First Metroid impressions from the ex-Nintendo fanboy
Well I finally picked up that game I’ve been waiting to play for years, and so far it’s pretty enjoyable. Chuck wasn’t exactly blown away and I understand where he’s coming from—after all, this is the third game in the trilogy and the novelty just isn’t there anymore. That said, I’m not too disappointed.
I’m really getting into the new controls. I was raised on PC shooters long before I owned a console, so I’ve always disliked dual analog FPS. Prime 3 finally delivers something that feels close enough to keyboard/mouse, and I’ve gotten through the first few hours with ease. It just hasn’t grabbed me by the throat the way the first Prime did. I admit I’ve been in a bit of a daze, but that’s probably because I got up at 5 AM to see the lunar eclipse.
The early parts of Corruption hint at a much greater depth than the last two games had, and I hope it comes through on its promises. I’m playing on veteran difficulty and it’s about as tough as Prime 2, but not nearly as frustrating. The backtracking and exploration have been streamlined to remove the tedium from Echoes, the combat is tighter and boss fights are very well executed. The environmental variety is better too. I’m still on the first planet and already I’ve plowed through a lava mine, some alien ruins and a space pirate fortress. It’s all tied together with a common visual theme but stays fresh from location to location.
I wasn’t expecting the graphics to blow me away (the Wii’s paltry horsepower can’t compare to some of the stuff I’m running on my PC these days) but Prime 3 is still a looker. The detail that’s been layered into every location is really quite impressive. One scene sticks out in my mine—a backdrop where a series of shattered moons are literally tethered to the horizon. Prime 3 isn’t slathered with shader effects but it was certainly sculpted with some serious love and talent.
I’m not completely sucked in yet, but I have a feeling that the whole package will be a lot more impressive than the first tenth that I’ve played. I’ll be back in a week or two with a full review, maybe a little experiment (and hopefully some more sleep).
