History YMMV / MetroidPrime

* ScrappyMechanic: Vertical doors on the floors and ceilings. In a game where you can't look around on a vertical axis without stopping to aim, the existence of doors that require you to look directly up or down in order to shoot and open is a little perplexing, especially as the game otherwise accommodates the limits of your visual movement pretty well. They are tellingly absent from the sequels.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The updated ''Trilogy'' version on the Wii has one with the particle effects for the Arm Cannon when it's charging up. Because the Arm Cannon can be freely moved at any angle with the Wii Remote (unlike the [=GameCube=] version where the weapon had limited movement), the particle effects for charging shots became glitched during the porting process of the game. The developers couldn't figure out how to get the effects to work properly and opted to remove them effects entirely. It's very noticeable with the Ice Beam since it no longer forms ice over the Arm Cannon if the shot is being charged up. Similarly, the water in the Trilogy version no longer ripples when you shoot at it. The effects were restored for the Switch version.

** The Omega Pirate is a ''massive'' Elite Pirate found at the bottom of the Phazon Mines. For starters, the room has several pools of Phazon in it that are extremely easy to accidentally walk into when you're trying to avoid the Omega Pirate and the Beam Pirates. He's also good at backing players into corners and smacking them for ridiculous amounts of damage, and while you can stun him with Power Bombs, it's hard to get away without losing a lot of health. Even worse, he spends most of the fight with a shield up that blocks all weapons except Missiles (and the [[NotCompletelyUseless Flamethrower]], which you most likely won't have anyway). Damaging him requires you to jump through a bunch of hoops as well; first, you blast off his shoulder and knee armor, then he vanishes and summons several [[DemonicSpiders Beam Troopers]]. As you fight the Troopers, you have to use the X-ray visor to see when he goes into a Phazon pool, which allows you to hit his heart and actually damage him. On Normal, this is all fairly manageable (if obnoxious), it becomes a nightmare on Hard. Aside from his boosted damage and massive health bar, the Troopers that he summons go from being nuisances meant to distract more than anything to serious threats, especially the Wave Troopers. What makes this worse is that he's fairly squishy when his shields down, as three Super Missiles can end the fight fairly quickly... which is exactly why the Beam Pirates are there to harass you. And harass you they will, as they're impossible to tell apart while you're using the X-Ray Visor, forcing you to swap back and forth.

** The ''Remastered'' UpdatedRerelease on Nintendo Switch completely overhauls the visuals and lightning, bringing everything to HD format. It is notable for completely redoing models and environments, where most remasters touch up the existing graphics by upping the texture resolution and such, resulting in many fans viewing it as being closer to a remake. The game also comes with several available control schemes, including traditional analog dual stick (with or without gyro), pointer controls, and a "classic" [=GameCube=] option. New unlockables like remastered concept art and a soundtrack were also added, and elements like the visual effects for the charged beam weapons that were lost in the ''Trilogy'' port were restored.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Before release, so many controversial choices with the game that no one, not even levelheaded fans and critics, were kind to it. First off, Nintendo gave the project to Creator/RetroStudios, an unproven American studio that had yet to ship a single game, rather than develop it in-house. Second, [[VideoGame3DLeap making it in 3D]], which while many expected, was still cause for worry due to how many franchises failed to make the transition the previous generation. Finally, it was in first-person, which was seen as the final nail in the coffin for the game having any hopes of being good and feeling like ''Metroid'': behind-the-scenes, even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKs_Oyfuyuc&t=14m56s series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto and the design team at Retro]] were incredibly skeptical of Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto demanding this POV, with the original lead designer quitting over it. When it came out, not only did everyone feel like it was a true ''Metroid'' game, it quickly became seen as one of the greatest games of all time. It is telling to its legacy that the entire trilogy is one of the most requested UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch ports and the reveal and immediate release of ''Remastered'' during the February 2023 WebVideo/NintendoDirect was met with massive applause.

* UnintentionalUncannyValley:
** Samus' EyedScreen when a flare makes her face visible can be this, especially when it happens abruptly, when the player doesn't expect it, or upon seeing it for the first time while playing the game.
** In both of its forms, Metroid Prime has a disturbingly human-like face despite otherwise being a StarfishAlien.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The updated ''Trilogy'' version on the Wii has one with the particle effects for the Arm Cannon when it's charging up. Because the Arm Cannon can be freely moved at any angle with the Wii Remote (unlike the [=GameCube=] version where the weapon had limited movement), the particle effects for charging shots became glitched during the porting process of the game. The developers couldn't figure out how to get the effects to work properly and opted to remove them effects entirely. It's very noticeable with the Ice Beam since it no longer forms ice over the Arm Cannon if the shot is being charged up. Similarly, the water in the Trilogy version no longer ripples when you shoot at it. The effects were restored for the ''Switch'' version.

* DisappointingLastLevel: The Impact Crater that you've spent so long trying to gain access to isn't a large area to explore, or even much to scan, its simply a room with annoying [[DemonicSpiders Fission Metroids]] to the FinalBoss. Concept artwork shows the developers had [[WombLevel far bigger original intentions for the stage]] than what was realized in the finished product, complete with a second "Evacuate immediately!" escape sequence upon [[LoadBearingBoss Prime's defeat]]. All of this was scrapped due to time constraints, with the escape sequence merely cutting to Samus having already escaped.

** [[http://i.imgur.com/yIobH5k.jpg Metroid Prime's "face"]] when you finally get to meet it is incredibly goofy-looking instead of scary. Granted, it soon becomes clear that it's just the creature while it's in a prone state (most likely done as a {{Homage}} to Mother Brain), but you could be forgiven for thinking the BigBad of the game looks completely ridiculous at first. It's worse in the Remastered version. Because the joints on the creature have been changed up, the face is contorted. Where before it looked like a pained, twisted grimace with staring eyes...now it looks like a fish's face.
** The Core Essence of Metroid Prime in the Remastered version. The enlargement of the creature's cranium relative to the original version means that its expressions are thrown off. A good example is its intro cutscene; in the original, Prime clearly glares at Samus, but in the remaster, it looks more like it's squinting at her disdainfully.

* {{Narm}}: [[http://i.imgur.com/yIobH5k.jpg Metroid Prime's "face"]] when you finally get to meet it is incredibly goofy-looking instead of scary. Granted, it soon becomes clear that it's just the creature while it's in a prone state (most likely done as a {{Homage}} to Mother Brain), but you could be forgiven for thinking the BigBad of the game looks completely ridiculous at first.

* ThatOnePuzzle: The Furnace in the Chozo Ruins hides a Missile Expansion that requires clearing a halfpipe with one of the most unintuitive boost timings in the entire game due to its shape. Additionally, you have to carefully maneuver through rafters crawling with Armored Parasites can easily boot you off and force a restart, requiring use of the halfpipe again.

** It is possible to jump in midair after receiving a bomb boost, similar to a bug in [[VideoGame/Metroid1986 the 1986 game]]. This trick has been dubbed the "Bomb Space Jump" or "BSJ", and enables an early acquisition of the Space Jump Boots and Plasma Beam among other sequence breaks.

** The Plasma Beam can easily obliterate almost any enemy. Once you get it, fights against any non-boss enemy become a cake walk (which is likely intentional, seeing as how late in the game you receive it).

* GoodBadBugs: [[http://www.metroid2002.com/other_scan_bug.php Shown on GameCube versions]], Retro Studios apparently didn't think players would try to scan the projectiles from the Omega Pirate's cannons.
-->This is an Elite Space Pirate\\

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Before release, so many controversial choices with the game that no one, not even levelheaded fans and critics, were kind to it. First off, Nintendo gave the project to Creator/RetroStudios, an unproven American studio that had yet to ship a single game, rather than develop it in-house. Second, [[VideoGame3DLeap making it in 3D]], which while many expected, was still cause for worry due to how many franchises failed to make the transition the previous generation. Finally, it was in first-person, which was seen as the final nail in the coffin for the game having any hopes of being good and feeling like ''Metroid'': behind-the-scenes, even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKs_Oyfuyuc&t=14m56s series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto and the design team at Retro]] were incredibly skeptical of Miyamoto demanding this POV, with the original lead designer quitting over it. When it came out, not only did everyone feel like it was a true ''Metroid'' game, it quickly became seen as one of the greatest games of all time. It is telling to its legacy that the entire trilogy is one of the most requested UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch ports and the reveal and immediate release of ''Remastered'' during the February 2023 WebVideo/NintendoDirect was met with massive applause.

* HilariousInHindsight: ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' first introduced a Chozo statue that carries Samus through a bed of spikes safely in a room that players nicknamed the ''Chozo Bowling Alley''. Years later, ''Prime'' has a Chozo Elder statue in the Chozo Ruins that actually ''does'' bowl Samus to get her to a Bomb switch (or to a secret room if you hit the Ice Beam switch and then bomb the revealed slot). According to urban legends in the fan community, this Elder Statue is ''really'' referred to as the Chozo Bowling Statue in the commented code for ''Prime''.

* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: The Hint System can be this during the late game in two instances. It will regularly chime in let you know that you should return to the Phazon Mines if you decide to explore other areas of Tallon IV with your newly acquired Plasma Beam first; and it will insist that you return to the Artifact Temple if you have all the Artifacts but are going around picking up all the upgrades that you missed.
* AntiClimaxBoss: Metroid Prime itself. While the first part of the battle is quite challenging due to Prime's insanely high stamina and very prolonged length of the fight, the second phase is much easier. The strategy is reduced to dodging shockwaves (which don't even hurt that much if you have enough Energy Tanks), switching visors and waiting for Prime to drop a batch of Phazon so you can zap it with your Phazon Beam, rinse and repeat. While it now spawns Metroids to hinder you, a Power Bomb and/or the Phazon Beam makes quick work of them.

** Fission Metroids. Basically much more powerful version of the standard Metroids, you can only damage them with a beam that corresponds to their color. They take a long time to kill, and when they take enough damage they split into more Fission Metroids, meaning you can end up fighting several at once. Sometimes you're better off running from these things than you are fighting them (or dropping a [[CuttingTheKnot Power Bomb]] on them, which [[NonElemental will kill them regardless of color]]). Thankfully, you only encounter them in the Impact Crater...if you're playing the original North American [=GameCube=] version; in the PAL, Japanese, ''Trilogy'' and Remastered versions, Fission Metriods can be encountered in the Phazon Mines after defeating Omega Pirate.

* DisappointingLastLevel: The Impact Crater that you've spent so long trying to gain access to, isn't a large area to explore, or even much to scan, its simply a room with annoying [[DemonicSpiders Fission Metroids]] to the FinalBoss. Concept artwork showed the developers had [[WombLevel far bigger original intentions for the stage]] than what was realized in the finished product, complete with a second "Evacuate immediately!" escape sequence upon [[LoadBearingBoss Prime's defeat]]. All of this was untimately un-implemented due to time constraints.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Before release, so many controversial choices with the game that no one, not even levelheaded fans and critics, were kind to it. First off, Nintendo gave the project to Creator/RetroStudio, an unproven American studio that had yet to ship a single game, rather than develop it in-house. Second, [[VideoGame3DLeap making it in 3D]], which while many expected, was still cause for worry due to how many franchises failed to make the transition the previous generation. Finally, it was in first-person, which was seen as the final nail in the coffin for the game having any hopes of being good and feeling like ''Metroid'': behind-the-scenes, even [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKs_Oyfuyuc&t=14m56s series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto and the design team at Retro]] were incredibly skeptical of Miyamoto demanding this POV, with the original lead designer quitting over it. When it came out, not only did everyone feel like it was a true ''Metroid'' game, it quickly became seen as one of the greatest games of all time. It is telling to its legacy that the entire trilogy is one of the most requested UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch ports and the reveal and immediate release of ''Remastered'' during the February 2023 WebVideo/NintendoDirect was met with massive applause.

* DifficultySpike: The Phazon Mines really ramp up the difficulty from the previous areas. The map is huge and multi-layered, beam-specific enemies are everywhere, elite pirates are introduced, and save points are few and far between. Then when you reach the lowest levels you need to do tight platforming over long stretches of radioactive phazon that will drain your health if you touch it (before obtaining the Phazon Suit). Entering this area without collecting a good amount of energy tanks and missile expansions makes it close to impossible.

** The ''Trilogy'' version on the Wii and Wii U improves several things and fixes others. Bloom was added and some textures were slightly tweaked. Motion controls were backported from ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' to allow greater control of movement and aiming. Flaahgra's boss fight music was fixed so it no longer loops in the first few seconds and the cutscene showing Samus acquiring the Grapple Beam was changed to be more dynamic. The Wii U verison also eliminates the LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading that plagued the game on the original Wii, due to the ability to run it from the Wii U's internal flash memory instead of a disc.
** The remastered version on Nintendo Switch completely overhauls the visuals and lightning, bringing everything to HD format; it is notable for completely redoing models and environments, where most remasters would just increase the texture resolution and dial up the bloom, then leave it there. Along with motion controls returning, a dual stick option was added to allow free movement of the camera with the right analog stick and a classic controls option was also added to let players set the controls to how they were in the original Gamecube version. New unlockables like remastered concept art and a soundtrack were also added. The visual effects for the charged beam weapons that were lost in the ''Trilogy'' port were restored in the remastered version.
* ScrappyMechanic: Vertical doors in the original [=GameCube=] version. In a game where you can't look around on a vertical axis without stopping to aim, the existence of doors that require you to look directly up or down in order to shoot and open is a little perplexing, especially as the game otherwise accommodates the limits of your visual movement pretty well. They are tellingly absent from the sequels.
* ScrappyWeapon: The Wave Beam is often looked down upon for not being very effective in combat. The Power Beam can be fired extremely quick and eventually gets armed with the strong, but relatively cheap Super Missiles, the Ice Beam can freeze most enemies in their tracks with a charged shot while a missile can finish them off, and the Plasma Beam [[InfinityPlusOneSword quite simply cuts through everything in sight]]. In contrast, the Wave Beam's base shots have a horrid fire rate, the Wavebuster eats missiles like nobody's business, and the ability of charged shots to stun only really comes in handy when there's very few enemies, leading most to relegate it to just the power switch puzzles.
* SpecialEffectFailure: The updated Trilogy version on the Wii has one with the particle effects for the Arm Cannon when it's charging up. Because the Arm Cannon can be freely moved at any angle with the Wii Remote (unlike the [=GameCube=] version where the weapon had limited movement), the particle effects for charging shots became glitched during the porting process of the game. The developers couldn't figure out how to get the effects to work properly and opted to remove the effects entirely. It's very noticeable with the Ice Beam since it no longer forms ice over the Arm Cannon if the shot is being charged up. Similarly, the water in the Trilogy version no longer ripples when you shoot at it. The effects were restored for the Switch version.

** The Omega Pirate is a ''massive'' Elite Pirate found at the bottom of the Phazon Mines. For starters, the room has several pools of Phazon in it that are extremely easy to accidentally walk into when you're trying to avoid the Omega Pirate and the Beam Pirates. He's also good at backing players into corners and smacking them for ridiculous amounts of damage, and while you can stun him with Power Bombs, it's hard to get away without losing a lot of health. Even worse, he spends most of the fight with a shield up that blocks all weapons except Missiles (and the [[NotCompletelyUseless Flamethrower]]). Damaging him requires you to jump through a bunch of hoops; first, you blast off his shoulder and knee armor, then he vanishes and summons several [[DemonicSpiders Beam Troopers]]. As you fight the Troopers, you have to use the X-ray visor to see when he goes into a Phazon pool, which allows you to hit his heart and actually damage him. On Normal, this is all fairly manageable if obnoxious as the Beam Troopers are there to harass you, but he's a nightmare on Hard. Quite aside from his boosted damage and massive health bar, the Troopers that he summons become a major threat, especially the Wave Troopers. What makes this worse is he's fairly squishy with his shields down as three Super Missiles can end the fight fairly quickly but that's why the Beam Pirates are there to harass you. And harass you they will, as they're impossible to tell apart while you're in the X-Ray Visor.

** Phazon Mines is not only a nightmare to navigate due to its multiple levels and incredible size (it's easily twice as big as the Chozo Ruins, for starters) and labyrinthine layout, it also has a bunch of DemonicSpiders lurking around. The first foray into the level, right after the Wrecked Frigate is one of the toughest sequences in the game, and the march to getting the Power Bombs can take upwards of 35 minutes to complete- with ''no save room until '''after''' you get the Power Bombs.'' You also have to march in and out of the Mines frequently, as getting the Power Bombs and Grapple Beam opens up the ability to get the X-Ray Visor and the Plasma Beam, both of which are necessary in navigating the lower portions of the mines and gaining access to the boss of the area.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Before release, Nintendo and Retro made so many controversial choices with the game that no one, not even levelheaded fans and critics, were kind to it. First off, Nintendo letting Retro, an unproven American studio, develop the game rather than doing it themselves. Second, [[VideoGame3DLeap making it in 3D]] which many expected but was still a controversial choice especially given how many franchises started to crumble with that jump the gen before it. Finally, making it first-person was thought to be the final nail in the coffin for the game having any hopes of being good and feeling like ''Metroid'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKs_Oyfuyuc&t=14m56s the first-person perspective was a design choice insisted on by Shigeru Miyamoto, which even Yoshio Sakamoto and Retro President Jeff Spangenberg resisted]] (the POV shift also led directly to the resignation of lead designer John Whitmore from Retro). When it came out, not only did everyone feel like it was a true ''Metroid'' game, it and its two sequels are generally considered to be among the greatest games of all time. It is telling to its legacy that the entire trilogy is one of the most requested UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch ports and the reveal and immediate release of ''Remastered'' during the February 2023 WebVideo/NintendoDirect was met with massive applause.

* AndYouThoughtItWouldFail: Before release, Nintendo and Retro made so many controversial choices with the game that no one, not even levelheaded fans and critics, were kind to it. First off, Nintendo letting Retro, an unproven American studio, develop the game rather than doing it themselves. Second, [[VideoGame3DLeap making it in 3D]] which many expected but was still a controversial choice especially given how many franchises started to crumble with that jump the gen before it. Finally, making it first-person was thought to be the final nail in the coffin for the game having any hopes of being good and feeling like ''Metroid'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKs_Oyfuyuc&t=14m56s the first-person perspective was a design choice insisted on by Shigeru Miyamoto, which even Yoshio Sakamoto and Retro President Jeff Spangenberg resisted]] (the POV shift also led directly to the resignation of lead designer John Whitmore from Retro). When it came out, not only did everyone feel like it was a true ''Metroid'' game, it and its two sequels are generally considered to be among the greatest games of all time. It is telling to its legacy that the entire trilogy is one of the most requested UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch ports and the reveal and immediate release of ''Remastered'' during the Febuary 2023 WebVideo/NintendoDirect was met with massive applause.
* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: Once you find an Artifact, the game will constantly remind you to go back to the Artifact Temple, even though there's no reason to until you get all of them, except possibly to get the second set of hints to the Artifacts' locations.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Kenji Yamamoto strikes again, with a mix of new tunes and remasters of older tracks. [[https://youtu.be/QQCZIb0fbt8 Case in point]].

* PlayTheGameSkipTheStory: Because scanning for logbook entries is completely optional, it's entirely possible to get through the game with only a surface understanding of the game's plot, and without learning any of the game's unraveling backstory and lore.

* DisappointingLastLevel: The Impact Crater that you've spent so long trying to gain access to, isn't a large area to explore, or even much to scan, its simply a room with annoying [[DemonicSpiders Fission Metroids]] to the FinalBoss. Concept artwork showed the developers had [[WombLevel far bigger original intentions for the stage]] than what was realized in the finished product, complete with a second "Evacuate immediately!" escape sequence upon [[LoadBearingBoss Prime's defeat]]. All of this was ultimately DummiedOut.

** The ''Trilogy'' version on the Wii and Wii U improves several things and fixes others. Bloom was added and some textures were slightly tweaked. Motion controls were backported from ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' to allow greater control of movement and aiming. Flaahgra's boss fight music was fixed so it no longer loops in the first few seconds and the cutscene showing Samus acquiring the Grapple Beam was changed to be more dynamic.