The last in the trilogy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption arrives to the Wii in style.
The story revolves around a computer virus that is corrupting the Galactic Federation’s computers, and Space Pirates are believed to be behind the problem. The Federation entrusts the mission to bounty hunters, Samus among them, but as the briefing happens, they are attacked by pirates and “infected”. It turns out it’s actually Dark Samus who is behind it all.
The first surprise was actually how the game looked. I mean, we look at Wii games and graphic-wise, nothing ever seems to stand out much. But Metroid Prime 3: Corruption does.
The controls are designed to really immerse the player into the first-person view, so that you’re not just playing as Samus, you actually are Samus. You move around using the Nunchuk and you aim your weapon with the Wii-mote. You can switch visors with a flick of the remote, open doors by pushing the remote forward, twisting it and pulling it back out, flick the nunchuk and pull it back to use the grapple hook.
You begin the game with an arm cannon and Scan Visor, but will soon find other weapon upgrades, different visors and other gadgets. The new Lock-on Free Aiming targeting system allows you to lock on an enemy by pressing the Z button on the Nunchuk, but still aim freely and look around your surroundings with the Wii-mote.
Aside from the Scan Visor, there is a Command Visor that tells your ship to land and picks up objects, plus an X-Ray Visor that can be used together with the Nova Beam to shoot at enemies through certain walls. The Morph Ball is also back, adding to the complexity of the environmental puzzle-solving. With a simple flick of the remote upwards, you can do a Spring Jump while in this form.
The highlight of Samus’ abilities is probably Hypermode. She has a Phazon Enhancement Device (PED) that allows her to enter Hypermode and make use of the Phazon energy to enhance her armor and attack. However, while in this state, the PED gradually drains her health, and if the Phazon meter isn’t depleted within a time limit, Samus will become corrupted and succumb to the control of Dark Samus. It’s up to you to balance the level of corruption with the need for power.
Unfortunately, there is no multiplayer to speak of, but there is a Wii Connect24 feature that allows players to exchange Friend Vouchers, convert them into tokens and purchase bonus content, such as capturing screenshots from your game.
Graphically, it’s an interesting game, with fascinating worlds and unique designs. The sound, on the other hand, seemed somewhat forgettable, but had added bit of a creepy feeling to the setting. We finally get to experience some good voice acting in the introductory sequences of the game.
Ultimately, Metroid Prime 3 is a game that can be played by anyone. The controls are intuitive and there are multiple sensitivity settings to adjust that everyone gets the experience they want to, and it plays with a convenient checkpoint save system. The puzzles are well-thought, the boss fights are action-packed and exploration is encouraged if not just to look at your surroundings, then to find vouchers to get extra goodies for your game.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption deserves a place in any Wii owner’s collection. And end of the trilogy or not, let’s hope this isn’t the last we hear of Samus Aran.
Special thanks to Allison Guillen, Julia Roether and Nintendo for providing a copy of this title.