Nerd Mentality

Wii REVIEW: Metroid Prime Trilogy

Posted August 24th 2009 by J Edison Thomas.

Nintendo is no stranger to re-packaging existing software for a new generation of hardware, or gamers. The Virtual Console itself is a testament to the enduring power of Nintendo's brands to sell decades after their initial release. When it comes to games that are still well within their sell-by dates, it turns out Wii's motion control provides ample excuse to re-brand and resell GameCube hits. But that begs the question: dropping a few bucks to consolidate your favorite classics on the Wii is one thing, but is it worth re-buying GameCube games you can already play on the Wii? When it comes to something like Metroid Prime Trilogy, which packages the GameCube hits Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes with the recent Wii title Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, is the motion control worth the re-buy? Is it even worth a purchase if you've never played the Prime series at all? These are the questions I've struggled – and still struggle – to answer in playing through Metroid Prime Trilogy on the Wii.

I come at this question from a unique perspective between Prime fan and Prime newbie; I played the original Metroid Prime on GameCube and Corruption on Wii, but missed Echoes (due to lack of interest). Coupled with this, my Wii broke many months ago and was only recently repaired, so my reunion with the Metroid Prime series has also been a reunion with the Remote + Nunchuk setup. Does this make me uniquely qualified to judge the value of motion control added to GameCube games? Almost certainly. And the verdict is: it's a pretty sweet setup.

Specifically, the comparison to the GameCube is what makes Trilogy's control feel so advanced. On the Cube, Samus used the "tank" style control system – you could move around in the direction you were facing, aiming straight ahead, or you could use the R-trigger to stop and aim around. The only other way to hit enemies that were above or below your point of vision was to use the L-trigger to lock onto them. This meant that in combat, where you couldn't really afford to stand still, you were completely dependent on the lock-on feature to center your focus on enemies. It's a setup that compares unfavorably even to relics like Goldeneye and it effectively nullified the idea of aiming precision, which is basically the whole thrill of first person shooters. Trilogy's Remote + Nunchuk scheme, translated perfectly from its use in Corruption, allows the player to look around with the Remote pointed at the screen, while the control stick handles the footwork. Locking onto an enemy centers Samus' movement around the enemy, but the aiming remains independent.  This gives the player more control of shootouts, making them feel less like a chore. It also allows the player to look around a a location while traversing through it – easily as important in a game with heavier emphasis on immersive environments than tactical gunplay.

The major takeaway from the control system is that the Wii's sparse button allotment makes button-heavy games like this feel remarkably unintuitive. Nothing is terribly awkward, but in a weird way it feels like you're playing a game that was made for a different system, kind of like playing Nintendo 64 games with a GameCube controller. Out of the seven buttons on the Remote used in the game, only three are in your immediate range (the A button, B-trigger, and D-pad). Reaching your thumb down to the plus and minus buttons to change beams and visors – or the 1 and 2 buttons to check the map or Research files – isn't physically uncomfortable, but it fails to become second nature the way traditional controller input does. The Remote's broad versatility comes at the cost of ergonomics, and this is an area where the melt-in-your-hands GameCube controller still has a clear advantage.

All the same, I enjoy Wii's controller setup for possibly ironic reasons. While Nintendo's advertising campaign positions the Wii as a more "active" alternative in gaming, button-heavy single player games like these feel even more lazy when played on the system. Something about having half the controller in one hand and half in the other allows me to sprawl out on a couch the same way I would if I were doing absolutely nothing. No hooked claws gripping my controller, just one hand dead at my side with the Nunchuk, the other on my lap angling the Remote at the screen. I could probably fall asleep while doing this. It's like a new level of passivity that is only heightened by a game like Metroid Prime, which, if I may step on toes, is an extremely sedentary experience to begin with.

Maybe it's the silence, or the lack of plot hooks, or the constant back-and-forth map trekking, but the Prime titles barely even feel like games to me. They're games in the way that "Sounds of the Ocean" is music. There's very little that's exciting or even fun in these games, but there's very little that's obnoxious about them, either. They look beautiful, they're not frustratingly difficult or stupidly easy, and the soft techno beats are so tempered, it's like an electronic breeze passing through digital trees branches. I'm almost annoyed when a Space Pirate ambush or boss battle breaks up the relaxing ambiance, because combat isn't handled particularly well in any of the games and I'd rather just wander around looking at cool stuff and shooting lasers at little bugs that can't hurt me.  It's not that combat is a chore in the games, it's just that the rest of the game feels like art and shooting enemies feels more like a mediocre shooter.

It took me awhile to realize this, and I used to consider the Prime games to be neutered, borderline-retarded first person shooters on Valium. But then I realized, in spite of everything that seems diametrically opposed to what makes FPS games fun, that I still like playing these games.  I had to admit that Nintendo wasn't just blowing smoke; these are first person adventure games. The emphasis on exploration and finding clues to get through such-and-such an obstacle is practically all-encompassing. To be honest, these are usually my least favorite part of any game, and I always feel kind of anxious and frustrated about the possibility that I'm not going to find the solution without checking GameFAQs. The difference is, in most games, these roadblocks prevent me from advancing the story, or fighting more enemies, or gathering cool new items.  In the Prime series, with its low-key storytelling, monotonous combat, and redundant items, there's not really much pressure to get past the obstacle of the moment. 

To put all my cards on the table, I'm not the world's biggest Metroid Prime fan. I enjoy them for the fantastic scenery and methodical gameplay, but they don't get my heart pumping or seep into my thoughts while I go about my daily business. I enjoy them like a video game equivalent of gardening; they're a beautiful and relaxing way to throw away a few hours.  That said, the Metroid Prime Trilogy isn't terribly tantalizing to me and I hesitate to recommend it to everyone.  It's been called the "best deal in gaming since The Orange Box" and monetarily speaking this probably adds up.  What I wonder is whether getting a lot for a little means as much when it's a lot of the same exact thing.

Let's be honest; the offering here isn't particularly robust. What you get is the convenience of the three Prime games on one disc, with the first two retrofitted with Wii control and widescreen output. There are a few concept sketches and all that developer fluff – the kind of features that may be more or less welcome depending on the customer, but could hardly be cited as a selling point. In fact, this bonus material is only unlockable in the game through an achievement-type system; if it was meant to entice purchases, shouldn't you have access to this stuff as soon as you purchase the game?

To be fair (because I'm never anything but), I'm not sure what really could be added here.  Jamming Corruption's motion-control obstacles (such as using the grapple hook to remove debris or enemy shields) into the old games would be out of place, and especially in the case of the first Prime it would be messing with what many people consider perfection. "Fixing" Echoes' multiplayer and putting it online would be quite an act of fanservice, except that Metroid multiplayer is awful. It's like having a deathmatch with ping pong launchers. The beams move so slowly across a room that the only viable strategy is to get close enough to your opponent that aiming is barely relevant, and then jump around and shoot as much as possible. Cross your fingers, maybe you're the champ.  If I really wanted to fault Nintendo's effort here, I'd say they probably should have included the DS game Metroid Prime: Hunters, maybe even Metroid Prime Pinball. After all, they are Metroid games in the Prime mold, and certainly Hunters would benefit even more than the GameCube titles in an upgraded form of control.  It'd also give more of that cross-system consolidation appeal, since as I said, you can already play GameCube games on the Wii.

Priced equal to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption as a standalone game (for some reason), the Metroid Prime Trilogy is a pretty solid deal for anyone who has missed out on any of the Prime titles. After all, you're getting three games for the price of one, with the convenience of a single disc.  They're all gussied up with Wii controls and it comes in a very nice tin usually reserved for those "special edition" versions of games that cost $10 more on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.  All the same, based on the lack of compelling bonus material, I don't think the motion control alone makes this a must-own for people who've already played through every game in the series. It's strictly a boxed set of your favorite movies, not the Extended Director's Cut or whatever else makes this metaphor work.  To make a long story short, it's definitely worth a purchase for Prime newcomers; as far as a re-purchase goes for the veterans, you might as well wait for the Metroid Ultimate Collection five years down the road on the Wii's successor.

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Tags: Metroid, metroid prime trilogy, Wii

Posted in: Reviews, Gaming

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