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Wii | Action | Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Boxart for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption 34 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.50
  • SOUND: 4.00
  • CONTROL: 4.00
  • FUN FACTOR 4.25
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.5
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.4

Review: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Review by Dave Rudden | 08/27/2007 | 20:45:51 PM PST

Get Your Hands on Samus

The driving force behind many of the game's changes is the new control scheme, which works quite well, due in no small part to Retro's decision to offer a high level of customization. Unlike previous Primes, which had set schemes that flew against FPS genre conventions, Corruption allows you to tweak the Wii remote's aim sensitivity, engage or disengage the lock-on shooting that turned a few folks off the GameCube titles, and switch around a few of the button-based commands.

When put into practice, the Wii's control scheme has its benefits and drawbacks. Motion-based actions like using the grapple beam to pull levers and yank enemy shields or tilting and pushing in with the Wii Remote to open doors gives the player a refreshing sense of interactivity.

While the aiming takes awhile to get used to, once you find your desired level of sensitivity, you'll find that it almost matches the buttery-smooth movement of the GameCube games. Note that I said almost, as it doesn't quite live up to the past installments' standard; still, it's a vast improvement over past Wii FPS games that have vastly underperformed.

While Samus still has her traditional suite of weaponry at her beck and call (not at first though, since she always seems to lose her powers for some unknown reason between games), the game takes a unique methodology to minimize weapon switching, which was easier on the more button-intensive GameCube controller. Basically, any new item (like Ice Missles or Plasma Beam) adds its new properties to your beam or missile weapon without taking previous ones away, so you can be assured that you won't have to dive through menus to find the weapon that will open the door in front of you.

Then there's the Phazon--the substance "corrupting" Samus--which adds a neat layer to the tried and true combat of the Prime series. By sacrificing one of her energy cells (100 units of energy), Samus can enter Hyper Mode. During Hyper Mode, Samus' arm cannon and Morph Ball can emit large amount of Phazon, dealing out far more damage than her standard issue artillery. Stay in Hyper Mode too long, and you run the risk of having the Phazon overtake her body and end your game. You constantly have to keep tabs with Hyper Mode. Do you have the energy cells to spare? Are you in danger of becoming corrupted? Retro Studios did a fine job implementing the Phazon element so that it's vital to your success but not an over-utilized uber-weapon.

You'll find yourself making much more use of the vast weapon selection this time around. Unlike previous titles, exploration has now been put on the back-burner in lieu of action. That might not sound like a bad thing, but there were far too many forced encounters for my liking; occasions where you enter a room only to be locked in with easily-dispatched enemies feel like superfluous attempts to extend the action.

More often than not, these events broke the puzzle-solving flow that the Metroid series is known for. Exacerbating the issue are the boss battles, which were well designed and compelling; this made the ordinary scuffles with lesser cronies seem that much weaker and more contrived.


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