Today Is a Good Gaming Day
So in a matter of a few short hours I should be able to pick up my copy of Metroid Prime: Corruption and when I do it will be a good gaming day. I love the anticipation for a new game that I have full confidence will deliver the type of gaming experience I enjoy. The Metroid Prime series has been a lesson in creating immersive action adventure games. In my opinion, better than just about every game that I have played. I am so excited for the new control scheme if for no other reason than I will be able to easily look around and take in my surroundings. The fact that you could not simply look with the c stick was a big issue for me in the previous control scheme that made the experience a little clunkier than I felt it could be.
The ability to easily take in a scene is a key requirement for me for creating an immersive adventure game experience. The ability to relax and have the controls almost not feel there while you explore the virtual world around you is such a key experience. I’m sure I mentioned it before, but I am curious how “relaxed” Corruption’s controls will be in particular because the look is connected to the wiimote which really doesn’t have a rest state like an analog stick or mouse. An example of an easy control for adventuring was Oblivion on the 360. There were countless times where I would simply move and slowly adjust my point of view to take in a sunset or other glorious view and the conrols were so familiar, comfortable, and easy to manipulate that they felt invisible, relaxed, and allowed me to focus on other things. When playing Red Steel and Call of Duty 3 on Wii, it was hard to find that relaxed controller state since the wiimote is always active. There also wasn’t much scene I really wanted to take in that leads to my other excitement.
Metroid Prime: Corruption from the few videos I have watched and impressions and reviews I have read, seems to be the first graphically beautiful game on the Wii. I am not terribly surprised as I have recently played a bit of the first two games in the series and I feel they hold up remarkably well. If this proves to be the case, thank goodness for the creative team at retro as I’ve been disappointed by the lack of attention to graphics on the Wii. I don’t care that it may not hold a candle technically to the 360 or PS3, but when a new generation machine does not noticably improve on the previous generation then I’d say that is dissapointing. I am not sure that Corruption will noticably exceed benchmarks of last generation, but I am hoping that it will at least not make me think or notice a difference which would be a great improvement. If nothing else it seems like a step in the right direction and along with Super Mario Galaxy will hopefully set some visual benchmarks that others will start working to meet or exceed.
Really can’t wait to pick up my copy later today. It’s the first game in a while I have been truly excited to play (that I had the platform to play it on) without reservation.
Tags: Metroid Prime Corruption, Wii
28. August 2007 at 10:16
I have to say, that good graphics don’t interfere with gameplay. This isn’t to say that some games can’t look visually stunning, but graphics that are too pretty just distract from a gameplay experience. Ugly graphics do the same. I’d have to say that Metroid Prime 1, (never played 2), had perfect graphics. It looked beautiful, but didn’t distract from playing the game. The enemies were perfectly animated and rendered, the enviroments fit just perfectly, if some were a bit tricky on my screen, since it’s old and getting dark.
We should probably be glad Samus isn’t a long range shooter, since the areas haven’t been much for the long range sort of thing.
28. August 2007 at 11:44
All of the reviews you’ve read speak the truth.
The controls were exceedingly easy to grasp, and I don’t own a Wii. I was surprised and impressed. I’d never want to play a console FPS with a controller after experiencing Metroid Prime 3. It just hits home the fact that console FPSs are all kinds of awkward.
The game is very very beautiful. Someone said that the graphics were up to Halo 2 standards.
MP3 is very definitely a Metroid game. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed when I get around to buying my Wii.
28. August 2007 at 11:46
I can’t say I’ve played a game where the graphics were so good they distracted the gameplay. I have played games that have great graphics that have very mediocre gameplay.
After a quick few minutes with Metroid Prime: Corruption, I can definitely see an improvement in graphics and then simply make me smile and enhance the experience to me.
28. August 2007 at 11:50
Brinstar thanks for the update. Glad you had a chance to play .. at Pax I imagine. I played for 10 minutes and had to pull myself away so I can get back to work. Can’t wait to spend more time with it.
Retro certainly seems to have put together another amazing title. The controls feel very nice so far and visually, I am happy. I also like the voice acting and presentation so far and think it could play nicely once Samus gets out there on her own later in the game as I hear happens.
28. August 2007 at 19:14
Graphics smraphics I say! Metroid Prime Hunters on the DS was one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played. And all that with textures that made Doom 2 look high definition. I am most looking forward to the control scheme on corruption as well. I hated the “dumbed-down” fps controls on the gamecube Prime games so much I couldn’t even finish them. It’s like Resident Evil controls only worse because you actualy want to play Prime games. I had to go Metroid Fusion instead to get my fix (fantastic game btw . . . looks great on the DS)
28. August 2007 at 19:18
I’m so aggravated at Wal-Mart, because they didn’t have it out, or even a spot to put it out. I believe an ‘ARRGGH!’ is in order.
I’m glad to hear it’s as smooth as it sounds. If it’s even half as smooth as RE4, it’ll be a complete joy to play.
The only game where I’ve spent more time looking at the pretty graphics than playing is Twilight Princess. I had a hard time getting through the first time, because I’d be in the midst of a dungeon, and see something pretty, and have to stop and stare for a few minutes.
28. August 2007 at 19:25
I hate that, I was still writing as Jake posted.
—
I wouldn’t call the GC Prime games controls ‘dumbed down FPS’, but in fact exploratory game controls. If you play it as an FPS, then yeah, it’s pretty bad. But after you realize that the gunning was never what it was about, but instead it was the exploration, and puzzle solving that made it great, then you come to realize that the controls are great.
When it comes to combat, strafing with a stick while locked to the foe is much easier than trying to ‘Move, aim, fire, and hop’ all at once. Plus a tap of ‘B’ gives you a leap side to side to dodge those fast attacks.
29. August 2007 at 09:32
-Triaxx
As a PC gamer accustomed to spending more time setting up my Descent FreeSpace control scheme than I actually spent playing the game, uncustomizable controls bug the heck out of me. It’s incredibly frustrating to have a game that looks like an fps, plays like an fps, smells like an fps, but has no option to be controlled as a fps. Yes, I’d agree that the Metriod gameplay is about as far from run and gun Quake 1 as you can get, but if your gonna drink the cool-aid you gotta provide both kinds of glasses, as I always say. Personally, I’d like to imagine that Metriod Prime hunters represents sort of an internal reaction to the GameCube control scheme, as it contains some of the most hardcore controls ever seen on a Nintendo platform, but that’s just the kind of fantasy world I like to live in :)
Take Bioshock for example, a game that clearly isn’t an fps. It’s simply a radio drama/ film niore/ steampunk role playing game, which happens to borrow the fps control scheme as the best way of immersing players in the sculpture.
29. August 2007 at 18:15
I suppose it has to do with my kind of mind. I’m more used to a slower paced tactics or strategy game than the fast paced shoot from the hip kind of FPS. I can play that kind, but I’m partial to the more considered game styles.
If Nintendo had provided an FPS style, you’d play exclusively like that, and miss half the game. By giving you just one or two options, you get a style designed for this game. It might not be what you’re used to, but by the time you’re finished, you’ll wonder why you ever played any other way.
The closest reference I have is Turok 2 and Goldeneye. I was a stick player the first few times I played Goldeneye. Then I played Turok 2, and had to use the face buttons for movement. When I made the change in Goldeneye, it was like playing a completely different game. I’ve never looked back.
30. August 2007 at 08:06
Ironic that you should mention Turok. It was the exact same thing for me! Golden Eye seemed like crap to me untill I started using the Turok control scheme for it. In fact, I blame Turok for sticking me with lefty controls. I never could switch back when they went to dual analog sticks.
And as for speed, I don’t think control method really factors into that too much, except in that you really need walking speed mapped to an analog stick. I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who plays Bioshock slower than me. For instance, did you know that the specular highlight in the glass on the respawn containers is actually an angel?
There is no law that says you must use fps style controls for run and gun style play. Unfortunatly, I think you’re right that the control scheme does provoke the play style. I blame PC games and there durn fool binary walking speeds.
31. August 2007 at 19:39
Unfortunately, my computer isn’t capable of playing Bioshock, and I don’t have a 360 (Waiting for the death of the Red Ring.)
The only time I prefer the stick, is in games where I have to walk slow and quiet to sneak up on foes. I’ve always preferred having the option of a key to bump up to a faster speed, or slower one.
The first time I played Halo 2, was against a trio of players who spent lots of time in online play. By the end of the last match, I’d abandoned my normal slow, careful play style, and was catching up fast when we had to stop.
31. August 2007 at 19:42
I hate when the computer goes nuts in mid-sentence.
It was the first time I was using the dual joysticks, after spending years playing GE, and PD, with sticks and buttons. Everyone says Keyboard and mouse, but give me four face buttons and a joystick, and I’ll still kick you to the curb. For me, the N64 controller is the single best for FPS’s.
31. August 2007 at 20:52
Triaxx2 - Interesting … I never was a fan of using face buttons/dpad over a second anolog stick or keyboard and mouse. I think that’s cool though. To each their own, right? To me the difference between pad cotnrols and keyboard and mouse was never as evident as is was when I played Quake 3 on the DC. (What an awesome console that was … it did so many things right for me that I enjoyed … sigh). For me I have never really felt comfortable driving using a stick … prefer the dpad just cause I get it for some reason.
Jake … you’re attention to detail is amazing as always. Looking forward to your thoughts on Metroid Prime 3.
4. September 2007 at 13:02
I agree, I much prefer having buttons when trying to drive, though there are some occasions when a stick works just as well. As for the face buttons, I liked them, because if you have to move carefully, a single press is more precise than wiggling the stick, because move the stick to far, and you’re in trouble. Push the button once, and you know just how long of a distance that is.
On the other hand, being slightly over half through Metroid Prime, I wonder what took so long to come up with the Wii mote. There have been some frustrating moments. Some frustrating bosses, but all in all, this game not only lives up to it’s predecessors, but does them proud. Like the other Metroid Games, I’m completely lost, but I really don’t care. Everything looks fantastic, it controls beautifully. The Ship does neat tricks… I’m completely in love. Can’t find the Fuel Gel Pool to save my life, but I love this game.
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