Review: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)

When the Nintendo Wii's innovative controller was first unveiled, Gamestyle's immediate thought wasn't that of mini-games, tennis racquets and shovels, but of how it would be perfect for a first-person shooter - after all, it's essentially a 3D mouse with an analogue stick plugged into it. It didn't quite happen like that, though; early software was all about mini-games and reaching new audiences, while first-person-shooter efforts missed the mark somewhat. The task has fallen onto Retro Studios with their third and final instalment of the Metroid Prime saga.

It must have been a daunting challenge; not only do they have legions of obsessive Metroid fans demanding the game not stray too far from its 8-bit roots, they've also got starved FPS-lovers wanting it to be Nintendo's answer to Halo. So, what is it? By and large, it's simply a sequel to Metroid Prime 1 and 2 that now spans multiple planets and features free movement and aiming with the Wii pointer. Nothing is radically different; you explore rooms within temples, caves and spaceships, solving environmental puzzles and using your abilities to uncover new routes. The basic design is as beautiful an integration of player and environment as ever; each distinctive room will burn itself into your memory and new suit and weapon upgrades will send you scurrying back to try out your new powers. With the same excellent 3D map in place to guide you, it's just as compelling as it was five years ago.

That Retro Studios have maintained such a high level of artistry is incredible, given that the game now spans multiple planets with their own mythology, style and atmosphere. Distinctive stone golems decorate the ruined halls and ancient machines of Bryyo,  clockwork-like mechanical drones hover around the elegant floating structures of Elysia, and glowing bio-technology lines the walls of... well, see for yourself. Not a single room or area is wasted space; seemingly every little piece of the environment serves a purpose or has a story to tell. Absolutely everything can be scanned and there's reams of logbook entries to lose yourself in. This sort of passive story-telling is a superb way to set the mood and avoids being intrusive.

Which is perhaps why the opening section feels like such a misstep. You find yourself aboard a Galactic Federation ship, having the story hammered into you through dialogue with its crew. You know Retro have taken the FPS leanings too far when you find yourself conversing with space marines! Soon, you're infected with a phazon virus, the story spans a month, and you 'awaken' after being given a new suit to help control your power. It's disjointed story-telling; it doesn't fit well together. Compared to the first game's deserted wreckage, it's clearly an inferior setup. The presence of other 'hunters' doesn't inspire much confidence either, but thankfully this is no DS spin-off; everything after those first couple of hours is pure gold.

Whilst the Wii is no HD powerhouse, it's a capable machine. Corruption shows off its prowess more than any game to date; the detail is rich, the lighting is perfect and the animation is flawlessly smooth. You could spend a long time just gawping at all the flora, fauna and architecture... and keep a constant eye on Samus's reflection in her visor - you'll see why. Detail comes at a price, though: larger rooms and exterior areas take some time to load into memory, so traveling from room to room is impeded by doors that don't open for several seconds - slightly annoying when you're escaping attackers. Then there's the music, which knows its place, quieting down when you're exploring deserted areas and building up when you're attacked. It's mostly techno with an alien vibe, but it suits. There's great ambiance throughout.

The extra freedom afforded by the new control system has resulted in more combat situations cropping up throughout the game. You can aim anywhere on the screen (the cursor isn't fixed) or use the standard lock-on to keep track of an enemy target. It's not perfect and Gamestyle had to tweak the control setup to get something responsive but steady (there are three sensitivity options and a toggle for centering the cursor onto locked-on foes). Visor switching is done via an on-screen interface and is very efficient.

Although combat has generally been the weakest part of the series, it now feels more involved, incorporating motion control elements to liven it up a bit. Furthermore, Samus's new 'hyper mode' (a result of her corruption) lets her sacrifice energy for firepower, so if a tough enemy or boss is giving you trouble, you can finish the fight quickly with powerful phazon shots. On the standard difficulty level, bosses are no longer the thumb-numbing damage-sponges they were in 1 and 2, but they're still engaging, take on multiple forms and have weaknesses to be exploited.

Much like 'Achievements' on the Xbox360, you're awarded special tokens for completing certain objectives or killing a number of enemies. These can be used to unlock bonuses in the way of gallery artwork, music or special features like pimping out Samus's ship with bumper stickers and a Mii bobblehead on the dashboard (we kid you not!). Unfortunately, the good stuff requires friend vouchers - in other words, people on your Wii friends list with Metroid Prime 3 need to collect vouchers and send them to you to be claimed as proper tokens. This is the only online feature of the game, and it seems a bit cynical. Regardless, the screenshot tool is a nice addition.

Metroid Prime 3 isn't quite as good as the previous games and it still makes some of the same mistakes as its predecessors (respawning enemies that take too long to kill, a last minute 'fetch quest' before the end of the game). It doesn't have the single cohesive world of Prime 1, nor the clever fourth dimension of Prime 2, but it does make some general improvements. For instance, the weapons now stack so you don't have to keep changing beams, and obviously the controls are more flexible. Most of the upgrades are for your beam weapon or gunship, but the grapple gets some improvements too and is great to use in combat. Further, many of the control panels and terminals in the game require you to twist or pull the remote to interact with them, which is a nice touch.

Ultimately, it is still Metroid Prime, with most of the strengths intact - a brilliant 3D world with impeccable design, attention to detail and amazing production values. For all the little faults you could level at it, it's one of the best games available for the Wii.

Rating: 8 / 10

Words by Daniel James