Publisher: Nintendo
Ages: teens
Parental
Advisory:
Shooter violence
For those who loved Metroid Prime (Daytrum Review), Nintendo again delivers a superb first-person shooter in Metroid Prime 2 Echoes. The title is an immensely entertaining game that features new items, capabilities and settings and even offers multi-player games. Who says that sequels can't be as good as the originals that inspire them?
It seems that the Galactic Federation Trooper Squad Bravo turns up missing, and their final transmission is a distress call. It's time to bring in Samus Aran, the notable bounty hunter, to locate the squad. But what begins as a simple search and rescue turns into, no surprise here, nothing less than a quest to save a world that's caught between the dimensions of light and darkness. As in past games, the title effectively conveys an eerie solitude as players become Samus, who is on a lonely pursuit in a treacherous alien world.
As before, players see through eyes of Samus-viewing readouts on her heads-up displays and relying on various scan visors to search areas for clues. Those who played the last version of the game will feel right at home.
The game features new beam weapons to fight the enemy, solve puzzles and open doors as well as new suits. Of note to the game's fans, the famous screw attack from earlier Metroid games is back. While some weapons from the previous game were omitted, the new weapons often tie into the game's new dark and light theme.
Despite the solitary nature of Metroid games, for the first time, up to four may battle each other-searching for weapons, grappling across ceilings and turning into Morph Balls. Multi-play is a decent addition, but in this game, single-play is the activity of choice.
The visuals are superb and the game features varied and detailed environments as well as well-rendered characters. The game is a shooter so it features violent action. It's not for the kids.
While Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is a first-person shooter, its thoughtful pacing and emphasis on exploration make it refreshingly different. Some gamers may find Metroid Prime 2 to be too serene for a shooter, but it's a worthy game that delivers an entertaining experience.
12/14/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
