[Dr Kain]

I finished Metroid Prime 2 today and it was my first time every getting 100% in it. For the most part, the game is really good, but it is extremely flawed, especially compared to the first installment. I liked the more story driven aspect of the game, getting to see that Samus is not the only human who actually does anything in the universe (even if all of the Space Marines were dead), and it was nice to have a story that was centered around the Space Pirates. Graphically, it is fantastic, especially when outside of the Sky Sanctuary. Unfortunately, it is the gameplay mechanics and boss battles where this game really takes a dive in quality. There are so many boss battles and a ton of them are just flat out boring. The big bosses for each area are fine, but it is the mini bosses where things are chaotic. It also doesn't help that the lock on system does not always work, especially on the Jump and Grapple Guardians, making it a great thing the Wii remote is fantastic during those moments (and I remember them being nearly impossible with the GC controller) as it at least helps. Another issue deals with the camera angles, especially in one specific section of Torvus Bog when trying to get an energy tank as the camera moves BEHIND the wall you have to spider across so you cannot see what you are doing nor where the moving platforms are. Whomever designed this section hopefully was fired for sheer stupidity. The other problem is the timed boss battle against Dark Samus. It isn't bad enough she has to be beaten in less than 8 minutes, but she will encase herself in that freaking Phazon bubble for a good 45 seconds and you have to just stand there and wait for her to leave it. It is VERY ANNOYING!!! Finally, because of the Light and Dark world stuff, there is just simply way too much back tracking in this game. It is easy to get lost or miss something and not realize it until you have already transferred to the other world and then have to spend 10 minutes going back to a specific spot. Those stupid Temple Keys are the worst atrocity of this. I'm not exactly sure what was up with Nintendo during the Gamecube era, but they seemed to love doing this as both Metroid Prime 2 and Wind Waker are plagued with this extra stretch that really slows down the game. With that said, I give this game a 7/10 as it has some many great things for it, but its negatives really hurt it.