There's one big question on everyone's mind: Does the switch into first-person mode ruin Metroid Prime? The answer: Definitely not. In Prime, you'll take a behind-the-visor perspective of the alien hunting, platform jumping, and boss fighting action. Rather than spoil the game, though, this view puts you right into the middle of the action, as though you were there yourself. You may be attacked brutally from the front, or you may be snuck up on from behind. You'll find yourself peering around corners and checking your back to make sure you've eradicated every last trace of the threat.

This brings up another point: the controls. Being able to maneuver, shoot, and use your various accessories quickly and effectively are all vital to your survival. While the controls may be a tad confusing at first, you'll find yourself adjusted to them within the first 10-30 minutes of game play. You move using the control stick, shoot with the A button, jump with the B button, lock-on and strafe with L, free-aim with R, use Y to fire missiles, X to curl into the Morph Ball, and Z to call the map for that particular area. The C-Stick cycles through weapons, and of course Start pauses the intense action and allows you a whole host of options, including getting a run-down of Samus' various tools. Fans of first-person shooters may look at these controls and die of a heart attack, but it should be noted that Prime is not meant to be a first-person shooter. In fact, "first-person adventure" seems to more accurately describe the game as a whole. In all, you'll find that these controls are very effective and worthy of the game.

As Samus' quest to destroy the Space Pirates unfolds, you'll find yourself faced with a monstrous amount of tasks to accomplish. And while you are meant to be at certain places at certain times, the game never feels linear. Each area is huge, with multiple branching, crisscrossing paths. Some areas may not be accessible until you have acquired a certain power-up, so it's in your best interest to note these areas when you happen to stumble across them. The game provides you with an excellent in-game, 3-D map, so you can always find your way in case you get lost in the game's vast environments. While a good portion of the areas are straightforward, there are a lot that require you to perfect your jumping skills. This can be very tricky and frustrating at times, as your limited view is far from the optimal preference. However, there are very few jumps that, if missed, lead to an untimely death, so the proverb, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again," comes into play.

Using the Morph Ball is one of the only times the game switches into third-person view, allowing you to see your surroundings and effectively maneuver Samus in ball form. Controls here are very responsive, and of course, bomb jumping is back. You'll often find yourself going into this mode just for the sake of getting a better view at your surroundings, especially when having to traverse a long series of jumps. Other tools, both old and new, make an appearance in Prime. Missiles, bombs, the charge/grappling/ice/plasma beam, and a whole assortment of visors. The Scan visor lets you view critical details about the scenery, artifacts, and the aliens themselves. The Thermal visor detects heat traces, allowing you to scope out enemies in dark places. The X-ray scope let's you peer through walls and other things to give you advance warning of enemies' locations, and to detect hidden areas.

Overall, Metroid Prime's gameplay shines like the brightest star in the galaxy (the Sun). While jumping may get frustrating at times, you'll find that the good far outweighs this one tiny morsel of bad.