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.

Wired’s Chris Kohler likes Super Metroid. A lot. Strangely, him and I are sort of in the same boat. I’ve never played Super Metroid but absolutely love Metroid: Zero Mission. Behold the persuasion:

Virtual Console’s winning streak hits six weeks with the release of Super Metroid, aka One Of The Best Games Ever. I actually was late to the party on this one. I’d played Metroid and didn’t like it. Then I tried Metroid II and, uh, didn’t really like it. So I assumed that Super Metroid, when it came out, was just more of the same. It was only after playing Metroid Fusion in 2002… that I realized: “Wait a second, you mean there’s a game on the SNES just like this, but way awesomer?”

I’m buying this game today, but I’m screwed for time. This, BioShock, Metroid Prime 3 next week. And I want to get my mitts on Brain Age 2. Gamers are so screwed this fall…

The upcoming issue of Nintendo Power allegedly gives Metroid Prime 3 a perfect 10/10 score based on the following:

• First Wii game that you couldn’t confuse graphically with last-gen
• Great artwork
• Incredible feeling of immersion
• Flawless level design; tons of freedom to explore but you always have the feeling that you’re at the right place at the right time. Sounds like the game does a remarkable job of nudging you as to what to do without giving it away.
• Best platforming design in a first person shooter
• Gestures for pulling levers, etc markedly improved from earlier demos

Before you dismiss the publication’s critique for being owned by Nintendo proper, remember the magazine has given unfavorable reviews to Nintendo published games in the past. Incidentally, not even Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Zelda: Twilight Princess received a 10 from Nintendo Power.

Like you needed to know that anyway before buying the game…

Well, that’s not quite true. Perrin Kaplan is merely Nintendo’s marketing guru (for now) and has a few tidbits to offer about Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Kaplan via Cubed:

“…we still have a lot of our more traditional marketing efforts planned. People will see it all shortly, from ads to many of the usual tactics we use to support our key products. Plus: a few more surprises like the Metroid Prime 3 Preview. And no, I’m still not going to spoil the fun and tell you about it ahead of time!”

Cubed seems to think that means a demo, but I’m inclined to look back at my notes and recall that Kaplan is a frickin’ crazy person. Still, she just might be crazy like a fox in this case and a demo is forthcoming. It would make a hell of a lot of sense, but I’m cautiously optimistic given the fact that Nintendo is super secretive and rarely does anything it doesn’t deem necessary to its continued success.

Edit: Kaplan name change thanks to the jingle in the comment section

The Nintendo courier (by way of email) just dropped off the below statement at Infendo headquarters to build some additional buzz surrounding Metroid Prime 3 on Wii.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption features amazing first-person controls, and takes advantage of the intuitive, motion-sensitive Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. This incomparable installment concludes the trilogy’s storyline while introducing new puzzles, bigger adventures and more intense battles. Media rave about Metroid Prime 3: Corruption’s game play and revolutionary controls. Chris Kohler of Wired.com even calls it “a brilliantly designed game, with perfected Wii motion controls,” while GameSpot.com’s Brian Ekberg hails it as “…an intense and challenging game, one that isn’t skimping when it comes to making the most of the Wii’s various control possibilities.”

How’s that for hype? Metroid Prime 3 is available on August 27.

Getting swept up in Metroid Mania, this week we want to know:

If your favorite isn’t listed (such as Pinball, Hunters, etc) then please let us know in Comments!

Nintendo has kicked off a Month Of Metroid.  You should probably have a new message from Nintendo on your Wii today letting you know that a special Metroid Prime 3 preview channel is available to download from the Wii Shop Channel.  NintendoGal has put together a video of the experience for your viewing pleasure.

Other Metroid related events in August:

August 13 - Metroid released for Virtual Console
August 20th - Super Metroid released for Virtual Console
August 27th - Metroid Prime 3: Corruption released for Wii

Are you ready for a Month of Metroid?

Rumor has it that both Metroid and Super Metroid are on their way to the virtual console in the coming week. Scoop me Kotaku!

With Metroid Prime 3: Corruption just a few short weeks away from release on the Wii, it looks like Nintendo is set to ramp up with hype with a pair of Virtual Console releases. Images for both Metroid for the NES and Super Metroid for the SNES have appeared on the VC web server and spotted by an eagle-eyed NeoGAF poster.

This is cool, yet this is horrible. I would have rather played Super Metroid earlier this summer before Prime 3 hits the Wii. Thanks, Nintendo. Just thanks!

Mmmmm… I loves me some video retrospectives.

Kittybot’s been busy with Jell-O. Why do I find myself wanting to blast this thing with my Ice Beam? Yes, I have one. It was the Infendo holiday gift last year.

There are a lot of heavy hitting Nintendo games coming this fall and winter. So we ask you Infendo nation:

With only a month to go until Metroid Prime 3 is released for Wii, GameTrailers (via Joystiq) has a nice retrospective of the series.

Are you getting psyched yet, Infendonia?

Typo or gross negligence? Next Generation’s top 20 games of E3 list doesn’t mention Metroid Prime 3. Nor does the site list the title in the honorable mentions.

Now I’m as guilty a Nintendo fanman as the next guy, but this is ludicrous. Even the hardcore gaming blogs, like Destructoid, gushed like a schoolgirl over the look and feel of Metroid Prime. I have yet to read any negatives about the title other than Chris Kohler’s observation that some of the in-game buttons are a bit confusing. I thought I saw the respective “fanboy” blogs over at Joystiq praising the title too, but I could have been hallucinating after my late night binge on Ralston’s 15-year-old Nintendo cereal that I keep in my cupboard.

Several great titles do make the list however, including Mario Galaxy (I would have been comfortable subbing this out for Metroid), Rock Band, Mass Effect and LittleBigPlanet (the fact that this uber-interactive game isn’t on a console like the Wii is a sin against man).

Why a game that might redefine the control scheme for one of the more popular genres out there today is not on the list is a mystery to me. I’d love to hear the editors over there explain why.

In journalism, you really need at least three sources to comment on something before you can go to print. Ok, I kind of made that up. Back on task, there are no fewer than three pretty well known sources saying Metroid Prime 3 is the FPS game to get. The controls, simply, are amazing. The visuals, very pretty. I think we all know now why Reggie and Iwata and Miyamoto didn’t talk much about the franchises during their keynote other than launch dates: the titles will speak for themselves. The other stuff, like WiiFit, needed that extra exposure. But back to Metroid…

First, we had Wired’s Game||Life loving the controls. Then “hardcore” video gaming blog Destructoid calls it “freaking awesome.” Finally, IGN had this today, courtesy of E3 Infendo ninja Blake Snow:

“It plays better than any first-person console game ever… really. And it’s one of Wii’s best lookers, too. In fact, the heroine’s tight maneuverability and speed nurture a level of accuracy never before possible in a console-based first-person experience. Retro has included three different sensitivity levels for fans, so if you’re the type who prefers a big bounding box and slower turns, you can do that. However, we highly recommend that all gamers play Prime 3 with advanced controls, which shrink the bounding box so that Samus turns quickly when your on-screen reticule begins to stray in any direction. Previously, Call of Duty 3 was the benchmark for accurate controls in a first-person game on Wii, but Prime 3 blows that title out of the water. If you’ve played any FPS-style game on Nintendo’s system before, you will probably be running and gunning in Corruption and absolutely loving the freedom and speed of the controls in a matter of seconds, not minutes. It really is the new benchmark and simultaneously proof that smart studios can really utilize the Wii remote and nunchuk for some dazzling results.”

Third party developers, please start taking notes.