According to many in the gaming press the signs were not good. Not only had Nintendo farmed out one of one of it's most cherished franchises to Retro Studios, an American developer that most people had never heard of, but come 2001 E3, Shigeru Miyamoto pulled Metroid Prime from the show citing control problems. All did not look good for Samus Aran's 128-bit debut. But how wrong they were. It turns out that not only have Retro Studios done Nintendo proud in terms of producing a game faithful to Metroid and NCL heritage, they've also gone and created the greatest Gamecube title so far.

In terms of plotline, Metroid Prime offers a fairly similar background to previous Metroid titles. You take control of legendary intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran who is dispatched to stricken planet Tallon IV in order to take on the Space Pirates who are harnessing the mysterious energy from a crashed asteroid to develop a genetically enhanced army. Where the game differs from its past is in the switch to 3D. All previous Metroid titles were 2D platform/adventure affairs but in a first for the series, Prime adopts a first person shooter perspective.

Despite this, one thing that you have to remember about Prime is that it is not a first person shooter. Sure, most of the action takes place in the first person perspective and shooting things plays a fairly significant part in the gameplay, but make no mistake, this is no Halo wannabe. Metroid games have always been a blend of shooting, adventure and platform action and Prime is no different. The only thing that has changed is the perspective. One area where this non-FPS conformity is particularly apparent is in the control system. For starters the controls are not customisable in any way and this has caused consternation amongst some gamers since the default set-up is not particularly FPS-friendly. The control method is based on the Goldeneye configuration, with the analogue stick moving Samus forward, backwards and turning. Aiming is done by holding down the right shoulder button and using the analogue stick whilst strafing requires the left shoulder button to be held when moving left and right. The C-stick and D-pad are used for assigning weapons and different battle suit visors and as such there is no option of dual analogue control.

Whilst this type of control set-up would clearly be a bit unwieldy in an FPS, Prime isn't an FPS and the combat mechanics reflect this. When engaging enemies pressing the left shoulder button locks on to the nearest target meaning that the inability to move and look simultaneously doesn't hinder combat. The only problems come when you are trying to lock on to a target on much higher or lower plain than Samus. This can often require you to press the right shoulder button to look down or up towards the enemy and then hitting the left shoulder button to lock on to it. This can be a bit ponderous but thankfully is not frequently necessary and therefore doesn't cause any major headaches. Overall, while the controls may take a bit unintuitive for anyone used to dual analogue movement, once you've got the hang of them they work extremely well.

Unlike traditional FPS games, Prime also provides plenty of platform hopping and a huge amount of exploration and puzzle solving to go along with the shooting. To this extent, the final product ends up being quite unlike any other game. Try to imagine Zelda: Ocarina of Time crossed with Halo and Tomb Raider and you're pretty much there. Only it's better, much better, than you can imagine.

The first level acts as a tutorial and sees you investigating a deserted space station from which a distress signal has been received. This gives you a chance to get used to the controls and the various abilities that Samus has at her disposal. These include the Morph Ball function that allows Samus to roll into a ball in order to fit through narrow tunnels and a Grapple Beam to reach distant platforms. This level also teaches you to use the most important tool in Samus' armoury, the Scan Visor. This visor searches your surroundings for enemies, switches and locks, as well as highlighting useful bits of information that help you progress through the game. Constant use of the Scan Visor is essential and it soon becomes second nature to scan a room for clues and information upon entering.

Unfortunately a large explosion at the end of the first level sees Samus' battle suit damaged and all but her most basic abilities lost. In typical Metroid style, the rest of the game is spent locating power-ups for the suit in order for Samus to regain her abilities and this in turn allows you to reach previously inaccessible areas, expanding the game world available every time a power-up is found. These power-ups include additional visors for your battle suit, enhanced weapons and enlarged energy reserves. Unfortunately, these are usually to be found protected by a fiendish puzzle or a rather unpleasant boss. Speaking of which…

The bosses in Prime are simply awesome. Not only are they huge in scale, they are all unique in appearance as well as requiring varying tactics to successfully defeat. Using the Scan Visor is essential when tackling these bosses as it helps to identify the weak spots that you need to target. The boss battles can become epic affairs and there is a real sense of satisfaction in finally laying waste to an enormous enemy after a prolonged tactical battle of hit and run.

But there are two things that really strike you as unique about Metroid Prime whilst you are playing it: the sheer scale of the playing areas and the breathtaking level of detail contained within them. In terms of level size, Halo is the only game that springs to mind as offering comparable scale. The levels are simply huge and consist of everything from vast caverns to confined corridors. In fact the levels are so huge that were it not for the fact that Prime contains possibly the finest map system yet seen in a videogame, you could easily become lost and disorientated. But it's not just the scale of the levels that impresses, but also the phenomenal amount of detail. Everything just looks so complete and detailed that the whole gaming world comes alive. Little details like the fact the Samus visor mists up if you get too near a jet of steam or the heat haze that rises off your gun barrel after prolonged fire help to convince you that you are operating in a living, organic environment. Remember the first time that you looked down at the grass in Halo and realised how detailed the textures were? Or examined the bark on the trees? Prime is full of magical moments like these.

In fact you would be very hard pushed to find a game on any other system that surprises and impresses as constantly as Prime. Graphically it is unsurpassed by anything else on the Gamecube and is a match for the very best the Xbox has to offer, Halo included. And even more impressive, it's all been squeezed onto one dinky little Gamecube disc. So there's none of the annoying disc changing to break the atmosphere like in Resident Evil. In fact there are almost no noticeable breaks in the action at all with loading being taken care of during cut-scenes and on the fly during the levels. As an example of supremely polished and well thought out piece of software, Prime sets a new benchmark for others to strive for.

To accompany the stunning visuals are equally stunning sound effects and music. The dynamic soundtrack constantly adapts to reflect the level of threat around you and helps no end to improve the atmosphere. The effects are also fantastic with blasts and explosions galore, all in glorious Dolby Pro Logic surround sound.

As if all of this wasn't enough, there are even some nice extras available for Prime owners who also have a copy of the excellent Metroid Fusion on the GBA. Linking your GBA to your GC once you have completed Prime will unlock a copy of the original NES Metroid game, which even today stands up as a fine title. Alternatively, if you link up a completed Fusion cart you can download Samus's Fusion suit for use in Prime. It's good to see Nintendo finally making good use of the much-vaunted GC-GBA connectivity and these extras are a real treat for the dedicated Metroid fan.

Metroid Prime stands up not only as the most original, diverse and simply awe-inspiring game on the Gamecube, but as one of the five best videogames I have ever played. No review can really do justice to quite how fantastic the game is and the only advice I can offer is that you play it for yourself. Anyone with a Gamecube who doesn't have Prime is doing them and their Cube a disservice. Anyone that doesn't have a Gamecube should buy one, even if just to play this game. Quite simply, Metroid Prime alone is worth the cost of a Cube. Consider yourself told: Metroid Prime is absolutely essential.

Reviewed by AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).