Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii Reviews & Ratings by IGN

Retro Studios' Metroid Prime Trilogy is one of the greatest videogame sets that money can buy. And really, is it any surprise? We're talking about three titles which scored 9.5 or better, usually garnered straight 10s in the categories of presentation and gameplay, and are generally viewed by Nintendo supporters as some of the best interactive experiences available today. So when you slap them all together in a collector's edition box, add in some welcomed new features, make some tweaks here and some refinements there, and cram it all onto a single Wii disc alongside an art booklet, do I really need to spend words and time telling you that it's just as good as you think it is? Just in case you answered yes -- well then, it's just as good as you think it is.

I've spent the better part of a decade shamelessly drooling all over these games so I'll just redirect you to our reviews of Metroid Prime 1 and 2 for GameCube and Corruption for Wii, where you'll find ridiculously in-depth analyses. What you need to know for the purposes of this review is that the Metroid Prime series takes the very essence of the classic 2D titles starring space bounty hunter Samus Aran and transitions it to the third-dimension. All of the acclaimed adventure-heavy gameplay mechanics that defined those titles now define these ones, which come to life by way of a stylish first-person perspective complemented by various visors that the heroine dons.



Without diluting Nintendo's pioneering work on Super Mario 64 -- a title that dragged the publisher's famous plumber kicking and screaming into 3D -- Retro's accomplishment with the Prime franchise is every bit as notable, if not more so. Nintendo revolutionized the platformer with Mario 64, but from a development standpoint, the title at least kept a third-person perspective, which no doubt made the transition more intuitive. Retro, on the other hand, had to completely re-craft the fundamentals of the Metroid series in order to make them fit in the first-person view. That it succeeded so brilliantly is a remarkable show of skill.

Prime successfully revitalized the franchise on home consoles, where it had gone neglected too long. The original game was a work of genius -- with Resident Evil, it has earned the highest IGN review score of any GameCube game during the entire life cycle of the system; 9.8 if you're wondering. The stunning and polished first-person adventure set the mood for the sequels to follow, thrusting you into the role of Aran and challenging you to explore an isolated planet, solve environmental puzzles using her multitude of gadgets (from the morphball to bombs and missiles), shoot down enemies, navigate platform-heavy obstacle courses, fight bosses and more. With tight controls and insanely clever level designs mashed together in one believable world, it was incredibly fun and satisfying.



Echoes was the series' Majora's Mask in that it had a darker tone that became evident from the very beginning, as Aran fought her own comrades in battle, all of whom had just risen from the dead. It was also the most difficult of all three Prime games, due in part to the project's always-present dark world, a sometimes-frustrating purplish dimension that housed creepy Ing characters. Some of the game's boss battles were of the kind that makes gamers throw their controllers and curse out loud. But I'll be damned if it wasn't an entertaining romp through and through, even with some design inconsistencies.



And Corruption -- you should know this one -- brought the series to a climactic end on a brand new console with the same amazing production values and awe-inspiring level designs that have made Retro's franchise a winner across the years. Unrelated to content, the biggest addition to the third and final entry in the franchise was its completely overhauled control system, which took full advantage of Nintendo's remote for faster aiming and turning, not to mention the ability to free look as Samus ran and jumped through stages.



All of these superb projects arrive in Trilogy with welcomed improvements. Prime 1 and 2 now boast 16:9 widescreen modes and, more importantly, the same Wii remote-enhanced control configuration that made Corruption the best-playing offering in the franchise. I recommend playing with the advanced control setting for the fastest turn and aim speeds. Once I experienced Corruption, I never wanted to go back to the GameCube pad and now I don't have to. Also, the series meshes together more coherently now that it plays the same through all three acts. That said, with efforts like Medal of Honor Heroes 2, The Conduit and Red Steel 2 taking control customization on Wii to the next level, Retro's selection of three pre-defined schemes now feels inadequate, a truth that I realize only some might lament.

Metroid Prime now shines -- literally, I suppose -- with full bloom lighting throughout the entire adventure, an unexpected addition that layers more polish to an already-beautiful game. Unfortunately, the same technique could not be applied to Echoes, which utilizes different rendering methods. But, Retro took a look at some of the common complaints of Prime 2 and found that many users said it was too difficult and particularly unbalanced during some key fights with bosses like the spider and boost ball guardians, both of which have been made just a little more manageable in Trilogy. Meanwhile, the developer made some random tweaks to all of the games, omitting small technical glitches once and for all (try that speed run to the space boots in the original game now, suckers!), replacing blurry textures with crisper ones in certain areas, and even quickening loads in Corruption. On top of everything else, the achievements system from the third game now encompasses all three and yeah, you can still trade your medals with friends over WiiConnect24. The entire package is just much more thoughtful and comprehensive.



And for once, Nintendo has paid a little service to the fans because all of these improvements come to you in a collector's edition package -- a gorgeous metal case, translucent slip cover, art booklet and biography on the series -- and for just $49.99, the same price as any old Wii game.



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