Nintendo held a developer roundtable for its Metroid Prime sequel, including developers from both NCL and Retro Studios. Quite a lot of new information was given in regards to story, and several gameplay features were elaborated upon, including...you guessed it, the Screw Attack.

But first, the game's background story. Echoes takes place directly after the first Metroid Prime, so it is still between the original Metroid and Metroid II in the series timeline. Samus has been called to the planet Aether with a contract to rescue galactic troopers who are stranded there. Upon arriving, she becomes involved in much larger events, including a war between the passive Luminoth creatures and the insidious Ing shapeshifters. The Luminoth request aid from Samus, offering her new weapon upgrades throughout the game to help her defeat the dark world's Ing. The two races are fighting because the Ing want to destroy the light side of the planet to allow the dark side to take over completely. The space pirates are not the main villains in this game, but they do figure prominently in the story. They are on Aether to mine phazon from the dark world, and they have created the portal system for transport between the two worlds. These pirates are also stranded on the planet...apparently, it's a hard place to leave.

There is a strong theme of duality running throughout the game, and it's evident in both the story and gameplay. The Light and Dark Beams affect the world in different ways, aside from their tactical uses. For instance, the Light Beam turns things on and makes things grow, while the Dark Beam turns things off and makes things wither. Dark Samus is another example of the duality theme. Referred to as a "she" by Mark Pacini, the game's director, Dark Samus is not the game's main villain, but rather a mysterious creature that Samus will encounter several times throughout the game. After creating so many huge bosses in the original Metroid Prime, the developers worked hard to make Dark Samus very powerful and threatening despite being no larger than our heroine.

Echoes boasts several technological improvements, including larger environments with more polygons. Indirect texturing is one of the game's new graphical effects, being used heavily for Dark Aether. More effort has been poured into the cut-scenes and there are more of them than in the prevous game.

In terms of upgrades, the developers confirmed the existence of two new visors, one of which is the Echo Visor (sonar) and the other being kept secret. However, demo footage of the game showed Samus using the "Dark Visor", its effects unknown. There are currently no plans for making the grappling beam a larger part of the game, although Samus can now shoot while swinging on the beam. And yes, there is even more information on the Screw Attack. We learned (and saw for ourselves) that the Screw Attack incorporates a "flying" ability much like the Space Jump of 2D Metroid game, except that you cannot keep gaining height. Instead, Samus will reach a certain height before entering the Screw Attack, and then she can keep jumping to move forward horizontally, with some limited left-right steering control. In addition to allowing Samus to reach far-off tunnels specfically designed for it, the move should also speed up travel through large, deep environments. The Screw Attack is required for wall jumping, simply because all wall jump areas are accessible only by flying to them from a remote platform. It seems these areas are intended to be mostly secret, optional bonuses, and the wall jump will definitely be restricted to these special areas.

Though it may seem like an obvious companion to the new multiplayer mode, producers from Retro Studios were extremely vague on the subject of a LAN mode. The message seems to be that they will attempt such a feature if the splitscreen mode wraps up to their satisfaction and there is still time left before release. The team was quick to say that they have given no effort at all to explaining multiplayer in the context of the Metroid series; they think it is a fun mode and do not really care how it meshes with the storyline. They consider Metroid multiplayer to be a separate concept that doesn't need to fit into any sort of continuity. Due to strong demand from fans (and the press), they have promised to consider connectivity with either the GBA hardware or Metroid Prime: Hunters for DS (if such GameCube-DS connectivity is even possible...we don't know for sure at this point).

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is slated for a November 15th, 2004 release in the U.S., and it is currently 65-70% complete. The team is wrapping up work on the final "stage" (large region of the game world) and will spend the remainder of this year blancing and polishing the game. This timetable is much more advanced than when they first showed Metroid Prime at E3 2002; the demo shown then was practically all they had complete, and the rest of the game was finished in the following six months. Needless to say, the producers are very confident in their ability to finish the sequel on schedule.

Last updated: 05/12/2004 by Jonathan Metts

In our interview today with Kensuke Tanabe, NCL's producer for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, we learned quite a few interesting details about this huge game. You want to hear about the Screw Attack first, right? Tanabe-san says that the move can be used anywhere in the game, not just at pre-defined points, although like bomb jumping, it is most useful in very specific situations. The famous energized somersault jump appears to be tied into the level design with areas that require wall-jumping to climb sheer vertical corridors. Although the Screw Attack may be used against enemies, it seems to be intended mostly for exploratory purposes. At this point, we're not very clear on whether the Screw Attack and third-person jumping are being treated as the same thing, or if it's possible to do the wall jump and other maneuvers without having the offensive Screw Attack upgrade. In any case, the feature is not present in the E3 floor demo, so we may not know for some time. Tanabe-san also noted that the Screw Attack is currently not included in the multiplayer mode, and it will probably stay out unless there is an outcry from the fans.

Other features not being shown at E3 include the new Echo Visor, which lets Samus "see" sound waves (like Daredevil). This is the same visor which can be seen in the gameplay video released yesterday and available for download here at PGC. The multiple lock-ons, however, are not tied to the Echo Visor; instead, this is a new upgrade for missiles. Since multi-lock is not enabled in the E3 demo, it is very likely that it will be an upgrade and not simply included when you acquire missiles for the first time. Tanabe-san hinted at a Dark Suit, which protects Samus from the deadly fog on Dark Aether. Prior to finding this suit, you must find safety zones and move quickly between them. It doesn't look like there are any plans for adding the Spring Ball, which lets the Morph Ball jump in many 2D Metroid games, but the Spider Ball feature has been tweaked to make it feel more natural. The Scan Visor's role in gameplay has not changed from the first Metroid Prime, but the graphical interface for scanning has been changed quite a bit. Scan-sensitive objects are colored differently, rather than denoted by a symbol, and each new object or creature scanned will show your statistics for scanning all items of that type. It should prove to be a useful tool for 100% completists.

In terms of story, we now know for sure that the game takes place entirely on Aether/Dark Aether, the two halves of this mysterious new planet. Samus travels between them via transdimensional portals, and the two worlds exist in the same physical space...so what happens in one may affect the other, and you can travel through one world to circumvent an impassable barrier in the other. In other words, it works almost exactly like the Light and Dark worlds in The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. The game's "Echoes" subtitle refers not to the Echo Visor, but to these twin worlds. There are no plans to play up the bounty hunter angle anymore than in past Metroid games, so you won't be bringing in any live targets or chasing a fugitive around from planet to planet. Tanabe-san was also reticent to say that the game has a Hunter/Hunted theme. He said that Dark Samus is perhaps not the main villain, and that the malicious new creature is not simply hunting Samus...its true nature is more mysterious.

Metroid Prime 2 is being developed by the same team of about forty people as the first game, with few personnel changes. The main quest should be about the same length as its predecessor, although new multiplayer modes will obviously give the sequel more longevity. The game will not be featuring any voiceovers, but it does have more cut-scenes than the last game, as is evident in the E3 demo. There will be no connectivity with the newly announced Metroid Prime: Hunters for Nintendo DS, nor are there plans for LAN capability. When asked about the addition of multiplayer for the sequel, Tanabe-san said it was a feature that many fans had requested, and in fact, the team had wanted to put it in the first game but simply didn't have time to do it right.

This is probably the extent of the new factual data we can get at this point, but there will be plenty of hands-on impressions of Metroid Prime 2's single-player and multiplayer modes.

Last updated: 05/11/2004 by Jonathan Metts

Nintendo showed plenty of new footage of Metroid Prime 2 at their pre-E3 media briefing. The game expands dramatically upon its predecessor in several ways. The story appears to be much more actively integrated with the game, as Samus witnesses the birth of "Dark Samus", an evil twin with even more powers than our heroine. Dark Samus is colored dark gray with blue highlights, and she(?) displays levitation powers and huge energy blasts. The video shown today indicates that Samus will be pursued by this mysterious character throughout the game, probably with multiple violent encounters between the two. Other cut-scenes showed large-scale battles with swarms of creatures and soldiers; these parts could be mistaken for a scene from Halo.

The most surprising part of the video was a very brief glimpse of Samus wall-jumping back and forth between two structures, somersaulting through the air with the unmistakable flare of the Screw Attack flourishing each jump. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell whether this scene is playable or taken from a cut-scene, but Metroid fans will be happy to know that the popular ability is in the game, at least as part of the story and very possibly as a gameplay element. Other new upgrades shown include the Light and Dark Beams, which use a new ammo system according to Nintendo's press kit. Additional footage clearly shows a new visor of unknown type, which displays mostly in black and white with touches of color. This new visor is very grainy, almost like it's full of television static interference. The visor is apparently used for acquiring multiple lock-on targets, as this feature is clearly demonstrated in the video.

Very little was shown of multiplayer, but it is apparent that going in and out of the Morph Ball will disrupt your opponents' lock-on systems. This tweak should calm some gamers' minds of the fear that lock-on would render the deathmatches too simple or repetitive.

We'll have much more information on Metroid Prime 2: Echoes this week, including tons of hands-on impressions!

Last updated: 04/23/2004 by Jonathan Metts

Metroid Prime 2's blowout at E3 is only a few weeks away now, but Nintendo of America has released a tiny dose of information and the first online screenshots, including some new ones that haven't been seen in the early magazine exclusives.

Perhaps the biggest news is the new subtitle. The game is now known as Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, though the name could still be tentative. NOA's initial report notes that Samus will be traveling to a planet split into light and dark worlds, perhaps not unlike Hyrule in A Link to the Past. Samus is being pursued by a mysterious entity, perhaps the character who seems to have his own power suit, as well as a new alien race called the Ing.

NOA's information also briefly describes the multiplayer mode, saying that players will be able to search for weapons, use the grappling beam to swing across the ceiling, and go into Morph Ball mode for a quick escape. None of this is particularly new or surprising, except that it seems the Metroid staple of weapon upgrades will be incorporated into multiplayer.

The first brand new screenshot is taken from a cutscene. Samus is standing in a corridor, holding out her right (blaster) arm...which is charged with so much energy that it almost looks on fire. If something dramatic is happening to her blaster during a cutscene, it may have to do with an upgrade or some kind of malfunction. From the heroine's stance, it's not clear whether or not she's pleased at what is happening.

The other newly revealed screenshot is less ambiguous. It shows Samus in Morph Ball mode, rolling along a rail on the ground in an outdoor area. From the ball's limited perspective, the environment looks similar to Tallon IV's Chozo Ruins in the first Metroid Prime. The really interesting element in this screenshot is the lower-right corner of the HUD, which indicates that there are C-stick options in Morph Ball mode. This feature might allow you to select among different types of bombs, or to toggle Spider Ball mode without having to hold a button the entire time. It could be used for some upgrade that we've never seen. In any case, the designers have clearly made some kind of change to the Morph Ball, either in control interface or with brand new gameplay elements.

We'll have more updates as soon as new information becomes available!

Last updated: 04/14/2004

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The latest issue of Game Informer Magazine contains the first published

screens of Metroid Prime 2 for the Nintendo GameCube. While Nintendo

did

not provide Game Informer with any information, an analysis of the

screens

reveals some juicy details and spurs speculation.

First, Metroid Prime 2 will feature the four-player split-screen

gameplay

previously rumored. One screenshot displays four differently-colored

Samuses (or Samus look-alikes) in what appears to be a death match mode.

The multiplayer mode retains many of Metroid Prime's features, including

multiple visors, missiles, and morph ball capabilities. A large number

can

be found in the inner corner of each player's screen, though its meaning

is

not apparent from the screenshot, which does include health meters.

Also of note are the changes in HUD design for Metroid Prime 2. Although the basic layout has remained the same, aspects have been altered to accommodate new information. Metroid Prime 2 still features a map in the upper-right corner of the screen and radar in the upper-left corner. However, the map is not present in multiplayer, and the radar is still displayed when using the morph ball. Retro Studios has also reinvented its missile gauge, replacing the single sliding bar with a 2x5 grid of boxes. Only the bottom two boxes are filled, suggesting either that each box holds about 20 missiles or that Metroid Prime 2 may feature multiple types of missiles. The energy gauge has also been modified: the single-player screen sports six vertical bars, two of which are grayed out, almost certainly representing energy tanks. The amount of energy left in the current energy tank is displayed in a two-digit counter, as dictated by Metroid tradition. Retro has redone the visor and beam icons in color, though the interface remains the same.

The game features graphics enhanced with even more visual flair. In the

same single-player screen, an enemy, likely a Space Pirate, features

detailed textures and impressive modeling. Another screen, likely taken

from a cut-scene, is centered on what looks like a giant three-headed

worm. Yet another screen in the magazine shows Samus floating in

mid-air, surrounded by a bubble reflecting her image. The bubble is

contained within a metal ring, suggesting it is either some sort of

teleportation or power-up device.

Finally, one screenshot introduces a new character wearing a grey suit

strangely similar to Samus's own and shooting downward toward the

camera. Have the pirates finally cracked the secret of Samus's power

suit? It looks

quite possible!

Official details on Metroid Prime 2 will be revealed during Nintendo's

pre-E3 press conference.