#68 Metroid Prime

Samus Aran is the latest of the classic Nintendo characters to make the leap from two-dimensional platformers to the modern three-dimensional action adventure. In this update you see everything through Samus’s heap-up display, but the game has little else in common with a first-person shooter. Metroid Prime’s play style is one part exploration, one part combat. As you move through the beautifully rendered, unique environments you earn new equipment, such as Space Boots or a grappling hook, that make new portions of the game accessible. Sure, this mechanic is the same, old bring a key to open the locked door routine, but Metroid Prime makes the gimmick feel organic. As you backtrack through the game, many rooms seem transformed by Samus’s newfound abilities. Combat wise the game is tough but fair. Some of the final bosses are downright nasty, but if I can beat them anybody can.