One of Nintendo’s greatest games is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Metroid Prime came out for the GameCube on this day in 2002.
Metroid Prime is one of the most critically acclaimed games ever and spawned two sequels. A new entry, Metroid Prime 4, is coming out for the Switch in 2018, according to Nintendo. That is part of a push to revive that franchise after Nintendo took some time to focus on other properties. Earlier this year, the publisher released Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS. The sidescroller was the first major entry in the series since 2010’s Metroid: Other M for the Wii.
Metroid Prime is a 3D, first-person reinvention of the classic 2D series that started on the NES. Despite that technological jump, Prime retained the basic design philosophy of beloved hits like Super Metroid. You still explore a non-linear world as you discover new upgrades and abilities that would help you access new areas.
The Austin, Texas-based Retro Studios developed the original Metroid Prime trilogy. Retro has since helped create Donkey Kong Country games for Nintendo, but it is not involved with Metroid Prime 4.