Metroid Prime 2: Echoes? More like...a decent game.

[lobotomy42]

I've been playing Prime 2 lately, and I must say I've been pleasantly surprised. Although I enjoyed the first Metroid Prime, I wasn't blown away by it. It was a decent translation of Super Metroid into 3D, but not much more than that.

Prime 2 uses the same basic mechanics and setup...but just adds a whole new shiny layer of polish to the experience. The art direction especially is greatly improved. The game's major areas, instead of being neatly divided into "Ice World," "Fire World," "Desert World," etc. like the first game, blend into each other nicely. You get a much better impression that all these little rooms make up a cohesive planet as certain pieces of architecture crop up again and again. The Aether ( a "dark world" mirror a la Link to the Past ) is also designed and implemented well enough to make the player truly want to avoid going there. It's dark, so difficult to see, you constantly have your health drained, and there are monsters everywhere!

There's also lots of little tweaks and adjustments that, minor by themselves, go a long way to making the whole experience more immersing. A few specific items (dead bodies, mostly) appear to have some physics code attached to them. Descriptions of "item container" objects are moderately clever: "This plant grows around useful items, containing them." Sparse voice acting is used, most notably as Samus' suit. The enemy design seems more geared directly to the control scheme, as well - multiple enemies have the ability to dissolve and reform a few feet away, breaking the L-button's target lock.

The graphics pale compared to other shooters released around the same time, but manage to still look good, thanks to the aforementioned solid art direction and thick layer of polish. It's fun, and it's Metroid. Nothing revolutionary, but a nice evolution nonetheless.

Anyway, I'm not sure why I'm bringing this game up. I haven't finished it yet, and I just started playing it on a whim. It's pretty cheap now, if you want to go find it and entertain your Wii with something while you wait for Super Paper Mario to come out.

[Roderick]

I believe the game is at least as hard as Prime though, with an end boss that is equally punishing. Ergo; a setup for disappointment.

[BooJaka]

I still haven't bought Hunters for the DS. Is it worth the money?

[lobotomy42]

I believe the game is at least as hard as Prime though, with an end boss that is equally punishing. Ergo; a setup for disappointment.

My impression thus far has been that it is, in fact, a good deal MORE difficult than Prime. Boss battles in an arenas where you are constantly losing health just by standing still are not picnics. Still, this seems to me to be in keeping with the Metroid spirit. The fight with Mother Brain was somewhat similar: the constant torrent of lasers and projectiles all added up to an experience that was, well, basically "you're constantly losing health so just make sure Mother Brain loses health at an even faster rate than you."

I don't mind the challenge, as long as it's the game itself that is challenging, and not the controls or some stupid shit.

[oerhört]

I still haven't bought Hunters for the DS. Is it worth the money?

That depends on what you're expecting. It's the best handheld shooter ever created by far, it has the Metroid ambience in spades and it's more open-ended and "open world" influenced than any previous Metroid game, seeing as you get to choose which directions you want to go in after a while.

It isn't, however, a true handheld Metroid Prime - it's not as intricate, nor as varied, as that game.

But I still love it.

[BooJaka]

That depends on what you're expecting. It's the best handheld shooter ever created by far, it has the Metroid ambience in spades and it's more open-ended and "open world" influenced than any previous Metroid game, seeing as you get to choose which directions you want to go in after a while.

It isn't, however, a true handheld Metroid Prime - it's not as intricate, nor as varied, as that game.

But I still love it.

I haven't played any of the previous ones (I don't own a Gamecube) so I don't really know what to expect.

I guess it goes onto my ever-increasing "to buy" list. *sigh*

[lobotomy42]

I haven't played any of the previous ones (I don't own a Gamecube) so I don't really know what to expect.

I guess it goes onto my ever-increasing "to buy" list. *sigh*

Eh...I'd recommend either Metroid Fusion or Metroid Zero Mission for GBA over Hunters. Hunters isn't bad, but it's a spin-off of a spin-off of actual Metroid. If you want to experience Metroid, start with one of the 2D ones.

On the other hand, if you're just looking for a good 3D shooter on a handheld, then Hunters probably is the better choice.

[Moosferatu]

Zero Mission kicks ass.

[Roderick]

With gorgeous music.