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Metroid Prime
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Game
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Released
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Metroid Prime is a first-person action adventure developed by Retro Studios and first released for Nintendo GameCube in 2002. Players control bounty hunter Samas Aran, who is on a mission to stop evil Space Pirates taking over the universe. It was the first 3D entry in the Metroid series and has been acclaimed as an all-time classic.
Development and pre-release
Development of Metroid Prime was a collaboration between Retro Studios, a US-based Nintendo subsidiary, and Nintendo's Japanese employees. The project was initiated in 2000 by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto during a visit to Retro's offices to review the studio's four projects, all of which were stumbling and would eventually be canceled. Producer Kensuke Tanabe told IGN, "all of a sudden, Mr. Miyamoto said, 'How about Metroid?' So that was Mr. Miyamoto's idea to have Retro focus solely on Metroid. As I remember, one of the four titles that I mentioned was a first-person shooter project and Mr. Miyamoto thought we could use the game engine from that."
Gameplay
Metroid Prime is a 3D first-person adventure game with third-person elements, in which players control bounty hunter Samus Aran on her mission to defeat evil space pirates on the planet Tallon IV. Samus wears a suit that allows her to morph into a ball to navigate small tunnels and tracks, use bombs to open new pathways, and scan her surroundings for new information using her scan visor. Samus can also discover additional suits that provide new capabilities, and weapons such as the Wave Beam and Freeze Beam.
Story and concept details
Metroid Prime's story takes place shortly after the events in the original Metroid, in which bounty hunter Samus Aran traveled to the Planet Zebes to stop Space Pirates from using the Metroid, a powerful alien race that can be exploited as a bioweapon. to control the galaxy. In Prime, Samus learns of a new Space Pirate base in orbit around the planet Tallon IV and sets out to single-handedly stop them from using another lethal biotechnology, called Phazon, for evil.
Publishing
The Nintendo Switch version of the game, Metroid Prime Remastered, was announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation on 8th February, 2023 and launched digitally the same day. A physical release followed on 3rd March.
Metroid Prime first released on 19th November, 2002 in North America and was published by Nintendo. European and Japanese releases followed in early 2003.
Metroid Prime was ported to Nintendo Wii as part of Metroid Prime Trilogy, a single-disc compilation of the first three games in the series that released in 2009. The Wii version added widescreen support, motion controls with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and an achievements system that allows players to unlock music and artwork. Metroid Prime Trilogy was also made available digitally on the Nintendo Wii U eShop in 2015.
Graphics and art design
On Nintendo Switch, Metroid Prime Remastered's graphics have a resolution 1600 x 900 (900p) when the console is docked. In handheld mode the resolution drops to 1066 x 600. The game runs at a consistent 60 frames per second.
The original Gamecube version of Metroid Prime runs at 480p resolution, with a 4:3 (non-widescreen) aspect ratio, and a consistent frame rate of 60 frames per second.
The Nintendo Wii version of Metroid Prime added 16:9 widescreen support not present in the Gamecube version.
Sound and music
Metroid Prime's music was composed by series regular Kenji Yamamoto. Recalling the scoring process, audio director Clark Wen said: "I don't think we ever told him that we didn't like anything that he delivered... everything was really strong out of the gate".
Sales and cultural impact
Metroid Prime sold 2.84 million copies on Gamecube, according to 2014 Nintendo’s own sales data.
Critics highly praised Metroid Prime on Gamecube. Gamespot named it "the best GameCube game to date", while IGN called it "unquestionably a must-have masterpiece." The title won Game of the Year at the 3rd Annual Game Developers Choice Awards.
Reviews for Metroid Prime Remastered on Nintendo Switch praised the enhanced visuals and how well the game holds up 20 years after its original release. Eurogamer called the remaster a "a sublime reworking of a stone-cold classic", while IGN described it as "a perfect example of how to both honor a lauded classic and bring it up to code." On Metacritic the release's metascore was 94, denoting "universal acclaim."
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