Metroid Prime 2002

Is it still worth playing?

Retro Studios' 2002 game for the GameCube, and the first Metroid game in 3D and from a first person view. Nintendo called it a first person adventure rather than a shooter, because puzzle solving counts as much as aiming. Samus Aran explores the alien planet Tallon IV, starting with little equipment and gaining power-ups through the world. Those tools change how she sees and moves. The visors show thermal imaging, x-ray vision and a scan that finds enemy weaknesses and unlocks doors, and the Morph Ball switches to a third person view to roll through narrow passages and drop bombs. In a fight, a lock-on lets you circle an enemy while staying aimed at it. Exploring is still the draw today, with a story you find by scanning and locked areas that pull you back later.