«Previous post | Next post»

People were wondering if and when we would get the next “Metroid” game after Other M. At E3 2015 “Metroid Prime: Federation Force” was announced and fans have backlashed this title well before release. And when AMR2’s creators received DMCA notices from Nintendo’s American legal team “Federation Force” was panned even further.

“Metroid Prime: Federation Force” may not be the Metroid game we were waiting for, but it is a good spin-off in the Prime Universe.

As for the story of the game, after the events of “Metroid Prime 3: Corruption” the player is a Marine in Operation Golem, where they pilot a Mech to complete special missions. And before serving their tour on the G.F.S. Aegis in the Bermuda System they need to start the training sessions for each new profile. While it’s better than tutorial pop-ups having a training mode as a necessity could be a bit of a turn off (though the training modes did give a bit of immersion).

The player can install three MODs (two of which can be unlocked with progress) into their Mech to suit their playstyle. These MODs ranging from the Mech’s durability to overall firepower with its beam cannon or AUX weapon. One of the helpful MODs is the unbreakable Lone Wolf (Solo mode only) which doubles the damage output and halves all incoming damaged. There is a risk that MODs will break but this only happens after a Game Over or quitting during a mission, so their durability is ensured by the player’s skills. Mechs can be customized in the lobby for last-minute tweaks before the mission.

A good marine is always ready for duty.

Before the start of the mission. The squad can load up on AUX ammunition (such as Missiles, Super Missiles, Proximity Mines, and Decoys) and do at the last-minute MOD swapping. However, all AUX ammo is pooled for the entire which can cause some problems for Online players. As with a pooled resource, there’s a chance one player is left with little to none ammo type. They could pick up some on the field, but it’s still an issue with Online mode.

There are a variety of missions to complete, including exterminate, retrieving, and sabotage. A player could even fail a mission if they don’t meet the objective in a given moment. At the end of the mission, the player(s)’s scores are totaled up along with a Time Bonus and Bonus Objective points. These Bonus Objectives can add some challenge to each mission so it’s best to do them with a full squad. It also helps to become a killing machine since bonuses, such as Fire Damage, Charged Blasts, and Precision, are added to the player’s score. And the higher the overall score is the better the chances are to earn medals.

metroid prime federation force marine mech versus collosun

Mech versus Collosun, an actual mechanical golem.

While the graphics are simplified from previous “Metroid Prime” titles, it does retain the art direction from the Prime series. G.F.S. Aegis has some bloom effects going for it but the design for it, and the dropships are similar to the Galactic Federation arcitech seen from past games. The three planets the missions take place on match their descriptions: the icy planet Excelicionin where the abandoned Federation mining facility can be found, the desert planet Bion which hosts the ancient structures of an extinct race, and the gaseous planet Talvania that was once home to a mechanical race.

Though some enemy characters may not look intimidating their style matches the Prime universe while having some bright colors in a number of creatures. The Mechs have a cool bulky design which makes them appear as giant golems. The HUD is wide enough to show the action while giving some immersion of being in a cockpit.

The Mechs’ animations are more humanized for machines, which adds a bit of character to them. They also have nicely detailed mechanical animations, especially in their arm cannons when they use Charge Beams. A Mech can even have a paint job to make it stand out from the rest of the squad. As the player collects medals from missions, more paint jobs will unlock for their Mech, so there’s something for the achievement hunter. The Marines are chibis that fit well into the Mechs, though they look too cute for the Prime Universe.

metroid prime federation force heavily armed mech

Nothing says friendship like a heavily armed Mech.

The music tracks for the opening cinematic and title screen, while not exactly as unnerving as “Super Metroid’s” or otherworldly as “Metroid Prime’s,” fits along with the Prime Universe in its ominous Metroid theme remix. The rest of the soundtrack is more of the dramatic military flare that matches the mood of the event taking place, so there are no awkward moments.

Sound effects from the enemies and creatures won’t give much of a startle out of anyone, but they do give the impression that they are out for blood. The Mech effects are what you would expect: energy shots, charging beams, hovering with thrusters, cockpit chimes (to let the player know how close they are from failing), and heavy footsteps. The worst part about the audio aspect is Nintendo’s “voice chat.” While it’s enough to convey a message to teammates during online sessions, the friendly chat system isn’t the best option. Though to give them credit the voices can be customized, giving each voice a pitch, gender, and language to speak in.

metroid prime federation force george lucas

Damn you, George Lucas!

Controls have the Gyro Motion and Circle Pad Pro Schemes to play with. The Motion controls don’t revolve around the gyro as some might think. Most of the controls are binded to the face buttons, circle pad, and shoulder buttons. The right shoulder button enables the motion control, which is just used for aiming with the gyro. It’s not bad since the camera always centers after moving, and players can lock onto an enemy during firefights.

The Circle Pad Pro Controls utilizes the time-tested Argonaut Controls, which should feel comfortable to FPS home console players. While some of the face buttons retain their bindings the triggers are used for jumping/hovering and shooting/interacting. This control scheme actually feels more natural than the Motion controls.

Pros:
+ A good spin-off title with fun gameplay.
+ The in-game story fits within the “Metroid Prime” Universe.
+ Options for Solo, Local, and Online Gameplay.
+ Nice presentation that helps with immersion.

Cons:
– Not the “Metroid” game the fans have been expecting.
– Nintendo’s limited Voice Chat
– Equipping AUX ammo before the mission could pose some problems.

Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound/Music: 3.5/5
Controls: 3.5/5
Replay value: 4/5

tgg grade 4 out of 5

Verdict: 4/5
While “Metroid Prime: Federation” may not be the “Metroid” game that the fans have wanted or asked for, it’s still a fun “Metroid” spin-off game. And not only that, but the story feels like something that happened in the Prime Universe. Furthermore, Kensuke Tanabe wanted to flesh out some details with this game before making the official fourth title. So hopefully we’ll see what happens after the cliffhanger from “Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.”

As for “Metroid Prime: Blast Ball” I’ll talk about it in another review.

Title: Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Developer: Next Level Games
Format: Nintendo 3DS
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Resolution: 800 x 240/320 x 240
Release date: 2016-08-19
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard
Spent time: 9+ hours
Average grade internationally: 65.88% Gamerankings.com
PEGI/ESRB age rating: PEGI 12+/Teen
Price: $39.99