‘Metroid Prime 2: Echoes’Genre: FantasyPlatform: Nintendo GamecubePublisher: Retro StudiosPrice: $49.99Four out of five stars

When newcomer to the video game industry Retro Studios announced it would release the latest game in the ‘Metroid’ series, many were skeptical of the company’s ability. They shouldn’t have been.

Retro’s 2002 game ‘Metroid Prime’ is now considered one of the best titles for the Nintendo Gamecube. It successfully brought one of Nintendo’s flagship characters, bounty hunter Samus Aran, into the 128-bit realm of the next-gen consoles. Two years later, Retro improves on its original with the sequel ‘Metroid Prime 2 Echoes.’

In Samus’ latest adventure, players will visit the planet Aether, a world split into two light and dark dimensions. After making a crash landing on the planet and losing all her equipment, Samus must fight alongside the Luminoth of the light world against the Ing Horde of the dark world.

Not much has changed in ‘Echoes’ with regards to graphics and play mechanics. The control scheme is identical to the original ‘Prime,’ and players follow the same progression as with other Metroid games, solving puzzles in order to gain upgrades and move on to other sections of the world.

‘Echoes’ features a slew of new upgrades that enhances Samus’ arsenal. Two new suits are available to help her through the various environments she will encounter throughout the adventure. Samus also has three new power beams, seeker missiles and a new screw attack that allows her to take on several different enemies at once.

But the smartest additions Retro has made to echoes are the new multiplayer modes, deathmatch and bounty mode. Although it’s no ‘Halo 2,’ the deathmatch mode does follow the classic seek-and-frag style with which most ‘Goldeneye’ and ‘Quake’ veterans are familiar. The bounty mode strays from the deathmatch formula to offer a unique multiplayer experience. Instead of earning the most kills, the winner must deliver devastating attacks to each other in order to earn the most coins by the end of the round.

Although ‘Echoes’ is no more unique than ‘Metroid Prime,’ it uses the same formula that has been proven to work for the series over the past several years. Without any other blockbuster hits coming to the ‘Cube in the near future, ‘Metroid Prime 2 Echoes’ is the only must-have Nintendo title this holiday season.

Published on December 5, 2004 at 12:00 pm