Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Review (no fat)

Game Description

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is the newest game featuring the heroine Samus Arun. Samus, on her way to aid Federation troopers, is forced to make an emergency landing on the planet of Aether. Upon landing, Samus discovers that the troopers were killed by an unknown, powerful enemy.

After encountering a Dark version of herself, Samus’ armor is stripped from her and she must do whatever it takes to get it back. Along the way, Samus’ discovers that Aether is a planet that sits within two dimensions: a Light Dimension populated by the gentle Luminoth and a Dark Dimension populated by the evil Ing. Samus must cross over between these two dimensions to locate her missing armor and to figure out the mystery of Aether and the Dark Samus.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes – Gameplay

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is always plays in the first person mode unless Samus has transformed into a morphball, which requires third person viewing to navigate. Echoes contains an involved storyline but Samus plays it out on her own. There are no allies that join her in battle. First person action adventure games are very player intensive because you must be the eyes and ears of Samus. If you are not quick enough to spot or hear an enemy in the distance, you could end up facing a blast of enemy fire. While a lot of fighting is included in the game, there is also a puzzle aspect. At times, you will have to work your way through various puzzles to progress on or to locate equipment or special areas.

Aether is divided into two worlds, which means that Samus will be going back and forth between them. While crossing into these two worlds, you will often come across chasms or doors that you cannot get across or open. What this means, is that somewhere in the game you will find a weapon/tool that will help you access these locations. So expect to backtrack several times in both sets of worlds to access areas that were previously unavailable for you.

At the start of the game, much like the original Metroid Prime, Samus must hunt down new armor and weapons for her use. You start with your blaster and your morphball capabilities. Echoes features several new weapons, including a Dark weapon and a Light weapon. It is possible to run out of ammo so it is best to use your special weapons only when absolutely necessary. Beyond adding some new gear and two new visor capabilities, everything else is nearly identical to the first game in the series. The movement and camera behavior are still static and the controls are still the same.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Battle System

As a first person action game, the player controls everything from the choice of weapon to what direction the blaster is pointed at. There is a target lock feature, which can be augmented with an armor upgrade, but it is also helpful at times to direct Samus’ weapon on your own, especially for enemies that are off in the distance. Third person view occurs when you initiate Samus’ morphball feature. Starting this compresses Samus into a small ball that can be directed through tight spaces. Using this feature also gives you access to bombs that you can lay to unlock tunnels or attack enemies.

Samus acquires several different weapons throughout the game, some of these weapons require “ammo”. When using the Light and Dark weapons, it is possible to run out of “ammo” (usually in the middle of a difficult fight) and have to track down a refill. If an enemy can be killed with the blaster, then do so and save your special weapons for stronger enemies.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Visuals

The Light world and Dark world are two different dimensions that have special visual features. The Light world landscape and creatures look completely normal. The landscape is rich with color and crisp graphic detail. The Dark world however, appears much like its name. Since the designers didn’t want Samus wandering around in a pitch black landscape, the instead turned Dark world into a harsh landscape lit by a deep violet purple color. Anything with this deep purple color signifies a Dark world enemy. Even Samus Dark weapon glows with this deep purple color.

Samus is her sexy self, at least until she starts getting bogged down with weaponry and armor. The look of the game is identical to Metroid Prime, which is a good thing. Echoes, however, features far more cut-scenes than Metroid Prime, which show off the full visual style of the creator and give you a chance to see both Samus and her surroundings in full detail.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes – Sound

The music and sound effects drastically change depending upon the world that you are in. The Dark world music is the most disturbing mixture and it can be slightly spooky at times when you are wandering around and eerie music and sound effects are coming from your speakers. The Light world music is nicer to listen to, but the Dark world makes you really feel like you are in the game.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes – Summing Up

Metroid Prime was a successful game for the Gamecube and they saw no need to make changes to its sequel, Echoes. The only real addition to the game (besides new weapons) is the multi-player Death match feature. You can take on 3 other players in a Metroid vs. Metroid battle zone.

While not changing drastically from Metroid Prime, the creators still add in some new features, weapons and enemies that distinguish Echoes from its predecessor. The graphics are slightly better and the increased number of cut-scenes gives you a chance to see more of Aether. It is not an easy game so it will require several hours of your time to work your way through it. Fans of the Metroid series or players looking for a challenge will enjoy this first person action adventure game.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

The game currently retails for $19.99US.