Along with Mario Sunshine IGNcube was recently treated to 30 or so seconds of new Metroid Prime footage during an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata. The brief look at the upcoming first-person exploration title looked remarkably clean, fast and beautiful. Site editor-in-chief Matt Casamassina and editor Fran Mirabella offer their impressions below. You have to read this!

Matt Casamassina
I have to say that out of all the software recently previewed to us at Nintendo's Las Vegas presence, Metroid Prime looked the best.

So why is Metroid so hot? Well, let me first reiterate what Mr. Miyamoto said during our interview with him -- that the series has gone back to its roots, in first-person mode. According to Miyamoto, Metroid Prime is all about "exploration," which is exactly what all of us want.

The footage rocked. Retro's art experience is impressive. Samus busted through 3D environments at 60 frames per second. The visor view that looks so amazing in screenshots comes off even better in motion, I can verify. When one targets an enemy, the visor flips up all sorts of tactical data on the side of the screen, along with blue prints and other neat goodies, and meanwhile the target system moves around and centers in on the beasts. There is also a kind of thermal-view and yet another one beyond that -- both very stylistic.

I can tell everyone once and for all that the game plays primarily in first-person mode and that the 3D-camera system is not controlled manually. It happens automatically depending on the environment and situation, according to Miyamoto. So if Samus happens to be exploring a tunnel with ramps, for instance, the camera automatically pans back to reveal her third-person form, and from here she can roll into a ball and do her thing.

The footage also showcased areas in which Samus had to use her gadgetry to take advantage of the level. One scene had her using a freeze beam to gain access over a chasm. Interesting, when the grapple-hook-like gadget pulled her across the abyss below, the view remained in first-person -- and it actually looked good this way. Not disorienting at all. A lot of PC players will recognize this technique as it has been used in some previous first-person shooters.

Another, perhaps even cooler demonstration, featured an ice area in which the gap to the other side was far too big to cross. However, upon careful examination, Samus discovered a group of stalactites hanging from the ceiling over the gap. She shot them, they fell, and became platforms for her to cross. It was brilliant.

Visually -- wow. Great art, huge 3D worlds, detailed texture work, amazingly detailed particle effects and what looked to be some form of per-pixel lighting. Samus' ball glows purple underneath and sends out flashes of light that illuminate her metal shell and it looks particularly beautiful. And let me once again stress that the visor display is by far the coolest of any first-person game ever created, hands-down. What a superb style this game has going.

In the end, we didn't get to play it so there is no telling how everything stacks up play-wise. But boy, does it look promising. I'm very happy. And this is now one of my most wanted games on any system. Fran, I think, agrees.

Everyone should be excited.


Fran Mirabella
I do indeed agree with Matt.

I'm finally getting really -- and I mean really -- excited about Metroid Prime. I'm a die-hard Metroid fan -- I have a SAMUS license plate on my car for cryin' out loud -- and was really put off by the first-person announcement. I thought it would be an okay first-person shooter, but wasn't counting on it feeling like, say, Super Metroid. After seeing the new footage and talking to Miyamoto... I'm starting to be convinced. Miyamoto specifically said it is not a first-person shooter; it's an exploration title from a first-person perspective. The man is notorious for staying focused and polishing upon that. That said, I truly believe it will feel different than a first-person shooter overall.

Truly, it looks amazing. Retro's art team is doing things you've always dreamed of but rarely come true. The visor view is ambitious and could be totally botched by an untalented team. After seeing it in motion, I'm hooked on it. It gives the first-person view a meaning. You don't feel like you're an arm floating around. You're inside Samus' suit, and you're rocking some alien arse.

Metroid Prime, even in this early form, already presents polish and stunning attention to detail. Retro may have gone through its rough period, but with Miyamoto conferencing with the team on a weekly basis things are looking very bright. Metroid Prime is poised to be one of the most stunning GameCube titles released this year based on the tour de force of footage we saw. I think you'll agree too once Nintendo finally releases the footage.

Source: IGN Cube