

Metroid Prime

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Advertising Blurbs

"Nintendo Winter 2002" promotional booklet:

    Something sinister is incubating in the depths of Planet Tallon IV. It's up to interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran to destroy this evil... but first it must be found.

    What begins with Samus's exploration of a derelict Space Pirate vessel quickly becomes a massive adventure spanning the planet Tallon IV. Wielding classic weapons like the Wave Beam and Power Bombs and using power-ups like the Morph Ball and Space Jump Boots, Samus will fight a host of gruesome creatures as she explores massive environments in a first-person adventure that truly puts you inside the power suit.

    Watch as steam condenses on your visor and noxious acid drips down your faceplate. Activate your Scan Visor to study the environment for clues, then switch over to the Thermal Visor to search for the heat signatures of hidden enemies. Incredible technology is at your fingertips, but can you survive long enough to use it?

    Enjoy additional features by connecting to Game Boy Advance Metroid Fusion!

    Contributed by Joshua J. Slone (4617) on Feb 25, 2006.
    There is an evil that lies below the surface...

    Something sinister lurks in the depths of Planet Tallon IV. You play as Samus Aran, an Interstellar Bounty Hunter sent to seek and destroy the evil race of Space Pirates that have corrupted and polluted the once peaceful land.

    Metroid Prime features one of the most immersive and atmospheric experiences ever created. The game really makes you feel like you ARE Samus Aran, exploring and slowly uncovering the vast secrets and conspiracies of Tallon IV. Featuring gorgeous landscapes, heart pumping sound and music, an intuitive control scheme and enough alien-blasting action to take you out of this world.

    The developers, Retro Studios Inc, have combined traditional elements of adventure and blended them perfectly with the action of a first-person shooter – creating it’s own genre in the world of video games – A first-person adventure.

    Experience awesome new items including the Boost Ball and Thermal Visor, with old favorites returning from previous Metroid titles such as the Varia and Gravity suits, Space Jump, Morph Ball and Grappling Beam. With access to a full arsenal of upgradable weaponry including Beams, Bombs and Missles, along with all new combination moves - Samus is prepared to wipe out the evil once and for all......

    For those that own both Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime, you will be able to access special features by connecting the two systems using the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable. Once Metroid Fusion is complete, you can unlock the original NES version of Metroid in Metroid Prime and even save your game data directly to a Nintendo GameCube Memory Card. After completing Metroid Prime, the second special feature allows you to play through the game a second time wearing Samus' Fusion Suit from Metroid Fusion. Two great bonuses that are only possible due to the connectivity of the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.

    For an immersive, adrenalin-charged experience unlike anything you've played before, get behind the visor and live the adventure.

    Metroid Prime - landing on planet earth in 2003, exclusively on Nintendo GameCube.

    Contributed by Evil Ryu (54617) on Oct 03, 2005.

    Open season on Metroids has begun -- It's Prime time.

    Metroid Prime is a first-person adventure game. Players control a bounty hunter named Samus Aran who must unravel a mystery behind the ruined walls scattered across Tallon IV. The game opens just as Samus' spaceship docks on a Space Pirate vessel orbiting the planet. Immediately, the beautiful graphics slap you across the face. Trust us, it's a firm slap. A silky-smooth framerate accommodates razor-sharp visuals of efficient machinery and foreign architecture. Meanwhile, a cinematic soundtrack sets the mood and eerie sound effects thicken the alien atmosphere.

    By far, the most effective visual effect is that everything you see is viewed through Samus's visor. The entire screen has a convex look, and a digital display provides information ranging from current energy levels to ammunition data. The most effective ideas are sometimes the most simple, and the visor view in Metroid Prime makes a huge leap forward in immersing players in the first-person perspective.

    Samus uses a Power Beam to shoot a series of locked switches, and eventually enters a cylindrical corridor very similar to the passageways found in the original Metroid titles. When Samus strides by broken pipes spewing steam, the visor becomes smeared with condensation. Later in the demo, the visor is splattered with the internal juices of ruptured enemy carcasses. Yes, life within Samus' gravity suit is a beautiful thing.

    Weapon effects are equally pleasing. Hold the A Button to juice up the Charge Beam, and you see the corridor glow and warp as the blast travels through space. Enemy animation is delightfully disgusting, whether it's a giant parasite queen squirming from the ceiling or a swarm of blood-thirsty critters gushing from a dark hole. Take note: the word "swarm" has been misused in video game reviews for years. With Metroid Prime, we can use the word "swarm" and feel perfectly justified. The screen fills -- FILLS -- with baddies, and the framerate doesn't even blink.

    In the Gravity Suit

    Of course, graphics are just the glossing on the gravity suit. No matter how good a game looks, it won't get fired up more than once without solid game design and user-friendly play control. In Metroid Prime, both are spot-on.

    How do you know if play control is good? If you don't think about it, it's perfect. Once you get a feel for the Controller configuration in Metroid Prime, you spend 100% of your time worrying about blasting enemies -- not thinking about the play control.

    The Control Stick moves Samus around, the A Button fires weapons and the B Button makes Samus jump. Press and hold the R Button to enter an aiming mode which allows you to freely look around the environment. The L Button activates an automatic lock-on feature, which makes for easy strafing while firing at a targeted enemy.

    Changing weapons is as easy as moving the C-Stick. By pressing different directions on the D-Pad, you can activate the different features of Samus' visor. A variety of visor modes are available including Combat, Scan, Thermal and more. Combat is the normal view, and Scan produces a slightly magnified rectangular viewing strip in the middle of the visor. By pressing and holding the L Button, Samus can scan various items in the environment. Sometimes a scan simply provides additional information, and other times scanning an environmental element can activate a switch or identify and enemy's weak spot.

    Pressing the Y Button activates Samus's missiles, and the X Button engages the Morph Ball. The game switches to a third-person perspective while Samus is in Morph Ball form. In Morph Ball form, Samus can roll through tight quarters, place bombs, activate switches and much more.

    Exploration is Key

    When Samus lands on Tallon IV to begin her investigation of Space Pirate activity, the bounty hunter is stripped of most power-ups. It's up to you to explore the world and recover the many power-ups and weapons which gradually open more and more gameplay areas.

    Although this is a first-person game with plenty of shooting action, the heart of the experience is highly exploratory and adventurous. Enemies abound, but there are just as many elaborate puzzles to solve as there are bad guys to blast.

    For an immersive adventure unlike anything you've played before, get behind the visor and see what's it like to be Samus Aran in Metroid Prime.

    Contributed by Alrightya (312) on Jun 21, 2005.

Back of Case (Canada-French Text):


    Utilisez toutes les améliorations technologiques apportées au costume de puissance de Samus, y compris les visières thermique et de balayage.

    Maniez des armes puissantes comme les rayons vague et glace, lors de vos affrontements contre les Pirates de l’espace et leurs légions.

    Explorez les immenses régions de Tallon IV, des congères de Phendrana aux ruines Chozo.

    Roulez-vous en balle de métamorphose pour explorer des lieux étroits, vous bombarder à travers des murs et rouler vers des lieux hors d’atteinte.


    Contributed by gamewarrior (5065) on Nov 14, 2004.

Back of Case:


    Something sinister lurks in the depths of Planet Tallon IV. Interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran is the only one who can destroy this evil... but first it must be found.

    Explore the enormous regions of Tallon IV, from the frozen Phendrana Drifts to the crumbling Chozo Ruins.

    Use all the technological upgrades to Samus's Power Suit, including the Thermal and Scan Visors.

    Roll into the Morph Ball to explore tight spots, bomb through walls, and roll your way to our-of-reach areas.

    Wield powerful weapons like the Wave and Ice Beams as you take on the Space Pirates and their legions.

    Contributed by Jeanne (75601) on Jan 01, 2003.