#18 - Metroid Prime

Like Ninja Gaiden, Metroid started off on the NES, although it did get a chance to perform on the SNES, and Samus did make an appearance in Super Smash Brothers for the N64, which is more than what I could say for poor old Ryu. To rub salt in his wound, unlike the piece of shit that was Ninja Gaiden 3 (really, both the NES and the 360/PS3 version suck balls), Super Metroid was a fantastic game for Samus to temporarily end her main adventures on! Easily one of the best on the Super Nintendo... and I guess the original was good for its time. But then came Retro Studios, pitching to Nintendo a great idea to bring Samus to the 3D world. I would've loved to have been in on this pitch meeting because holy shit, Metroid is making the leap to 3D, finally catching up with the likes of Mario, Zelda, Castlevania and even the eternally overrated Sonic.

Talk about a leap into Scrooge McDuck's money pit - this game is *bleep*ing good! It took Super Metroid, made it 3D and made it its own thing. Sure, the basic structure of exploring the planet to find items for further exploration is still there, as is the need to beat down bosses, but thanks to the first person perspective, the world is more immersing. Granted, having to scan everything is a pain in the ass (especially switching to the radar on that tiny *bleep*ing D-pad - and me having stubby fingers isn't relevant because even those with slender fingers hate the Gamecube's D-pad), but it's worth it to learn more about the world, thus making the experience even more immersing. It especially helps that there aren't any cutscenes, making the planet either feel desolate or like everything is going to kill you. You're all alone no matter what context you take it in - this is also why I'm not exactly a fan of the sequels, nor did I really like Other M. The graphics were actually pretty damn good for the time as well, really making use of the Gamecube's technology (which is vastly superior to the PS2's, by the way Sony kiddies) while having the appropriate visuals for the world. The soundtrack, in typical Metroid fashion, isn't so much melodic as much as it was atmospheric, really drawing you into the world. People like to say that Half Life 1 and 2 are the most immersing first person shooters, and while they do tend to have very good points (particularly with Half Life 2, which is pretty much a how-to on making a good first person shooter that sucks you right in), I don't know, I tend to find myself more immersed into Metroid Prime.

Summary - One of the most immersing first person games out there that does just about everything right. The open world yin to Half Life 2's more linear but still *bleep*ing immersing yang.
Rating - 9.5/10

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