Games

METROID PRIME
Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Retro StudiosPlatform: GameCube Genre: ActionRating: Teen

In the summer of 1994, I picked up a copy of Super Metroid for the SNES. I don’t remember much about that summer, as I was always either drunk, working a shitty job, or playing Metroid. It got to the point where I moved out of my parents’ house because I was sick of getting static for spending all my time in front of the TV. I needed to devote all my resources to, at the time, one of the best games ever made. Here we are in 2003, and it’s 1994 all over again. I have a job now but it’s really getting in the way of my attempts to acquire the Plasma beam, and if my girlfriend doesn’t cool it on the, “Turn off the video game, I wanna watch Trading Spaces” crap, I’m going to have to find some new accommodations. Metroid Prime is a perfect example of adapting classic gameplay from the 8-bit 2D era to the technology of today. The premise of the game is simple: You are a female bounty hunter named Samus Aran. You check out a distress signal on a space station. Some nasty shit goes down, so you decide to land on the planet below and take names. The game doesn’t try to be a movie, so don’t expect a complex plot. And don’t be misled by the screenshots: Metroid Prime is not a first-person shooter. It’s an action game with brilliant graphics that have awesome little touches like condensation forming on your visor when you walk through a steamy corridor, or rivulets of water dripping from your visor as you emerge from a pool. The sound effects and background music are top-notch, and really create an otherworldly feeling. If there is one gripe with Metroid it would be the controls. You have to sort of toggle between the left and right shoulder buttons to aim and strafe. This feels a little awkward at first, but you get used to it. If you own a GameCube, you owe it to yourself to play Metroid. If you don’t have one, it’s almost worth getting a Cube for this game alone.




THE TWO TOWERS
Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Stormfront StudiosPlatform: PS2, GameCube, XboxGenre: ActionRating: Teen

I’m torn. Part of me wants to slam this game for being a predictable, repetitive action title, derivative of games like Golden Axe or the new version of Gauntlet. The other part of me, the part that thinks The Two Towers movie was the best middle part of a trilogy since The Empire Strikes Back, thinks this is a fun game where you get to kill a ton of orcs. When you think about it, a video-game adaptation of these films could be the role-playing game to end all role-playing games. Since most games in the genre tend to rip off Tolkien’s source material anyways, it seems like an obvious choice. Instead, EA provides a hack ‘n’ slash, level- and power-ups-based killfest, which admittedly can be a lot of fun. You can play as Aragorn, Legolas or that fat little bitch Gimli, and the game attempts to re-create the best battle scenarios from the first two films. Half the game is Fellowship of the Ring, so it’s kind of misleading to just call it The Two Towers. Whatever. Each level basically involves you killing a lot, so what’s the difference? There are a few minor flaws. Why do game developers still rely on tired devices like putting power-ups inside crates or barrels strewn across the level? Like you’d be wandering through the mountains, when out of nowhere there’s a barrel full of arrows? Whew! Glad that was there. It kind of pulls you out of the game. I don’t remember Gandalf ever busting open a box to find a much-needed health-giving turkey. Oh yeah, speaking of Gandalf, where was the Balrog in this game? How cool would that have been? All that aside, Two Towers is pretty good. It’s fun, there’s a lot of killing to do, the graphics are tight, and if you’re really into the movies, you’ll dig it. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an RPG or you’re into elves, wear a cloak and go to medieval fairs and shit instead.

THX-1138