The five year span between the first release in the Metroid Prime series to the day that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption finally hit the shelves has felt like an eternity. It’s been so long since the last console iteration of the franchise came out that it’s almost hard to remember just what you did a few years back, and the extended timeframe has left many gamers restless in unsure anticipation. Now that the wait is finally over, it feels just stupendous to say that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is without a doubt the best ending possible to one of the best FPS trilogies ever.
After playing with the game for just a few hours, I was hooked; so much so that I just didn’t want to put that Wii Remote down. Once you grab Corruption and get used to its controls, you will never want to go back to the old way you used to play first-person shooters. That statement goes to show just how amazing this game truly is.
As far as the actual shooting goes, the controls for MP3 have to start getting consideration for being the best controls ever for a console first person shooter. The handling of the different effects, the aiming of the pointer, the charging of the cannon, jumping motions of the morph ball; everything is so intuitive and responsive that it’s hard to imagine just how you played a "gun game" without them. These controls really make the game more shooter-focused than adventure focused as it was before, and with the adjusted controls that change is welcome. This is truly perfection, and even though the pointer does sometimes get in the way of your blasts and it has a bit of a learning curve, there are no major burdens.
The game also integrates the Wii Remote in a unique way with each piece of hardware in Samus’ arsenal. Things such as grappling seem almost perfect with the new Wiimote controls, and truly make you feel as if you’re sitting in the suit of Samus Aran. Add on some really neat hand emotions performed with your nunchuck, and the fact that the game is the most responsive motion simulated experience yet for the Wii, and I can easily say that Corruption makes the best use of the Wii’s capabilities so far. Although it has left me wondering just how tarnished my Halo skills will be when I go play Halo 3 after becoming so used to controlling Samus with the Wii remote…
Even though the controls with the Wii are a true stunner, something that is just as superb are the enemies you have to gun down. These guys may not be the smartest AI characters ever, but they are tough and varied, staying true to the Metroid formula. It’s going to take a couple of charge beams and a number of shots to bring down the smallest of grunts; add on their ability to take cover under intense fire, and it’s easy to say that you’ll be failing countless times throughout your journey.
But what is even better than your standard enemies and villains is just how damn compelling the game’s boss battles are. These are the true soul of this game, and without a doubt the best part of the series thus far. The boss fights in Metroid Prime 3 give you that "leaning over the edge of your chair" experience most of us have been yearning to experience since Twilight Princess. You’ll be hooked to these, mainly because it can take you multiple tries to finally beat these big monsters. You’ll have to use some strategy in these battles as well. This aspect of the game makes use of all the Wii remote motions that you will encoutner throughout the course of the game. You’re gonna be grappling, firing missiles, shooting, and charging, and all of that translates into a few intense minutes of pointing, leaning, pushing, and turning your body. It just doesn’t get that much more immersive than that.
While the game remains amazing on all ends in terms of gameplay, I did have some worries going into the game’s technical end. After playing through twenty plus hours of Corruption, its a no-brainer to say this is by far the Wii’s best visual effort, best audio effort, and shows just how far this tiny white box can be pushed. The game’s graphics at points look very next-gen and look just as good as some of the games we see on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3; something I was not expecting. Even though there is some blur we might not be used to seeing in this HD-era (explosions aren’t of the best caliber either), the faraway objects and face modules easily make up for it. Add on a great, BattleStar: Galactica-esque score and its easy to point out just how much of a technical masterpiece this game truly is.
Super Mario Galaxy better be perfect, because it’s going to be sad to see a Mario game not be the flagship title of the Nintendo Wii, or even the best title of the season. Corruption is just that good, and its 20+ hours of engaging campaign play will keep you perfectly content with it being the console’s must have game. Go buy it now, because it’s been what you have been waiting for from the Wii for so long. Retro Studios has made something truly remarkable with the Metroid Prime series, and the way the developer has brought the once retro-only series into the modern age of gaming is truly the most any Metroid fan could ever ask for.
If you’re a Wii owner who’s been waiting for a game game for the Wii, this is what you’ve been waiting for, and for many it will justify the purchase of the system months ago. Bungie, you’ve got quite a challenge ahead of you.
