom. Some of the effects from Metroid Prime still look great even after all these years, such as rain and condensation on your visor, and Samus' face reflecting off the visor during explosions.
On the downside, Trilogy has done away with original opening cutscenes in all three titles, and considering that they were created with such loving detail, ardent fans will be disappointed to discover this. Instead, Trilogy has its own equally slick opening cutscene and seamlessly meshes all of the options and saved games (three files, each with a slot for Prime, Echoes, and Corruption) from all three games together into one easy-to-use menu system. Unfortunately, there's no way to use existing saved games with Trilogy, so you'll need to start from scratch or boot up your original copy to continue where you left off. In addition, there's also no option to play Prime or Echoes with a GameCube or Classic Controller, but given that the Wii Remote outshines them, this is a minor problem.
So is Metroid Prime Trilogy worth buying? Whether you're new to the Metroid Prime series or consider yourself a dedicated fan, this represents great value for the money and is the definitive Metroid Prime title. Metroid Prime Trilogy is available now in both North America and Europe, and if you want to see the game in action, check out our collection of gameplay videos.
With all the remakes of the Gamecube games like Pikmin 1 and 2 and Mario Power Tennis, the Metroid Prime series makes a perfect FPS collection. Widescreen and 480p, hopefully in Australia. As for the review it's better to play it first instead of judging the game by its cover and making excuses not to play the series. You'll get what I mean.
Reading all the reviews about the series and never played it before (shame perhaps?), I am getting this. I am a huge FPS fan (Half-Life series, Call of Duty series), so it will be mine.
Its nice to see their starting to revive the Metroid series again with this and Metroid: Other M
Why can't the Wii cater at all to amputee gamers like myself. I really really want to play these games, yet they force me to use a Wiimote...which, uh, I cannot physically use. I get that I am an incredibly niche market, but cmon. Is it that hard to program a Gamecube controller map into the game? Sad that I'll probably never play a Nintendo game ever again, especially considering the fact I used to love Zelda.
The way I read this, it screams to me the following; "Get this if you didn't already beat Metroid Prime on the GameCube." It sounds like there's a little bonus content for Corruption, and considering that's probably the worst game of the three, it's not a huge deal. If you haven't already played Prime 1 or 2, this is definitely a good deal. However, I already beat Prime 1, and I still have Prime 2 and 3 in their original forms...sorry, Nintendo. New controls don't make a game "new" to me.
"cant use the gamecube controller, this is a minor problem" F that its not a problem at all!
Metroid Prime was the sole reason I bought a GameCube - and then I wanderd across Twin Snakes, Resident Evil and a bunch of other games as well - but it was the Metroid Prime bundle that made my buy it. Somehow, this does not have the same impact on me. Sorry Nintendo, the games are great, but your consoles does not touch my sweet spots any more. :(
Hmmm.... I would only get this for echoes, i have finished metroid 1 (never killed final end boss... too freaking hard... I consideret finished as I have seen ending on internet lol) and I already got Metroid 3... shame shame shame. Its the kind of thing that If I knew they were doing this I would have waited....... Now... I got a question Nintendo. Will you release Zelda: Wind Waker with improved graphics AND Wii-Mote Controls? I am interested :)
Got this game, definitely worth it. I've spent 15 hours and I'm only around 40% done with the first game!
Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are three of the best first-person shooters, or best games for that matter, to grace a Nintendo platform in recent years. When Retro Studios' Metroid Prime was released on the GameCube in 2002 (2003 in Europe), it did the impossible: it brought Metroid's classic side-scrolling shooter gameplay to life in 3D for the first time. The game featured gorgeous visuals, and its immersive gameplay included shooting, puzzle-solving, and Metroid's iconic morph ball. It was one amazing package that earned a GameSpot editors' choice award and a score of 9.7. When Echoes came along two years later, it stuck to the award-winning formula, adding a multiplayer mode to the Metroid universe for the first time, along with inventive new gameplay, and it earned a score of 9.1 in the process. Finally, when Corruption brought the franchise to the Wii in 2007, it featured the most impressive graphics in the series and, most importantly, successfully incorporated Wii controls to become the benchmark for future Wii FPS games.
[video=6216740]
So what is new in this package? Well, the biggest difference is that Corruption's tight control scheme now works in all three games. In the same fashion as the controls in Pikmin, Mario Power Tennis, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Metroid's controls have been given an overhaul for the Wii rerelease, and the GameCube controller has been swapped for the remote and nunchuk. While the GameCube's clunky control scheme limited you to a single analog stick, the remote's point-and-click control and the nunchuk's analog stick work supremely well together. Unfortunately, there's no added Wii MotionPlus support, but you can customise the sensitivity and options in all three games to your preference. We found that the advanced level of sensitivity works best, because this will rotate your view well before the cursor reaches the edge of the screen. While Metroid's FPS gameplay is particularly well-suited to the improved controls, perhaps even better is that Metroid Prime Trilogy combines three fantastic games into one bundle, and for the price of a regular Wii title.
In addition to new controls, Corruption's bonus credit system has been expanded to all three titles, and you can earn points and unlock bonuses across all three games. Achievements such as killing bosses and collecting items or information will earn you points to spend on concept art and bonus items. Corruption's screenshot mode can be unlocked for all three titles, adding the ability to take in-game photos and post them to the Wii Message Board. Trilogy also adds new unlockable Prime and Echoes concept art to the collection seen in Corruption, with artwork of Metroid's environments, life-forms, creatures, bosses, and lead character, Samus. In addition to the 15 audio tracks added as a bonus in Corruption, Trilogy includes an additional 33 songs from the first two instalments. The concept art, bonus items, and tracks are purchased through bonus credits.
[video=6216737]
The Metroid Prime franchise has always been associated with great graphics, and both Prime and Echoes hold up well. The biggest improvement is that all three games are playable in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Retro has also given Prime's and Echoes' graphics a touch-up, adding some slightly higher-resolution textures and additional light bloom. Some of the effects from Metroid Prime still look great even after all these years, such as rain and condensation on your visor, and Samus' face reflecting off the visor during explosions.
On the downside, Trilogy has done away with original opening cutscenes in all three titles, and given that they were created with such loving detail, ardent fans will be disappointed to discover this. Instead, Trilogy has its own equally slick opening cutscene and seamlessly meshes all of the options and saved games (three files, each with a slot for Prime, Echoes, and Corruption) from all three games together into one easy-to-use menu system. Unfortunately, there's no way to use existing saved games with Trilogy, so you'll need to start from scratch or boot up your original copy to continue where you left off. In addition, there's also no option to play Prime or Echoes with a GameCube or Classic Controller, but given that the Wii Remote outshines them, this is a minor problem.
[video=6216739]
So is Metroid Prime Trilogy worth buying? Whether you're new to the Metroid Prime series or consider yourself a dedicated fan, this represents great value for the money and is the definitive Metroid Prime title. Metroid Prime Trilogy is available now in both North America and Europe, and if you want to see the game in action, check out our collection of gameplay videos.
The Wii equivelant of The Orange Box, there is so much value on this one disk to pass up! Just buy it already!
While the actual games have an inconsistent quality level, this is a great collection that finally got me to play Prime.
