Reviews// Metroid Prime 2 Echoes

But there is a but. Once you’ve picked up the knack, merrily scanning everything in sight like a bleeper-happy checkout girl, you may begin to appreciate the inherent advantages of this technique. It means that you can size up the entire contents of an area without having to go very far. You can simply look around you, scanning objects at a distance and working out what your next move should be before you start ambling around and getting disorientated.

Strangely, it’s things like this, that could be construed as problems, that make MP2 what it is. The forced back-tracking, quiet moments devoid of action and arduous scanning really will get some people going. It’s one of those games that is best understood as a whole and not as a sum of its parts. It’s about the experience you get whilst playing it, almost on an emotional level; rather than simply offering a way to have 15 minutes of brainless fun before Eastenders starts. Those moments that could be perceived by critics as ‘the boring bits’ are arguably what defines the game’s character.

This sequel has also introduced a new multiplayer element, not formerly part of the Metroid manifesto, but one that the DS version will take full advantage of. In itself, this aspect is fairly unremarkable, involving straightforward split-screen battling. It’s perfectly accessible and it’s a decent blast, but it does effectively undermine MP2’s winning formula. The splitting of the screen detracts from the impact of the wonderfully created environments and the fact that there are other people running about negates the convincing air of solitude. But it’s in there nonetheless, and we’re perfectly happy to see the option there.

Although some will see wandering back and forth through a sparse alien planet as a tedious pastime, it’s equally valid to say that these sections add most to the atmosphere. You’ll being feeling a bit lost, a bit lonely and a bit scared. Perhaps not what everyone wants from a piece of interactive entertainment, but it’s definitive proof of MP2's artistic merit and bold direction. The storyline uses a similar tactic, refusing to really engage the player until you’re a few levels in, at which point the fun picks up exponentially.

Samus lands on an alien planet, finds some dead troopers, and has to work out what’s going on from then. This means that you feel as if you’re unravelling the story yourself, rather than acting on a premise that has been spoon-fed to you. It’s a fairly daring strategy that will alienate those weaned on a diet of generic third-person action adventures, but will remind more discerning gamers just how sophisticated the general idea is.