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[SolVanderlyn]

Just like its not spinoff counterpart, Metroid II, I can't seem to appreciate this game for what it is.

Interesting setting? It's got it. Dual world mechanic. Light/dark worlds.

Interesting powerups? It's got it. The light and dark suits are pretty intriguing and segue into the gameplay very well.

Story? Moreso than any other Metroid game prior! Ing lore, Aether lore, you name it - it's there.

But it feels so off. It's the black sheep of the Prime series. Something is missing that makes it a less enjoyable experience overall. Prime had a varied set of locations that still carried the Metroid feel, and all of its soundtrack was phenomenal. Retro had a mission, to prove that first person Metroid could work, and they completed said mission in style by blending nostalgia with new and innovative elements. Prime 3 used the Wiimote to its full potential, and took advantage of Samus' position as a bounty hunter affiliated with the federation to tell a unique story involving planet hopping. Prime 3 also tied together the subseries very well and had interesting bosses and environments that carried that "Metroid" feel.

Prime 2 is difficult, moreso than its prequel or sequel. Prime 2 has a unique atmosphere, almost as if Retro said that they were going to do what they wanted and went totally into their own comfort zone regarding storytelling and atmosphere, abandoning nostalgia entirely. Gravity Suit, Chozo, Metroid staples... gone. Replaced with Retro's own thing. Normally, I'd be behind this 100%, but I just can't click with Prime 2's storytelling and aesthetic.

I recognize it as an amazing game, but one that I don't appreciate. Does anyone else feel this way?

 

[Poyunch]

Prime 2 is probably my favorite of all three games. Amazing bossfights, I honestly think it looks better than Metroid Prime 3, the world feels more connected, and tons and tons of morphballin'.

 

[Afrocious]

I personally think MP2 is the best of the trilogy lol.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

It's as good as the first one for me.

Not as fresh because it wasn't first but it's on par.

 

[Lionheart1827]

Never really understood the praise for the 2nd one. I remember playing and beating it when it came out and was kind of letdown to be honest.

After being on GAF for many years, I figured I'd give it another shot and still feel the same way. Oh well.

 

[kunonabi]

I didn't like it much either but I certainly thought it was better than the shitshow that was Prime 3.

 

[SporeCrawler]

its one of the most complicated metroid games (the puzzles especially) and it can be a chore to play (torvus bog). aside of that its a great game.

 

[JimJamJones]

It's certainly no Other M.

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

It had more tedious parts to it than either of the other 2, but it's right up there with them, almost. Sanctuary Fortress is still one of the pinnacles of game design that I have seen to date.

 

[Durden77]

Metroid Prime is my favorite game ever and I still haven't beat MP2.

Dunno what it is, like you OP. I have fun with it and I think it's interesting, and the last time I tried to play it I got farther into than ever before, but I always get about half-way or so and just stop. Where as anytime I put in MP1, it's impossible for me not to play through the entire thing.

But it's cool and I could see why people enjoy it especially. It's style is rad in a lot of ways, and it's probably the most "original" out the whole trilogy, and I really respect that. Retro still made a Metroid game but very much had it's own type of fun with it which is impressive. I think I still have a half-way save file on my Trilogy collection. Should really get around to finally beating it...

 

[Qurupeke]

I think it's a bit more boring than the first one. Prime was mysterious and had a better world to explore. The Light/Dark world theme was nice but kind of tiring. This, of course, doesn't mean it's not good. Prime is just too perfect making Prime 2 feel bad compared to it. The different feeling you get from it may be a mixture of all this small details. It's different. It feels way more standalone than the other 2 Prime games. It's an odd game I'd dare to say, even for Metroid's standards.

 

[Mato]

Yep, it was like that for me too. I can't place it, but it left a bad aftertaste for me. It just didn't feel good. It tainted my impression of the Prime series. Would have been better if there had been no more Metroid games after Prime 1.

 

[DragonGirl]

It's my favorite of the Primes. It's everything from the first game, just more so. It's also a more cerebral experience, with a more gnarled and labyrinthine world and more puzzles. The bosses are like deadly puzzle boxes themselves. I do wish the environments were more varied, the swamp area would have helped if it had been more colorful. The black sheep for me is Prime 3. Still a great game but where Prime two was an amped up Prime, the third game dialed everything back.

 

[AzureTranquility95]

Don't feel bad about it. I've beaten all 3 games. The first one is the best one. 2 is one of those Nintendo games you either acquire the taste for and end up loving it to death because of it, or you never acquire it and just look at it as "lesser". As much as I hate to say it, Majora's Mask is the same way.

Prime 3 was the shortest, but it still managed to be a pretty strong game regardless. It didn't have as significant of a gimmick as 2 did, either. If the games weren't so narrative/story-based I would probaly just stick to 1 and 3, but I usually wind up playing 2 again whenever I get an itch to play the Prime games. MP1 is the one I've replayed the most, however.

 

[Interceptor]

Nah, it´s the very best of the prime series. This is how Metroid should be.
Hard. Alone.

 

[akidnamededdy]

Prime 2 gets into YOU.

 

[Amentallica]

I've grown to appreciate Prime 2 the most. Love it.

 

[Dreamwriter]

I didn't like it nearly as much as Prime 1, because it didn't have a very good sense of exploration, and that's what I like best about Metroid games. It felt a lot more linear than Metroid Prime; same with Metroid Fusion, though Prime 2 wasn't anywhere near as bad as that.

 

[Funkyhamster]

I enjoyed it a lot, but I definitely felt like it didn't quite belong with the other games. Honestly I think it's the drab color palette. The colorful environments of MP1 and 3 were one of my favorite aspects of those games, and MP2's environments were all just shades of grey (or purple in the dark world).

 

[Spinluck]

Metroid Prime is one of the best games ever, and while the sequels have been great and arguably better. I still consider the first one the best. Masterpiece from a game design standpoint.

 

[Adaren]

I couldn't either, OP (this was many years ago, forgive me if my memory's foggy).

The Light/Dark theme didn't grab me in the same way that the biology-driven world of Prime 1 did. I guess it felt a bit too magical or trite or predictable? I also didn't like the inclusion of U-Mos as exposition; I much prefer to piece together the entire story on my own.

If I remember correctly, I got through Q

Spoiler

uadraxis

before I put the game down.

 

[GrotesqueBeauty]

It's a good game with amazing art direction, but I found the exploration needlessly obtuse. The introduction of literal keys locking away areas does away with the perfect synthesis of new abilities and forward progression, and the dark world is riddled with cul-de-sacs that impede the flow of the game and make it feel disjointed instead of interconnected. I also disliked how it would funnel you in a direction by locking off paths you had already taken, and the fact that it had bottomless falls off ledges which made you respawn. Very un-metroid imo. The final fetch quest is also a hopelessly obtuse slog and kills the already leaden pace of the game.

Overall, I felt like I was playing a incredibly polished Turok game. It's good in its own right, but kinda tedious, and it illustrates the limits of Retro's understanding of the franchise if you ask me.

On the plus side:

+ Actually challenging
+ New suits were kinda cool, if underutilized
+ Great art direction. Love the darker themes.
+ Best bosses of the Prime series, even though they overplayed the Ing angle.

 

[the black pearl]

I like the boss fights in this game more than the first one.

 

[Beelzebufo]

I didn't like it much either but I certainly thought it was better than the shitshow that was Prime 3.

Haha, I agree with this!

My biggest problem with Prime 2 is how it gives me stress headaches. I think it's intentional, but confusing maps mixed with constant damage is so stressful. It also started the anime-ification of Samus in the Prime series.

 

[Servbot24]

Prime 2 has the best highlights of the series. Unfortunately it has a weak opening and light/dark world switching is cumbersome and not all that compelling.

1 = 9.8 GOAT
2 = 9.4 Amazing
3 = 8.6 Great

 

[Diffense]

I played all the way through to the key hunt but exploring the whole world again to find them was a huge task and I got distracted with other things. I really enjoyed my time with it though. Great game, IMO.

 

[bomblord1]

Weakest in the Trilogy. The light and dark world mechanic while interesting was incredibly hindering to any real exploration. Combine that with how much time you spend in it and the super overdoes on backtracking it had a lot it could have done better.

 

[JinjoUnchained]

It's draining and bleak as hell. Maybe that's your problem OP.

My problem with MP2 is that it borrows the light/dark world mechanic from A Link to the Past, but ALTTP did it better. Don't take the coolest feature from one of the best games ever and make it less enjoyable.

 

[oreomunsta]

Honestly, I beat it a month or so ago, and felt the same way. I think part of the reason was that I felt frustrated by the location of portals and the awkward layouts of the maps. Plus, it didn't have the "Sure, you think that you've finished an area, but that was actually only half of it" feeling that made places like the Chozo Ruins in Prime 1 so terrific.

I did appreciate the increased difficulty, though!

 

[nubbe]

I think Prime 2 still is pretty spectacular

 

[Durden77]

Metroid Prime is one of the best games ever, and while the sequels have been great and arguably better. I still consider the first one the best. Masterpiece from a game design standpoint.

Part of this is my problem with 2 as well is that...it's just not 1. 1 is so fucking good that whenever I play 2 or 3 I just think I could be playing 1.

I know that's not a good way of thinking for a series you want to develop, but MP1 is just the perfect game to me and is like a blessing and a curse for that series.

 

[Pancakes R Us]

That's such a shame, OP. It's not for everyone though. There are some badass boss fights in the game.

 

[Myriadis]

It is actually my favorite of the bunch, as someone here said it's kinda the Majoras Mask of the series with the increased difficulty due to them expecting you to have finished the first one, different mechanics and a fairly unique atmosphere.

 

[Razzorn34]

Same as me OP. I hated the Dark/Light mechanics/theme. So much that I never finished it. I beat and loved Prime 1 and 3.

 

[zma1013]

If anything Prime 3 is the black sheep of the series. It was an action shooter with a little bit of exploration and a heavier focus on cutscenes and people and epic space ship wars and all this other stuff that's just not Metroid. It's a great game, it really is, but arguably not very Metroid.

You could see those sort of designs surface in Prime 2 a bit with the federation cutscene and the Luminoth NPC but it still felt like a lonely, solitary experience with lots and lots of exploring to do but then 3 just took it to the next level and cut down on a lot of the traits I associate with the series.

 

[Muffdraul]

When Prime 2 came out, I played it for two or three hours and stopped. It felt to me like a Metroid Prime expansion pack rather than a sequel or new iteration. The dual world mechanic was more annoying to me than anything.

A little over a year later I was bored and needed a new game. I was unemployed, so instead I went looking through my games for something I never finished. I popped in MP2 and started over from the beginning. After I got past the first world, things picked up. The hub and the first area is very dull compared to the second two areas. Especially the third area, Sanctuary Fortress. It's like Tron meets the Matrix or somethings. My favorite Metroid area of all time. I suppose I still like MP1 at least slightly more than MP2, but MP2 is still way up there. I definitely like MP2 more than MP3.

What I eventually realized is that the main reason I didn't go for MP2 when it came out was that it was the 2004 holiday season. Half Life 2, Halo 2, MGS3 and MP2 all came out at the same time. (And GTA San Andreas, but I wasn't into GTA back then.) It wasn't MP2's fault... I was just burned the fuck out.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

I never really got where the immense praise for echos comes from, it's a fun twist but it's no where near as good as prime 1, and not nearly as interesting as 3.

Corruption might be the most "straight forward" of the trilogy but it's definitely one of the most unique gaming experiences I've had and it's easily my favorite.

 

[synchronicity]

I (very slightly) prefer it to Prime 1, and consider it a masterpiece. So wonderfully oppressive and just brilliantly designed. I understand that some may be put off by the navigational complexity, but I thought it was phenomenal from beginning to end. High on my personal all-time list.

 

[Rich!]

Play it on hyper mode difficulty, op

Its amazing.

 

[NotLiquid]

I consider Metroid Prime 2 as a "Metroid Prime for Super Players" kind of game. The added difficulty is a welcome thing but it's also so much more richer and unique in terms of environment, narrative and locations. Sanctuary Fortress, along with Quadraxis, is fan-fucking-tastic.

 

[KIRAKIRA]

It's my favorite in the prime trilogy, they improved on the bossfights so much and the dark/light theme was more exciting than just getting the same varia/gravity suit every game

Imagine what they could have done if they didn't have to rush the game

 

[Overside]

You seem to like the storyline and aesthetic though, despite it being different.

Do you think it might be sommething else, just buried beneath the surface, in your sub concious, that just isnt jiving but you cant put your finger on it?

 

[Mr-Joker]

I need to get back into it, but I have to agree with OP Prime 2 just doesn't feel as good as Prime 1.

I also didn't care for the loosing health in the dark world.

 

[Klappdrachen]

It's phenomenal. It has everything that belongs in a Metroid game: dark, brooding atmosphere, impeccable environmental design, challenging gameplay... and the soundtrack is just outstanding. I admit that the introduction of the game was not as exciting as Prime's intro on the frigate ... But I encourage everyone who started playing it to stick with it and finish the game. Some of the later areas and boss fights are among the best in the entire series.

I think Retro found the perfect balance between adhering to the standard Metroid formula and introducing entirely new elements like new suits and enemies. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

 

[Novocaine]

I really liked Metroid Prime 2. From memory it did feel a little more difficult than the first, I remember having a shit of a time with the boost ball boss.

I like it much more than 3, which I thought was quite average compared to its predecessors, but not as good as the first game.

 

[Flip4k]

I remember feeling the same way. Had a blast with Prime, but basically forced myself to finish Prime 2. It's been awhile, so I can't quite remember what made it such a chore for me to finish.

 

[Lone_Prodigy]

After getting past the initial difficulty of losing your limited health in the Dark world while having to simultaneously fight off enemies, it was pretty fun.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

I loved Prime, but I couldn't get into 2 also. Just wasn't fun.

 

[nullset2]

Hmmm... the OP makes me remember that I've never played MP2, yet I love the Prime series. I tried to get into it once, too, but the first moment I read scripted dialog onscreen I went all like "wtf dude?" and lost interest.

I am in the market for a good new SP game though, I should try it on Wii U... Maybe it's good after all but takes time to get into.

 

[Varjet]

Best Prime.