Overview:

In what would be the start of a series of games and Samus’s first outing in a 3D adventure and, not to mention, a shift into the first person perspective, Metroid Prime brings back the legendary bounty hunter to a new audience.  You will traverse the world of Tallon IV as you try to get to the bottom of why the race of the Chozo was wiped out by a meteor.  Along the way you’ll get new powerups and weapons to help you progress through the world.  In the end you’ll come face to face with the titular metroids who corrupt the enemies to make them even more formidable.  This is also set in between the events of Metroid and Metroid II.

Visuals:

As I stated before, Metroid Prime is a shift to the first person perspective but unlike other games of the genre this is an actual perspective from the eyes of Samus.  Every now and then you will see effects that show a reflection of your face behind the glass.  Condensation will build up when you go through steam vents and, sometimes, your view will become scrambled due to some enemies.  The game is gorgeous for the time with the world looking immensely detailed and varied with the enemies reflecting these biomes.  No two zones look identical.

Audio:

Even the music and sound effects of this game are super unique.  You don’t get the typical music you would get of this era but instead you get what seems like digital jazz.  The songs are reinterpretations of the traditional music but they seem to fit the worlds they inhabit.  Of note is the Space Pirates theme which pops up all the time when they appear and it is a banger.  Some other little cool aspects is, like the visuals, you’ll hear Samus grunt, groan, and scream when she experiences damage.  It’s really immersive.

Completion:

I FINISHED THIS GAME!  Back on December 12, 2004, a little over two years after the game was released, I beat the game with 91% completion.  It was really an awesome experience and was nothing like we had seen at the time.  It really stands to reason how much of an impact the game has had on UI design where a lot of the shooters released after use the same type of first person perspective in which you are actually seeing from their eyes.  After over 20 years I can really say I love everything about this game.  The music, visuals, and the tone.  It’s no wonder the prime franchise endures well after two decades.