More than just a re-release.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Three absolutely classic games for the price of one with an amazing new control scheme

Cons: Discontinued in North America.  Prices already climbing.

The Bottom Line: 

Buy one to play, Buy one to keep wrapped to sell.  Search Ebay for Kilrathi Saga and you'll know what I mean

Author's Review
The media industry sure loves it's re-releases.

Look in any video store and you'll see walls of different DVD versions, your double and triple feature packs.  Your special editions, special collectors editions, directors editions and collectors directors special editions. 

From Blizzards "battle chests", Valve's "Orange Box" , Bungies special "Halo" versions and the countless special Gamestop exclusive versions of games with unique "content", the video game industry is not immune.

It seems everyone is interested in re-cycling and re-release the same old content in brand new shiny packaging, and expecting us, the consumer, to be gullible enough to pay for the same thing twice.

With such hyperbole, it's very easy to see why some of us may ignore the hype and run the risk on losing out on something special.

Such is the case with Metroid Prime Trilogy.  If you don't pick this up, and soon, you will miss out.

Metroid Prime 3 Corruption for the Wii was released in 2007 and was a fantastic and absolutely immersive game.  So much so, I purchaed the original Metroid Prime and a Memory Card for the GameCube from the bargain bin at Gamestop and that lasted all of 10 minutes.

After experiencing the joys of playing Metroid with the Wii controller, I just hated the controller scheme on the GameCube version and couldn't get into the game.  Soon Metroid Prime fell off the back of my bookshelf and faded into memory.  I had never bothered to buy Metroid 2.  All the game reviewers were telling me I was missing out on two of the best games, not just for the GameCube, but in all of gaming.  But if I couldn't control them, I wasn't going to play them.

Fast forward three years.

Feb 2010:  After finally getting my Wii repaired, it was time to look for a new game.  I was really in the mood to replay some Metroid Prime 3 but alas, my daughter had lent it out and I was bummed.

I went to Wal-Mart and saw Metroid Prime Trilogy for 49.95.

"Oh Great" I thought... "Now Nintendo is in the whole recylcle old content game". 

I mean really?  Metroid Prime 1 and 2 were Gamecube games and since the Wii is 100% GameCube compatible, I thought they simply put in Metroid 3 in a new metal box and tacked on two Gamecube disks and made a "bundle".

I'm happy to report how very wrong I was.

First of all, let me let you know that all three games are on a single disk.  Not a GameCube disk to be found.  Nor do you save your data on GameCube Memory Sticks.

So in the theme of some of my other reviews here, lets look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly on this monumental release.

The Good:  This is not simply a bundle.  Metroid 1 and 2 have been revamped with some new textures and adhere to the same reward system that was introduced in the Wii version.  As a result, the whole experience is more seamles.  Also, some of the user complaints about Metroid 2's difficulty has been addressed, making some of the boss battles a little less controller tossing.  The Wii may come with a wrist strap, but after trying for the umpteenth time to defeat a particular boss, you may find yourself heaving the controller intentionally at the screen.  Nintendo feels your pain and as such has slightly toned down the difficulty for Metroid 2, and it's a welcome change in this reviewers eyes.

Another welcome change is the addition of 16x9 presentation of the first two games to support all of us widescreen users. 

Add in a real metal case and a cool little "metroid" history pamphlet with concept art and you get the idea this is not just a cheapo repackage job.

What is truly amazing though, is just how good the original looks.  Some texture tweaks and light blooms have been added but the 2002 original has not changed significantly for this version and still looks absolutely fantastic on the Wii.  When you come out of the water, you'll see the water streaming off your visor.  When going behind water falls, you'll see drops appear momentarily.  If you are close to an explosion you'll see you're own reflection in the visor.  These little graphics enhancements really add to the level of immersion of the game.  Despite being what is basically an 8 year old game, Metroid Prime is still one of the best looking games available for the Wii.  A true testament to the quality of work done by Retro studios on the original.

But the piece de resistance, in my eyes, is the implementation of the Wii control scheme for the first two games.  No need to bring out my GameCube controller, no need to place my thumbs in splints, no frustrating button mashing.  Moving and controlling Samus is intuitive and seamless.  So much so that it quickly becomes second nature. 

Instead of focusing on the controls, you can focus on the game and this just completely helps you become immersed in the wonderful world that Retro Studios made.

This is the way to play Metroid, no doubt about it.  I'm sure some Metroid fans may disagree, but there is absolutely no one who've I've talked to that didn't preface their comments on the original game controls with the phrase "Once you get used to them.....".

No need to say that now.....  If you played Metroid 3, there is no learning curve.  If you haven't.....the learning curve is really shallow.   The only change to the default control scheme I recommend is to swap the jump and fire buttons.  By default the fire button is button A and located on top of the controller, where jumping is controlled by the B trigger.  Come on,  it's just more natural to shoot with your trigger finger, and luckily someone at Retro Studios thinks so too or else it wouldn't have been an option.  I just don't know why it wasn't set as the default mapping.  I also recommend you use the "advanced" setting for sensitivity as it is the most responsive.

This seamingly minor change is worth buying the package even if you already own Metroid 3.  The chance to play Metroid 1 and 2 with Wii controls is worth every penny of the asking price alone. 


The Bad:  Not much to say here.  

Some Wii owners have complained that the disk is unreadable on their Wii's because it is a dual layered disk and any smuge will render the disk useless.  I have not run into this.  But you can tell the Wii is really working at this game because there is quite a bit of drive thrashing during initial load that I have never experienced on other games.  I'm actually thinking of getting a backup copy before it's too late.....More on that later....

The lack of an online multiplayer component is a bit disappointing.  The original Metroid 2 multiplayer is available, but is in 4:3 format and although split screen multiplayer is fun it can be confusing with up to 4 screens showing different data.   Some sort of Wii-Connect Metroid multiplayer would have been absolutely fantastic, since the control scheme for Metroid has been the one of the most sucessfully implemented of all FPS games for the Wii. 

I would have also liked the little concept art pamphlet to be a bit larger.  This small little booklet is absolutely crammed to the gills with information, and as a result, is written in such small print that it would make any lawyer proud.

Now granted, I'm in my mid 40's and have to have reading glasses, but even with glasses, this pamphlet was almost impossible to read.  And I surely wasn't going to have my 12 year old son read it to me...

Come on Nintendo, really?  I've seen small print before, but this is ridiculous..

The Ugly:  There is no Ugly....Except some of the Bosses you encounter are pretty hideous looking in their own right. 

Metroid Prime 3 corruption has been reviewed as the "weakest" of the three and still managed a 90% rating based on 62 reviews from Metacritic.   90%!!! AVERAGE...... for the WEAKEST of the three.  Metroid 2 has a 92% rating based on 60 Reviews, and the original Metroid garners an un-freakin-believable 97% rating based on 69 reviews.

I mean this is not a package with a "good" game and a couple of clunkers thrown in to the mix.  This isn't even a package of "great" games.

This is a package of absolutely "Classic" "Critic's Choice" "Game of the Year" level games, and they are brilliant on the Wii.

Each game has about 20 to 30 hours of gameplay so you're looking at between 60 and 90 hours of gameplay for 49.95.  Not a better value to be found.

The only real downer is the recent announcement that this title has been discontinued in North America by Nintendo so what's out there, is out there.  I don't know if big "N" is planning on re-releasing Prime 1 and Prime 2 separately, like they initially did in Japan, but I'm not taking the risk.

I'm heading out to my local store and snarfing up a copy to keep in shrink wrap and sitting on it for 18 months and then placing it on Ebay to the highest bidder....

In short, if you are still reading this, you've missed the point of the whole review.  Get this game, however you can, go now..... Stop reading.....Really, what are you still doing here.......Go......I mean it........Go..............You're not gone yet?.......Ok then......Be sure to bid on my auction................