Metroid Prime 2: Echoes – GC – Preview 2

Metroid
Prime gave birth to one of the most unique first-person shooting experiences
the world has ever seen.  The game did not control or feel anything like Doom,
Quake, or any other FPS you can think of – it felt like Metroid.  This was
made possible by the developer’s bold move to scrap the typical control scheme
and invent their own.  Strafe with the L and R buttons?  Not in this game.
Adjust your aim with the C-stick?  That just isn’t Metroid’s style.  What felt
weird and unorthodox at first became the perfect control scheme for the game
that perfectly complemented its 2D predecessors.  Metroid was born again, this
time in the third dimension.  And like Mario and Zelda before it, the
transformation was one we wouldn’t soon forget.

This
November Nintendo will unleash Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.  It’s a beast of a
game, a monster of entertainment, a colossal of colossus.  Join me as I delve
deep into its dark world.

Metroid
Prime had multiple environments within one giant world.  Metroid Prime 2 will
have that as well, but this time you get two giant worlds.  The two worlds are
separated by "Light" and "Dark" – one indicating good, the other indicating
evil.  The demo began in a jungle/mountain type area that appears to be
separate from the Light World.  If that’s the case then the final version will
have three worlds to explore!

The
Dark World is darker and somewhat creepier than any world Samus has seen
before.  The monsters are more vicious, and your body suit is not nearly
strong enough to withstand the dark power that surrounds the planet.

Because
of the Dark World’s extreme power, you can’t just walk around and explore the
area like you would any other planet.  Remember in the first game how you
couldn’t traverse the Magmoor caverns because your suit’s heat resistant
feature had been damaged?  Your suit reacts to the dark power in a similar
way.  It immediately drains Samus’s energy.

However, there is hope for the Dark World.  Various crystals are dispersed in
each area.  A large dome is formed around them, and entering the dome
eliminates all Dark World threats.  The dome also replenishes energy, albeit
very slowly.  It would be cool to find a suit that is immune to the Dark
World’s hazards, but at the same time it would remove the tension of having to
hop from dome to dome.  My guess is the developers feel the same way and have
no plans to include it.

Since
the Light and Dark worlds are intended to be polar opposites, Metroid Prime 2
gives you two weapons to combat evil: Light Beam and Dark Beam.  Both have
greater power than your standard blaster, both can be charged, and both must
be used to eliminate locks that prevent certain doors from opening.  You still
have the regular missiles that were introduced in the first game, but I’d
assume they won’t be available at the start of the sequel.  The Metroid series
is known for making players work hard to acquire weapons or items that will
give them an advantage.

Three
new monsters (aliens?) were unveiled in the demo, each of which could be
scanned for data.  The first one looked like a variation of the monsters found
in the beginning of Chozo Ruins: they’re small, have four legs, and like to
hop toward their prey.  The second one was more human-like, walking on two
legs and using its deadly sword arms to attack.  If necessary, it would even
get behind a laser beam cannon and start firing!  (The cannon was too high to
reach; otherwise it’s likely that Samus could have used it as well.)

The
third and final monster hunted in packs of two.  It was somewhat of a boss
battle: the music changed, becoming more intense.  The area was locked in,
preventing an escape (as if you’d want to).  They weren’t too difficult to
defeat, but could turn their bodies into a liquid substance and move around
without being attacked.  Samus’s Light Beam appeared to do more damage on
these enemies than her standard weapon, but the missiles didn’t seem helpful
at all.

Metroid
Prime 2’s controls are identical to the original.  Samus still feels like
Samus: pushing the thumbstick up or down moves her back and forth, while
pushing the thumbstick left or right will only make her turn.  You can’t
strafe unless you’re locking onto an enemy, which sounds ridiculous if you
just played Halo, but it works perfectly in Metroid Prime’s unique universe.
Holding the lock-on button (L) does allow Samus to move left and right, but
her movement is still somewhat restricted so it doesn’t feel like true
strafing.  Once again, this doesn’t hinder the game at all.  It takes away
from the first-person aspect and makes it feel more like an adventure game.

The
beloved Morph Ball is back, along with several new intricate areas to
explore.  Will there be a pinball-style mini-game this time around?  No one
knows for sure.  What we do know is that the Morph Ball will be an integral
part of the game’s success.  A missile expansion pack was hidden in the demo,
giving us a small taste of the kinds of tasks we’ll have to accomplish.  It
was very simple but fun: you had to navigate through a series of electrical
gates.  When the gates are turned on they create a laser field – touch it and
get shocked.  Wait for the gates to turn off and you can go right through
them.

Short
but extremely sweet, the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes demo felt like a Star Wars
teaser trailer.  You love every second of it, but when it’s over, all you can
think about is the finished product.  If you want this demo, it’s yours for
the taking.  Buy a brand-new GameCube today and you’ll find a demo of Metroid
Prime 2: Echoes right inside the box (along with the full version of the
original Metroid Prime).  If you’ve already got a ‘Cube, register five
Nintendo games at

Nintendo.com (any released in the past 10 months should work) and sign up
to receive the demo by mail.  Quantities are limited, so as the Big N would
tell you, don’t delay.