9. Metroid Prime (GCN/Wii)
Metroid Prime was my first ever Metroid game, so it does hold a special place in my heart. But it's not that reason for why this game is number 9 on my all time greatest games list. Metroid Prime was a game that created a whole planet for us to explore. Retro Studios created a living, breathing world full of diverse lands and wildlife. Filled with crumbling ruins and state of the art technology, lava filled caverns and snow-topped peaks. And with me in control of Samus Aran (and looking through her eyes), I got explore this wonderful world around me. To say that this game holds some of the greatest art design I've ever seen in gaming... well with the other fantastic games I've played through the years, that's saying something. I fell in love with Tallon IV and everything about it.
The music is wonderful (Phendrana Drifts... incredible), the action is intense (once you get to Phazon Mines, there's little out there with such wonderful tension and action as that area), and the game is just so uniquely great. Reading logs to understand the story around you is genius, and the way you look through Samus' eyes really makes you feel like you're the one on this adventure. The bosses are terrifying and oh so fun to bring down (Ridley battle... that fight made me a huge fan of the Space Dragon), and Metroid Prime is just as menacing as I thought it would be. Yeah, this game took me on an adventure like none other, and I'm now a lifelong fan of Samus Aran for it.
