Just give it to Retro. The three Metroid Prime games were extremely balanced in the game play department- with a great mix of shooting/adventure/puzzle-solving. I loved the challenge of the series too, and the three Prime games were lengthy adventures as well. And there is no need for lengthy cut scenes and sob stories. I hope Team Ninja (Great developer with the rebirth of the Ninja Gaiden series) will stick to making Ninja Gaiden games and not Metroid
Human contact, the final frontier.