Quite as old as Nintendo itself is a Games masterpiece of the Japanese company, which the Mario Group is currently celebrating. No wonder, Nintendo is more than 130 years old and had nothing to do with video games for most of its history. Already knew? But in the approximately 50 years of gaming history, Nintendo has managed dozens of classics and masterpieces to publish for various consoles. One of them is now with us in Germany proud 20 years old – and Nintendo celebrates the big birthday!
Nintendo classic celebrates 20 years
The Nintendo classic celebrated its 20th anniversary in the USA last year, and now here too: congratulations, Metroid Prime! The masterpiece is originally on March 21, 2003 in Germany released for the Gamecube.
Elsewhere, Metroid Prime was launched a few months earlier – that was still common at the time. A global simultaneous release, as we know it from most games today, is more of a recent development.
One of the best games of all time to date
Also 20 years after release Metroid Prime still occupies the proud 19th place in the best games – of all time – on Metacritic. Reason for this: a fabulous one 97 rating for the action-adventure game from Nintendo.
But this success was by no means foreseeable from the outset. Metroid Prime marked the Leap of the popular sci-fi series from 2D to 3D – a turning point that many other long-established game series were not particularly successful.
Nintendo mastered the turning point
But in the ’90s and early 2000s, Nintendo proved its talent, quality and to transfer the fun of popular series from the second to the third dimension without losses, so also with Metroid Prime.
Another example of this, and arguably the most famous, is Super Mario 64, the big launch title of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo’s first 3D console. Here, too, the Japanese company succeeded Transition from 2D to 3D with flying colours.
Nintendo classics new for the Switch
Meanwhile, Nintendo has that now 20 year old classic Metroid Prime breathed new life and released a terrific remaster version for the Nintendo Switch. You can get the complex new edition for around 40 euros either as a download in the eShop if you don’t want to wait, or in the classic way on a switch cartridge in the game case in stores.
