Metroid Prime
↗ 14%
😍 8.8/10
(Gamecube - US, FPS)
Other Editions:
Best of Show E3
,
Echoes Bonus Disc
,
Kmart
,
Kmart Guide
,
Player's Choice
,
Players Choice Game of the Year
,
Target
.png)
Complete
$26.49
Loose $20.49
Manage Collection
Developed_By:
Retro Studios Inc.
Published_By:
Nintendo
Released On:
18 Nov 2002
Long ago, a bird-like race of creatures (called the Chozo ) became extremely advanced technologically, but due to increasing violence in the universe, they began to hide and live more simple lives. The planet Tallon IV was the site of one of their colonies. Years later, a meteor crashed on Tallon IV releasing the strange element Phazon into the planet. Phazon poisoned anything it came in contact with, causing the plant and animal life to either die or mutate into a hideous form.
The Chozo tried to control the power of Phazon but failed. Before abandoning the planet, they were able to cover the impact crater with a temple and seal Phazon into the planet's core. Now space pirates have discovered Tallon IV, moving in to study Phazon and harnessing its power. They have also begun rebuilding their fortress on planet Zebes and reviving the Mother Brain, Ridley, and Kraid, all of whom were destroyed by Samus Aran. However, Samus has tracked the space pirates to Tallon IV and must now enter the planet to destroy them once and for all before they have a chance to rebuild their destructive forces...
Metroid Prime is a change from the platform-adventuring series, entering the first-person shooter genre for the first time. Players are now behind Samus Aran's visor and must use all their resources to investigate the pirate infestation of Tallon IV. Players can use Samus's beam, with missile and charge capabilities. Along the way, they must recover the bounty hunter's lost abilities like the morph ball and grapple beam, which allow them to reach unexplored areas of Tallon IV. Players must piece together the story of the fallen Chozo to figure out what has happened to the poisoned planet and prevent the pirates from using the Phazon to wreak havoc throughout the planets.
The gameplay is intense and challenging, with a strong emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving. The Gamecube console brings a unique gaming experience, with precise controls that allow for fast-paced action and smooth movement. With a rich storyline and immersive atmosphere, Metroid Prime offers an unforgettable adventure for fans of the series and newcomers alike.
UPC-A:
045496960438 (Canada)
ASIN:
B00008KTWH (Canada)
Nintendo Media PN:
DL-DOL-GM8E-USA (Canada)
Part #:
DOL-GM8E-USA (USA)
YouTube
Reddit
Twitch
Wikipedia
DB
IGDB
RG
RAWG
M
Metacritic
HowLong
GF
GameFAQs
Number of Offline Players:
1 Player
Sound Capabilities:
Dolby Pro Logic II
Input Devices Supported/Optional:
Game Boy Advance Compatible
Video Modes Supported:
Progressive Scan (480p), PAL 50Hz, PAL 60Hz
Prices as of 12 Sep 2026
Typical $25.00–$26.49 (last 90 days)
New
Complete
Loose
Box
Manual
Smoothed
Log · Auto
Medians
Volume
Related Games
Metroid Prime 2 Echoes
$55.70 (Complete)
Nov 2004
Metroid Prime 3 Corruption
$17.82 (Complete)
Aug 2007
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond
$33.50 (Complete)
Apr 2025
NEW
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
$30.55 (Complete)
Dec 2025
Metroid Prime Federation Force
$79.99 (Complete)
Aug 2016
Metroid Prime Federation Force
$23.04 (Complete)
Sep 2016
Metroid Prime Federation Force
$47.50 (Complete)
Aug 2016
Metroid Prime Hunters
$42.22 (Complete)
Mar 2006
Metroid Prime Hunters
$18.17 (Complete)
May 2006
More Gamecube FPS
007 Agent Under Fire
$19.07 (Complete)
Mar 2002
007 From Russia With Love
$25.49 (Complete)
Nov 2005
007 Nightfire
$22.20 (Complete)
Nov 2002
Call of Duty 2 Big Red One
$14.61 (Complete)
Nov 2005
Call of Duty Finest Hour
$18.35 (Complete)
Nov 2004
😊 7.8/10
Freedom Fighters
$19.99 (Complete)
Oct 2003
🙂 6.6/10
Geist
$42.00 (Complete)
Aug 2005
GoldenEye Rogue Agent
$14.99 (Complete)
Nov 2004
Medal of Honor European Assault
$14.59 (Complete)
Jun 2005
Medal of Honor Frontline
$12.75 (Complete)
Nov 2003
Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
This is a sci-fi action-adventure game where the player, as bounty hunter Samus Aran, explores the alien world of Tallon IV. The core gameplay involves battling mutated creatures and Space Pirates, who are exploiting a dangerous alien substance called Phazon, to prevent its catastrophic spread.
Story
The Chozo
Over millennia, this bird-like race of creatures made incredible technological and scientific leaps. Traveling at will through space, they built many marvels across the universe—technological wonders of unfathomable complexity and cities unmatched in beauty. They shared their knowledge freely with more primitive cultures and learned to respect and care for life in all its forms.
Even as their society reached its technological peak, the Chozo felt their spirituality wane. Their culture was steeped in prophecy and lore, and they foresaw the decline of the Chozo coinciding with the rise of evil. Horrified by the increasing violence in the universe, they began to withdraw into themselves, forgoing technology in favor of simplicity.
Tallon IV was one of several refuges they built—a colony bereft of technology, built of natural materials and wedded to the land and its creatures.
The years passed, and in time a great meteor crashed into Tallon IV, sending a massive spume of matter into the atmosphere and impregnating the land with a cancerous element known as Phazon. This element immediately sank into the earth and water, poisoning life wherever it bloomed. Most plants and animals died, while others mutated into hideous forms.
The Chozo called upon all of their knowledge and technology to control the power of the Phazon, but their efforts were doomed to fail. All they could do was build a temple over the crater at the impact site, separate the Phazon core, and seal it away. Believing that someday a savior would return to the planet, the Chozo left for an unknown destination, leaving behind nothing but engraved accounts of their time on Tallon IV.
The Space Pirates
The Space Pirates were interstellar nomads, technologically advanced in both space travel and weaponry. When they plundered the Metroid population that had been discovered by the Galactic Federation in SR388, they recognized in them massive military and energy resource potential. They immediately invaded the nearby planet of Zebes, wiping out all life (including most of the indigenous Chozo) and building a massive network of research facilities below the planet's surface.
Deep below the surface of Zebes, the Space Pirates researched Metroids for many years, even as a young girl orphaned by their raid on the neighboring planet K-2L was growing up among the Chozo. Trained as a warrior and infused with Chozo blood, Samus Aran donned a Chozo-made Power Suit and cut a swath through the Space Pirates' operation, destroying everything in her path, including the gargantuan mainstays of the Space Pirate army, Ridley and Kraid. She eventually made it to the core of their base, destroyed all the Metroids she saw, and seemingly blew up the Mother Brain.
But the Space Pirates were far from finished. They immediately split their survivors into two main camps. One headed to Zebes to begin rebuilding their ravaged facility and resuscitating Mother Brain, Ridley, and Kraid.
The second set out in search of a planet with powerful energy resources. They didn't search far before they discovered Tallon IV, which was still emanating huge pulses of energy from the Phazon contained beneath the Chozo temple. Entranced by the massive potential of the strange mutagen, they immediately moved in, retrofitting their laboratories, transporters, and life-support systems into the Chozo Ruins.
As the Space Pirates mined the Phazon and experimented with it, they found that its capacity to mutate was unlike anything they'd ever seen, and they promptly started combining it with indigenous life-forms. They refined their operation: powering their machinery with thermal-powered engines sunk in the molten depths of Tallon IV, they drove deep mineshafts and mined more and more Phazon, shipping it to their two main labs in the Phendrana Drifts, where sub-zero temperatures made specimen containment safer.
Research leaped forward: by harnessing Phazon's power, they were able to create untold horrors that soon patrolled the dark caverns below Tallon IV's crust.
The Space Pirates also transported many species to their orbiting ship for zero-G Phazon experiments, unaware that Samus Aran had finally tracked their ship to its low orbit. As they continued with their unnatural experiments, Samus sped toward Tallon IV, preparing to wipe them out once and for all.
How to Play
The Adventure Begins
Insert your Metroid Prime Game Disc in the Nintendo GameCube and close the Disc Cover, then turn on the POWER Button. When the title screen appears, press start to continue to the Main Menu.
Getting Started
Before playing, you must first create a Metroid Prime save file. You need to have a Memory Card inserted in slot A with at least blocks of free space on it in order to create a file for Metroid Prime. Please refer to the Nintendo GameCube instruction booklet (pages 18-20) for instructions on how to format, copy, and erase Memory Card files.
If this is your first time playing, select one of the NEW GAME files and press the A Button. When the words START and OPTIONS appear, select START and press the A Button to begin. If you have a previously saved game file, simply choose that file to continue from your last save point.
In order to save your progress through Metroid Prime, you must find Save Rooms located throughout Tallon IV's many regions. When you find one of these rooms, enter the saving apparatus. When asked if you want to save, choose YES and press the A Button. All of your progress up to that point will then be saved to the Memory Card in Slot A.
Erasing Files
If you want to erase a file, select Erase from the bottom of the screen, choose the file you want to erase, then press the A Button. Remember: Once you erase a file, you can never recover it, so be careful!
Options
From the pause screen, press the L Button to customize many features of your game-play experience. You can also access the Options screen from the Main Menu before you start your game.
•
VISOR
Adjust Samus's visor opacity, her helmet opacity, and the HUD lag time.
•
SOUND
Adjust the volume of the music and sound effects, or select between Mono, Stereo, and Dolby Surround modes.
•
DISPLAY
Adjust the brightness and dimensions of the game play screen.
•
CONTROLLER
Choose to play with standard control or a reversed Y-axis. You can also turn the Rumble feature on or off and reverse the visor/beam configuration.
Progressive Scan Mode
This game can be set to display a higher resolution image on TVs that support progressive scan mode (EDTV, HDTV). In order to use the progressive scan mode, you need a TV that can accept this type of input (see your TV operation manual) and a Nintendo GameCube Component Video cable (available only through Nintendo. Visit www.nintendo.com or call 1-800-255-3700).
To activate the progressive scan mode, press and hold the B Button while the Nintendo GameCube logo is being displayed until the message "Display in Progressive Scan mode?" appears. Select YES to activate the mode.
Please note that on some TVs, activating the progressive scan mode will set the format of the image to a wide-screen (16:9) format.
Behind the Visors
Samus's most important tool is her suit, and it can provide her with a wealth of information by interfacing with various visors. Samus will start the game with two—the standard Combat Visor and the Scan Visor—but eventually she'll use four, each of which can be accessed easily by pressing different directions on the + Control Pad.
•
COMBAT VISOR
This default visor is standard for battle and provides Samus with all the general information she needs (see pages 14-15).
•
SCAN VISOR
When Samus uses the Scan Visor, a magnifying reticule will appear in the center of her visor. This reticule picks out anything that can be scanned—from creatures to computer terminals—and shows it as an orange or red symbol. If you press and hold the L Button while locked onto one of these symbols, the Scan Visor will download information. Once it's done downloading, the visor will display a message.
Besides using the Scan Visor to solve puzzles, find enemies' weak spots, and unlock various areas in the game, Samus will also frequently download pieces of information that can be stored in her Log Book. These can be accessed by pressing START/PAUSE during game play (see page 25) and include creature morphologies, Space Pirate logs, Chozo literature, and much more.
•
THERMAL VISOR
Once Samus finds the Thermal Visor, she can track enemies using their heat signatures. Not only does this visor help locate enemies hidden in dark areas, but it can also be used for acquiring alternate targets on enemies. A thermal scan can often find a hidden weak spot on an otherwise difficult enemy. Not only that, but thermal scans show other clues that the naked eye can't discern, if you run into a dead end, try scanning the entire area with the Thermal Visor equipped.
•
X-RAY VISOR
After Samus tracks down the X-Ray Visor, she'll be able to peer through walls to find hidden passages and even see invisible objects. This visor also helps track any enemies that use optical camouflage to render themselves invisible to the naked eye. As with the Thermal Visor, the X-Ray Visor can often identify alternate means of attacking foes.
Samus's Databanks
Samus's suit can store a huge quantity of data that will help her along her journey. Most information, with the exception of the map, can be accessed by pressing START/PAUSE during game play. Once the inventory screen appears,
Controls
L BUTTON
Lock onto enemies
START/PAUSE
Pause the game and view Samus's databanks
Z BUTTON
Call up map
Y BUTTON
Fire Missiles
R BUTTON
Look around
X BUTTON
Switch between standard and Morph Ball modes
+ CONTROL PAD
Switch visors
A BUTTON
Fire beam weapon
B BUTTON
Jump
C STICK
Select beam weapon
CONTROL STICK
Move Samus
Items & Weapons
POWER SUIT
Samus's standard Power Suit provides shielding, augmented physical strength, and life-support systems allowing her to survive in water and space.
VARIA SUIT
The Varia Suit allows Samus to survive extremely high temperatures, such as those found in Magmoor Caverns.
GRAVITY SUIT
The Gravity Suit negates the effects of water, allowing Samus to move and jump normally even while submerged.
POWER BEAM
This is Samus's standard beam, which can be fired continuously and becomes much stronger with the Charge Beam power-up.
WAVE BEAM
The Wave Beam fires three oscillating waves of energy, is effective against certain enemies, and has a limited homing effect.
ICE BEAM
The Ice Beam immobilizes enemies briefly with a layer of ice and can destroy weak enemies rather than freezing them.
PLASMA BEAM
The Plasma Beam launches streams of molten energy that can ignite some enemies and melt ice, and can combine with Missiles for a combo attack.
Tips & Maps
THE MORPH BALL
Allows Samus to roll into an armored ball to fit in small tunnels and drains. Additional power-ups expand its abilities.
GETTING ROLLING
When in Morph Ball mode, the camera shifts to a third-person perspective, and you use the Control Stick to roll, bearing in mind gravity's effect on inclines.
BOMBS
Unlimited energy-based explosives that can destroy weak walls and enemies. Dropping a Bomb directly under the Morph Ball can propel it upward, effectively jumping short distances.
THE BOOST BALL
Accelerates the Morph Ball; press and hold the B Button to build up a speed boost and release to accelerate in the rolling direction, useful for half-pipe areas.
POWER BOMBS
Super-powered bombs that affect everything within a certain distance of their explosions. They are limited in number and can destroy specific structures.
THE SPIDER BALL
Allows Samus to magnetically attach herself in Morph Ball mode to specific magnetic tracks by pressing and holding the R Button, moving along the track with the Control Stick, and dropping Bombs to propel upward.
ENERGY TANKS
Increase Samus's maximum energy reserve by 100 units each. The number of full tanks is indicated by highlighted squares above the energy gauge.
MISSILES & MISSILE COMBOS
Missiles are fired by pressing the Y Button, home in on locked-on targets, and can destroy hatch locks and impediments. Missile Expansions increase the arsenal by five, and they are replenished by collecting Missile capsules.
Super Missile Combo
Combine a charged beam weapon with Missiles by holding the A Button and pressing the Y Button. Combos drain Missile reserves and are required to destroy some obstructions.
Space Jump
Activates boosters on Samus's suit, enabling her to jump a second time while airborne by pressing the B Button twice.
THE GRAPPLE BEAM
Allows Samus to latch onto specific energy nodes with an energy beam from her left arm by pressing and holding the L Button. Tilt the Control Stick to vary the swing and release L to launch into the air.
Lock-On Orbiting
Pressing and holding the L Button while targeting an enemy allows Samus to circle around the lock-on point using the Control Stick. Tapping the B Button while locked-on performs a quick dash, or a double-dash with the Space Jump Boots.
Search Games
Popular Consoles
By Year
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
© 2026 RetroGold. All rights reserved.