My thoughts on Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Of all the games that Nintendo had announced at E3, one had attracted a lot of controversy. It got the video game fanboys roaring with rage, foaming at the mouth like rabid dogs at the sight of a juicy steak.

The game? Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

Now, I will admit, I am not exactly a hardcore fan of the Metroid series. I enjoyed Prime and Zero Mission, and I do have Super Metroid on my Wii thanks to the Virtual Console, but growing up, I always was more into Mario's adventures instead of Samus Aran's. I do have a great respect for the series, though.

When the trailer for this game came out, there was a lot of derision. Fans of the series went ballistic. The first Metroid game in five years, and this was it?! A game that focused on first-person shooting and not exploration? None of the titular beasts of the series? And no Samus Aran? BLASPHEMY!! BURN THIS GAME! BURN DOWN NINTENDO!!!

That was the majority of the gamers' reactions to the trailer. Everything about it was criticized, the graphics, the genre, even the idea it didn't resemble a traditional Metroid game. There has even been a petition for Nintendo to cancel this game.

My opinion on the trailer? I thought it seemed like something fun, but I can't play as it was a four-player co-op game. However, I would go on to learn that there was a single-player campaign and that Samus would appear in the game, so that's pretty cool.

I, honestly, think this game sounds like a lot of fun. I honestly like the idea of a game that focused on the Galactic Federation itself. I imagine they were out doing stuff like exploring the universe and fighting space pirates (Samus can't possibly be the only one out there beating them up), so focusing on a group of soldiers having their own adventures is a great way to expand the Metroid universe a little bit.

Maybe it's not because I'm a crazy hardcore Metroid follower, but I really don't get much of the rage. I remember many people complained about the original Metroid Prime being a first-person shooter, but it ended up becoming one of the most popular games on the GameCube, if not all time. But it got me playing a Metroid game, and it was one of the only FPS games I really enjoyed, alongside DOOM.

I think Federation Force will be a fun little game that allows players to experience the Metroid universe from a new perspective, and perhaps that people really need to just calm down, and give the title a try before losing it.