Has there ever been a great game so badly misunderstood as Metroid Prime? Retro Studio's exceptional update has come in for some flak from fans that wouldn't give it a chance. Here are the major Metroid myths that make me despair.

First Person Perspectives

Initial screenshots from Metroid Prime were met with disdain � few believed that the 16-bit classic could become a first person shooter (FPS). But Prime went from disaster-in-the-making to one of the all-time greats.

Even so, debate seethed over what Metroid Prime actually is. FPS? First-person adventure? Just because Metroid is now viewed from a first-person perspective does not make it an out-and-out first-person shooter (although it does work at this level). But neither is it an adventure: there are no characters to interact with, no real plot turns (this is not a criticism). Metroid Prime is just Metroid in 3D. People need to stop trying to pigeonhole the game.

Prime Mover

Consoles have always been at a disadvantage in terms of first-person shooters. The move-and-look control set has never truly translated well to an analogue pad, with the exceptions of GoldenEye � and Metroid Prime. Both games use single-stick control. Metroid Prime gives you the pieces to a puzzle and everything falls into place. So, stick to move, A and B to shoot and jump. Then onto the shoulder buttons, with the L-button targeting enemies, a straight lift from Nintendo's own Legend of Zelda series. R shoulder is a look modifier. And the rest handles Samus Aran's arsenal of gadgets, with X and Y as Morph Ball and missiles. The D-pad and C-stick deal with visors and weapons.

The time it has taken you to read about these controls is roughly the same amount of time that I needed to work them out for myself in a high-street store, playing the game for the first time. Metroid Prime's controls are intuitive � everything comes together perfectly, affording the player complete mastery over Samus' Power Suit and her physical environment. The L-button targeting function alone � allowing the player to strafe around enemies and objects � is inspired, and gives the first-person perspective genre a much-needed shove in the right direction.

Yet in spite of this exceptional design some fans criticized the game, and asked for a dual-stick move-and-aim function. The myth continues that somehow Prime has "unusual" or "difficult" controls. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of thumb-wrestling joypads. Characters in other FPS games have the turning circle of a bus. The Metroid lock-on function does not make the game "easy" � clever boss battles and tough enemies provide the challenge. The combination of a look modifier and lock-on lets Samus see her surroundings without any fuss � contrast this with dual-stick mode, which requires the player to wrench the sticks in an effort just to look up a bit. Metroid Prime's controls set the bar for any first-person "shooter".

Deathmatch for Breakfast

The confusion over controls is perhaps understandable � gamers can be quite close-minded at times. But the demand for deathmatches in Metroid defy sense. This is a franchise that has never had a multiplayer mode, a series that has always been based on immersive single-player exploration. Why four-player?

All credit to Retro Studios though. They were conscientious about the fans' opinions: after all, the customer is always right, right? Well, Metroid multiplayer proves otherwise. And so we got one of the worst multiplayer modes in recent gaming history in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. My friends and I played this mode for about 10 minutes. Heck, we even played the awful four-player dogfight part of StarFox 64 for longer. Nothing about Metroid multiplayer works. Every match seemed to degenerate into players Morph Ball boosting to avoid a lock-on. Even when locked-on, battles involved demented bouncing around each other. There is no balance to the way multiplayer plays. The best thing that can be said about Echoes multiplayer is that, mercifully, it did not divert Retro Studios' attention from the single-player adventure, which featured all the sublime level design of its predecessor. In short, Metroid needed multiplayer like gamers needed another EA James Bond title (that is: not at all).

Nintendo's own Metroid Prime Hunters on DS has received generally positive reviews. But one problem stands out � the dodgy controls. Hunters, a full-3D Metroid crunched down onto the small (handheld) screen, suffers in terms of controls in the same way that Super Mario 64 DS does. Missing the vital analogue stick, these games do not handle as well as their original versions. The controls for Hunters are clumsy and frustrating � the stylus and other options are far from perfect.

Cutting Room Floor

Thankfully, cutscenes are not a problem � yet. But there are certain Metroid fans who continue to clamour for cutscenes. Yes, cutscenes with actual characters and dialogue � this for a series in which the main character, an orphan raised by extraterrestrials, explores abandoned planets while battling belligerent aliens. Great idea guys � if there's anything that could wreck the immersiveness, ambience and general "alienness" of Metroid, then characters and conversations would definitely be it. Echoes' Luminoth leader U-Mos was integrated well into the gameplay mechanic (he talks in a strange alien language) � but any more characterization would take away from the traditional Metroid atmosphere of isolation.

A Tale of Two Metroids

I've saved the most bizarre for last � the view that there is a gulf in terms of design or quality between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. What's really strange about this opinion is that there is no consensus as to which is the better game: some maintain that Prime has a purity of design that the sequel lacks, others claim Echoes is deeper and more challenging. When in reality there is only one difference: the light-dark world design of the second game. That's all. The game looks, plays and handles the same, and the quality of level design is excellent throughout. Yes, the dimensional jumps in Echoes are, at times, puzzling. But the argument is like Ocarina of Time versus Majora's Mask, when we can simply avoid any fanboyish debate by saying: they are both excellent games, worthy Metroid updates and the best first-person "shooters" of this generation.

The Best First-Person Shooters of This Generation? Really?

Indeed. I guess the final myth would be that Halo is the groundbreaking FPS of this generation. But in terms of level design, immersion, controls and graphics, the Metroid Prime titles have no peer: they should take their place alongside Doom, GoldenEye and Half-Life.

Nick Bennett
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