see deal Metroid Prime Federation Force - Nintendo 3DS $21.97 on Gamestop

As far ideas for spin-off games go, Metroid Prime: Federation Force

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“ Metroid Prime’s controls work well enough on a 3DS.

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“ When I tried to go in alone I found myself severely underpowered.

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“ Federation Force could’ve saved itself, and almost does.

It’s true that Federation Force’s bobble-headed soldiers look absolutely weird, but elsewhere the art style is used effectively to create some diverse spaces for up to four players to run around in. The three visually distinct planets of Excelcion, Bion, and Talvania have sharply contrasting fire, ice, and industrial looks that are packed with lots of neat architecture which captures the feel of environments we’ve seen in console Metroid Prime games. Plus, with 3D enabled, the added depth perception made me feel like I was right behind the visor of one of those mechs.And that’s a good feeling to have when there are 22 varied missions to plow through. Some of my favorite ones made us set up specific roles for my team. Take Blender, a mission where you have to transport carts full of power cells during a hazardous storm. Each squadmate had to take on an assignment, whether it was pushing the slow-moving cart or laying down cover fire so allies could seek shelter before being ripped apart by the oncoming tempest. Other missions switch things up further, like Infestation, where you face a dangerous enemy that can sneak up on your team from almost any direction. It ratchets up the tension and makes careful movement and communication important. A majority of the missions work best in co-op, and the best ones offer enough space for squadmates to go off in different directions and find secrets or retrieve pieces to solve a puzzle.The weak primary beam cannon your mech uses compounds this issue. Outside of its powerful-but-slow charge shot, it’s not very fun to use. It’s not as terrible in co-op since you have four times the damage output, but it makes going it alone during the second half of the 13-hour campaign frustrating. Tough elite enemies soak up an insane amount of shots, and when you have other objectives to shoot down during a firefight it just becomes a slog.They’re fun way to tweak weapons or your mechs carry limits, but Federation Force shoots itself in the foot by not giving you enough ammo to use them often enough to spice up the moment-to-moment gameplay. Once you use up your starting shots you might not find more ammo in the entire level. The scarcity of special ammo needed to fuel these sub weapons feels like an unfair tease, especially when you’re playing alone.