WhenMetroid Primelaunched onthe Nintendo GameCubein late 2002, it was deemed an instant all-time great for essentially birthing an entire genre. The “first-person adventure” gamestill holds up incredibly wellto this day. In fact, it got even better when Nintendo releasedMetroid Prime Remasteredfor the Nintendo Switchin February 2023. If you haven’t had a chance to give Samus' epic adventure a go, now is a great time to do so. Walmart currently hasthe physical edition of the title on sale for just $30 bucks.
It probably didn’t shock folks thatMetroid Prime Remasteredwas received on the Switch with fantastic reviews. The original, developed by Retro Studios, boasted a Metacritic score of 97. 2023’sRemasteredcame in with similarly high scores, eventually landing ata prestigious 94 averageamong critics.
Metroid Primewas the first 3D entry in Samus' series. There was early work on aMetroidfor the Nintendo 64, but the project was eventually shelved, as Nintendo wasn’t satisfied with the franchise’s attempt at transitioning from 2D to 3D during the N64 era. The span between the 2D and 3D jump,Super MetroidtoMetroid Prime, turned out to be well worth the eight-year wait.
Critics and fans nearly universally agree thatPrimenailedthe isolation and almost horror feelof theMetroidseries. ThroughoutPrime, other than enemies, Samus has no one to interact with except for her log book entries and the enemies she encounters. With the updated visuals thatRemasteredbrings to the table, those design elements hit the player harder than ever.
There were a pair of sequels toPrimethat were released on the GameCube and Nintendo Wii -Metroid Prime: EchoesandMetroid Prime 3: Corruptionrespectively. Both were well-received, though they weren’t nearly as acclaimed as the initialPrimewas. A collection of the games,Metroid Prime Trilogy, was released on the Wii in August 2009. For years, it was speculated that the package would be ported over to the Switch. That, of course, didn’t happen. Instead,Metroid Prime: Remasteredcame to Switch as a solo act.
It was a smart move to focus solely on the initial game in the 3D series instead of theTrilogyport. With how wellPrime Remasteredturned out, it just madeMetroidfans even more ravenous for the upcoming sequel,Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. That title also suffered development woes for some time. Initially revealed during a 2017 Nintendo E3 event, the game would then go dark to the public for years. It eventually resurfaced in June 2014 andis expected to be launched later this year on the Switch and potentially Switch 2.
Relive the Past While Saving onMetroid Prime
It’s not all that common for the best-selling games on Nintendo consoles to see significant price discounts. If you’ve yet to give the game a go, or just haven’t had a chance to see how much better it looks and feels on the Nintendo Switch, consider grabbing the game while you can get itfor just $30.
