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I recently expressed great joy in being lucky enough to receive a copy of the Metroid Prime/Metroid Prime 2 bonus that is now included with Gamecubes across the nation. I am back to give you my thoughts about the newest game in the Metroid franchise. Unfortunately as a child I didn’t spend much time with Metroid. For some reason the game didn’t appeal to me and seemed to be quite difficult so I passed on it. When Metroid Prime came out for the GC I didn’t have one and despite Pickle’s incessant ranting and raving about how good the game was I never picked it up. Here we are on the verge of the second release and I am about to start it. Regardless, my lack of experience with the franchise has no bearing on the promise that this game shows.

[tableleft]In Echoes you take Samus on a journey on the planet of Aether. Samus is investigating an abandoned Federation ship when an electrical aberration in the atmosphere renders her ship incapacitated. After a crash landing she is attacked by a group of dark creatures known as the Ing Horde. Soon after Samus realizes that the planet has been dimensionally doubled. One portion exists in light and the other in darkness. The Luminoth are the peaceful people of the light who are slowly being killed off by the Ing Horde. In addition to the terrible Ing Horde, Samus finds that a dangerous dark creature is on the loose on the planet and it is growing more lethal as time goes on.[/tableleft][tableright][img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/previews/mp2echoes/ss01_thumb.jpg[/img][/tableright]

The things you loved about the original Metroid Prime are back and with them are a few new things. The most drastic change is the addition of a multiplayer mode which allows 4 players to battle it out in standard death match games. No word yet on whether or not the game will make use of the broadband adapter and allow LAN style play similar to what Mario Kart: Double Dash does. Power-ups such as the Space Jump and Grapple Beam are back and bring with them Dark and Light Beams which make use of a all-new ammo system. There are also plenty of other beam weapons, visors, bombs, missiles and suit upgrades.

[tableleft][img]http://www.snackbar-games.com/images/previews/mp2echoes/ss05_thumb.jpg[/img][/tableleft][tableright]I am fully aware that Metroid Prime was never considered a FPS and its control layout is very indicative of this, but I this is the 3rd time I have given a run at this game and its control scheme and I still just can’t get it down. I am sure if I started playing through the original game that I would eventually get it down, but goodness. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the layout of the controls, but rather that it is unique and hard for me to memorize. This is not something I considered a flaw in the first game, but it did help keep me from playing it.[/tableright]

We are almost 2 months away from release of Echoes and I expect more details about the game to be released as we enter the home stretch. Nintendo needs Echoes to do well and with the acclaim that the first game received I don’t think that will be a problem. I can’t say for sure if I will be handling the review of this one or not, but as always we will have thoughts about this game when it hits retail stores near you.