The willingness to hand something you love to someone you've just met — that too is a form of courage.
In 2000, Shigeru Miyamoto visited a small studio in Austin, Texas. He had not gone there to give away the Metroid series. He went to see four works in progress — and was disappointed by most of what he found. Then he saw a first-person engine that moved like something alive. Shortly after that visit, Nintendo handed one of its most beloved dormant series to a foreign studio that had never shipped a major game. What followed was not blind trust. Kensuke Tanabe flew to Austin five or six times a year; the teams exchanged hundreds of emails; Nintendo's designers sent documents arranged in color-coded spreadsheets. It was trust accompanied by closeness — a form of staying alongside rather than simply handing off. The result arrived in November 2002. Those who played it remember the silence of Tallon IV, the weight of being alone in a world that felt genuinely indifferent to you. That particular feeling could not have come from a studio that already knew how a Nintendo game was supposed to feel. It required someone willing to receive something precious, and someone willing to let go.
— inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto
About this game
Metroid Prime (2002) is a first-person adventure developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo. It translated the 2D Metroid exploration formula into a three-dimensional environment without losing any of its atmosphere, isolation, or depth. Samus Aran arrives on the planet Tallon IV to investigate a Space Pirate distress signal and discovers a world infected by Phazon, a dangerous alien substance. Widely considered one of the greatest games ever made.
Key Features
First-person Metroid — all traditional exploration, scan, and power-up mechanics translated to 3D. Scan Visor: scanning enemies, objects, and lore entries builds a codex and reveals weaknesses. Morphball system retained from 2D games. Interconnected world with subtle environmental storytelling rather than cutscenes. Combat designed around beam switching — each enemy type has a weak point requiring a different beam.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Metroid Prime had a famously troubled development. Retro Studios, a newly acquired Nintendo subsidiary in Austin, Texas, was considered an unlikely choice to handle such a beloved franchise. Doubts within Nintendo were significant — Shigeru Miyamoto visited the studio multiple times. The game was developed in approximately two years. When it released in North America in November 2002, critics were unanimous in their praise. Its 97/100 on Metacritic remains one of the highest-rated games of all time. The game demonstrated that a beloved 2D franchise could survive a transition to 3D with its identity intact.
Tricks & Tales
The Scan Visor contains over 500 individual lore entries — reading them all reveals a complete history of the Chozo civilisation and the Space Pirates' research logs. The game's sound design is exceptional: Samus's breathing inside the helmet becomes faster during combat. The Japanese release came three months after the North American launch — unusual for a Nintendo first-party title, which typically releases first in Japan. The Phazon storyline spans all three Prime games and its conclusion was described by Retro as the "Phazon Trilogy." Around 2000, Shigeru Miyamoto visited Retro Studios in Austin, Texas — a studio Nintendo had acquired in 1998 that had not yet shipped a game. After seeing a first-person engine prototype, Miyamoto proposed redirecting the work into a Metroid game. 'When I first met the Retro team, I knew they were the ones I was going to want to create Metroid,' he later said. Producer Kensuke Tanabe reportedly flew between Japan and Austin five or six times per year throughout development.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The North American version released November 2002; the Japanese version followed in February 2003. Both are NTSC and functionally identical in gameplay. The Japanese version menus are in Japanese. Region-free modified GameCubes play all regional versions. This title is also available on Wii via Metroid Prime Trilogy (2009), which is a region-locked Wii disc.
Maintenance Tips
Metroid Prime's mini-DVD is generally durable. The game runs long (15-20 hours average) — verify disc playback through at least the first save room before listing. The Japanese version's value is driven by condition; a complete-in-box Japanese copy with manual commands a significant premium. The Scan Visor requires sustained disc access — if scanning causes unusual drive noise, laser maintenance is recommended.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Metroid Prime copies regularly.
What should I check on the disc and the save?
Metroid Prime saves to a GameCube memory card, so the disc's age never threatens your progress. It uses GameCube's small 8cm disc, which is fairly sturdy, but the read side is worth checking for deep scratches. One more thing worth knowing: the North American release (November 2002) and the Japanese one (February 2003) are both NTSC and essentially the same game, so either plays on an NTSC console.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Metroid Prime
A short checklist for buying a used GameCube disc wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Check the mini-disc for scratches
GameCube uses small mini-discs; deep scratches cause read errors, while light marks are usually fine.
Ask for a photo of the disc surface and confirmation that it loads.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese GameCube disc. The GameCube is region-locked, so a Japanese disc needs a Japanese console.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Saves use a memory card
GameCube saves to a memory card, so there is no battery in the disc to fail.
Have a GameCube memory card with free blocks ready.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what it's selling for on eBay →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Metroid Prime sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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