Metroid Prime Remastered was shadow dropped exclusively on Switch during the most recent Nintendo Direct, and its only natural to wonder just how much the graphics have improved compared to the original. Metroid Prime first released on the GameCube over 20 years ago, but is still held aloft as one of the best Metroid games ever released and the first to feature 3D graphics in a first-person style, while still retaining the platforming elements and genre-defining level design. Metroid Prime Remastered might not have been the game many fans were hoping for, but it was certainly a welcome surprise.

When it first released in 2002, Metroid Prime was met with acclaim. At the time, it was considered to be one of the most visually and artistically impressive games ever released. It might seem strange to modern consumers, but the GameCube was more graphically capable than Sony's PlayStation 2, and took full advantage of the then-powerful system. Even today, Metroid Prime remains one of the top-rated games of all time in Metacritic.

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While the Nintendo Switch is considered to be getting somewhat long in the tooth, it is still far more capable than the GameCube and Metroid Prime Remastered makes for an interesting comparison since the original was so highly regarded for its visuals. The far more detailed character models stand out immediately. The crisper lighting effects and brighter colors make the original look downright muddy by comparison. The world of Tallon IV has been reinvigorated thanks to modern water mechanics and particle effects - it seems like every aspect of the game has been rebuilt from the ground up.

With the release of Metroid Prime Remastered, fans of the series will no doubt begin wondering when the other two games in the trilogy will receive the same treatment. Other burning questions surround the development status of Metroid Prime 4 which was announced 6 years ago at E3 2017, with no new details about the game emerging until it was announced in 2019 that the development was being restarted due to the game not meeting expectations. This disappointing news left many wondering Metroid Prime 4 is ever coming out, but thankfully the series proper has received some attention in the interim with Metroid Dread being revealed and released in 2021.

It is clear that Metroid Prime Remastered is the result of significant effort, and it is a good sign that Nintendo and Retro Studios will spare no effort on remastering the other titles in the series if they do decide to release them eventually. At the very least, those who are anxious about Metroid Prime 4 can probably take heart that the game will eventually be released, but as for the question of when - that's anyone's guess.

Metroid Prime Remastered is available for the Nintendo Switch.

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