Metroid is a truly phenomenal series. In the games you must use lots of logic or just plain chance to discover the secrets to certain areas and find the solutions to many, many puzzles throughout the series. All the hidden items are also a great, Metroid-specific addition whose effects leave me speechless.

         Puzzles - 4.5/5

         The puzzle factor in this game is one that is more subtle than that of the earlier games. This subtle approach, however, really complimented and went along perfectly with everything else they put in the game. Though subtle, it does become very apparent in some cases, especially in how to find the Energy Cells. In their location descriptions they didn't give much information at all, and this led to lots of travelling, backtracking, dead ends, and, in some cases (depending on the type of gamer) lots of internet searches on strategy guides. The search for the cells did make the game a Metroid game, and it was much like that of the search for all the metroids in Metroid 2.

         Game Play - 5/5

         The game play in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was much like that of all other Metroid games—absolutely amazing! The Wii's innovative motion controls and aiming features made it that much better, as you often found yourself feeling as if you were in the game itself when you had to open doors or use your Grapple Lasso against many enemies and doors. The overall immersive feeling was simply that of one of the greatest games of its time and maybe ever.

         Apart from your attachment to the game itself, the existence of lores makes archaeology a sort of mini-game for anyone interested in them. I myself love to find them throughout the planets as I progress, and I often find myself re-reading some of them, either to see more of the story or to analyze the sheer genius of the writers that so skillfully compiled the lores.

         Graphics - 5/5

         With the game being on a whole new console, expectations for the graphics were extremely high, and Nintendo did not disappoint. They had already shown how great a job they could do with Prime 1 and 2, and with the unveiling of a new Metroid game came the unveiling of better, more precise, and more frequent cases of mind-blowing due to extreme visual awesomeness poisoning. The various weapons' and actions' visual effects could hardly be portrayed better than what you have seen in trailers and while playing the game itself.

         Music - 4.8/5

         It hardly matters if the music was in the classic "Metroid style" if you're going to rate it on how it both sounded and effected your gaming experience. Any style can have unlimited amounts of songs that simply blow you away upon their entering into your ears. In Metriod Prime 3 we have many new, different tracks of music that have the most profound effects on your gaming experience, and the songs are great to just listen to as you would any other music. You just have to listen to them and "feel" them for yourself in-game to truly know how they are.

         Difficulty - 4.7/5

         My difficulty rating is based on how well-placed the difficulty of the game is, not on how hard it is to get through the game. As in all (or most, I should say) terrible and great games alike, the obstacles you encounter and enemies you face get increasingly difficult to overcome and defeat as you progress. In this game you can really feel the effects of this as you play. Even with the addition of various weapons and suit upgrades you pick up on the way, the difficulty is extremely well-placed, making things easy when first learning and forcing you to master some techniques quickly in order to survive. The strategies you must conjure up in the heat of battle can many times need careful review before working for you in the best ways possible, and that just makes the game even better (unless you forget to save prior to a major battle, in which case you impulsively perform actions commonly labeled as "insane").

         Story - 5/5

         The story, of course, continues from where its prequel, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, left off. A small group of planets is barraged with strange "seeds" of pure Phazon that slowly corrupt the planets to a far greater extent than those you would think possible. The design and actions of Dark Samus make the game's story what it is, as she is the main antagonist in this game and creates much of the story herself. The inclusion of other G.F. bounty hunters was a phenomenal idea that had positive effects on the gaming experience all around, as you often interact with them in the beginning of the game, and they ***SPOILER*** become bosses for the different planets later on in the game. ***END SPOILER***

         Overall - 5/5

         If you throw everything here together, you get one game that you just can't afford to miss out on. If you value your game life to any extent, you will buy this game and play through it at least once, and you will not regret a single second of the time and effort you put into beating it.