πŸ€” How many Breakout variants are there? (answer)

Metroid Prime

Moby ID: 7783
GameCube Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 8/15 2:49 PM )

Description official descriptions

Long ago, a bird-like race of creatures (called the Chozo) became extremely advanced technologically, but due to increasing violence in the universe, they began to hide and live more simple lives. The planet Tallon IV was the site of one of their colonies. Years later, a meteor crashed on Tallon IV releasing the strange element Phazon into the planet. Phazon poisoned anything it came in contact with, causing the plant and animal life to either die or mutate into a hideous form.

The Chozo tried to control the power of Phazon but failed. Before abandoning the planet, they were able to cover the impact crater with a temple and seal Phazon into the planet's core. Now space pirates have discovered Tallon IV, moving in to study Phazon and harnessing its power. They have also begun rebuilding their fortress on planet Zebes and reviving the Mother Brain, Ridley, and Kraid, all of whom were destroyed by Samus Aran. However, Samus has tracked the space pirates to Tallon IV and must now enter the planet to destroy them once and for all before they have a chance to rebuild their destructive forces...

Metroid Prime is a change from the platform-adventuring series, entering the first-person shooter genre for the first time. Players are now behind Samus Aran's visor and must use all their resources to investigate the pirate infestation of Tallon IV. Players can use Samus's beam, with missile and charge capabilities. Along the way, they must recover the bounty hunter's lost abilities like the morph ball and grapple beam, which allow them to reach unexplored areas of Tallon IV. Players must piece together the story of the fallen Chozo to figure out what has happened to the poisoned planet and prevent the pirates from using the Phazon to wreak havoc throughout the planets.

Spellings

  • γƒ‘γƒˆγƒ­γ‚€γƒ‰γƒ—γƒ©γ‚€γƒ  - Japanese spelling
  • ι“Άζ²³ζˆ˜ε£« - Chinese spelling (simplified)
  • λ©”νŠΈλ‘œμ΄λ“œ ν”„λΌμž„ - Korean spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Videos

See any errors or missing info for this game?

You can submit a correction, contribute trivia, add to a game group, add a related site or alternate title.

Credits (GameCube version)

123 People (101 developers, 22 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 96% (based on 94 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.2 out of 5 (based on 235 ratings with 16 reviews)

The first-person fans' dream come true..

The Good
well... Coming at this game from liking lots of various types of games ranging from platform, RPG, shoot em ups etc.. I didn't quite know what to expect from this game, or the GAMECUBE itself for that matter!! I had this game free with my Cube console and always wondered exactly what the whole METROID thing is about (being a Sega mega-drive/genesis owner, I didn't play super metroid on the Nintendo.. or even care about it!)

YOU MUST CARE! OK, If you want your game time to be graced with amazing gameplay then yeah, you care! There are lots of games out there, LOTS of which are just mindless (if you have ever played Men in Black 2 then you'll understand) shooting games too! The thing is, If you like shooting things, but, also like exploring and to have your game push your consoles power then your looking at the right choice.

I didn't quite know what to expect about this game. Mostly I thought this would of been just another first-person blaster. I was wrong.. again! Playing the first hour of it was just a simple way of getting you into the style of the game, then, you have to earn all your attributes to proceed through the vast world it has for you. The whole game is very well presented, very, very smooth and THE MOST AMAZING PART is that there is minimal loading times (you DO NOT get a loading bar or fancy loading screen or OPENING RESIDENT EVIL DOOR LOADING SCREEN! which is fantastic because you are constantly enveloped in its atmosphere) This game is a brilliant first-person shooter, always constantly giving you something new to achieve.

The Bad
There are a few disappointments.. Although, I never really complained until I completed it. Its nothing like the other metroid games (I personally don't think its better than or worse than, its a new type of game with the metroid name) The soundtrack is fun and atmospheric to start off, but then.. once you have played the same area for about an hour (being stuck) then it can get a bit annoying. But I actually quite liked the overall sound of it! Combining old style metroid soundtrack to a new metroid is an iffy subject because you can create a whole new atmosphere with new music (but i think the developers wanted to please fans of metroid as much as they can by sticking the other parts of this to its original form) Apart from that though the ONLY other bad point is that once you have completed it, the best extra bits you earn can only be earned if you have metroid fusion and a Gameboy Advance! Which costs alot if you add them up. And alot of money for just an old port over of the first metroid and a new outfit!

The Bottom Line
This game will probably take up a wonderful 17 hours of your life trying to achieve 100% glory and seeing the different endings and its a very well made product! Really smooth and the engine is spot on! Ever wondered what metroid is like in 3D? then you are in for a treat here. Also, if you want to own one of THE best games that has ever been developed then please, trust me, and get this on there!! This game is out on PLAYERS CHOICE now, which means its, like, HALF the price it used to be! Pick it up pre-owned somewhere and your in for the bargain of the year by far!

GameCube · by MrBee (28) · 2004

An epic adventure that helped me understand the genre

The Good
Metroid Prime sure is a Metroid game, just a different kind of one. It definitely helped me to understand the series as a whole. I'd definitely recommend this game as everyone's first Metroid game to try - it isn't as hard as the previous games and is interesting all the way.

The controls are great. Even if, in FPSes, I can't really hit anything without a mouse and keyboard, the controls were never a problem for me. The controls emphasize strategy rather than reflexes - the point is to know how to blast the creatures away, to try to hit things.

The graphics are some of the best I've ever seen. Everything looks great. Lots of attention to details. I especially liked the various weather effects and visor effects (the face reflection spooked the heck out of me the first time I saw it).

The music is also pretty good. I didn't like it at first, but after you get to the planet and do some major moves, the music in general changes to something indescribably great.

There's some great pacing. As I say below, only the bosses were demotivating, every other challenge in the game seems just right.

I also found the game pretty good plot/narration-wise - the approach of collecting scraps of information on what really happened is a good idea.

The Bad
There was just one thing that I really didn't like about: The boss fights were, shall we say, demotivating. They weren't impossible, but they were just, at first, humiliatingly difficult. And by "humiliating", I mean "embarrassing enough not to make me touch the thing for weeks". Of course, once I did beat, say, Flaahgra and Thardus, and even the last boss without getting completely clobbered in the first phase... well, let's just say that the joy of victory was even higher then.

A smaller point I didn't like was that 100% scan completion requires some extremely sharp wits - If you miss some enemies at certain point of game, you can say goodbye to the 100% scan rate. Okay, it isn't really relevant, since it only gives you certain off-game bonuses, but still...

And this is probably the first game ever where I've had moral or ethical problems (as in "I can't kill that, it's too cute!")...

The Bottom Line
I don't really like first-person shooters, but I do love it when people grab their first-person shooter engines and do something completely different with them. I loved mysteriously creative Quake mods. I loved Deus Ex.

So, it wasn't really unexpected that I liked Metroid Prime. The one big thing about FPSes that I dislike is that you've always got to be either running or sneaking or dying. Metroid Prime, then, is sometimes about running and sneaking. It isn't that often about dying, though that tends to happen too.

Metroid Prime is about exploration. I hate to throw cliches around, but I think the appropriate one here is "the journey is more important than the destination".

It's about gathering items. It's also about gathering information. It's about seeing great places. It's about finding out what happened. It's about getting things done. It's about, I think, being a hero.

It is an adventure. It works beautifully as an adventure.

I used to think Metroid series was too complex for me, but now, I think I have learned to understand it. And that wasn't easy at first. Now, I think, I do know what this all is about.

Of all games I've bought for GameCube, I thought this was the one I'd least likely to beat - but somehow, I did, and I'm definitely one great experience richer now that I have beaten it. And excuse me, now, I'll get back playing Metroid Prime 2...

GameCube · by WWWWolf (444) · 2004

Game of the year? More like game of the decade!

The Good
Very seldom can you trust superlatives in a game review. Surely, you can't believe that Metroid Prime is so incredibly good that it's possibly the finest game ever made for any system. I was skeptical, too. Well, believe it, because Metroid Prime is quite simply a modern-day masterpiece. The graphics are astounding, and the level design is pure genius. There are a great deal of clever tricks to be performed, and a nice array of secret areas. And for those (like me) who were skeptical of the transition to 3D, be assured that the game doesn't lose any of that classic Metroid gameplay, and in fact gains something in the addition of the third dimension. After playing Prime, you'll swear the series was born to be in 3D. Topping off all the goodness is the polish of the game. Retro Studios went the extra mile to add a bunch of subtle effects that add to the atmosphere, making this one of the most immersive games ever.

The Bad
There's not much to dislike, but if I had to really stretch, I'd say two things are kind of downers: 1) it's sometimes difficult to aim at enemies way above or below you, and 2) there is a lot of backtracking. These complaints are minor as 1) the battles are easy and 2) there is so much eye candy and new areas to explore that backtracking hardly seems like a chore.

The Bottom Line
This is classic 2D Metroid brought into the third dimension. It's amazing, it's detailed, it's exciting, and it's a very lengthy adventure. This is an absolute must-have.

GameCube · by Brian Benway (2) · 2002

[ View all 16 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The GameCube version of Metroid Prime appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Development

Nintendo gave the development of Metroid Prime to the U.S. based Retro Studios in part due to the fact that the Metroid series, while being incredibly popular in the United States, has never sold as well in Japan.

Retro Studios also worked on a role-playing game for GameCube called Raven Blade of which a video was shown during E3 2001. However, in late 2001, it was announced that the game was canceled by Nintendo so that focus would be more on Metroid Prime. As a result, an unspecified amount of workers were laid off.

Manual

The manual has an amusing problem. Like in many of the Nintendo manuals, there is a lined page for the player's own notes, but the page has light lines on a very dark background. This makes most pen marks practically invisible, so the page is almost useless for its intended purpose (this applies to the Finnish/Swedish original release manual, at least).

Metroid Fusion

After finishing Metroid Fusion on the GBA, and linking up to a GameCube: * A new suit will be available * It will be possible to play the original Metroid on the GameCube

References

Kraid, from Metroid, was originally intended to make an appearance in Metroid Prime as a boss and was modeled and skinned by Gene Kohler for that purpose. However, time constraints prevented it from being included in the final version of the game. Though the beta version displays him inside Phazon Mines, according to Kohler, he was in fact replaced by the Omega Pirate. Kraid is referenced, however, in Metroid Prime. One of the tanks in the Space Pirate's base suggests that one of the Pirate's experiments is to recreate the creature. Body parts in the vat appear to be Kraid's. Of note is the head, since it appears to be covered by a metal dome in the picture.

Screw Attack

While many of Samus' signature moves are present in Metroid Prime, the infamous screw attack is strangely missing. Fans speculate that this is due to difficulties meshing it with the first-person perspective of the game. The screw attack does appear in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2003 – Best Console Action Game of the Year (GameCube)
  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • February 2006 (Issue #200) - #52 in the "Greatest Games of Their Time" list
  • GameSpy
    • 2002 – Game of the Year
    • 2002 – GameCube Game of the Year
    • 2002 – GameCube Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
    • 2002 – Best Music of the Year (GameCube)
  • Golden Joystick Awards

Information also contributed by ~~, Mark Ennis, Steve Thompson, Tiago Jacques, and WWWWolf .

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Released 2004 on GameCube, 2009 on Wii
Metroid Prime Pinball
Released 2005 on Nintendo DS
Metroid Prime: Remastered
Released 2023 on Nintendo Switch
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Released 2016 on Nintendo 3DS
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Released 2007 on Wii
Battle for the Galaxy
Released 2014 on iPad, Android, 2016 on Browser...
Galaxy Squad
Released 2019 on Windows, Xbox Series, Xbox One...
Milky Way Map
Released 2018 on Windows
MX-151
Released 1987 on Apple II

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 7783
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Servo.

Wii added by gamewarrior.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Guy Chapman, gamewarrior, Big John WV, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, piltdown_man, Rik Hideto, FatherJack.

Game added November 20, 2002. Last modified May 29, 2024.