May 10, 2006 - In an interview with the Retro Studios team, IGN Wii learned today that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will indeed be a launch game for Nintendo Wii. Developed from the ground up for the new platform and its unique controllers, Metroid will arrive alongside The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess offering up a first-party double punch when the console ships this holiday season.
Like its predecessors, the game will not feature an online mode for competitive multiplay -- however, support of the system's 24-hour-connection is under consideration. This would allow Nintendo to push upgrades and additional content to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption owners with wireless connections even when the console is switched off.
Retro Studios also confirmed that Metroid Prime 3 will depart from the light and dark world setup introduced in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and instead feature large areas to explore on multiple worlds. Though Samus will use her new gunship to travel between planets, players hoping to pilot Samus Aran's new gunship may be disappointed to hear that they will not be able to pilot the ship themselves. Travel between areas likely occurs only in cutscene form. That's not to say that the ship doesn't feature a large role in the game, however. Retro hinted at a new visor mode that lets Samus command her ship from the ground. For example, she can use the gunship uplink to blow up obstacles in her way and gain access to new areas.
Though the other visors are still being kept a secret, Retro did confirm that the X-Ray visor will return and play a bigger part in both combat and puzzle solving. Used in conjunction with a new beam that is able to shoot through walls, players will be able to detect obscured enemies and take them out safely.
The developer is also hard at work on polishing the graphics in the game to make it a noticeable step up over the previous titles. Retro has added new bloom effects and much more complex particle systems for even bigger fireworks. The target framerate for the final game is a smooth 60 frames per second.
Look for the complete interview soon.
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