Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Full Title	Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Developer	Retro Studios
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Wii
Release Date	US August 27, 2007 EU October 26, 2007 AU November 8, 2007 JP March 6, 2008
Genre	Action/First Person Shooter
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: Teen

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the final game in the Prime trilogy. It was originally scheduled as a launch title for the Wii, but it was delayed to nearly one year later.

Story

The game takes place six months after Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and before the events of Metroid 2: Return of Samus. In the game, Samus Aran is called on by the Galactic Federation to put a stop to the spread of Phazon by the Space Pirates and their new leader, Dark Samus. Samus must travel between several planets to end the Phazon corruption once and for all.

Like the previous Prime games, much of the story is told though Lores that are scanned through the visor. Each world has its own set of lores relating to the people indigenous to it. However a new twist is the inclusion of various new characters to interact with. In a first for the series, these characters speak aloud, although Samus herself remains silent.

Gameplay

The game builds upon the same gameplay engine of the first two Prime games. The game is played in a first person perspective. The Wii Nunchuk is used to make Samus walk and to access Morph Ball mode, whereas the Wii Remote uses motion sensing to determine which direction Samus is aiming as well as to perform certain tasks, such as inputting data or operating levers.

Unlike the previous Prime games, additional Energy Beams that Samus gains stack and retain all the abilities and effects of the previous beam. In its place is a more complex Grapple Beam system that now only allows Samus to swing from grapple points, but also to grapple objects and pull them apart as well as to grapple enemies and drain or overload their own energy.

Another new ability is entering Hyper Mode. The title name of Corruption is tied in with Samus's condition in which she herself is corrupted by Phazon. Once she is corrupted, she can inject an Energy Tank and convert it into Phazon beams that are more powerful than missiles. She eventually gains more Hyper Mode abilities, but using the Hyper Mode runs the risk of Samus becoming fully corrupted.

The game is divided into several planets and space vessels. Although the game begins with a very linear setup, the game gradually becomes more open-ended and often requires revisiting old planets to enter new areas previously inaccessible. Each planet itself is broken up into separate areas, giving Samus a larger range of areas to visit than ever before.

Another new feature is the ability to collect Achievement Points. These are awarded for a variety of tasks - such as killing a number of enemies, scanning lores and enemies, defeating bosses, or finding secrets in the game, such as secret messages or secret techniques. These emblems can be then spent on unlocking concept art, in-game music, and special items to outfit Samus's gunship - such as a Mii bobble-head and bumper stickers with game titles.

Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel

Nintendo had a unique way to promote the game. In August for North America and October for Europe, they launched the Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel, a free channel download accessible from the Wii Shop Channel. Content was sparse featuring gameplay videos that would be added every few days and story information. There was also something of an easter egg where users could wave the Wii Remote over a background image, rubbing away pieces of it to reveal a different image. The Channel was expired by the end of the year and the content became inaccessible rendering it unusable. It is so far the only channel to have been retired from the Wii Shop.

Legacy

Ports and Rereleases

• It will be rereleased with the previous two Metroid Prime games on a single Wii disc as Metroid Prime Trilogy. Although the former games are modified with Wii motion controls similar to Metroid Prime 3's, Metroid Prime 3 appears to be unaltered.

Sequels

The next Metroid game was Metroid: Other M, which tried to combine gameplay elements from Prime and the classic Metroid games. In terms of storyline, it was set further in the timeline, between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion.

A handheld spin-off of the Prime series was later announced for release on the 3DS in 2016, known as Metroid Prime: Federation Force. It seems that this game will take some gameplay cues from Prime series, but it features members of the Galactic Federation as playable characters instead of Samus and allows for cooperative multiplayer gameplay.