Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Federation Force is absolutely a Metroid Prime game. It incorporates fresh ideas and presents them in unique ways, but it never forgets where it comes from. The co-op online shooter genre is a bold new venture for Nintendo, and one they’ve taken to with surprising aptitude. The odd lack of a retry button ads a noticeable hiccup to an otherwise wonderful experience, but it is one that is easily overcome with a little patience.

This is a fresh and entertaining multiplayer first-person shooter that carries with it a lot of Metroid Prime's unique style and feel. [Issue #23 – September/October 2016, p.66]

Sure it’s not Samus but Metroid Prime Federation Force is actually quite a good game on the 3DS and if you’re looking for a challenge with some fun gaming mechanics, it would do you well to check out this title.

With some of the best graphics in the system, solid controls and gameplay, and a big variety of missions, Metroid Prime Federation Force is a well crafted title that should please both fans of the franchise as well as newcomers. The online could be a bit disappointing, however, as the lack of voice chat makes difficult to divide the work among the team and other players are not always reliable.

Had it been released under a different name, it'd be a perfectly serviceable mutliplayer mech adventure, but even with the Metroid name it's well worth picking up for a fun little weekend jaunt, especially if you're the type to return again and again to a game to best your previous scores and advance from there, you'll find an excellent entry in the Metroid series here.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn’t what you expect when you think of a game carrying the Metroid name. It’s a more freeform experience that encourages you to gather together friends, either locally or online, and cooperatively carry out missions of varying degrees of complexity and difficulty.

Despite the undue hate it has been subjected to over the past year, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a very impressive, polished and playable package - the only real grumble we have is that during online play the lack of voice chat can become maddening, and the game's built-in chat function is an inadequate substitute.

Enjoyable once you learn the controls, but it feels like it was more geared towards multiplayer. The ammo capacity and mod restrictions force you to think strategically about what to take on each mission which can be both good and bad depending on how you look at it.

It may not be the Metroid game many expected, but it's a satisfying experience to play in company, and it makes us see the Metroid universe from a new and interesting point of view.

It may not be the Metroid Prime sequel you were looking for, but if you keep an open mind and give it a shot, you're likely to be pleasantly surprised overall, especially if you have some friends to play co-op with.

The love and care that Next Level Games put into Federation Force is evident throughout.

An interesting but incomplete multiplayer experiment in the Metroid Prime series. If you know what to expect, you will be happy with the result. If not, please wait for the next title.

Metroid returns after 6 years to the Nintendo 3DS with Metroid Prime Federation Force. While the game certainly isn't the dream comeback the Metroid franchise needs, it's a fun experience nonetheless that should be fully enjoyed with four players.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force succeeds at carving out its own identity, but loses a few elements in translation. It’s still Metroid at its core but lacks the masterful execution that the series is known for.

Mission objectives are rarely limited to simple elimination of opposition: from the very beginning game presents tasks like luring animals into cages or infiltrating enemy base. Not to mention that there are tons of levers or buttons to be pushed and secret passages to be found, which brings back fond memories of FPS from the 90-s, as well as classic Metroid games. [Issue#213, p.56]

No classic, but no mess either. [Nov 2016, p.76]

This is definitely not what the fans wanted nor what they expected from a new Metroid game. But as a coop shooter it is fairly decent nonetheless.

Federation Force is a very fun cooperative shooter, it has solid design on its levels, a lot of strategy with the mod system and plenty of content if you don't have problems with the controls. The game is not well-balanced when you play solo, but at the end of the day it's better than we expected.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a clever game, full of personality and with a great control scheme. But playing online without the voice chat is a real bore.

An interesting twist on the Metroid formula that finally fails to offer an engaging or memorable experience for any solo player.

If you’re planning on tackling it solo, Federation Force is a much tougher pill to swallow, with its prohibitive level of difficulty. On the other hand, if you have a friend or two who are willing to take the plunge with you, Federation Force can make for a good time, especially if you’re all playing together in the same space.

Without the expectations of its title holding it back, I think it would have been a clear and easy win for Nintendo, and the fresh perspective on the setting, while divisive, still gives something new and entertaining.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn't really Metroid game, then. But if you can set aside your preconceptions of what Metroid game is, you'll find a more than competent first person shooter that’s fun to play - even if it is let down by some odd design decisions and a lack of checkpoints.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a fun multiplayer action game. This isn't a Metroid game as much as Triforce Heroes isn't a Zelda game, but it's still good enough for having fun with a bunch of friends.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is strongly co-op oriented, as the single-player experience quickly loses its appeal. The missions are varied enough but the level design structure rewards participation. Classic elements belonging to the main saga are almost absent, while the Blast Ball mode is just a disappointing clone of Rocket League.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force features strong shooting mechanics, diverse missions, and a high level of challenge, but the frustrating matchmaking infrastructure and lack of checkpoints prevent it from truly achieving the greatness of its namesake.

F1 2016 is better than its predecessor, thanks to a range of innovations expected by all fans: the return of Career, a better complexity of the race weekend, the inclusion of the pit stops and a better AI.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is an ambitious production. It's a solid and fun co-op FPS, but is shamelessly multiplayer-oriented. Is it a true Metroid? We're not sure.

The flaws of Metroid Prime: Federation Force become almost irrelevant if you play with friends, but are impossible to ignore if you play by yourself. The missions are varied enough and offer some unexpected twists, but the level design is rather dull, and some of the most iconic features of the Metroid saga are simply missing. Not a bad game per se, but not a great one either.

A decent team-based shooter that will disappoint hardcore Metroid fans, but is enjoyable enough for those who don’t have lofty expectations of what this game should be.

If you take all those pre-conceived notions of what a Metroid game should be and set them aside, Metroid Prime: Federation Force will easily surprise you with its quality. It's nowhere near the all time greats, but it can deliver some enjoyable moments, and will definitely entertain for some time. Just make sure you have some friends to tag along though, because the solo experience is quite a different story.

Federation Force can be fun, and it is actually fun played with friends. The problem is that it's short and forgettable, and if you're planning on playing alone, it doesn't have much to offer.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a clear sign of Nintendo either not understanding or just not caring about what kind of games their player base wants. It’s a shame really, since Federation Force controls pretty well. It just has the burden of being a multiplayer shooter in a series no one wants to be about multiplayer shooters and on a platform no one wants to use for multiplayer games outside of Japan. [Nov 2016]

It's a firstperson co-op adventure that hardly disgraces the Metroid name it should never have been lumbered with. [Nov 2016, p.114]

It may not be the type of game nearly all Metroid fans desperately want, and it may go ignored due to that, but Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a great example of not only how to make FPS work on the 3DS, but how to successfully do co-operative mission-based multiplayer.

If you are planning to play Metroid Prime: Federation Force alone or even online it leaves a lot to wish for. However, with three friends playing together in the same room it can be pretty great. Just do not expect much of a “Metroid” experience.

Federation Force isn’t bad — especially when you factor in Blast Ball — but it’s not going to fill the hunger felt by most franchise fans. It doesn’t work as a single-player offering, and those who want to play with friends will need to exert ridiculous levels of willpower and patience to get games in. If you’re willing to give it a go with mates, synch things up ahead of time for the least amount of stress.

A co-op Metroid seemed like a bad idea from the start, but while Federation Force has its moments they’re overshadowed by sloppy implementation and bland design.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force has some neat ideas, but they’re soured by an impotent and boring primary weapon that sucks the enjoyment out of shooting and a bewildering lack of special ammunition that might’ve brought variety to the action. Due to a painfully imbalanced single-player experience co-op with friends is really the only viable way to play it, and even then it’s not really recommended.

There's some fun in Metroid Prime: Federation Force as long as you're playing together with others, but if you're looking for a deep single-player experience you won't find it here.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is an average game but it's not as bad as it was expected by fans and gamers all around the world. The multiplayer part is a nice feature that works very well in spite of the lack of challenge and you'll find some good ideas in the game design and the boss fights. But of course, it's hard not to take it as a cheap try to make a Metroid game.

Its biggest problem? The three planets are different enough (ice, desert, and gas), but the missions within aren't.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force could have been a whole new entry in the Metroid Prime series but unfortunately its fine control system and variety of game modes (including online multiplayer) are not enough to save it from the overall lack of interest of its missions, lacklustre bosses (for the Metroid series, at least) and simply unfitting art style and visual environment.

Lifeless characters and generic planets feel disconnected from the Metroid universe with only really combat reeling it back in.

When I was playing Metroid Prime: Federation Force alone, I inevitably wished I was playing it with others; when I was playing it with others, I just wished I wasn’t playing at all. Its controls (particularly if you have an older 3DS) couldn’t be more cumbersome, and systems like weight limits don’t provide an interesting challenge so much as they just get in the way.

Metroid Prime Federation Force can be fun in multiplayer, but it still has big flaws and will certainly disappoint Metroid fans.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a bit of a sad way to celebrate the franchise's 30th anniversary — in making this entry so multiplayer-focused, Nintendo has ironically created an alienating experience.

For the few things it does right, like some variation in the mission structure and a control scheme that makes sense (even in a hurty way), it's just not that good. For a series that has worked so hard to make a great solo experience, even—especially—in its first-person outings, it’s incredibly unbalanced with a difficulty spike I don’t think I’ve ever experienced before.

Expectations for Metroid aside, Federation Force fails to make a case for itself in the end.

Not a good game at all. When you find yourself just wanting to complete levels to see if the game ever changes and gets better, that’s a sign that something is very wrong. The core gameplay is simplistic, boring, and not the level of quality one would expect from a Metroid game. Other M may have been the most fan-derided Metroid game until now, but Federation Force will easily take the crown from here on out.

A limited game that fails to do justice to its source material. That’s not to say that the game has no value, because it is decent fun in multiplayer for short sessions, but lacking the atmosphere and narrative as it is, as well as any kind of balance to make it viable for single player play, means it’s one that is going to be forgotten within months.

Other M is no longer the worst Metroid game.

If Metroid Prime: Federation Force is anything to go by, I am fearful of the future of the 30 year old franchise. The controls do take some getting used to on the New 3DS, but those with the standard 3DS should avoid this like the plague, due to the terribly optimised controls for that hardware. It’s certainly not fun on its own and only marginally more so with others. This is not the Metroid game we’ve been waiting for.

A lethargic, dismal experience, Federation Force is not the franchise-killing disaster most make it out to be, but it definitely isn't worth your time at all.