Wii impressions: Metroid Prime 3

by James Ransom-Wiley { May 10th 2006 at 9:00PM }

The Metroid Prime 3: Corruption demo featured some nifty uses for the Wiimote-nunchaku tandem. We opened a sealed door by pulling the handle out (using the Wiimote), twisting counter-clockwise and pushing back in. Later, we grabbed hold of an enemy's shield with our grappling hook by using a casting motion with the nunchaku controller -- by holding down on the nunchaku's analog stick, we ripped the shield from the creature's grip. Both instances felt natural.

Unfortunately, general navigation wasn't nearly as satisfying, as it was marred by spotty connections between the Wiimote and the sensor. The key proved to be subtle movements, which took discipline, especially when in a hurry to turn around. Take note, FPS Wii titles will have a steep learning curve.

Prime 3 did have some of the best Wii visuals on display, but that isn't saying much. The controls need to be tweaked and made more reliable for this franchise -- and the FPS genre in general -- to succeed on the Wii platform. For now, we'd gladly trade the pointer for a second analog stick.

Tags: E32006, Metroid, metroidprime3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

mr. reason @ May 10th 2006 9:05PM

mp3 is going to rock!!!

DaveKap @ May 10th 2006 9:05PM

Wait. Did you just say you would rather have a second analog stick instead of the pointer? For a console FPS? This does not bode well... :(

Garold @ May 10th 2006 9:06PM

Hopefully Nintendo will be able to make the controller more reliable before the November release. (It seems like there were similar problems with Red Steel.)

RageOverdose @ May 10th 2006 9:07PM

Not trying to hate, but make sure that surrounding Bluetooth and such is shut off. Just to make sure, because that could be a reason that these games are suffering in response time. If not, well, there's still time.

Still, this game looks fun. Despite a possible learning curve (didn't the first MP have one? really...), with some tweaking (and hopefully, no interruptions from other devices) these games could turn out better. I like the look, even though it doesn't appear to be anywhere near close to huge. Well, it runs fast. :D

I want to hear some about multiplayer though (is there any and will it be online).

JKTrix @ May 10th 2006 9:08PM

Somehow, I don't believe the 'spotty connection' we keep hearing about is going to be a problem in the home version. Might it be interference? Or the fact that all these controllers have probably been overworked for the last few hours?

mr. reason @ May 10th 2006 9:08PM

wow joystiq has been really negative lately....
come on guys this is e3.
think happy thoughts....

robotplague @ May 10th 2006 9:09PM

Wow, I'm curious if the Joystiq crew just got the short end of the stick or something. I've read nothing but really positive reviews about Wii, but it seems like you guys have had a string of negative experiences. Either way, I'm stoked to play it.

MegaMatt @ May 10th 2006 9:10PM

It will be out before November, or October for that matter. The fourth quarter ends on September 30, 2006.

mr. reason @ May 10th 2006 9:11PM

http://media.revolution.ign.com/media/748/748547/vid_1500402.html

http://media.revolution.ign.com/media/748/748547/vid_1500398.html

2 amazing videos of mp3 in action

matt @ May 10th 2006 9:11PM

uh? i'm not gonna worry about graphics with this game. Do you remember when Metroid Prime Hunters debuted on E3 2004?look on the game that we have now!!!! and knowing Nintendo,I shouldn't be surprised when they showed something graphically superior at the Tokyo Game show...or something. besides it's the Wii-controller that matters right now....possibly they'll make little tweaks in graphics and visuals later.... :)

Lynk @ May 10th 2006 9:14PM

From what I've noticed watching all the MP3C vids, it's that the you have to move your crosshairs the edge of the screen to get Samus to move her head which is really crippling. I hope Retro learns from this and makes the look a lot TIGHTER, it's nice to aim at specific spots without moving Samus's head but we also want to be able to TURN properly, ya know.

iceatcs @ May 10th 2006 9:15PM

look like jogstiq has learned the truth from Wii.

Grant @ May 10th 2006 9:17PM

Well, it's one or the other, right? I think this makes a lot more sense than tying your camera strictly to your pointer, because then your head will be shaking all the time like you have the jitters.

ZaBlanc @ May 10th 2006 9:19PM

The controller response has got to be due to the fact that all these systems are lined up near each other. Surely, this would have been the urgent issue to fix from QA at Nintendo -- I am legitimately not worried.

Secondly, the controller will obviosuly take getting used to. The one thing I am interested in learning is if doing subtle "walk" motion with the one-handed analog stick will be tricky, since you don't have the right hand offering balance on the other side.

Pince @ May 10th 2006 9:19PM

I really hope that the FPS Wii controls get worked out because, well, for one thing, that shield rip you can do with the grapple sounds amazingly fun. I hope you guys scream in barbarian style rage every time you do it, because that is brutally sweet.

Hopefully Wii FPSs can get past little basic control problems and start implementing more fun stuff like that. It would be awesome to have an FPS with a multitude of melee/special attacks controlled by a forceful movement of the remote. Wouldn't it be great to snap your arm forward to make Samus smack a space pirate in the face, or to catch an enemy with the grapple and then hold down a button to keep him grappled, then whip your arm around and let go of the button to throw him. Mmmmm, brutally satisfying.

Lynk @ May 10th 2006 9:23PM

@ Grant: Well yeah I agree with that, the point I was trying to make was that it is a good idea, but the problem is that it's too loose and takes too much effort to try to get Samus to look where you want her to.

ZaBlanc @ May 10th 2006 9:25PM

Totally not worried. (Again.)

I'm sure Nintendo has all their cameras pointing on this very important *beta test*. They won't f*** up the controls...and this is all very new to everybody, so there's likely lots of tweaking.

We all worried about the DS, but that turned out just fine in the end. Nintendo isn't stupid.

Aaron @ May 10th 2006 9:33PM

everyone discussing the precision of the wiimote movin samus and turning her too quick or having to goto the screen edge, please read this excerpt from IGN:
"I field a lot of questions about how you can turn around and come back to center in a game like Metroid Prime 3. It's actually pretty intuitive. You simply point the Wii-mote in the direction you want Samus to turn and at a certain point she goes from aiming to turning. It's as though there is an invisible square that separates the two. If you're simply aiming near center, Aran will remain straight on. But the moment your reticule drifts beyond the invisible box and into the right or left fields, the character starts turning. To center again, all you need do is return the reticule to the invisible box and you're golden. If it's sound weird, it's not. The fact that most people who play the game never even question how it works is a testament to this fact."

They apperently have this set up quite well. I can't wait to play it, either way.

Lynk @ May 10th 2006 9:36PM

@ Aaron: You haven't seen the vids have you.

http://media.revolution.ign.com/media/748/748547/vids_1.html

These give you a pretty good idea of what I'm talking about.

KVN @ May 10th 2006 9:38PM

Yeah i have to agree with you #4 because nintendo did ask people to turn of all bluetooth devices at the conference and on the floor you can't really control that.

jV @ May 10th 2006 9:40PM

Wow, fanboyism to a new high.

"How dare you say the controls are spotty, Joystiq! My Nintendo Gods can do no wrong! Stop being critical!"

Are any of you guys actually there? Stop being such babies. I'm looking forward to the Wii more than the PS3, but relax. You're whinier than the qj.net commenters.

idioteraser @ May 10th 2006 9:43PM

To 21 no one besides Joystiq is reporting such a problem.

So yes joystiq does look in those screenshots to have taking the image with a wireless device. A device which is interfering with the wiimote.

Brian Fantana @ May 10th 2006 9:43PM

Looks super hard to turn in these Wii FPS's.

Josh Mirman @ May 10th 2006 9:43PM

I'm not worried because I'm goint to buy any system I want, I'm probably going to buy 360 later this week now that I'm getting college grad money, a wii since I have money already, and a ps3 since I have a job that makes money.

Point is, people buy things that are a mistake often, doesn't kill them, won't kill us. PSP so far has been a big mistake of a purchase, but I'm doing a-okay without that 250 bones I gave up to get one.

I once bought 200 shirts to sell retail, they never arrived. Company was a hoax. I lost about 300 dollars there. But I'm still here. So I mean... What do I mean? If you want something, get it!:D If it sucks, oh well! Hahaha. Don't listen to me, that's a horrible thought process.

Jason W @ May 10th 2006 9:44PM

With all the electronics on at the expo I bet there is some interferance with control. IM not NINBOT, but the whole idea really makes me excited. After the DS won me over I decided to forgive them for the 64 and the cube. While both were good nether were great. The WIIvolution has the potential for greatness.

Jor @ May 10th 2006 9:45PM

I'm not buying Nintendo Wii for the controller LOL! all the games were disappointing and the graphics were not impressive.

And by the way I just had an ARM SURGERY so fuk you NINTENDO.

Luke @ May 10th 2006 9:46PM

I still love you Joystiq. Don't sweat the cranky fanboys.

GamerZero @ May 10th 2006 9:47PM

I remember early comments veering on the, 'better than mouse and KB.FPS on the Nintendo will be the dogs nads!'.Well according to this early preview it seems it won't be the ultimate fps control system just yet but there is still time...

Lynk @ May 10th 2006 9:52PM

Breaking news: Tis a launch game.

http://revolution.ign.com/articles/707/707486p1.html

Disposable Hero @ May 10th 2006 9:59PM

I'm a long time Metroid fan, and MP2 is my least favorite game from the series because of how different it was.

But at least it was an exploration/adventure game. Not only is there more interaction with other talking characters, but the game is completely focused on FPS aspects. I'd like to see periods of time where gunplay is heavy and it acts more like a FPS, but in between those gun battles, there is more exploration and backtracking and finding hidden power ups like in the past Metroid games.

And in terms of appearance, the environments look more like the ones from Metroid Prime 2, which I didn't much like because everything looked so much alike (or at least compared to the varied areas of previous Metroid games). Graphics are good, but I don't want the entire game to just be some space station where talk to and work together with Galactic Federation guys.

Overall, this game looks more like a mix between Metroid Prime 2 and Metroid Prime Hunters, the latter of which I wouldn't even call a Metroid game as it has very little gameplay elements that exist in the classic Metroid formula. I was really hopeing for a Super Metroid/Metroid Prime game with a bigger emphasis on shooting. But it looks like Retro is going to throw out the classic and still fresh and unbroken Metroid gameplay formula and replace it with the overused, stale FPS gameplay formula.

I hope the final product is a lot different, and that the demo theyre showing off is just an action packed intro, soon to be followed by a more slow paced, exploration driven adventure through many various locales that each have their own unique look, feel, enemies, and boss.

If they don't do that, I'll have to rely on the classic Metroids (Zero Mission and back) for that perfect blend of gameplay style, and Metroid Dread if its ever found to be real.

RageOverdose @ May 10th 2006 9:59PM

#22 idioteraser

Actually, look at Gamespot. At least in their MP3 preview, they brought up some connectivity issues. Only IGN seems to be nice (maybe their network sites too, but I don't know).

marwatk @ May 10th 2006 10:13PM

I wonder if the connection problems people are experiencing with the remote are due to the close proximity of 8 million of the things. It's unlikely there will be more than 4 wiimotes in a living room. The fact that they pleaded with everyone to disable wireless devices in the presentation hall is a sign that there may be something to it. I've seen a lot of wires, so maybe they're directly connected to compensate for all the interference, but still, the sensor at the tv has to be going nuts. Or not, just a theory...

jV @ May 10th 2006 10:21PM

#22: Well, duh, that's the point.

You want to read the same thing everywhere? I love Nintendo, but I love when I can find at least ONE site that isn't saying the same things everyone else is.

You WANT critical. Trust me. It's something you'll learn as you grow older.

jo @ May 10th 2006 11:00PM

They should add a sensor to a hat or headwear or something, so when you move your head, the character moves its head. Then have on joystick for moving and the Wii-mote for aiming.

Jeff @ May 10th 2006 11:47PM

"You WANT critical. Trust me. It's something you'll learn as you grow older."

Amen, brother.

Bottom line is this. There are so many hours in the day and so many things you can be doing. 8, 10 or 12 hours a day are taken up by work. 2-4 hours a day are commute time. 5-7 hours are sleep. 1-2 hours is eating. Add in the demands of keeping a house and maintaining a family, and that doesn't leave much for recreation.

When you get older, you don't have the luxury of wasting those precious few minutes you have to yourself, not to mention money. Long and the short of it is I want to know every single friggin' flaw before I buy anything. I don't care about the good things, because I can get those from a goddamn press release. I want to hear the negatives. I'll decide if they're dealbreakers or not. I don't want to hear "it's so immersive and fun!" over and over. I want to hear "the sensitivity is a little off". I want to hear "the graphics are behind the curve." Because you know what? There are a lot of games that don't have those problems, and maybe I want to use my precious few minutes playing those instead.

If I'm reading a site that I know does nothing but heap praise on every single game, then what exactly is the point? That's what PR agencies are for, not independent web sites. If I'm instead reading a site that I know will criticize when criticism is due, then I also know that any praise given is truly deserved. And those are the games I will pay the most attention to.

Thinking critically is one of the most essential skills required for getting through life. It forces efficiency. You can't play every single game; you need some way of separating the wheat from the chaff. A little negativity is good for you.

Darth Pixel @ May 10th 2006 11:59PM

I must confirm what Joystiq is reporting and I must praise them for their candor. Everybody else is slurping more Kool-Aid, trying to deny any sign of deception.
It all started as a wonderful promise, but the more you experience the Wii Remote, the more bad thoughts form at the back of your mind.
By the end of E3, when those who played with it internalize their experience, I fear disappointment will be a strong aftertaste.

Maximoisgood @ May 11th 2006 12:04AM

I don't know about you, but when I bought any system I have never just picked up the control on day 1 minute 2 and became a professional with it(come to think about it, nothing is that way). Therefore I belive that with this control as with everything you have to spend a least a couple of ours before it becomes intuitive. I am getting annoyed that all this sites are posting this comments after 30 seconds with somthing they have never used before and complain "I can't Do it Perfectly" such wennies. As if the second analog control was learned int 30 seconds. Heck even the mouse and Keypad took me at least 2 hours before I got the whole ASDW config. Now, GIVE ME A STAR.

OlderGamerDude @ May 11th 2006 12:45AM

"In less than two minutes of playtime, space adventure Metroid Prime 3: Corruption proved that the Wii controller is perfect for first-person anything."

That comment is from Dan Hsu, editor in chief of EGM.

http://e3.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3150581&did=1

Andy @ May 11th 2006 2:54AM

Dan Hsu is a moron. The consensus among every other Wii impression that I've read is that it's buggy, and they havn't made a decision as to whether it's great or not. You know what that means? It isn't a revolution. Quite the opposite, in fact.

kraid @ May 11th 2006 3:10AM

Is this a first person shooter or a real Metroid game?
(an adventure game)

MACHINE @ May 11th 2006 5:25AM

Great way to get publicity for your website.... But you are in the minority, did you even play the previous metroid games?

I trust retro studios and the people at nintendo over some games journalist. They make games and you heh.

Ianc02 @ May 11th 2006 9:13AM

Well i have watched the videos from the links above, i am not worried at all. Bring it on Dark samus.

Note, it took me a good 20 minutes to get used to Shadow of the colossus and Katamari controls so i expect a learning curve with something like MP3 guys. Nintendo have to make sure that Wii has the hardcore gamers and the non-gamer both catered for if they are to succeed. MP3 hardcore, Nintendo tennis simple.

Dauragon @ May 11th 2006 8:54PM

I love long learning curved games, because then that means I'm better than most people. *points*

Ijo @ May 12th 2006 11:28PM

Of all places, the NY Times E3 blog had some great details about the Wii controllers:

http://e3.blogs.nytimes.com/?p=20

Here is a quote about the interference:
"Nintendo had a couple of demo rooms set up in their complex on the show floor. The doors to the rooms were huge steel contraptions; they looked literally like vault doors. Inside, the walls and ceiling were covered with a dense wire mesh. It felt like something out of a spy movie, some sort of C.I.A. ?quiet room.?? The two Nintendo folks who ran the demo, Rich Amtower, a producer who helps modify games made in Japan for Western audiences, and J.C. Smith, a P.R. guy, explained that there is so much radio interference from all the tech at E3 that they had to set up the room that way so Wii?s wireless controller would function properly. It worked; my cellphone conked out the second I walked into the room."

Also, this is what he said about MP3:
"I only got to play the new Metroid on the Wii for about 10 minutes, but I have to say that it was the first time I have ever felt like a console shooter was giving me something close to that mouse-and-keyboard experience. Twisting and turning the entire right-hand controller scrolled the view left and right, up and down, like a traditional mouselook. The A and B buttons on the right-hand controller fired and jumped, respectively. Meanwhile, the analog stick on the left controller moved me forward and back and allowed me to strafe left and right without changing my bearing, just like keyboard WSAD controls. The entire effect was completely intuitive for a PC gamer like me and felt like a real step beyond dual analog-stick controls."

I thought this might help clear up the confusion. Again, the NY Times E3 Blogs were great, look under the "Technology" section. Registration is free, and required.

Later,
Ijo

Eric @ May 13th 2006 1:55AM

PlanetGamecube.com have mastered the controls, well not really. They just set the sensitivy to EXPERT MODE.

http://www.planetgamecube.com/impressionsArt.cfm?artid=11556