When Nintendo announced its line up of “New Play Control” titles for the Wii Ninty fans already had ideas in their head of games that would be ideal for the new makeover. The Metroid series was one of them. Having shown Samus can work even better on the Wii it seemed an obvious choice to move the two predecessors over to the console too. Low and behold Nintendo have gone one better and released all three in a neat little trilogy pack.

All three games revolve around bounty hunter Samus Aran as she searches space, tackling aliens and helping those in need of assistance. The storyline is fairly simple with each game but become deeper when and if you want to scan log books, enemies and the surroundings around you. And that is where it’s clear the developers have made the effort with the amount of information and text reaching the ridiculously in depth.

To simply call these games first person shooters, would be inaccurate. Sure the Prime series does have a wealth of shooting and blasting of enemies, but woven in are elements of exploration, platforming and puzzles which overall gel to create an experience unlike any other. In each the formula remains similar. You start off with the most very basic of weapons and abilities making your way around hazard filled areas and gradually discovering new powers along the way. In doing so newer areas become accessible and so on. For example, doors that require specific gun types or ledges that require a double jump to reach may hinder your progress until you acquire said abilities. The newly updated controls are great, using the pointing feature of the remote to aim and the nunchuck to move, the two work perfectly adding in the odd motion feature to further the experience. For example during battles while firing beams and shooting missiles with simple button presses, you can also flick the nunchuck to whip out your grapple beam and fling off enemy shields. For a game that is fairly complex, it actually handles very easily. Whether it be changing weapons, using morph ball mode or using a different visor.

Enemies range from the small scorpion like insects right up to epic boss battles against a Phazon fused rock monster. Each game has a nice mix between the organic like creatures that pose a small threat and space pirates who act like the usual “enemies with gun” and offer a bigger challenge. As mentioned before the boss battles steal the show, and are where you’ll find some of the games bigger challenges. Each test your skills to the max and require you to take advantage of your arsenal and think outside the box rather than just have you blast away until they die. Highlights include fighting a boss entirely in morph ball mode, a giant plant that needs sunlight and a darker version of yourself.

Each game feels different in terms of style and tone and each work to different effect. The first feels very organic and gives a real sense of aloneness and sees you exploring temples, forest-like areas and magma caverns. The second decides to take a dark and light route with worlds being split into daylight stages and night time ones that are especially tough. The final feels like its treading Halo territory with epic battles between space pirates and other space marines helping out Samus along the way. While they retain the same core gameplay, each offer several new elements that add to the experience making them feel fresh and exciting.

It’s not only the single player adventures that you’ll find as the multiplayer from the second title is also bundled with this package and it’s surprisingly a bit of a laugh. Playing with four people is fun and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is well worth at least checking out. However Metroid is a single player experience and you’ll likely want to stick with the lone modes as that is where these games shine.

Visually the first two (being Gamecube titles) hold up surprisingly well and look better than a lot of Wii titles out there. Whether it is the underground magma caverns, snowy canopies or the contrasting light and sinisterly dark sections of the sequel they still manage to impress. The third and final has a slight facial upgrade over the previous two but really it’s the art style that steals the show from all. Environments, enemies and pretty much everything are superb. They all feel believable and are so excellently designed. The music too features remixed Metroid tunes as well as newer ones that change with the action going on, one minute being sombre and relaxing, then the next frantic and fast paced.

Aside from the new controls Metroid Prime Trilogy does offer some other small extras. The token system found in Corruption makes an appearance here in all three games. Performing certain actions (beating a boss, shooting so many enemies) will reward you with coloured tokens that can be used to purchase art work and music in the extras. It’s a small addition but one that makes playing through each game 100% even more enjoyable.

In terms of value for money this trilogy set speaks for itself. You’re getting three top quality games and granted they are simply old ones re-released but they still stand tall with the likes of newer games today. With each lasting around fifteen to twenty hours you’re in for a heck of a journey.

Chances are if you’re considering getting this game you’re in one of two brackets. You’re either new to the series (in which case you have no excuse not to go out and buy this right away) or you’ve played at least one of the Prime games before (even still it’s definitely worth a shot.) Whatever the case, Metroid Prime Trilogy is a great collection of one of the best series out there and should not be missed.