Prime Stuff

Unsurprisingly, Metroid Prime is selling like hot cakes around here. Although it's not exactly like the mad sales of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it does seem to interest people and sales-wise the only thing that came close into selling so much in so little time over the past year, was Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (The Getaway sold well but over a larger timescale without a clearly definable peak).

I already played the NTSC version, but I couldn't resist picking up the PAL version as well. Especially since there are little changes. They are very subtle though and unless you're a Metroid-junkie you won't notice them.

The acid room with the Ram Wasps and your first Missile Expansion now has a staircase around the main platform for instance, allowing to immediately run back unto it might you fall off (the NTSC version required some exquisite jumping). Also missile-power-ups now give you one missile and there's a 'new' missile item giving you five of them.

Other 'additions' involve a computerised voice mentioning entries into the log book, a voice over dramatising the opening (in a very cheesy almost non-suitable way) and two percentage counters in your menu keeping track of your amount of found items and scanned log book entries. Also I assume the 'Elevator Bug' has been removed, but I would like the 'Secret Worlds Bug' to remain intact.