Weapons systems

Metroid Prime 3 also seems to be going back to the weapon system of Super Metroid this time. By that I mean that instead of having to switch weapons all the time, the weapons will instead be 'stacked' onto each other. So, for example, instead of having separate slots for the Power Beam, Ice Beam, Wave Beam and Plasma Beam, they'll all be merged into some super "Power-ice-wave-plasma beam!!!". A very good choice considering having to switch back and forth all the time was one of the major issues of the past few Metroid games.

However, because of the Wii Remote's almost perfect design for FPSes, many fans are afraid that Retro Studios will turn Metroid Prime 3 into a full-out FPS. The last time a Metroid game was turned into a FPS the results were pretty awful. Hopefully, Retro won't make the mistake NST did with Metroid Prime: Hunters.
Phazon radiation is at it again

In terms of story, not a lot has been revealed by Retro. All we know is that Samus will be infected with Phazon radiation (hence the name "Corruption") and that this will impact her abilities in both a positive and negative way. Positive being that Samus will be granted a 'Phazon Meter'. By filling up this meter (the method for which has not been revealed), Samus will be granted temporary defense and attack bonuses. The bad thing is that while Samus is in this powered-up state, here life meter will gradually decrease due to increased Phazon radiation. Retro has also revealed that this new feature won't only impact the gameplay, but it will play an integral role in the storyline.

Also revealed is that Phazon will be the main focus of the story. While in the previous games, Phazon was simply a simple side-story, it will play a much larger role in Metroid Prime 3. Ridely, the leader of the Space Pirates, has also made a surprise return. After not showing up in Metroid Prime 2 and having appeared in every other Metroid game before that, many fans wondered if Ridely had kicked the bucket. Not so, for gameplay videos and screenshots show Samus fighting against Ridely all whilst falling down a seemingly bottomless shaft. However, if Ridely is simply thrown in for fan-service or if he plays a pivotal role has yet to be seen or told.

Stunning graphics

On the subject of graphics, Metroid Prime 3 is the most visually stunning Metroid title yet. It is also the most beautiful looking game on the Wii! Corruption uses an enhanced version of the Metroid Prime engine and it shows! From the over-exaggerated particle effects to the smooth sheen on Samus' armor, everything looks amazing. As a result of more powerful hardware, the game also boasts substantially larger areas compared to its predecessors, which should give the game a massive amount of exploration and hidden areas.

All in all, Metroid Prime 3 is definitely shaping up to be the greatest Wii title yet, and maybe even the greatest Metroid yet (however, Super Metroid is pretty hard to top..). For anyone who owns a Wii, Corruption should definitely be at the top of their most wanted list. Now all we can do is hope that Prime 3 lives up to the hype.