The Month of Metroid has begun with new preview channel

Starting off the Month of Metroid, Nintendo has sent us Wii owners a little gift this past Friday in the form of a Metroid Prime 3:Corruption Preview Channel. It’s a free downloadable WiiWare channel that gives users a sneak peek into Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for the Wii, which is due August 27th. After watching the two supplied videos (with two more being released the 13th), I have gone into Metroid overdrive, frothing at the mouth for any and all things Metroid.

The first video is a graphically-impressive look into what’s going to happen to Aran on her newest adventure. At the beginning, you see Aran in a skyscraper, with a voice-over telling you that she’s been infected with the infamous Phazon, the same radioactive material that has plagued the universe since the first Metroid Prime game.

“She can feel it changing her. It’s becoming a part of her, corrupting her. But what frightens her most: she likes it.”

That sets the tone for the rest of the video, where you get to see Aran kick some major Space Pirate ass. Advancing what Hunters did on the DS, Corruption will also introduce new hunters, but this time, they’re on Samus’s side, helping her bring peace back to the universe.

As they help protect one of the Galactic Federation’s bases, the gang finds the real culprit behind the attack: Dark Samus, the Phazon-infused doppelganger that was created when Samus lost her Phazon suit in the first Prime. Apparently she’s gotten a lot stronger, as she nearly destroys all the hunters with a single Phazon blast.

There’s also the predictable return of Ridley, which has been in nearly every Metroid game up to this point (I think he took a break with Prime 2: Echoes). This time, however, seems to be the coolest encounter yet, as you can see Samus fighting Ridley in a boss battle that resembles the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog in the LOTR movies. Both are falling down a shaft, trying to rip each other apart. How fucking cool is that?

The game looks to be a proper send off for the Prime series, as this is the last in the trilogy. It looks epic, beautiful, and action-packed. Even though I was already going to buy the game without knowing anything about it, this Preview Channel has made me extremely anxious for the title now.

I also wanted to talk about Nintendo’s marketing approach for the title with this blog. Recently, Matt Casamassina from IGN wrote an editorial that stated Nintendo is doing a horrible job of hyping up what is arguably their second-best title for the year. They just recently made a site for it (which is merely a link to its entry on wii.com), with the title shipping in less than three weeks. Writers on the ‘Net, have defended Nintendo’s unique approach, saying the Month of Metroid is enough.

While I mostly agree with IGN’s stance on this title, it does seem they jumped the gun a little early with the editorial. I believe the Month of Metroid was announced not 24 hours after the editorial hit the web.

But the fact still stands: Metroid Prime 3 is not being marketed enough. When you have Halo 3 being advertised on Mountain Dew bottles and cans, you start to feel sorry for little ol’ Metroid Prime, a title that some say is far and away much better than Bungie’s shooter (including this blogger). I think Nintendo messed up with Metroid, and this Month of Metroid is too little, too late. Corruption deserves to sell 2+ million copies, but I can’t see it getting over 1 million with Nintendo’s lackluster efforts.

But what say you? Do you believe Nintendo has done a good job promoting Corruption, or are you still waiting for Halo 3 to arrive?