Rating

B-

Specific Ratings

GameplayA
GraphicsA+
Learning CurveA+
Replay ValueC-
SoundA+

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Easy to pick up and play.
  • A step up from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.
  • No multiplayer.
Cons
  • Still a step down from Metroid Prime.
  • Little replay value.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo Wii)

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Summary

A fun game, but not without its shortcomings.

Description

Ok, this is my first long review like this, so bare with me here.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the (supposed) final chapter in the Metroid Prime trilogy crafted by Retro Studios. Now, most trilogies seem to die off in the second part, and by the time you reach the finale, all the magic is gone. However, the Metroid Prime series is a bit different. It started off great, hit a very low point with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, then started to slowly take off again with this new installment. I honestly hope Retro decides to make another sequel, so they can continue to work on some of the things that made this game such an improvement over the last one.

First, I'll start off with the gameplay. The Wiimote adds a LOT to this game. I admit, I was skeptical at first, feeling that looking around was a bit too sensitive. Luckily, within about two hours or so the controls became second nature (which is good, because that's about how much "intro" the game throws your way). Once you get the grappling beam, you'll see exactly how much the Wii adds to this game. There's a very simple joy in throwing out your hand to cast out a beam, then having to pull it back to rip off some grating or something. The Retro team seems to have taken much time in making sure that the Wiimote's controls were nice and responsive in every little thing you have to do. Whether it's grappling, twisting a control switch, or shaking off a bad guy, all the functions with the Wiimote are quick and very balanced (making sure you're not completely open to attack in the process).

Next up is graphics. Yeah, I know it's no Halo 3 or whatever. But you don't need a pretty sheen to have decent graphics. This is easily the best looking game for the Wii so far. And yes, it is better looking then the last one was. Honestly, it's not that much of a step up from the last two, but things are smoother and much more detailed. You can still easily see some of the pixels on door frames and other parts of the setting, but the creatures are all rendered very well and are actually nice to look at while you're blasting away at them.

Here we have the learning curve. I could see it being hard for some people. There are several different options to aim with, but little explanation to how they work exactly. Trial-and-error seems to be the best bet here. However, if you have the patience, this is a very easy game to get into. Unlike a first-person shooter, this game has an easy-to-use lock on system that even newbies can work with. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say the enemies do less damage in this game (and show up less too) then in the other Prime installments.

Replay value. This is where the game suffers. The coolness of the Wiimote aside, there isn't much here to keep you going through more then one playthrough. Unlike the first Metroid Prime, there's not much in the way of exploration. The game is surprisingly linear. Yeah, you can travel back and forth between planets, but there's normally not much of a reason too, outside of getting missile expansions and whatnot. Also, for some reason the developers decided to not let players pick which beam they use. When you get the newest beam (there's only three), it automatically overrides your previous one. I'm not sure why, but it seems like they REALLY dumbed down the weapons selection in this game.

Now I'll mention the sound. This game has a very good soundtrack. Yes, I realize the Prime games seem to be content with simply remixing music from the old Metroid games, but I'm perfectly ok with that. Once you hear the new pirate music, you'll see why. And while I'm talking about sound, I'll mention the voice acting. I really wasn't expecting much, and that's what I got. Thankfully, the team kept the gibber-jabber to a minimum. You only really need to talk to about 4, maybe 5 people in the entire game. On top of that, the voice acting isn't over the top like it tends to be in other video games.

Finally, I'll talk about the extras in the game. I unfortunately don't have WiiConnect24, so I can't access the cool bumper stickers and bobble heads you can get for the ship, but after hearing about them, I think it's a very nice idea. I only wish there were something like that for the offline people. Speaking of the ship, playing around with that is a lot of fun. When you first start the game you're thrust into it, and you actually take slight control of it briefly. Once again, that brings up the fun of the Wiimote into this game. Another nice touch was all the subtle references to past games. One area actually reminded me of the Wrecked Ship area from Super Metroid (complete with broken androids!).

All in all, I'm giving this game a B-, because while it IS a fun game, it's a short game that doesn't really give the player any incentive to play through more then once. Rent it, or wait for the Player's Choice version.

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