Metroid Prime designers Mark Pacini (lead dev), Jack Mathews (game engineer), and Todd Keller (art director) have left Retro Studios for “unknown reasons”. The trio developed the entire Prime trilogy, and has been with Retro from the beginning. Rumor spread fast that the three had left due to Retro being shutdown, but IGN has confirmed that the developer will not be closing their doors. Thankfully Retro has stated that they will continue to work as a 1st party Nintendo dev and put all effort into Wii software.

It’s sad to see these three brilliant game developers leave a company like Retro, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them.

I know a lot of people felt sore that us Wii owners here in Japan got Super Smash Bros. Brawl a little bit early, but I thought it’d make you all feel better to let you know that Metroid Prime 3 Corruption just hit Japan a few days back. That’s right, a 6 month delay! And what did they spend all that time doing? Adding online play? Nope. How about Japanese voice-overs? Nah- it’s subtitled! Most likely the game’s under-the radar (and very very late release) have to do with its going quite contrary to Nintendo’s extremely family oriented marketing campaign for the Wii in Japan (with heavy promotions for Wii Fit, Daily Knowledge Training, and other games you can play with your grandparents).
With so many games geared towards family and away from nuking aliens, it’s hard to see if there’s enough of a hard-core Wii crowd left in Japan to support this title. I wouldn’t have been too surprised to see the Japanese release cancelled where it not a 1st party staple. Then again, maybe Nintendo just wanted to warm gamers up with a month of Brawl before releasing a more involved action game.

Thanks to The Shuyguy Kingdom for the sprites that I used for the little animation!

It does according to IGN’s Matt Casamassina:

I just want to put it out there: Medal of Honor Heroes 2 officially beats the pants off Metroid Prime 3 in the FPS control department. This is the new Wii benchmark, period. Not even close. Seriously. Wait until you get a load of how beautiful the controls are

A first-person shooter on Wii with better controls than Metroid Prime 3, not to mention 32-person online multiplayer? Sounds like fun.

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While the tension of Samus Aran’s latest battle with the Mother Brain is still tantalizing the gamer nerve, and while the epic conclusion of the tale of universal phazon corruption is still fresh in the memory, dust off that GameCube controller and give the original Metroid Prime a spin.

Really, go ahead.

Loaded up? Wonderful. Now blast through the introductory space station for a moment; if there is one thing the original Prime holds over the latest, this is it. The eerie desolation and incomparable alienation of exploring this dilapidated Space Pirate vessel still manages to thrill five years after its release, and is a far better - and more suitable, considering the franchise - starting point for Samus Aran and her Metroid-blasting space exploration. (more…)

Lovers of a Metroid 2D revival were hit with a setback today as a reference first pointed out by IGN’s Matt Casamassina was squelched in an MTV interview with Retro.

MTV: What’s the story behind the apparent reference in “Metroid Prime 3″ to “Metroid Dread,” the rumored but never-confirmed 2D game some fans hope is being made at Nintendo?

Pacini: “It’s not what you think it means… it as something that was overlooked and wasn’t in any way indicating anything about the handheld game. We know no information about the handheld games.

MTV: Are you suggesting that you got in trouble or something?

Pacini: Not at all. We actually had a fictional element of something else in the game that by a large coincidence could be read that we were giving a hint about “Metroid Dread” which was not the case. It’s a complete and utter coincidence.

And I am even more in the dark than I was before. Personally, I’m in love with the idea of a massive, immersing and wonderfully complex 2D Metroid on my DS. Make the graphics pop and give me an interactive map on the touch screen. Go to town. For now, though, I guess I’ll have to strum out the theme on my shiny new copy of Jam Sessions. Metroid Jam sesh, for the win.

[Hat tip Aeropause]

Having fallen in love with Metroid Prime 3’s vastly superior first-person controls, I’ve gotta ask:

The unofficial sales numbers rolled in listing some surprising results. Metroid Prime 3 has managed to shift over 400,000 copies in its first week. Andy Robinson, over at CVG, clearly summed up the success…

Metroid managed to shift over 400,000 copies in total, which must be big news for developers ogling at Nintendo’s console and proves that traditional “hardcore” games can still sell on the home of Wii Sports and Cooking Mama.

What was really surprising was comparing sales to other big titles last week. Prime 3 has outsold the highly anticipated Bioshock, Blue Dragon, and Warhawk combined.

What’s that word I’m looking for….”pwnage”…that’s it!

Just what does the Associated Press, the world’s largest news service, have to say about Metroid Prime 3?

The tactile sensation of flicking the nunchuk to throw a grapple beam and yank something off a wall is unlike anything I’ve experienced before in a video game. Instead of tapping a button to pull a lever, simply twist and move your hand around to pull it, like you would in the real world.

But you already knew that, no? AP gives the game three-and-a-half-stars out of four.

Just got my mitts on Metroid Prime 3 this morning: in a word, engrossing. Prime 3 controls feel like butter. Having hated them before, I now officially loathe dual thumbsticks when it comes to console shooters. The Wii Remote works so well, I literally remain on the edge of my seat because the action is so engaging.

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As you can see from the man to the right, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is finally here. One of the three highly anticipated AAA titles is now in our grubby, hardcore wanting hands. We had to wait an extra 9 months, but it looks like it was well worth the wait. Polished graphics, superior controls, and classic gameplay, what more could you ask for? But if for some strange reason you’re deciding to hold off from purchasing this title, take a look at the reviews again.

• Nintendo Power – 10
• Gametrailers - 9.6
• IGN - 9.5
• 1UP - 9
• Gamedaily - 9
• Gamespot - 8.5

Things to do: Pick up Prime 3, grab a coke, and boot up your Wii, because the fall lineup has started. Enjoy being a gamer!

IGN just blew the doors off of the airlock and bestowed a 9.5 Incredible rating on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. A four page review accompanies said rating. I fully expect every other “media outlets” out there to do the same in the coming days and weeks. But something has been tickling the back of my mind today, and I can’t quite place it. Something about Nintendo ignoring a certain group of people. Bah, whatever. I can’t remember today — haven’t had my coffee yet, you see — but I’m sure it will come to me later.

Question now is… will there be a line tomorrow for this game? Probably not, but that’d be pretty cool.

Please note: Nintendo did NOT say that quote from the headline, but I imagine it’s what they’re going to be thinking secretly from this week onwards. Well, until Reggie fires off a cocky press release anyway [Image courtesy of IGN].

UPDATE: Metroid Prime 3’s average score: 95%, with several reviews still outstanding.

UPDATE#2: Next Generation says: “The control system has a responsiveness and accuracy that no other console FPS has possessed.” More here.

From the 10/10 review…

Since its introduction, gamers have seen great potential in the Wii remote as a natural controller for first-person action games. But while several titles have pulled off the method adequately, Corruption is the first that doesn’t leave any room for you to consider whether it would be better with a traditional controller…. the system works impeccably… this is the title that gamers have been waiting for.

And there you have it.

I love when large groups of people watch me play games. It’s like on The Last Starfighter when the entire trailer park community cheers on Alex (1:03 in) when breaking the highest Starfighter score.

Let’s take a look back to when you booted up Metroid Prime for the first time. You might of had doubts that Nintendo would be able to convert the series into the third dimension. But when the opening cinematic began showing a shaky video feed of a modernized metroid while accompanied by an even eerier, but epic soundtrack….you knew that this was going to be good.

The introduction to a game is a very important element that in a way prepares you for your upcoming tasks. All three of the Prime games intros have accomplished that sense of an epic Sci-Fi flick that will slip you a few hints. Contributing to the Month of Metroid, I have combined all three intros of the trilogy for your viewing pleasure.

Tycho over at Penny Arcade sums it up nicely:

I keep hearing that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption isn’t being promoted very well, but the person saying this always seems to know about it, and then when people share this complaint in the thread those people also seem to be “in the know.” It ships on the twenty-seventh of August, if you weren’t aware - but since you almost certainly are, we needn’t dwell on it. What we should be dwelling on are the series of teaser vids that Retro has been trickling out. Metroid’s largely mysterious heroine has always been a huge draw for me, and it’s a strange case where going into deep detail about the character might actually damage the mystique. But the universe she operates in need not be vague, which is why these clips are such a rich meal: the Aurora Unit trailer that modernizes ancient Metroid canon in a classy way, and there’s a treat at the end of the Valhalla trailer that ties it all together. They both cover a setting that has gotten darker and more sophisticated, tones we don’t typically associate with Nintendo.

Again, I blame the Internet for any troubles on this one. Just like when all those Wiimotes were “breaking televisions” I doubt very much that there’s a marketing drought going on right now for Metroid 3. What I think happened is some popular columnist or Internet forum member somewhere decided that Nintendo was pissing all over hardcore gamers for some odd reason or another and decided to find an Ahab’s Whale that would smear Nintendo and make it do an about face and appeal to hardcore gamers, dammit! It’s basic reverse psychology.

On a side note, there’s something weirdly wrong and insipidly stupid with the hardcore community lashing out at Nintendo for not being tough enough. Weren’t these the same idiots who couldn’t wait to make fun of Nintendo’s GameCube for being a piece of kiddie candy?!

Does Nintendo need to show more TV commercials to sell Metroid 3? Nope. In fact, I think they’d help sell Metroid about as much as those Halo 3 Mountain Dew cans will help sell Halo 3 to people who don’t own an Xbox 360. As in, not at all. Do they need more Internet marketing? As Tycho points out, that’d be throwing money on a fire — things on the Net are already ramped up. The best advertising is already in place for Metroid, and we’re all a part of it just by discussing it, watching videos and even complaining about it.

Does the Metroid preview channel only reach Wii’s with online enabled? Obviously. But the message reaches out to the friends of those Wii owners, and their families, and their friends, etc. Basically, the marketing is being done pro bono, and that’s ok. Any more marketing would be a complete waste of money. Some people argue that this might be true, but if Nintendo did marketing in addition to it, then Metroid 3 would sell even better. Not really. This is because word of mouth and a solid product trumps that any day of the week. No one’s watching normal TV these days anyway. An added bonus for Nintendo is that this discussion gets non-online Wii’s online even faster.

Metroid 3: Darker, more mysterious, and the marketing is just fine, thank you very much.