not quite up to the original.
This time Samus is sent to investigate the disappearance of a group of soldiers on a distant, out of the way planet called Aether. When she gets there she finds all the soldiers dead, Space pirates conducting Phazon experiments, and a war between two species, the Luminoth and the Ing, who live on a ghost version of the Aether, called Dark Aether. Samus is then pulled into war by the Luminoth. To make things worse, there's a malevolent version of Samus around, who is completely black.
This time you don't lose so much equipment in the beginning, as this focuses more on story than exploration. You soon find out what happened to the soldiers, by scanning of course, and everything heats up from there.
The controls are exactly the same as the first one. They work just as well in this game. You have new weapons, the Light, Dark, and Annihilator beams, as well as the standard power beams. You're kept using your power beams, as the other beams have a new ammo system. Killing with Dark gets light ammo, and vice versa.
The graphics are a little better than the first, but are basically the same. The boss fights are excellent and the designs are second to none.
The sound is just as great, making you feel like the person who stumbled onto a violent train wreck before anyone else. The music is reminiscent of its predecessor, but is equally good.
The game play is a bit different, still focusing heavily on the Metroid theme, but there is a bit more action than the first one.
Plus, there is the Dark World. In the Dark World the very atmosphere is toxic, quickly draining Samus's health just to be in there. As a safety precaution for the battles, the Luminoth have gone in and planted Light Crystals, that provide an umbrella of protection and slowly heal Samus. This really goes to creating tension and a sense of urgency at the danger of the situation.
This game is great, but there is just something about it that is missing. I don't really know what it is, but its something. I guess it just doesn't have the charm of its predecessor.
If I gave Metroid Prime a 10/10, which I do, I (so far, as I've not yet beaten it) give this one about a 9.1/10.
