After been nominated for but missing out on the gametrailers.com Best of E3 award Metroid Prime 3: Curruption has grabbed IGN’s top honor in the first person category. Read more below.

Huh? Metroid purists will be crying foul, no doubt, but let us explain. Prime 3’s E3 2007 showing was heavy on gunning and light on the franchise’s traditional re-traversal puzzle-solving nature, and for the first time we’ve been forced to concede that Corruption is, technically, also a shooter. And what a shooter! Utilizing the accuracy and speed of the Wii remote, Retro Studios has delivered the most tightly-controlled first-person experience to grace any home console. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the game won’t ultimately fall in the adventure genre - actually, we suspect it will. Retro has promised even more exploration and puzzles for fans. Prime 3 also boasts some of the most atmospheric cinematics and story sequences in the series yet, not to mention some welcomed visual enhancements. Cleaner, crisper textures, bigger environments, advanced particle effects, bloom lighting and a true 16:9 widescreen mode to start. Early showings of Prime 3 didn’t exactly floor us, but we’re all-too happy to admit that the game has come together… and then some. The E3 2007 build of Corruption skyrocketed the title the top of our must-have lists.

[Via - IGN.com E3 2007 awards]

Gametrailers.com has posted what seems to be a series of Metroid Retrospective videos. Part one can be viewed below and the others will be posted as they become available.

Metroid Prime 3 was nominated for the Best of E3 award in the first person Shooter category by Gametrailers.com, it didn’t win but positive comments on the controlling system and the visuals are worth noting.

When Samus destroys her Power Suit, she’s left with the Zero Suit. What she’s lost in power and weaponry, she makes up for in speed!

Once she turns that Paralyzer in her hand into a whip, she has quite a long reach as well! Not exactly the straightforward fight you thought it was, huh?

More Zero Suit Samus Screenshots in the gallery 

[Via - Smash Bros Dojo]

On a system that is technically the weakest, “Corruption” could prove that a few graphical tricks can still be squeezed out of Nintendo’s tiny white box. On a system that has so far faltered when delivering compelling first-person action experiences, “Corruption” could prove that the system excels at immersive first-person narratives. But most importantly, on the system with the most minigame collections and casual games marketed to soccer moms and grandparents, “Corruption” could prove that Nintendo is still dedicated to that loyal fanbase eager to sink its teeth into a more epic gaming adventure.

As the story continues to unfold we learn that six months have passed since the events of “Metroid Prime 2″ on the planet Aether. The Galactic Federation’s network of computers has been inexplicably infected, and the Federation has asked for assistance from several bounty hunters, including Samus Aran. It looks like Dark Samus has made her return from the grave, and she is corrupting several other alien worlds. Not only will Samus be able to pilot to these different worlds with her ship, but it now comes with a nifty new trick. Throughout the game there will be certain designated areas where Samus can call her ship, allowing her to refill weapons and energy or save the game.

The game opens with the famed female bounty hunter Samus seated in the cockpit of her ship. We felt immediately at home with the controls as we fiddled with the switches along the dash of her ship. “Corruption’s” controls are the most important element for Retro Studios to get right, and it looks like it has risen to the challenge. Looking around by pointing at the screen feels completely natural, making us wonder why games have struggled with this on the Wii before.

There is a new kind of targeting mode in “Corruption” called “lock-on free aiming.” In this mode, whenever Samus locks onto an enemy it becomes fixed to the center of her view - the focal point that she strafes around - but unlike previous lock-on features, Samus will still be free to shoot at anything within her field of vision. Of course, the more traditional targeting type will also be available.

“Corruption’s” most impressive feat, however, may be its graphics. It is certainly a tall order to expect any Wii game to compete graphically against the big boys on more powerful systems, but Retro Studios’ art team has done a masterful job with “Corruption.” The few levels we witnessed were gorgeous, and we don’t even feel the need to qualify that with “for a Wii game.” One area, called the sky tower, was particularly memorable.

It’s just a shame the Wii doesn’t support full HD, because “Corruption” is one of those rare Wii games that is actually worthy.

So do you still need any more proof? “Metroid Prime 3″ already looks to be the Wii game to get this summer, if not this year.

[Via - Macon.com]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the coolest Final Smash in Super Smash Bros Melee.

and the resullt of using so much power? Nakedness woops, I mean Zero Suit Samus.

[Via - Smash Bros Dojo]

I spent quite a bit of time playing Metroid Prime 3 at last year’s E3, so this year I only had two goals in mind: Confirm no one had fucked it up and check out this new free-aiming lock-on dealio. I am happy to report that the game still plays quite well and is a bit more of what it was at last year’s E3.

The free-aiming, where you can lock onto a target and then roam around it, and still have to aim with your controller, seems to work quite well. I liked that it afforded me the ability to easily walk around a baddie without too much button jockeying, but that it still required a modicum of skill to actually aim and shoot.

It felt like it was the perfect balance for a light shooter, something that would go over well with both the hardcore and those new to the system and the idea of shooting things for fun.

The chunk of level I played through had a bit more of a puzzle element to it and worked quite well, it also showed off a bit of graphic flair (I particularly like seeing Samus‘ face reflected in her visor), but let’s face it, the Wii will never be the PS3 or the Xbox 360 and, fortunately, Nintendo knows that, so it doesn’t even try.

Metroid Prime 3 remains on my list of games I must get for the console when it hits, but isn’t quite up there with such titles as Mario Kart (for it’s addictive racing) and Super Smash Bros (because, I believe, I’m required to want this game).

By BRIAN CRECENTE

[Via - Kotaku]

Format: Wii™
Launch Date: 27 August 2007
Game Type: First-Person Adventure
Players: 1
Developer: Retro Studios

KEY INFORMATION
Truly feel what it is to be the bounty hunter behind the visor.
• Players become Samus with the Wii controls. By moving around with the Nunchuk™ and aiming Samus’ gun with the Wii Remote™, players do more than look through the eyes of Samus – they experience a quantum leap in first-person control. Fire on the run, grapple enemies and yank off their shields or manipulate machinery with movements of the Nunchuk and Wii Remote – it all adds up to a level of immersion only possible on Wii, and the best first-person controls on any platform, period.
• Corruption is everywhere… Dark Samus, Samus’ longtime nemesis, is corrupting entire planets by launching enormous seeds called Leviathans into them. Samus must travel to multiple planets – each with unique alien landscapes and dangers –to prevent the planets from being completely corrupted, all the while fighting the spreading Phazon that threatens to take over her body completely. As it corrupts her, it also grants her incredible powers.
• Enter Hypermode! Samus employs a never-before-used device called a Phazon Enhancement Device (PED) that harnesses the Phazon within her and puts her into a state called Hypermode. In Hypermode, Samus can destroy Phazon impediments and annihilate enemies with superpowered weapons … but it drains her health to use it. If she doesn’t empty her Phazon meter within a certain time frame she risks utter corruption under the control of Dark Samus. Players need to carefully balance their need for ultimate power with the inherent danger of corruption.

Game storyline: The trilogy ends … with a bang! Six months have passed since the events on the planet Aether. The Galactic Federation’s network computers, Aurora Units, are suddenly and completely corrupted with something like a virus, and only quick action saves the entire network from going down. The Federation believes Space Pirates may be behind the problem and, beginning with Samus, starts to contact bounty hunters. As it explains the situation to the assembled hunters, the Federation is attacked by the pirates. Samus and the other hunters leap to the defense of the Federation capital, only to find that the enemy the hunters face is the presumed-dead Dark Samus. Dark Samus defeats Samus and the other bounty hunters, corrupting them with Phazon in the process. They are all subsequently outfitted by the Galactic Federation with Phazon Enhancement Devices (PEDs) that can harness their corruption to enhance their powers. After learning to use this enhancement, called Hypermode, Samus sets off after Dark Samus, who has begun to seed other planets with Phazon by launching enormous Phazon seeds called Leviathans into them. As the Phazon begins to slowly corrupt Samus, the final saga in the Metroid Prime trilogy begins.

How to progress through the game: The war initiated by Dark Samus and the Space Pirates ranges across many planets as Dark Samus attempts to corrupt each with Phazon seeds. Use the Hypermode system and Samus’ weapons – like the Power Beam, Morph Ball and Scan Visor – to explore alien landscapes, hunt for weapons and information, and destroy the seeds, all the while balancing Samus’ Phazon corruption with the powers granted to her by the PED suit. Saving the planets from corruption isn’t enough, though. Eventually, players must take down Samus’ mortal enemy, Dark Samus, as well.

Characters: Samus, Dark Samus, the Galactic Federation, new bounty hunters Ghor, Rundas and Gandrayda.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: Besides using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers to pull off amazing feats like aiming and blasting in midair or at a full run, players also have an array of different weapons at their disposal. In true Metroid fashion, these become powered up as the game progresses. Multiple sensitivity settings for aiming ensure that the game controls like a dream for both novice players and veteran first-person shooter enthusiasts. Not only that, but the controller is used for a number of other game elements beyond the traditional first-person shooter standards, like physically interacting with machinery (by pushing, twisting and pulling the Wii Remote) and latching onto things with Samus’ grapple beam (by casting forward and then yanking back the Nunchuk). Players can also access their different visors via a quick-select system: They simply hold down the Minus button and point at their selection.

Advanced Aiming: Advanced players will find the Lock-on Free Aiming system is unparalleled. Players can lock the camera on enemies with the Nunchuk’s Z button, yet still have complete control of where they aim with the Wii Remote. The result is perfect first-person control.

On August 27, Nintendo invites gamers to get corrupted in Samus Aran’s upcoming adventure, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The Wii first person shooter plunges the bounty hunter into another out of this world adventure, giving players the opportunity to blast aliens and solve puzzles using an enjoyable control scheme. In the game, Samus continues the battle against her alter ego, Dark Samus, who seeks to corrupt planets by infecting them with gigantic seeds called Leviathans. Samus essentially planet hops across the galaxy, saving the universe while at the same time coping with the mysterious Phazon corrupting her body. At the same time, she can harness this Phazon energy with a device called a Phazon Enhancement Device (PED), which gives her super strength and improved weapons, allowing her to tear through enemies and other obstructions.

The catch is learning to maintain this Phazon, using it responsibly to avoid breaching “safe” levels and killing her, so the game has a cool risk vs. reward system. Players must choose between easily defeating enemies and doing things the hard way to avoid death. Much like the other Metroid Prime video games, Corruption features alien landscapes full of life and vivid detail. Gamers will blast robots and a host of other creatures, all while scanning hundreds of objects to learn more info about their adversaries and surroundings. In addition, Samus’ morph ball returns, giving her the opportunity to fit in small areas and complete puzzles.

By Chris Buffa of Gamedaily.com