If you’ve been following UWG for awhile, you might recall my profession back in June I was finally going to tackle Metroid Prime, a game that has been languishing in my backlog for over a decade. I gave it a go when it was first released, and despite my love for Super Metroid, things just didn’t work out between us then. I had a hard time with everything about the game, from getting into the story to managing the first-person controls. I long regretted that I didn’t connect with the game, so after years of internal hemming and hawing, I bit the bullet and decided I needed to play through the series at least once before my timely passing. This year seemed as good as any.
Though I still had my old Gamecube save data from eons ago, I started up a new game. I knew from the start that I’d be playing in fits and spurts as time allowed, but I opted to take my time. I had in mind that I’d beat the game and find at least a few secrets, but that I wouldn’t worry about reaching full completion. With a renewed and more mature attitude, I slowly got used to all the first-person-ness and hit a decent stride with the game. And things were going along pretty well until I hit my first road bump: the boss Thardus.
UGH. In a fashion typical for me, I tried over and over to best this formidable ice/rock boss to near controller-crushing levels, but my frustration eventually won. I ignored the game in anger for awhile, and several weeks passed before I found the gumption to try again. I’ll admit that I turned to the Internet for advice, which helped tremendously. I soon beat Thardus and triumphantly moved on. (And I found a new musical love in the theme of the Phenandra Drifts!)
Despite a busy summer, I found some extra time to put into the game and discovered a renewed joy in simply exploring the lands of Metroid Prime. I had forgotten just how much fun it was to head back to a familiar area only to find a new passageway to a new area! (This was huge part of the draw of Super Metroid for me.) I met with some difficultly, mostly in managing my weapons and using the right ones at the right times, but for the most part, things went quite smoothly until I met the Omega Pirate.
UGH number two. The nasty creature that was the Omega Pirate had me stumped for several more sessions. Unlike what happened with Thardus, I didn’t avoid the game for an extended period, though I stopped playing as regularly as I had been simply because I didn’t want to become completely enraged, again. So I aimed to enter each match with the Omega Pirate with a very clear head…and more advice from the Internet. Now, in my mind is a whole tirade about why I’m horrible at gaming, but I’ll spare you from that drivel and just say that one of the problems I had during that battle concerned my terrible memory and Samus’s visors. Those of you who have played the game know that in it Samus obtains a number of different visors, two of which are a thermal visor and an x-ray visor. Although I read on the Internet that you need to use the x-ray visor during the Omega Pirate battle, I kept pulling up the thermal visor. I can’t explain the visor dyslexia that I encountered, but it took me several frustrating attempts to overcome it. Once that happened, the Omega Pirate was much less fearsome.
Onward and upward after that, right?
Well, more like sideways. The last time I played, which was a couple weeks ago, I was on the hunt for the Twelve Artifacts. Had I known that I absolutely needed these artifacts to progress, I would have been searching for them all along. Alas, that was not the case. I’ve so far found nine, which leaves a mere three to go. After that…well, I know Ridley is in the game, so…maybe the final battle is not too far off? If you’ve got any non-spoilery advice, say so in the comments. You know I’m not above receiving help from the Internet! ;)
I’m still hoping to complete the game by the end of the year, but…well, Dragon Age: Inquisition may have other ideas.
Advice? Bwahahahaha! No. I’m also replaying Prime at the moment, I’ve just gotten to the Phazon Mines and while the Omega Pirates didn’t kill me – I’ve been hunting for energy tanks and missile upgrades throughout so at this point Samus feels practically invincible – the Phazon Mines have killed my momentum with the game. This advice is probably no good for you now, but from the start of the game I’ve been playing almost exclusively with the hints turned off. Thanks to that, I’ve found several of the artefacts – 5 or 6 I think so far – by accident, which is nice.
You might be aware of this already, but if you go to the temple where you place the artefacts, the totem-pole things that are there give you pretty decent hints as to where each artefact is. Also, even though I remember being in the exact same position as you and finding the whole artefact quest pretty annoying at the time, it’s nothing compared to the artefact quest in the Prime 2: I didn’t know there was one until the very end of the game (when, naturally, the game asks you to get all of them), and the worst part is that they can only be seen using the X-ray visor or something. So odds are you probably walked past several of them through the course of the game, only you didn’t know it because why would you check the x-ray visor!? Very annoying.
Y’know, shame on me for not seeking out more energy tanks and missile upgrades. I know that I’d be having a much easier time with things if I had higher energy, at least. But I do think I’ve been playing with the hints on…maybe? Goodness if I don’t even know for sure! (Why do I play video games again?) Though no, they have to be on because I have read the artifact hints, so… They are pretty helpful, but I’ve
been cheatingused Internet advice for a couple of them just because I was tired of hunting on my own.As much as I love exploring in Metroid games, I’ve been lax overall about it in MP — I just don’t have the time to go meandering. Like, I should be using the x-ray visor every chance I get, but I get so focused on reaching a particular point that I completely forget to do so during my travels. Anyway, I do appreciate that hint concerning MP2; hopefully I’ll get to that next year.
The hints are quite good in that they’re subtle and don’t make you feel dumb, it’s when a little notice appears on the screen – “Irregular seismic activity detected” and you press Z and the map marks the spot you should be aiming for. In the earlier stages I had fun with it switched off, but the world has gotten so big now it’s to the point where taking a wild guess (“oh hey wasn’t there something over there I couldn’t do earlier but could do now…”) means a 5-10 minute trek. And that can be annoying when I get it wrong, which I do a lot of the time. So the hints are on for good at this point! Overall I think it’s a very good game, but I would’ve appreciated a few more time saving mechanisms – warps or something to make traversal quicker.
Agreed. Sometimes the lengthy travel time does take away from the experience — having to fight the same set of baddies each time you pass through a particular area. Though it gets easier each time, it can still be very annoying.Some sort of “quick travel” thing would have been very helpful to include.
I know that many people see the artifact-hunting segment as the game’s weak spot, but I loved it because you ended up exploring some really neat places in regions you had already visited.
Good luck!
Thanks! As I mentioned in my comment to veryverygaming, I’ve had mixed results with finding the artifacts. Depending on how much time I have to play, I’ve either been hunting on my own or using walkthroughs. I wish it didn’t have to be that way, but, y’know, adulthood and all. I get that finding the artifacts can be tedious, but you’re right, there’s nothing like discovering a new spot in a familiar location! Treasure hunting at its best. :)
Good luck finishing the game! You can do it! I pretty much got stuck on the same bosses as you. (That Omega Pirate is awful!) Heck, my first time through, I couldn’t beat the Parasite Queen (she’s the first boss, right?). I don’t know what advice to give, as I haven’t played the game in a while. All I know is, don’t waste your time with the Fission Metroids. I got into quite a mess with those guys. Just run. Because you also want to conserve health before… Well, you’ll see. And just make sure you’re quite good at dodging. You’ll need it for the next bosses, especially Ridley, I think. You know, when Samus kind of zips sideways (at least, I think I’m thinking of the correct game). Very useful. I think. I haven’t played in so very long…. Must plug GameCube back in.
I think I’m the absolutely worst at dodging in games. Even fighting games! For some reason the thought to dodge attacks never occurs to me until I’m nearly dead and incredibly angry. I’ve been getting better about remembering all the moves that Samus has at her disposal, but old habits are hard to break (and learn!).
I’ve had a really fun time with MP but I am ready to move on to the next game in the series. Soon, hopefully…soon…
That reminds me of the shields in Super Smash Bros. 15 years later, I have just started using them. I have really slow reflexes.