 One of the classic Nintendo franchises, the Metroid series bought one of the early female heroes to the video gaming world in a side scrolling adventure that remains a classic in the hearts of many gamers. The series evolved over time, with further adventurers being written on the Gameboy, and the Metroid Prime series, taking the series into the 3D realm and exploring Samus Aran’s adventures between Metroid (NES) and Metroid 2 (GB). Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, is the supposedly final chapter in the Prime series, and arrives as one of the most anticipated games for the Wii.
Immersion (Story/Environment)
Corruption departs from the Metroid standard quite a bit by involving Samus with the Galactic Federation and other hunters immediately. There are voice overs and people you can talk to, as well as a calm introduction to the control scheme of the Wii (which I’ll get to later). In fact, you’ll find yourself working with others for the first part of the game. However, you’ll find yourself alone soon enough, much like the other Metroid games, exploring strange worlds.  Samus gets several new toys in this game, such as new uses for the grapple beam, and control of her ship, which can be used to fly to several points on many of the planets, which helps shorten the time it takes to backtrack, and you will backtrack if you want to get every upgrade hidden though the worlds. Of course, several of the old staple upgrades are around as well such as the Boost Ball and Screw Attack, all hidden around the worlds you’ll explore. You also don’t start quite so bereft as in previous games as well, as the Space Jump is part of your starting arsenal, and your first missile and energy tank are presented to you quite early.
The game is divided into several locations as is usual, but this time the locations are split among several planets and other locations you fly between. Each of the planets has their own story, background, music, and enemies, and you’ll find yourself bouncing between each of them. The story is told though a combination of missions and accomplishments as well as scanning around the various worlds. Yes, the scanning visor is back, but it’s been made a bit easier to switch on to, and several of the repeat scans have been removed, improving on was a fun, but potentially tedious process in previous Prime games. Gameplay
The controls themselves are very well thought out. Aiming and turning are done with the wiimote sensor, while moving is done with the nunchuk. You can still lock on to a target, but you can aim elsewhere with the wiimote, which is nice since many of the opponents have multiple or moving targets away from their bodies. Jumping is done with the trigger on the wiimote, and your power cannon is fired with the A button, and missiles the D pad. This actually works better than the trigger as it’s easier to fire faster and keep the wiimote steadier by using the A button. The controls make controlling Samus easy, accurate, and immersive. Some of the motion controls for opening the doors don’t quite do the same thing, but they are few and far enough apart to not make it a huge issue. The map and hint systems are back, as is the log book. The log book is much better organized than in Prime 2, as there is no longer the branching and you can clearly see how much you are still missing from each section of the logbook. It also makes it easier to find what you haven’t read as it highlights unread scans in the log book, and puts them in the correct order to follow the story as told by the lore scans. The map is back as well, and it seems to be a bit easier to maneuver around than previous versions, perhaps due to the mouse like interface with the wiimote. Maps are made as you go, or downloaded from map points though out the game, and later you can even find markers for some of the upgrades hidden though the various worlds. Something new to the game is the reward system. You can earn credits for scanning lore and enemies, as well as accomplishing several tasks though out the game. Some of these rewards can be traded with friends, and they are spent on opening up some of the art, music, and other tools or extras like a screen shot tool. All the purchasing is done outside the game, so it doesn’t break up the game itself much, but it does add a little extra reward for exploring or trying new things in the game. Graphics and Sound
 The graphics are fantastic and a let down at the same time. It is certainly very well done graphicly, and there are amazing little extra touches that make you feel like you’ve in Samus’s armor like never before, with little touches like eye reflections, fog on the helm, and many other little details you might notice or take for granted once you’re drawn into the game. However, the graphics themselves aren’t much of an improvement from the gamecube Prime games. They’re still very well done and good looking, but it feels like it could have been even better, and makes me wonder if the Wii can really go much farther graphicly. Sound is well done, with good voice acting used sparingly, enough to not overwhelm the game, and background sounds are just as integral as the little graphical extras to draw you in. The music is generally good as well, with some remixes of old metroid songs and some new compositions. The music adds to the mood and draws you in without being intrusive. Above and Beyond
Togeather, all the elements of Corruption come together for a fun and immersive experience, but something just doesn’t quit fit right. Because it’s so easy to move around, and the control scheme is done so well, the game feels a bit too easy at times, and the world feels smaller than previous Metroid incarnations. Also, some of the feeling of exploration is lacking, for while there are many worlds with different sections to them, most sections of the planets don’t look too different from any other section, and the worlds are just big enough to be not small. The game’s plot itself also makes this game feel a bit linier when compared to early Metroid games. This is something Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid: Fusion fell into as well, which is a shame given how open the original Metroid and Super Metroid were. This doesn’t harm the game, but leads it to give a slightly different experience than previous games. Overall
Corruption is a great game overall. Immersive, fun, easy to control, and well told. It only falls down in that the controls make the game almost too easy, and it also falls into a trap some other more recent Metroid games seem to fall into by being much more linier than previous Metroid incarnations, and as a result, the game feels a little more influenced as an FPS game than previous prime games, but it is still a distinctly Metroid game, and a lot of fun none the less. If you’re a fan of the series, of FPS or adventure games, or just looking for a fun game for the Wii, this is certainly a game most will enjoy despite its few shortcomings. Bront’s Score: 9.0 out of 10 Discuss this review in the Forums |
