Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

We all know how great Metroid Prime is. After all, it’s sold over a million copies and you can pick it up for about $20. Finally, Retro has released a sequel. And it remains…will MP2 suffer from ’sequelitis’?

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a first-person action adventure game published by Nintendo. You take control of Samus Aran, a bounty hunter caught in a fierce battle between two unstable worlds. What do you do? Who do you do? Well, in Retro’s case, you make a sequel to an unbelievably good game that well…feels different.

The control system is still here. The graphics are even better, and the sound is vibrant. What’s missing? Well…the fun. The game is just hard. So hard, that sometimes you’re waiting for a Save Station so you can end your session. The game is out to tell you that only MP1 players should play it.

The game starts with a tutorial level that will leave you puzzled instead of feeling pumped-to-play. Once you get the controls down, you’re introduced to undead soldiers who are out to kill you. Then after that, if you don’t know what Save Stations are, you’ll die…and go through the tutorial again.

After the tutorial, meet your first boss. The boss is a mighty challenge for a first one, and it’s there to teach you…”love your Save Stations”. After the boss, you meet the good guy and then go out to grab things. The game revolves around three bosses you have to kill to go and kill the big boss, Emperor Ing. The ‘kill these big dudes so you can kill this dude’ structure is interesting, but it can get boring. Quick.

Along the way of your scavenger hunt, you’ll enter a parallel dimension: Dark Aether. This ‘other world’ is quite hard to survive in, and the creatures in it are even more annoying than the bosses. You’ll enter a room and see a small creature and spend countless minutes shooting it…and shooting it…and shooting it. It’s like they want to artificially lengthen the game.

And now…Multiplayer. Multiplayer is a mixed experience. There’s only one character you can play as: Samus. Different colored ’sami’, actually. Anyway, the experience gets boring quick and you’ll soon yearn to play something different…something fun.

Metroid Prime 2 is only for Metroid Prime players who want a harder challenge. Everyone else, play something else.

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

When I first picked up RaC: UyA, I was expecting the same thing I rented: a nice platformer/shooter. I was correct!Let’s start with the single player adventure. It has over 12 weapons. They each can be upgraded to level 5. Basically, single player mode pits you against Dr. Nefarious, who plans to turn all organic life(which he’s dubbed “squishies”) into robots. The single player mode is short(10-15 hours), but it’s hilarious.

The multiplayer mode is a new addition to the series. It has online play, local play, and an option to create a profile. A profile is basically default options. The local play has no bots, meaning if you plan on playing multiplayer alone, you’ll play it alone. The three modes are Siege, Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. The online play can be enjoyed with up to 8 players while the local play can be played with up to four players if you have a multitap. The game is compatible with Dual Shock 1 controllers so you don’t need to spend money on Dual Shock 2 controllers if you’re low on cash. Overall, the multiplayer is a good addition.

The graphics in the game are great. They really show the PS2’s capibilities. From the deaths of enemies to jumping off the ship, the game is beautiful. The framerates stay the same about 98% of the time.

The sound in the game is excellent. The background music matches each area nicely and the gun sounds are great. Sound is better with surround sound, of course.

The replay value is above average. When you beat the short single player mode, you can play Challenge Mode, which features new upgrades to weapons and an overall harder single player mode. The multiplayer will keep you busy for a long time.

Overall, this game is an experience you have to play. If you need a good game in your library, this is it. If you need a good shooter and you don’t like blood/gore, this is it.