Nintendo Wii Review: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Great combat continues with main heroine Samus Aran in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption – only available on the Nintendo Wii. As usual, Samus starts from ground zero, so players must amass abilities and power as you progress. She’s also a bounty hunter, so you’ll experience some “friendly fire” battle if you start trying to hurt your hosts. One great new element is definitely Samus’ ability to use her ship. The navigation/aiming controls take some adjustment time (it helps to have a television that handles light and dark well) and you need quick observation skills if you want the maximum benefit the first time around. The sensitive controls only require minor movements, no huge sweeping motions here (which might save you some property damage it you get deeply involved in the game.) Players who want replay time can conquer the game quicker in normal or veteran difficulty (try extra hard after completing the game.)

The dark themed storyline is part Aliens, part Halo, part Star Wars and part…Pirates of the Caribbean? This time the baddies are Space Pirates and the all knowing Aurora Unit is your guide during your interplanetary travels. The boss fights represent a good chunk of the memorable action as challenging players will get their fill (it takes approximately 25 hours to complete – not at an 100% completion rate). The new phazon powers will be needed during the boss fights, but don’t let the supremacy go to your head. These new powers can hurt as well as help.

The puzzle elements provide a lot of mentally challenging action as well. Inexperienced players (in this series or action/puzzlers in general) will need breaks to avoid frustration. There’s an especially frustrating errand quest doesn’t help the experience (keep checking your inventory), but overall, there’s plenty of punch in this title, making it one of the best Wii titles currently available. Producers create particularly memorable cut scenes among the action sequences, and the sound/miscellaneous production values remain strong.

The game has great voice talent and hidden items/areas revealing even more characters.  It delivers even more stunning graphics in this installment, which makes a successful series and exciting gameplay. The replay value stays pretty high as players pick up missing items to increase the completion rating. The fast pace foray includes an extras and options menus allow access to special galleries and some cool tools. For example, after earning unlockables and special achievements, you get an in-game screenshot option. Players can also share several items through the WiiConnect 24 option.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB for Violence and Animated Bood.