Metroid Prime 2: Echoes draws you in more than
any game you've played before. It's like the room around you
disappears, taking your GameCube and telly with it. In your
mind all that exists is that visor and the alien world you
see through it. And it's through that visor you will
experience the most amazing quest on the GameCube, EVER.
Metroid Prime 2 Echoes takes a nearly identical path as its predecessor and offers up a stellar 3D action adventure rooted firmly in the famous Metroid legacy. Echoes is one of the most challenging and rewarding games on the GameCube. From its amazing intricate level design, subtle learning curve, and ferocious progression, it is a game that'll test your mettle more than most games dare. As is often the way with the Metroid series, you'll start off with barebones equipment and weaponry, progressing through each environment unearthing the story and facing off against puzzle and enemy challenges.
The most prominent gameplay feature of Echoes is
the focus on the Light and Dark worlds. Samus will have to
flip between the two an incredible number of times in order
to free up the correct progression path, and while this can
at first be a daunting task, players will soon learn the
importance of being able to read the in-game map properly as
this is really one important skill that can't be avoided.
Echoes can be a brutal mistress. The game is much longer, and
indeed harder than Prime in a lot of respects, and I'm sure
that the average Joe will be looking at 20 hours of game time
on their first run through. Given the incredible amount of
hidden booty (Missile Expansions, Energy Tanks, and
Light/Dark Ammo upgrades) that figure will surely be hovering
around the 30+ hours mark for those wanting to try for the
lofty 100 percent completion record. And also note, you'll
need to scan every single critical object in the game to get
a full percentage rating for both info and items. The
controls, HUD, and standard operation of the game remain
nearly identical to those of Prime; Retro is really
concentrating on the story and intricate passage of events,
rather than new flashy tech and gadgets. One thing that does
come across as forced is the subdued multiplayer mode, which
only supports split-screen action on one GameCube.
If you finished Metroid Prime and were left
wanting more, Echoes gives it to you in spades. Anyone who
was turned off by the slowly paced and meticulous exploration
elements of the original game won't find anything new to win
them over here--a run-and-gun shooter this ain't. The game is
quite long and involved--you'll spend a bare minimum of 20
hours just getting to the end, and finding all the hidden
items and scanning everything will take much longer (and will
open up bonuses such as a harder difficulty mode and
production-artwork galleries). As an adventure game with
heavy action elements and an emphasis on complex
puzzle-solving, Metroid Prime 2 is about as good as it gets,
on the GameCube or on any platform.
