Metroid Prime 3 - Do Mother Brains' Have PMS? - 9.5 From IGN!

[quote name='dallow']Ayn (rhymes with mine)

WTF? I have never heard anyone say it in any way other than like "Anne".[/quote]

I'm fairly certain that I've heard Alex Trebek pronounce it as "anne." So that, my friends, is gospel.
 
[quote name='io']After playing Mario Party 8, MP3 better fucking have widescreen or there will be hell to pay at nearby NOA...

OK, just had to get this thread back ON TOPIC. Though I am curious about the connection between Bioshock and Ayn Rand. This is news to me.

And Botticus, you WILL buy Metroid Prime 3 (does best Jedi mind trick hand wave impression).[/quote]Tell you what, if I'm able to get in on another Avatar/MtR trade-in at EB, I will put it on Metroid Prime, just in case impressions tell me I will enjoy it after my less than stellar 1/2 experiences. Though that puts Battalion Wars in jeopardy as a Day 1 purchase. Stay tuned!

Edit: Good and bad news! Battalion Wars 2 is bumped back to October according to EB, so that makes things easier. Only Dewey in September instead of both.
 
"Man as a Heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason his only absolute."

Howard Roark anyone??

All things considered Rand hit her stride in The Fountainhead and truly put everything together in Atlas Shrugged.
 
[quote name='kill3r7']"Man as a Heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason his only absolute."

Howard Roark anyone??[/quote]

Umm, duh?
 
[quote name='botticus']Tell you what, if I'm able to get in on another Avatar/MtR trade-in at EB, I will put it on Metroid Prime, just in case impressions tell me I will enjoy it after my less than stellar 1/2 experiences. Though that puts Battalion Wars in jeopardy as a Day 1 purchase. Stay tuned!

Edit: Good and bad news! Battalion Wars 2 is bumped back to October according to EB, so that makes things easier. Only Dewey in September instead of both.[/QUOTE]

Well, that's all I'm asking you to do (EB trade-in deal) ;). But of course, I'd rather you get Batallion Wars since we're significantly more likely to play that together than MP3 ;). At least put one down on MP3, and then you can return/cancel/switch if the reviews are not stellar. As for me, I have 2 copies of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics and a NiGHTS preorder that are really just placeholders for other stuff (and also MP3 and Strikers). I had completely forgotten about Dewey's Adventure - though THAT may be the game I hold off on for a price drop. If I do one more EB deal it will probably be for Batallion Wars (since the extra ones are going to switch to Mario Galaxy and SSBB as soon as possible). I'm fine with it being postponed! I really hope the CC price matching thing is a painless as it has been in the past - that difference will make these from a meh deal in to a great one.

Strell - sounds like Bioshock is going to show how/why that philosophy is not practical, so that's not too bad.
 
[quote name='RollingSkull']I'm not interested in Bioshock either. Shock2 was a decade ago. Cred has a shelf life, especially when you are making your Bioshock based heavily on Ayn Rand's philosophies.[/QUOTE]

Aw, c'mon man: Freedom Force? And I'd be more wary if it seemed like the game was some kind of giant plug for Objectivism, but it's pretty clear from the setting that things haven't turned out so well for idealogues of that stripe.

Anyway, those new pics of Corruption are looking pretty sweet, I must say. I know I don't need to (what, are there really going to be spoilers for Corruption floating around? Hint: Planet blows up in the end.) but I've been trying to maintain a media blackout for the game, and I'm pleasantly suprised at how it's coming along visually.
 
I just wanted to add that I am alos just now playing through MP2. I've owned it for quite some time and since I've finished MP ages ago I want to finish MP2 before MP3 comes out. So far I'm enjoying that game a ton more than I thought I would. It's way better than the demo that I played of it.
 
[quote name='trq']Aw, c'mon man: Freedom Force? And I'd be more wary if it seemed like the game was some kind of giant plug for Objectivism, but it's pretty clear from the setting that things haven't turned out so well for idealogues of that stripe.

Anyway, those new pics of Corruption are looking pretty sweet, I must say. I know I don't need to (what, are there really going to be spoilers for Corruption floating around? Hint: Planet blows up in the end.) but I've been trying to maintain a media blackout for the game, and I'm pleasantly suprised at how it's coming along visually.[/quote]
The last preachy game I played was KotOR2, which was the biggest waste of time ever. The story part that was even FINISHED was pretty sucky. If there's some old cow that follows you around in Bioshock through the flimsiest of contrivances to bitch at you constantly, leaving you only to select the "Wow, your words are wise." dialogue choice, I ain't buying.

Freedom Force doesn't ring a bell. Might've played a demo way back in the day and was not impressed enough to buy.
 
[quote name='Will D Thrill']I just wanted to add that I am alos just now playing through MP2. I've owned it for quite some time and since I've finished MP ages ago I want to finish MP2 before MP3 comes out. So far I'm enjoying that game a ton more than I thought I would. It's way better than the demo that I played of it.[/quote]it doesn't hold up quite as well as the first one, but i did enjoy the light/dark world mechanic, and the last boss battle was epic :applause:
 
[quote name='Will D Thrill']I just wanted to add that I am alos just now playing through MP2. I've owned it for quite some time and since I've finished MP ages ago I want to finish MP2 before MP3 comes out. So far I'm enjoying that game a ton more than I thought I would. It's way better than the demo that I played of it.[/quote]

Thus far I feel the same way. I feel like I'm getting more enjoyment out of it than the first game. Generally the world feels like a creepier place to be and that if I were in Samus' shoes, I really wouldn't feel comfortable being on that planet, light or dark.

I never felt that way about Tallon IV, which kind of had the grassy areas and this and that and didn't really feel all that foreign to me. I also like the difficulty of the game, which is definitely harder than the first game, whether it's zipping along from the small protective light pods in the dark realm to fighting off the especially intelligent Space Pirates in the light world. It's fun, but challenging as well.

It really makes my mouth water for Prime 3.
 
DESTRUCTOID:

Sorry. I’m getting a little overboard with my title, but to be honest, I’m having a hard time trying to retain a professional demeanor after playing Metroid Prime Corruption – it’s just that good.

The controls for Corruption are so responsive, so correct, and so intuitive, that I’ve finally been convinced that the Wii is the new home for first person adventures. I know that those are some bold words (and that games like Red Steel have left a pretty bad taste in player’s mouths), but if you play Corruption for just ten minutes, you’ll become a believer too.

I don’t know what those folks at Retro studious did, but strafing, and run ‘n’ gun tactics have never felt so good or so natural before. Without even thinking about it, you become immersed in the game; running, jumping and rolling through levels like you were born to it. Oh, and the camera? Perfect.

Seriously, Corruption is so wonderful to play, that I just may not want to go back to the ol’ dual-sticks again.
Click to expand...
IGN:

It plays better than any first-person console game ever... really. And it's one of Wii's best lookers, too.
Click to expand...

For some reason, Retro Studios' anticipated first-person adventure sequel, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, doesn't photograph well. Many of the officially released screenshots of the title look bland, a complaint raised all too often by message board addicts. But we've just compiled two hours with a two-level demonstration of the title and we can tell you, it sure looks good in motion. The game runs in 480 progressive-scan and true 16:9 widescreen mode, which is a first for the series. The artistic presentation of the space stations, craft and planets that make up the universe is very impressive, seemingly more on par with the original Prime than its purple-drenched sequel. Textures are crisper and polished with extra effects such as specular highlights on Aran's ship, for example. Environments are larger and architecture more defined. And while it may seem trivial to some, the inclusion of bloom lighting goes a long way, as bright sources like lava and monitors now glow with welcomed style and realism. All of this and the title seldom dips below a fluidity of 60 frames per second. We're realists. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption can't and doesn't look as good as some of today's cutting-edge games on more powerful consoles. But for Wii, a console that so far hasn't proven that it is even dramatically more powerful than GameCube, it's stunning.

Something has gone terribly wrong at a drifting space station. Terminal text displays an eerie message: "Cryogenic systems stable. Corrupted life support anomaly detected." The computer systems have become infected with some kind of new virus, they begin to malfunction and meltdown, and Dark Samus appears to be involved. A real-time cinematic showcases the beginnings of the storyline for Aran's latest adventure, and we catch a glimpse of Dark Samus as she breaks free from a room full of high-tech equipment, very probably signaling the start of the corruption that spreads across the galaxy.

Samus, though, is asleep. The long-time heroine of one of Nintendo's most popular franchises is also adrift in space and she's not wearing her trademark suit. The camera pans in on the blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty as she opens her eyes and looks around her cockpit. Just outside, we can see the vast expansion of space, stars twinkling in contrast to the great blackness. This is how Prime 3 begins and it seamlessly teaches you some of the game's integral new Wii controls from the comfort of Aran's ship. You can look around the cockpit with the nunchuk's analog stick and you can point to various switches and levers with the Wii remote. A simple tap of the A button may bring up displays, activate boosters, and so on. Retro Studios hasn't suddenly given you the freedom to roam the galaxy - this is still a very controlled situation created specifically to familiarize you with the basics - but it's very atmospheric all the same.

After you point to a center console, Samus places her hand on the device and her ship gains in speed and veers to the right, directly toward a fleet of Galactic Federation Fighters, giant-sized spaceships quite capable of blowing Aran to smithereens. Over the radio, one of the Federation soldiers audibly asks Samus to identify herself. Yes, there's voice work in Prime 3 and judging from the two-level demo, quite a lot of it. Once Samus is on foot again, she can freely walk through the space station and talk with all of its occupants. Naturally, the heroine herself remains mute, but now all of the mechanics and troopers have something to say and the acting is very well done and believable. Another button in the cockpit area brings up a display surrounded in an extraterrestrial alphabet. Here, you use the Wii remote to control Aran's hand so that she can select the right letters to identify herself to the fleet. With that done, she's clear to land on the floating galactic base called Flagship Olympus, where more tutorial controls and story await.

Before leaving her ship, Samus dons her trademark Varia Suit, which is immediately equipped with a number of abilities normally obtained later in Metroid titles. She can transform into morphball form. She can double-jump. She can charge her beam weapon. And she's got three visors available, including both the scan and battle, in addition to a third. Selecting the visors is handled intuitively with the Wii remote. You simply hold down the minus button and flick into one of three directions - left, right, or up - to transition to the various visors. When scanning, you can clearly see Aran's eyes reflected in the visor - not only during gun-muzzle flashes, but the whole time. The plus button is used to activate hyper mode, which seemed locked for the demo.

Samus controls better in Prime 3 than she ever has before. In fact, the heroine's tight maneuverability and speed nurture a level of accuracy never before possible in a console-based first-person experience. Retro has included three different sensitivity levels for fans, so if you're the type who prefers a big bounding box and slower turns, you can do that. However, we highly recommend that all gamers play Prime 3 with advanced controls, which shrink the bounding box so that Samus turns quickly when your on-screen reticule begins to stray in any direction. Previously, Call of Duty 3 was the benchmark for accurate controls in a first-person game on Wii, but Prime 3 blows that title out of the water. If you've played any FPS-style game on Nintendo's system before, you will probably be running and gunning in Corruption and absolutely loving the freedom and speed of the controls in a matter of seconds, not minutes. It really is the new benchmark and simultaneously proof that smart studios can really utilize the Wii remote and nunchuk for some dazzling results.

Having noted that, either we've gone crazy or Retro has actually loosened up the advanced control setting, not tightened it, since we last played the game in New York. It's still very responsive and maneuverable, but it doesn't seem quite as speedy as it was before. Perhaps we were merely so overjoyed at the working controls when we went hands-on at New York that our memory of the affair was distorted.

In Metroid Prime 3, you can lock-on to enemies by holding down the Z button. This function is not nearly as important as it was in the previous games since the new and improved manual aim is so responsive, but it's still helpful when you want to quickly cycle between foes. However, there is one invaluable new change to the mechanic that you can toggle on or off depending upon your preference. You can now lock-on to enemies and retail manual aim with the Wii remote, essentially enabling you to pinpoint shoot Space Pirates and other baddies if you so desire. If you'd rather not bother, turn it off in the options menu and forget it ever existed.

Press the 1 button at any time and you'll bring up the map, options and logbook screens, where you can easily change your control sensitivity and toggle lock-on with manual aim on or off. You can also reverse visor select and hyper mode to the plus and minus buttons if you prefer.

Walking about the Flagship Olympus, you will quickly notice that the environments and occupants are more interactive and that Samus is a figure to be respected. While some mechanics when approached will spout lines like, "I've got duties to perform, we'll talk later," Fleet Troopers are sometimes in awe of Aran. "Did you really take out an entire planet of Space Pirates," one such character asked us after we triggered a conversation with him. Meanwhile, there are all sorts of animated system checks and scan points that Samus must push with her palm, pull with her hands, or look into to be examined. You will regularly pull backward, twist to the left and then push forward again with the Wii remote to unlock doorways, and using gestures to activate these points doesn't feel gimmicky it all; it's highly immersive.

Eventually, the Flagship Olympus is attacked by Space Pirates and everything goes to hell. As you run through darkening corridors, you will see smaller craft crash into the Olympus, which breaks the airlock and causes troopers to be sucked into space. The environments themselves will become destroyed, creating new walkways and holes for Samus to explore and traverse, with the ultimate goal of getting off the doomed satellite.

The second level of the demo is called SkyTown Elysia and it takes place on another planet entirely - one whose mix or organic and high-tech environments hovers in a spectacular sky setting. The objective is to "get the Aurora back online" and "reach the Seed." The level itself is comprised of a network of hovering railways that Samus can traverse by first locking onto a starting point with her grapple beam and then riding the railway like a dangling rollercoaster. It's awesome. While locked on with your grapple beam, you can look around the environment, target enemies in your path, and blow them away. At certain points, Aran will encounter cannons that, when in morphball form, blast her across chasms so that she may continue onward. Also quite awesome. Eventually, you encounter Steamlord, a huge flying robot that fires green ripple lasers your way. He's surrounded by minions, whom he repairs just as soon as Samus blasts them, so you'll have to take him down immediately.

We had our doubts that Prime 3 would come together. Having spent some quality time with the game, though, it is rapidly becoming our most anticipated Wii project. Retro Studios seems to have nailed the controls and (perhaps more than ever) the atmosphere. We simply cannot wait to see and play more.
Click to expand...
 
As soon as Corruption drops, I'm going to have to work on procuring another Wii. Lord knows where I'll find the money, but find it I must. Game looks absolutely brilliant.
 
Ah, here's the MP3 thread. Zen, I saw that IGN preview earlier too. While I'm always cautious of overly-optimistic previews, this one seems different. And the bits that I have watched have been incredible. This may just be my most anticipated release all year across both Wii and 360 (though it will be a tough fight with Mario Galaxy). But Metroid comes out in less than 2 months - very nice!
 
I have always been a metroid fan, but metroid prime 2 wasn't a good as I hoped it to be (I still miss the free exploration days of the original). Let me tell you though, MP3 has me thrilled. The controlls are the reason I bought a Wii and this just looks so great and reading that preview confirms my buy on this game :D
 
[quote name='maigoyume']gotta get my preorder in, hope retro/nintendo comes up with an uber preorder bonus of some sort[/quote]

OST would be a bonus that would be more cherished than the game itself. Can't play Metroid in the car, you know.
 
[quote name='MarioColbert']OST would be a bonus that would be more cherished than the game itself. Can't play Metroid in the car, you know.[/QUOTE]

Not with that attitude you can't.
 
Strell. This is a warning. I'll spell it out for you. Fo-or You.

MC will break your legs. (Uh-Huh!) Tear off your head.
MC will put you down. Under the ground.

This is a warning. I'll spell it out for you.
 
It doesn't. It wasn't an announcement made at E3, but rather weeks prior. I think they're gonna send updates/additional content via the Wii's messaging system.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']So does this title still support online MP?[/QUOTE]

It never did. Never did.

Series of events:
1) Announced as launch game for Wii
2) Delayed some 8 months
3) Bloggers> WTF DELAYD? Y? O I KNO, MULTARPLAYR
4) Reggie> "Multiplayer? It's up to Retro."
5) Retro> "We might do it in a way you don't expect."
6) Announced as single player game
7) Collective internet nerd hive aplodes "WTF YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE ONLINE"
 
[quote name='Strell']It never did. Never did.

Series of events:
1) Announced as launch game for Wii
2) Delayed some 8 months
3) Bloggers> WTF DELAYD? Y? O I KNO, MULTARPLAYR
4) Reggie> "Multiplayer? It's up to Retro."
5) Retro> "We might do it in a way you don't expect."
6) Announced as single player game
7) Collective internet nerd hive aplodes "WTF YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE ONLINE"[/quote]

Ah...I'm back up to speed thanks.
 
The multiplayer in Metroid Prime 2 sucked, as did the crappy DS game, so no skin off my nose.

This franchise just isn't well suited for multiplayer death matches IMO.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']The multiplayer in Metroid Prime 2 sucked, as did the crappy DS game, so no skin off my nose.

This franchise just isn't well suited for multiplayer death matches IMO.[/quote]

I thought MPH was an excellent example of an FPS on the DS, and proved the DS is more than capable for handling that genre.

What about MPH multi didnt you like? It was a very complete experience.
 
[quote name='Lan_Zer0']I thought MPH was an excellent example of an FPS on the DS, and proved the DS is more than capable for handling that genre.

What about MPH multi didnt you like? It was a very complete experience.[/QUOTE]

Boring levels and weapons, and I HATED the controls, awkward and cramped my hands after 10 minutes every time I played. Friend codes are a pain in the ass etc. etc. And online on Nintendo consoles will always be a less than stellar experience as you're going to have even more kids than X-box Live due to skewing more toward the younger demographic. Will really be a pain with any games with voice chat.

The single player was even worse.

I'm a big Metroid fan (Super Metroid is probably still my all time favorite game) but MPH just sucked hard IMO.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Boring levels and weapons, and I HATED the controls, awkward and cramped my hands after 10 minutes every time I played. Friend codes are a pain in the ass etc. etc. And online on Nintendo consoles will always be a less than stellar experience as you're going to have even more kids than X-box Live due to skewing more toward the younger demographic. Will really be a pain with any games with voice chat.

The single player was even worse.

I'm a big Metroid fan (Super Metroid is probably still my all time favorite game) but MPH just sucked hard IMO.[/quote]

The online experience, I thought, was very admirable given the restrictions of WFC. I see MPH fall into the love/hate scenario often, for example, I had no issues with the controls and found them to be dead on and the closest thing to mouse look on any console ever (including dual analog and wii pointing).

Single player was alright. I think it was knocked more so from the high expectations of people expecting a metroid adventure, and instead finding a more linear fps.
 
Yeah, it's definitely a love hate game.

You're spot on with the single player. It just sucked, was too linear and just felt like a worthless, generic FPS game. They would have been better leaving it off and just putting in a death match with bots mode as the only single player. But I'm biased as I hate generic shooters.

I agree the aiming was nice. I just could never find a comfortable way to hold the DS to allow using the d-pad, L-button and the stylus without my hands cramping.
 
[quote name='SoulReaver']I don't know why but I couldn't get into Metroid Prime. Stopped playing after an hour and haven't touched it since.[/QUOTE]
I was once like you.

Then I watched Grease and played it again.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']Ah...I'm back up to speed thanks.[/quote]

He nailed it, yeah, but I think one factor unmentioned is that the expectations of online multiplayer were not so much based on any sort of 'announcement,' but rather just coming to that conclusion based on the fact that Hunters had it and obviously that Wii has the means to support it...plus the fact that, as Strell said, the issue was kind of danced around a bit by those in-the-know.

Personally, it doesn't bug me much at all, as I rarely have ever cared to play FPS titles online short of a good ol' fashioned DN3D deathmatch, but I can see why there was an assumption that online play would be likely.
 
[quote name='MarioColbert']OST would be a bonus that would be more cherished than the game itself. Can't play Metroid in the car, you know.[/quote]fusion or zero mission anyone ;)?
 
[quote name='maigoyume']fusion or zero mission anyone ;)?[/quote]
Uh, in my household I drive 100% of the time that I am in the car. If I somehow not driving, that means I am sleeping. I imagine once I spawn Mario Colbert Prime Junior it'll only get worse.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Boring levels and weapons, and I HATED the controls, awkward and cramped my hands after 10 minutes every time I played. Friend codes are a pain in the ass etc. etc. And online on Nintendo consoles will always be a less than stellar experience as you're going to have even more kids than X-box Live due to skewing more toward the younger demographic. Will really be a pain with any games with voice chat.

The single player was even worse.

I'm a big Metroid fan (Super Metroid is probably still my all time favorite game) but MPH just sucked hard IMO.[/quote]
I thought the single player was alright, it kinda seemed like it revolved around the multiplayer experience, except against less difficult opponents, that seemed easily predictable. And not much story going on there, you don't even get much background about the different hunters, not counting there names and origin.

The multiplayer was so great, especially in the beginning, when the game was first released. Everyone online was pretty much at the same level and witnessing new tactics was always a sight to behold. But then came the dark times, thats much expected from online games I would assume (I'm not an avid online gamer). There came the glitches (Shadow Freezing, Shadow Worlds, Clone Bots, Infinits, Not Damagable), the Haxorz who thought they were all mighty just because they managed to get a $30 Action Replay, and the lamerz who abused the DeathALT and D/C if they got shot >_<

Also what I thought was lame was that you could only use the VoIP feature before or after battles, which made communicating rather difficult. What most veterans, such as myself, would do is power beam our friend code numbers on the wall, which was funny at times, because you either couldn't understand, or just went for that free headshot.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']BEST CONSOLE FPS EVER? That's a hell of a statement.[/quote]


Especially since this game, unless Retro screwed up badly, isn't a FPS. The series already seems to have died on handhelds thanks to that sorry excuse for a Metroid game the DS got. These latest impressions have not been giving me much faith in this game at all, even though I know better, and that the game will be good. I think my real concern is that they perfected the Metroid gameplay in 3D with Metroid Prime, but every 3D Metroid after has moved away from what makes Metroid such a good series.
 
[quote name='pygmy carnotaur']Especially since this game, unless Retro screwed up badly, isn't a FPS. The series already seems to have died on handhelds thanks to that sorry excuse for a Metroid game the DS got. These latest impressions have not been giving me much faith in this game at all, even though I know better, and that the game will be good. I think my real concern is that they perfected the Metroid gameplay in 3D with Metroid Prime, but every 3D Metroid after has moved away from what makes Metroid such a good series.[/quote]
So now its a bad one? That's not what anyone who has played the game is saying. Quite the opposite actually.
 
I'm throwing it out there: The coolest thing about this game is still the fact you use the nunchuck to de-shield a guy, then aim the wii-mopte to blast him away.
 
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