There are many eerie parallels between Metroid Prime and Citizen Kane. Both were produced under disastrous rumors and flirted with cancellation repeatedly. Kane was the work of an eclectic bunch: an unproven genius from radio, a jaded drunk of a screenwriter, an unsurpassed cinematographer, and an array of little-known actors from the theater world. Welles was given carte blanche by RKO Studios because of his successes in radio, but tales of excess and missed deadlines nearly undid the production.
Likewise, Retro Studios was a new venture with a vibrant array of developers pulled from around the games industry, with credits as diverse as Half-Life and NBA Jam.
Metroid Prime is a detective game at heart, and the Scan Visor is Samus' trusty magnifying glass.
It's been two decades since Metroid Prime first launched and it still holds up fantastically well.
I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I bought this for my GameCube! My best friend and I ordered pizza for delivery, it was snowing outside and we stayed in all weekend playing it. Still one of my all time favorite games and I really hope the Switch ports being rumored is true. Fantastic game, one for the ages🙂
With the recent release of Dread, it's time to look back on the history of Metroid and rank the best — and the worst.
Best (for me) would be the first Metroid Prime. It was simply amazing the first time i played it. so deep and challenging while also turning the series completely into something that felt new and fresh.
Worst (for me) is most likely Other M. I can appreciate what they were trying to go for but it just felt flat and played out.
Looking at the rest of the list, I never played Federation Force but i have played the rest. Pinball is still one of my favorites to play now and then.
No. And I say that as someone who absolutely LOVES all three Prime games with a passion.
What made Citizen Kane so remarkable was that it transcended genres and put all aspects of film (cinematography, soundtrack, direction, plot, acting, etc.) together in a way that no other film had. And all other films copied from then on out. Its fingerprints are everywhere.
As great as Prime was, the big shift for videogames was going 3D. Mario 64 showed the potential, but Ocarina of Time put it all together. It transcended its genre and became something else entirely; it put 3D gaming together from disparate parts and created something far better, and it has been copied ENDLESSLY.
Now, Metroid Prime's influence on the HUD of first-person games is often overlooked, and shouldn't be. And its graphics, art direction and sound are truly timeless (OoT looks dated, Prime doesn't).
But it wasn't the first game that made a 3D world that immersed players in a living, breathing virtual reality.
Ocarina of Time is our Citizen Kane.
GTA3 is our Godfather.
Metroid Prime is our 2001: A Space Odyssey.
(Kubrick's use of surreal images, sound as its own narrative technique and exploration of themes about human loneliness, technology and alien life all line up with what Retro was going for. IMO, of course.)