July is coming to a close, which means the first month of our Game of the Month Club is pretty much done and dusted! I can’t believe how fast it went by…
I beat Metroid Prime a few years ago with a time of around 27 hours logged. If I set a goal to play for one measly hour a day this month, I could have easily beaten it again. Alas, my total time spent with the game during July adds up to a little over 10 hours, and, as quickly as I tried to play, I could not beat the game again in that time.
But here are some impressions anyway. First, Metroid Prime controls like a dream on Wii/Wii U, provided the pointing function is working smoothly, which it usually is. All in all, controlling Samus in Metroid Prime feels great. The only issue I have with the control scheme is the method by which you change Samus’s visor and arm cannon: hold the “-” button (visor) or the “+” button (arm cannon), point to the correct side of the screen, and release the button. It’s not much of a problem until later on in the game, when the need to switch both the visor and arm cannon frequently makes it troublesome.
Possibly even more troublesome to me was all the backtracking needed later in the game. A creepy, lonely atmosphere is one of the hallmarks in Metroid Prime, but as Samus gains more upgrades to her arsenal, the map expands and so does the need to backtrack. I always felt rushed when I knew my next destination, but there were enemies galore from room to room, and it seemed a waste of time to fight the same battles over and over again, and that’s how the effects of the game’s atmosphere ended up wearing thin.
It’s not always easy to know where to go next, either. I’m not sure what triggers scan data, but it occasionally pops up to show you where to go next. Sometimes you get it immediately following a boss battle. Other times, you may wander aimlessly for some time before it saves the day.
I’m certain I loved Metroid Prime during my first playthrough, so why am I suddenly so critical of it? I went about playing it with the wrong attitude this time around…is my best guess, anyway. Metroid Prime is about discovery and exploration. After all, there are plenty of new secrets to find, even in rooms you’ve been to already; sometimes you just need the right equipment or upgrades.
The game is meant to be played slowly and deliberately. The goal is to be completely immersed and to enjoy every minute, rather than to dash to the finish line…unless you’re a pro speedrunner, I suppose.
Anyway, did you play the game at all this month? What are your thoughts?
