Euphemism

A bloody huge compilation of facts on MP2 I found...

Dont even think about trying 56K now that ive added pics...


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Developer
Retro Studios

Publisher
Nintendo

Release Dates
November 15, 2004 (America)
November 26, 2004 (Europe)
December 2, 2004 (Australia)
??? (Japan)

Timeline
Metroid/Metroid Zero Mission
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid II: Return Of Samus
Super Metroid
Metroid Fusion

Story So Far
Roughly one week ago, the Galactic Federation received word of increased Space Pirate activity near and on the planet Aether, located in the Dasha Region. Federation Trooper Squad Bravo was sent to investigate. Upon arriving to the Dasha Region, their warship encountered and engaged an enemy Pirate ship, and the resulting damage caused the ship to crash into Aether. They have not been heard from since.
Bounty Hunter Samus Aran was contacted by the Federation to find the Trooper Squad on Aether and render assistance. However, electrical interferance forces her to land prematurely. What the Hunter found on the planet was quite a bit more than she bargained for.
The planet has been split into two dimensions--a light side and a dark side. The two Aethers are locked in an age old war over dominance of Aether, and Samus is caught in the crossfire.
Upon being confronted by one of the last surviving of the Light World dominant race the Luminoth, Samus is asked to help them in the war. Her goal is to transfer energy from the Energy Controllers the Dark World Ing Horde has captured back to the Light World to deal a fatal blow to the Ing army.

Random Facts
--The Chozo are not involved in this game's story in any way, shape, or form.
--Retro has kind of hinted at there being more than four beams.
--Kensuke Tanabe confirmed that most of the old beams are back, but different. What he means by this is still being interpreted.
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Samus Aran and her Gunship

--Her suit has a new design which, overall, is more colorful and sleeker.
--Samus's HUD (Heads Up Display) was given a facelift to compensate for the new visors, beams, and beam ammo.
--The Gunship is also different looking, though whether this is a new ship or just the Metroid Prime Gunship redesigned is unknown. Either way, this gunship is much bigger than all of her other ships.
--This is the same ship design as used in Metroid II, Super Metroid, and the one that blows up at the beginning of Metroid Fusion.
--Sometime soon after Samus lands on Aether, she is stripped of most of her upgrades by Dark Samus. She must then fight Guardians to get them back.
--Most of the new abilities and upgrades Samus receives are given to her by the Luminoth.
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Light Aether and Dark Aether

--One and the same planet, yet seperated into two realms.
--Light and Dark Aether "echo" each other (hence the game title).
--The atmosphere of Dark Aether hurts Samus at an alarming rate of about 10 damage per second, but she will not receive damage if she stays in "Safe Zones."
--Some Safe Zones are already activated, while others must be activated by shooting a small light orb where the Safe Zone should be.
--You can use either the Power or Light Beam to activate Safe Zones. Activating one with the Light Beam will allow the Safe Zone to harm nearby Dark Creatures.
--When you stand in them, Safe Zones slowly heal Samus at a rate of about 1 health each second.
--Eventually, Samus gets the Dark Suit, which renders the poisonous atmosphere of Dark Aether harmless.
--Water in Dark Aether is solid, allowing you to reach areas that are unreachable in Light Aether.
--Phazon is also found in Aether, which arrived via another meteor akin to the one that hit Tallon IV. It is exceptionally rare to find in Light Aether, but very common in Dark Aether.
--This Phazon meteor is the reason Aether is split into Light and Dark Worlds.
--The energy of Aether supports both the Light and Dark sides. If all the energy were to be transferred to one realm, the opposing realm would be destroyed.
--The Luminoth represent Light Aether, whereas the Ing Horde represents Dark Aether.
--Aether's constant flux between the two realms have taken its toll on the planet, and it is now very unstable. Destruction may be inevitable.
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Environments

--The environments of MP2 will be more varied than the simple "fire, ice" environments of the first Prime.
--So far, there are three named environments: Sanctuary Fortress, Agon Wastes, and Torvus Bog.*
--There is also a Luminoth temple hub overworld area, though the name of it has not yet been released.*
--Agon Wastes is a sandy desert type world accompanied by both bizarre ruins and a Space Pirate base.*
--Torvus Bog looks to be one of the most atmospheric worlds in any Metroid game. It is a swamp with mechanical ruins and a very dense fog.*
--Apparently, Sanctuary Fortress use to be a Luminoth stronghold, though it is now overrun by manic robots and battle hungry sentry systems.*
--All of the environments have both a Dark and Light version.
--Retro Studios has apparently given a lot more liberty for the artists to create original environments compared to the rather strict environment control of the original Prime.
--Bottomless pits appear for the first time in any Metroid game.
--The game calls these pits "Terminal Falls," and your suit warns you of them when you get too close.
--When you fall in a pit, you start at the beginning of the room with 5 less energy. I'd assume you'd die if you had less than 5 health.
--Doors are now much more similar to the bubble like doors of the 2D (non-Fusion) Metroid games, though they're still flat.
--Missiles can now open Blue Doors.
--Locked Doors are now white with two black triangular locks on them.
--New door types have been seen in the map screen, but it is unknown what will open them. They are Red, Orange, Green, and Purple.
--Pressing "X" on the map screen will switch the maps from Light Aether to Dark Aether.
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Luminoth

--The Luminoth are the peaceful residents of Light Aether, on the verge of extinction.
--They have been at war with the Ing Horde for eighty years, and are losing.
--During the time of peace on Aether before the creation of Dark Aether, the Luminoth created the four Energy Controllers. These took the energy from the center of the planet and used it as an energy source.
--Since the war against the Ing has started, however, the Dark World dwellers have been raiding the Energy Controllers and using them against the Luminoth.
--Samus actually confronts one of the last Luminoth. This Luminoth actually talks to Samus, though it is unknown if it has a voice or if it just uses text bubbles.
--This Luminoth is named U-Mos.
--There are several communication hubs located around Aether used to contact the Luminoth. They are pink holographic... things.*
--A certain captured temple is locked by three keys that are located somewhere in Dark Aether. Samus must track them down if she wants to open the temple.
--The Luminoth upgrades Samus's suit so it can carry this energy from the temple.
--Most of the new weapons and abilities Samus gains are Luminoth made.
--The Safe Zones in Dark Aether were created by the Luminoth. The crystals that generate Safe Zones were mined by the Luminoth in Agon Wastes.
--The bizarre webbing found in certain areas of Aether that block places is known as "Luminoth Webbing." Shooting the green center will break the webbing.
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Ing Horde

--This dark race was created when Dark Aether was created.
--The Ing have the ability to de-materialize into dark pools.
--They have been at war with the Luminoth for eighty years, and are winning.
--The Dark World dwellers have raided all four energy Controllers, and have placed immense Guardians to act as their sentinels.
--When they enter Light Aether unprotected, they evaporate.
--To counteract this, the Ing can possess unwilling creatures, making the victims "Dark Creatures."
--The Ing can even attempt to make Samus as a host. When this happens, tentacles wrap around Samus's visor.
--There are several forms of Ing, as described below:
--Inglets are the smallest type, in the shape of amorphous black globs that can cling to whatever surface they want. They can launch dark goo and hunt in packs.
--Warrior Ing are the kinds shown off in the screens above. They are the basic type of Ing. Warrior Ing fight using their razor sharp legs, launching themselves at you in the shape of deadly projectiles, and shooting concentrated beams of light.
--Hunter Ing are flying Ing. They use their tentacles to attack, and can pass through various forms of geometry thanks to their intagible bodies.
--Shooting an Ing with the Dark Beam will make it drop Light Beam ammo.
--Like Luminoth Webbing, there is Dark Webbing present in Dark Aether. It was not made by Ing, but it deserves mention.
--These garish monsters are the main villains of Metroid Prime 2.
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Space Pirates


--They have a new design that better reflects the Pirates of the 2D Metroids.
--The gray variety of Space Pirates are called "Pirate Troopers" when entered in Samus's log book.
--Despite their much larger size, Space Pirates still seem to have the same ammount of health. They are much smarter than before.
--Pirate Troopers fight very similarly to Prime's pirates; they still fire shots and attack with their scythe arm. They have now gained the ability to leap huge distances to catch up with Samus.
--Another type of Pirate Trooper has a grenade launcher in place of its laser shooting claw.*
--Flying Pirates once again make an appearance.
--A new type of Space Pirate is the Space Pirate Commando, which look like a cross between Echoes' Pirates and the Pirate troopers of Prime.
--Commandos are guaranteed to be tough customers, equipped with a cloaking device (like the Shadow Pirates had), thrusters for high speed movement, energy scythes, personal barrier shields, pulse blasters, and grenade launchers.
--According to Log Book Percentages, there is still one other type of Space Pirate not shown yet.
--The villains now have large, green turrets that they can man themselves. (or should that be "'pirate' themselves"?)
--By stepping into the hologram, Samus can actually use these large cannons. They have their own health and can be destroyed.
--These cannons can destroy a lot of the environment when used by Samus.*
--The Pirates also have a small flying ships that can transport a few Pirates around. These are called "Shrikes"--they have no weapons but cannot be destroyed.
--Space Pirates are one of the many creatures that can be possessed by the Ing.
--The Pirates came to Aether to mine for Phazon, but have found it difficult to do because it is mainly located in Dark Aether. They also have problems dealing with the formidable Ing and Dark Samus.
--So far, it seems that their only base is the one in Agon Wastes.*
--They created their own portals between the two realms, which Samus uses frequently.
--Most Pirates who go to Dark Aether never come back.
--Once again, the Pirates have brought some Metroids with them. It is unknown what kind of part the Metroids will play, but it is known that the Pirates seem to be interested in breeding Metroids now.
--The Metroids are mainly being used for energy by the Pirates now.
--It is unknown if Space Pirate mainstays Ridley, Kraid, or Mother Brain are present.
--Space Pirates are not the main villains of Metroid Prime 2, and "are a very, very small part of the story."
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Galactic Federation Trooper Squad Bravo

--Bravo is the name of a Galactic Federation Trooper squad that was sent to Aether to investigate and combat the Space Pirates.
--Having been shot down in a fight with a Space Pirate warship, they were stranded on Aether.
--It is known that they have been massacred by Dark Splinters. It is unknown if there are any survivors, but if there are, there can't be too many.
--Apparently, you actually get to interact with them for a short ammount of time.
--Shortly after landing on Aether, Samus finds a bunch of dead Troopers, strewn along the rooms (even upside down).
--A few rooms later, the dead bodies get possessed by an unknown dark force, and Samus must fight off these zombie Troopers. They aren't powerful, but there's a lot of them.
--There are logbook entries for several Galactic Feds.*
--Some sort of cutscene exists that has a Fed Trooper explaining what happened. I dunno if it is some movie Samus can watch or if a Fed actually tells it to her.*
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Dark Samus

--She is the mysterious/dark entity that is hunting Samus.
--The dark manifestation is moving through Aether absorbing Phazon.
--Dark Samus is Metroid Prime reincarnated, using Samus's stolen Phazon Suit (remember?) as a new shell.
--Contrary to many popular beliefs, Dark Samus is not the main villain, but just an "interesting side story."
--Though in a strange contradiction, it has recently been brought to light that Dark Samus some how ties all of the storylines together...
--Before actually fighting her, Samus runs into Dark Samus soon after landing (right after you kill the zombie Troopers). Samus follows her copy into the Dark World, but is chased back. Somehow, this sequence of events makes a few of Samus's items malfunction.
--The dark entity has run afoul of the Pirates several times, both attacking them and draining their phazon reserves. The Space Pirates have dubbed her as "the Dark Hunter."
--The doppleganger has several attacks. The attacks seen so far are a shinespark-like dive, a fast moving dash, a powerful blue barrier, a phazon-spreading beam, and a missile launcher.
--Basically, the strategy to killing Dark Samus is "shoot her when her shield is down." Fairly basic. She's also very vulnerable to the Light Beam.
--During the battle, Dark Samus can (and will) destroy much of the fighting arena in an attempt to kill Samus.
--When defeated, she "dies."
--Also when defeated for the first time, her death opens the way to the room holding the Dark Beam.
--Dark Samus is encountered several times throughout the course of the game.*
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Amorbis

--This slimy beast is one of the four giant sentinels protecting the four Energy Controllers the Ing have captured.
--He's located in the temple that requires three keys, in the Dark version of Agon Wastes.
--Amorbis is actually three seperate worms, which can seperate from each other.
--The first phase of the fight has the Amorbis triplets burrowing in and out of the ground to attempt to kill Samus.
--The controller will shake to warn the player that Amorbis is going to appear nearby.
--Like all creatures of the Dark World, Amorbis is highly vulnerable to the Light Beam.
--If Samus does enough damage to them, they will retreat to their center sphere, which renders them much more immobile than they were before but covers them in wicked black armor.
--In this second phase, they attempt to turn your Safe Zones off instead of attacking Samus directly.
--Amorbis also uses a large beam attack when they are all gathered at the center.
--Your goal is to shatter his helmet using your beams and missiles, which will cause the helmetless Amorbis worm to suck in air.
--Samus's Morph Ball can be sucked inside of him when he starts inhaling. Use Bombs to damage his insides.
--When the Amorbis worms are defeated, the center sphere they cling to explodes.
--Defeating Amorbis grants Samus the Dark Suit.
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Chykka Larva and Chykka Adult*


--Two seperate bosses fought right after each other.
--They are the bosses that guard the Energy Controller in Torvus Bog. Like all the other Energy Controller bosses, they are fought in the Dark World.
--The Chykka Larva is fought first.
--It is unknown how the Larva is fought, but it does swim around in the moat that surrounds the arena.
--Right after defeating the Chykka Larva, the Chykka Adult shows up to finish you off for killing its child.
--I'd assume that the adult is much more agile than its bloated baby.
--Also like the larva, it is not known how it is fought, but there are several visible Grapple Points laced around the arena...
--So far, it is not known what item Samus gains from their defeat.
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Quadraxis*

--Another of the bosses that protects an Energy Controller, this one guards the Controller in Sanctuary Fortress.
--Like the other Energy Controller bosses, it is fought in the Dark World.
--Freakishly huge, Quadraxis is a huge mech that dwarfs even the might Kraid!
--There is a screen of Quadraxis with Ing goop all over its head/cockpit area, and I think this may signify that it is under Ing control.
--There don't appear to be any visible Safe Zones in this fight.(!)
--Though it is unknown how we will go about fighting this mechanoid menace, there are Spider Ball tracks running up each of its four spider-legs.
--No information currently exists as to what item its defeat grants you.
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Boost Guardian*

--One of the many guardians which act as sentinels to your stolen upgrades.
--Naturally, defeating the Boost Guardian gains Samus the Boost Ball.
--Fought in the Dark World, it seems as though there are no active Safe Zones to protect you.
--Like the other Guardians, it uses the stolen ability against Samus, so in this case, it Morphs and uses the Boost ability against Samus.
--The Morph Ball must be used to defeat it.
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Jump Guardian*

--Another of the guardians, this one keeps the Space Jump Boots.
--Also fought in the Dark World.
--I'd assume that it uses a jumping type ability against Samus in the fight. Not much else is known about it.
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Ingsmasher*

--Reminiscent of the Elite Pirates of Metroid Prime, it is unknown whether the Ingsmasher is an Ing that smashes something or something that smashes Ing.
--Found in the Sanctuary Fortress, it looks to me as though you'll probably fight a good few of them.
--No news as to how fighting them goes down, but I'd assume it would use those big, scary spheres as weapons.
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Quad*

--Part sidehopper, part sentry drone, and all terror, the Quad is an enemy you don't want to screw around with.
--Found sparodically throughout the Sanctuary Fortress, this miniature Quadraxis uses both its thorny legs and lasers to fight Samus.
--One of the several mechanoids that has gone manic in the Sanctuary Fortress.
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Blogg*

--A normal enemy, it is found underwater.
--Appears to be made of three sections and looks very streamlined and fast.
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Dark Beam

--This new beam takes the C-Right Position on the C-Stick.
--Strong against creatures of the Light World.
--Found in the Light World, you gain access to this Beam when you defeat Dark Samus.
--The Charge Beam Combo for this weapon creates miniature black holes.
--This beam's rate of fire is about equal to the Plasma Beam from Prime.
--An uncharged blast from this beam slows foes down.
--The Dark Beam charged shot freezes enemies in place with a dark substance.
--Also when fired as a charge shot, dark shrapnel flies everywhere from the shot's impact. This shrapnel then gains a mind of its own, which homes in on enemies with limited reach.
--When Samus changes to the Dark Beam, runic symbols and designs somehow appear on the beam cannon in addition to the change in shape. The designs disappear when the Dark Beam is switched off.
--Uses ammo (see the purple meter on the right of her visor).
--A normal shot takes one shot of Dark Ammo and a charged blast takes five.
--When she first gets this beam, Samus can hold 50 Dark Beam shots. This number can be eventually upgraded to 250, which will probably be upgraded through expansions.
--When all of your Dark Beam ammo is depleted, charging the Dark Beam and firing will allow you to fire a normal shot, but it is much weaker.
--Used to turn things off, such as Safe Zones.
--It can make plants shrivel up.
--It can activate Dark Portals.
--In addition to opening up new Black Doors, the Dark Beam is used to turn off Light crystal locks.
--The Luminoth made it.
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Light Beam

--The other new beam takes the C-Left position on the C-stick.
--Strong against creatures of the Dark World and Dark Creatures.
--This beam has a rate of fire similar to that of the Wave Beam.
--The normal Light Beam shot is similar to a Plasma Beam shot. It also lances through enemies.
--The charged shot fires a group of light blasts in a spread formation.
--Similar to the Dark Beam, when the gun changes shape to the Light Beam, a different set of runic symbols and designs appear on the cannon. They also disappear when the Light Beam is switched off.
--Uses a seperate type of ammo from the Dark Beam (the white meter next to the purple meter).
--Just like the Dark Beam, one shot is one piece of ammo, a charged shot is five ammo chunks.
--Also like the Dark Beam, the Light Beam initially comes equipped with 50 shots. It also can go up to 250 shots, and probably also uses expansions.
--Again, like the Dark Beam, you can charge a weak Light shot if you run out of Light Beam ammo.
--Has a fire incendiary effect similar to the Plasma Beam.
--The Light Beam can vaporize enemies.
--Used to turn things on, such as Safe Zones.
--The Power Beam can be used too, but the Light Beam is used to energize the Safe Zones, which makes Safe Zones hurt nearby Dark Creatures.
--Can make plants grow.
--Similar to how the Dark Beam dispels Light locks, the Light Beam destroys Dark Webbing.
--It also opens up White Doors.
--The Luminoth made it.
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Annihilator


--The fourth beam, it takes the C-Down position on the C-stick.
--The general concept of this Beam is that it combines Light and Dark.
--Exceedingly powerful, it uses both Dark and Light Ammo at the same time.
--The rate of fire is surprisingly fast.
--The regular shots look like black, guided missiles surrounded in light.
--The charge beam is rather large, but it doesn't seem to have any special features like the Dark and Light Beams have.
--Shots for the Annihilator home in, even when you're not locked on.
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Echo Visor

--Takes the down position on the D-Pad.
--Allows Samus to see soundwaves.
--One of the more useful features of this visor is to pinpoint upgrades and expansions, since they still make their telltale sound from Metroid Prime.
--An enemy that this visor is useful against is the "Shreiker," which fires bursts of sound at Samus to hurt her. The bursts are only visible when you use the Echo Visor.
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Dark Visor

--The Dark Visor takes the right position on the D-Pad.
--The Dark Visor basically allows Samus to see things that just don't exist in the Light World. It's kind of like a hybrid between the X-Ray and Thermal Visors of Prime.
--Some of the uses for the Dark Visor include the ability to lock onto Ing when they dematerialize (which normally makes you lose your lock on) and seeing hidden switches.
--The Dark Visor is also helpful when it is too dark to see clearly.
--Looking through the Dark Visor while in a Safe Zone causes the screen to wash out in a blinding display.
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Seeker Missile

--The Seeker Missile is used by holding down the Y-button (effectively charging your missiles).
--This Missile upgrade allows Samus to hit multiple targets with several missiles, up to at least five.
--This is accomplished by sweeping over the tagets with the targeting reticule, similar to targeting with the Boomerang in The Wind Waker or "painting targets" in Panzer Dragoon Orta.
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Screw Attack

--The beloved move is executed by doing a Space Jump, and then hitting the B Button a third time.
--It is in third person.
--The Screw Attack is mainly for explorational purposes, as opposed to attacking (though it still can be used to hurt/kill enemies).
--The Screw Attack is indeed meshed with the 2D Metroid Space Jump.
--Basically, when initiated, the Screw Attack goes up to a certain height, then throttles forward in the Screw Attack.
--Once Screw Attacking, Samus can continue a steady series of jumps to keep moving forward in the air with a bit of left and right control. Stopping the jumps stops the Screw Attack.
--It is impossible to gain a good amount of height from the Screw Attack.
--It's main purpose is to get to out of the way areas, but it can also be used to speed through areas quicker.
--The Screw Attack also allows you to Wall Jump.
--Wall Jumping apparently is only usable in certain specified areas, though. It is unknown how it is done, but it can't be too far off from controlling the Screw Attack normally.
--Apparently the official name for the wall jump is the "Kick Climb."
--Another new ability is the "Gravity Boost."
--It is your third jump while underwater. Instead of Screw Attacking, Samus activates a hover jet that allows her to cross underwater chasms with ease.
--The Gravity Boost fits snuggly on the back of the Dark Suit, looking all the world like a tripped out jet pack.*
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Dark Suit

--Wearing this suit gives Samus better protection from the harmful atmosphere of Dark Aether, but it doesn't render her completely invulnerable to it.
--Basically, it slows down the damage rate from the harmful atmosphere of the dark planet.
--This suit is gained when you beat Amorbis, and it is found surprisingly early.
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Light Suit*

--Found sometime after the Dark Suit, I'd assume pretty late in the game.
--Though no information is currently known about it other than that screenshot, I'd assume it would completely protect you from the atmosphere of Dark Aether. Though that's just a guess.
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Gravity Boost*

Samus's third jump underwater, allows her to hover.
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Multiplayer

--Multiplayer was meant to be in the original Metroid Prime, but Retro didn't have enough time to implement it.
--No LAN play or Online play.
--The controls have not been changed from the single player game.
--Two modes have been confirmed so far: Death Match and Bounty Mode.
--Death Match is exactly what it sounds like.
--Bounty Mode is like Coin Match from SSBM, in that tokens fall out of harmed players, and the player with the most tokens at the end wins. Tokens are also present in crates scattered along the playing field.
--Being killed in Bounty Mode makes you drop all of your earned tokens.
--The Boost Ball is extremely important to multiplayer in order to retreat and get out of someone's locking range.
--Stages have been specifically designed so it wouldn't be easy to lock-on to your opponent.
--No scan visor is present in Multiplayer. Instead, you can get a "Hacker Upgrade," which allows you to upload a virus onto an opponent's suit, which can cause your opponent to have a random problem.
--Most upgrades from the single player mode will be present.
--Some upgrades are Multiplayer only, like invincibility, "Death Ball," or the afortmentioned "Hacker Upgrade."
--The Death Ball forces Samus into the Morph Ball, and she can't get out of it or Boost. However, if she touches an opposing player they receive, well, death.
--There are a few new features that were created specifically for Multiplayer but managed to make it into the single player--these are the Morph Ball Launcers (a la Zero Mission) and the ability to shoot while Grappling.
--Super Missiles act differently in Multiplayer mode. Instead of giving you the Charge Beam Combo when you get the Super Missile, it turns your missiles into full-fledged Super Missiles for a short while.
--In multiplayer mode, you are started off with the following upgrades: Grapple Beam, Space Jump Boots, Morph Ball, and Boost Ball.
--So far, three multiplayer maps have been revealed:
"Sidehopper Station," which is a space station level located above Tallon IV.
"Crossfire Chaos," which I believe is the Magmoor caverns style level shown in one of the early videos.
"Shooting Gallery," a Chozo ruins type level.
--The Shooting Gallery has a usable Pirate Cannon.
--One of the better Multi-Player impressions is right on this site!
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Known Returning Abilities and Upgrades

Power Beam

For the most part, the Power Beam is unchanged from the first Prime, save for a slightly niftier graphics and effects. The Power Beam is your only beam weapon without ammo, so you may find yourself using it more often than in MP.
Combat Visor
How else would Samus see? Besides the facelift for the new visors, beams, and ammo, the Combat Visor is exactly the same as it was in Prime.
Scan Visor
Though it serves the exact same purpose, the look of the Scan Visor has changed drastically. Instead of scanning symbols that appear on scannable objects and creatures, you scan the objects and creatures themselves. Things that can be scanned are colored under the Scan Visor. Different colors signify different levels of importance. Previously scanned things are colored green, unscanned objects are blue, and important scans are in red. The Scan Visor also places stuff in categories, and it tells you how much of each category you have scanned.
Varia Suit
Aside from the newer, spiffier look, the Varia Suit is exactly the same. Samus does not lose this upgrade.
Gravity Suit
Though it hasn't been shown off in its entirety, the stylish purple/dark blue suit makes its return once again. It probably looks a lot different, since it is gained after the Dark Suit.
NOTE: Recent information has kind of left me thinking that there isn't a Gravity Suit after all--perhaps Gameinformer was misinformed when they reported it was in.*
Charge Beam
The beam power up returns with a vengeance. No real differences here.
Charge Beam Combos
Not only is the Super Missile returning, there are also (unnamed) combos confirmed for both the Light and Dark Beams.
Morph Ball
The sleek and sexy Morph Ball returns, pretty much unchanged, though your'e supposedly going to use it more. A new feature available for the Morph Ball is the Morph Ball Cannon, a la Zero Mission.
Morph Ball Bomb
Though they look the same, the multifaceted explosives have two new subtle changes; the bomb counter refills faster as it refills as soon as the bomb goes off (though you still can't have more than three bombs on the screen at a time. Bomb jumps go slightly higher. You must fight the Bomb Guardian to get this upgrade back.
Boost Ball
The overall look of the boost itself is much more powerful looking. It will also be your best friend in multiplayer, where you'll use it a lot to escape your opponent's lock-on mechanism. You must fight the Boost Guardian to get this upgrade back.*
Spider Ball
The Spider Ballable areas are no longer confined to just tracks, but incude all sorts of shapes such as spheres. It controls better, and the Spider Ball Tracks look niftier to boot.
Power Bomb
Unchanged from Prime, aside from the new Power Bomb counter that actually tells you your total Power Bombs.
Missile Launcher
If missiles didn't return, it just wouldn't be Metroid. Launching missiles no longer opens up the arm cannon as wide as in Prime, but instead opens more similar to the way it did in Super. You can no longer rapid fire missiles.
Space Jump Boots
The boots return, completely unchanged. The jumping physics have been tweaked a bit--when you turn in midair, you no longer continue heading in the same direction as before, but your momentum seems to be moved to the direction you turn to. You must fight the Jump Guardian to get this upgrade back.
Grapple Beam
Grappling is back, and now you actually have the ability to shoot while grappling. From recent screenshots, it seems Grappling is a lot more common than in the original Prime...*


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Known Creatures and Enemies
Auto Defense Turret
The ever annoying turrets return, pretty much unchanged in mannerisms, though their look has been updated (as has their exploding).
Pirate Trooper
This is a normal Space Pirate. Though much bigger and much more menacing than they were in the original Prime, they still act pretty much the same and have about as much health as before. They are considered "Light Creatures," as they are weak to the Dark Beam (only two uncharged shots to go down). Another type of Trooper has been seen that has a grenade launcher.
Space Pirate Commando
A rather tough type of Space Pirate. They are armed to the teeth, equipped with a Variable Pulse cannon, an E-grenade launcher, Boost Thrusters, an Energy Scythe, a personal Barrier Shield, and Shadow Cloaking device. Only the Dark Visor reveals their whereabouts when cloaked.
Flying Pirate
Even though they now support a larger, more menacing size, Flying Pirates remain largely unchanged.
Dark Pirate
Though their official name is unknown, it is known that Pirates will be infested by Ing.
Inglet
The smallest variety of Ing. They take on the shape of small, amorphous blobs of blackness. Though they tend to avoid fighting, Inglets are potent when in large packs and have the ability to launch black goo.
Warrior Ing
These are the standard forms of Ing. They have a slight resemblence to dark spiders, but only have five legs (they stand on the back two). Warrior Ing have the ability to melt into dark pools to make escapes. Their main methods of attacking are their claws, launching themselves at you, and firing concentrated beams of light. They are highly vulnerable to the Light Beam. Being shot by the Dark Beam makes them drop Light Beam ammo.
Hunter Ing
Ing that can fly. They have very intangible bodies that allow themselves to slip past most structures, and attack with their very long tentacles. They, like their grounded counterparts, are weak against the Light Beam.
Ingsmasher*
I dunno if it is an Ing or a creature that smashes Ing, but it's one badass mechanoid. Around the size and disposition of an Elite Pirate, it serves as a sort of sentinel in the Sanctuary Fortress area. The Ingsmasher fights using the two huge orbs attached to its fists.
Splinter
A small, four-legged, spider-like creature. Probably Aether's answer to Tallon IV's beetles or parasites. They burst from cocoons when Samus draws near and lunge at her to attack.
Dark Splinter
Splinters possesed by Ing, which means they are highly susceptible to the Light Beam. They are the spider like enemies seen attacking Bravo. Much stronger than their normal counterparts.
Shreiker
A flying plant like enemy. They attack by using sonic booms, which are only visible via the Echo Visor. The Shreiker also has the ability to put up a "sound shield," which prevents concussive weaponry (missiles and their variants) from hitting them.
Grenchler
An enemy similar to the Baby Sheegoth of Prime. It has the same weak shell on its back, and attacks by firing pulses of electricity and using its jaws. Grenchler are also amphibeous, chasing Samus even underwater.
Kralee
The log book describes it as a "dimensional warping bioform," which probably means it can transport between Light and Dark Aether. It is a wallcrawler and is the first creature Samus finds on Aether.
Blogg*
A fish enemy, it is naturally found underwater. Bloggs appear to be made of three sections.
Quad*
The Quad is an enemy of the Sanctuary Fortress area, probably a type of mechanoid gone mad. Dark, pointy, and none-to-friendly looking.
Metroid Larva
Though I'm unsure of their official name, they do appear in rather large numbers. Much weaker than the normal Metroids.
Metroid
Dur. Of course Metroids would be here. They seem to be exactly the same, though they are red for some reason.
Bomb Guardian
A hideous black worm with garish tusks. It is the keeper of your lost Bomb upgrade, and it uses them against you. You fight it early in the game.
Jump Guardian*
The keeper of Samus's lost Space Jump Boots, the Jump Guardian looks like a horrible black spider with powerful jumping legs.
Boost Guardian*
A rather icky, spiny, spidery creature, it keeps your lost Boost Ball upgrade and uses it against Samus.
Dark Samus
A dark entity that has taken on the shape of Samus, albeit black and twisted. Apparently, she is fought and encountered many times throughout the game.
Amorbis
This boss is made up of three seperate worms that reside in the Dark World version of Agon Wastes. Their insides are quite vulnerable to Morph Ball attacks.
Chykka Larva*
One of the two bosses of Torvus Bog, this big, bloated white thing swims around Samus in a disgusting looking moat.
Chykka Adult*
Fought immediately after the Chykka Larva, the Adult looks nothing like its offspring. The presence of many Grapple Points in its lair may signify that the Grapple Beam is used in the fight.
Quadraxis*
The boss of Sanctuary Fortress, Quadraxis is the biggest boss in Metroid game history. The Spider Ball may be instrumental in its defeat.
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1day

This will be an ultimate game for the ages.

Pojo

Naw man, second greatest game of the generation, right behind LEMONY SNICKETT and that game with the man in it.

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LinKami Deschain

this game is SOOOOO much bigger than Prime. CAN'T WAIT! GOTY, GOTY I SAY!

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Wii Code:0141-2992-0310-4549
Brawl Code:0602-5951-1825

TendoGamer

Some things are sounding very Halo-esque, like the (wo)man-able cannons and leaping Pirates.

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Ragnar Danneskjöld

Woah great post indeed. This will be GOTY. have a cookie

Ninjazn

Doesn't excite me much. Metroid Prime was a good game but all the exploring made me despise it. I guess I'll wait for this one to drop to a Players Choice title.

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SkyW

When you really try, every little detail can be made to sound Halo-esque. Everything is always compared to the current big thingYes, that was the main part that made it a Metroid game

Euphemism

Well metroid had Plasma on Halo before it was even in development, if you want to get technical wit it...

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TendoGamer

Whoa whoa whoa, sweet cheeks, don't get all defensive. I'm merely stating that there are more apparent similarities between the Prime sequel and Halo. I love the Metroid series.

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Pongmaster

Well they both involve aliens, war, and the human being the good guy.......

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Im here just to observe...