Metroid Prime & Fusion Original Soundtracks Reviews

Released in 2003 as a joint project between Scitron Digital Contents and Nintendo’s Kenji Yamamoto, the Metroid Prime & Fusion Original Soundtracks helped celebrate the return of the beloved franchise after an eight year hiatus that followed the sensational Super Metroid on the SNES.

Back before the Nintendo 64 was released (when it was still dubbed as the “Ultra 64”) and I was still entranced with the experience Nintendo put fourth in Super Metroid, I often imagined how Metroid would adapt to the third dimension which was still very much in its infancy. However, as successful as Nintendo was at luring me away from the Genesis with the Super Nintendo – especially with later generation titles like Donkey Kong Country – the Nintendo 64 failed to keep my interest in the PlayStation at bay. Sony’s machine simply had titles that seemed more gritty and mature and when one considers the fact this generation was spearheaded during my teenage years it’s probably no surprise I left Nintendo’s camp for Sony’s. In hindsight, which is always 20/20, I think (at least subconsciously) a big set back of the Nintendo 64 was the lack of a Metroid title.

Metroid games offered such a mature experience without having to do anything cheap or pandering to attract attention. That in itself is perhaps why the franchise is so attractive. Yet an eight year gap between titles (which most of which was due to Nintendo not knowing what to do with the series) would probably wear down even the most devoted fans. When coupled with the obvious momentum Sony had going from the PlayStation to the PlayStation 2 it’s easy to see why the overtures of the GameCube failed to ensnare me. Of course, like countless others before me, a BIG reason why I was skeptical of Metroid’s return was the change of in-game perspective. I wasn’t as critical of the first person genre in 2002 as I am today, but as you would expect its rise in popularity only fueled my disinterest in it. It seemed I would never get over that initial hump and actually play the game.

A decade later I would. After years and years of being told that “even if you dislike first person shooters you will like Metroid Prime” I took the plunge. I can’t say it was perfect, I can’t say it dethroned Super Metroid in my personal hierarchy but Metroid Prime was a really good game and it was a shame it took me so long to actually play it. Yet this was hardly the first contact I had with the Prime series as I had listened to the Metroid Prime & Fusion Original Soundtracks many years prior to playing either game. Back then a lot was lost in translation without hearing these pieces in context. This isn’t to say one can’t enjoy a video game soundtrack outside the confines of the game as I have but there are times where having this kind of knowledge helps immensely in dissecting and discovering things that would otherwise go unnoticed.

It’s my belief that both scores presented here are pretty dependant on context – just to different degrees. There are many tracks in Prime – like the area themes – that really don’t need the game to accompany them. For example, both Ice Valley tracks undoubtedly convey the landscape of the areas they play in when they come across your speakers and the same can be said (somewhat unfortunately) of “Lava Caves.” But the area themes are really the exception and not the rule. The remaining subsections of Prime’s music, like menu and boss themes, cry out for you to know their accompanying context. It’s really hard to imagine what kind of conflict is taking place in “VS Flaahgra” until you actually see it. Once you have – or better yet partake in it – you’ll see that Yamamoto and Kyuma are on the right track with what initially seems to be an uninviting number. The only battle theme that really escapes such a conundrum is “VS Meta Ridley” which is a remix from Super Metroid and the video game music equivalent of hitting the Staples easy button.

Still, the situation facing Prime’s battle themes bleeds over into Minako Hamano and Akira Fujiwara’s work on Fusion. Once again these tracks an appropriate (and some are a little more accessible) but the concept of immediate accessibility is pretty much lost with this score as a whole. This mainly has to do with the fact that Fusion’s music is much more cerebral and atmospheric, and depending on your definition of the genre, ambient than Prime. This is far from a bad thing, actually it’s quite brilliant given that Fusion (as a game) plays off the feel and mood of Metroid II in many, many ways despite borrowing it’s looks from Super Metroid. The problem is while the composers take influence from the correct source, the result is something that doesn’t really live beyond its use in the game. This doesn’t mean that I dislike its inclusion in this set but those that enjoy soundtracks like those from Konami’s Silent Hill series will get a lot more out of this music than I.

While Fusion is definitely the more atmospheric of the two scores, this doesn’t stop Prime from tying to throw its hat into this ring as well. Unfortunately, this is one card I wish wasn’t pulled from beneath the composer’s sleeves because most of the time it’s accomplished by using one of the most painfully overused cards out there: choir singing/chanting. Yeah, I get it, I’m supposed to be impressed, but I’m not. Sure, it sounds all “epic” but you know what’s even better? Creating an epic piece that doesn’t use bottom of the dresser drawer tactics like this. Further cementing such shortcomings are shorter pieces like “Phazon Area” and “Impact Crater.” The former works well enough but it’s the later that has very little compositional value and is a real flimsy pretext to the game’s final area.

Disappointing as that may be, the biggest blow to the Prime soundtrack (outside some of the unnecessary, past game reprises) has to be “Phazon Mines.” Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this track – and it really took playing the game to show me how good it is – but why is it only twenty-five seconds long when most other area themes creep into four minute territory? Sorry, I don’t need “Lava Caves” to be that long when this track could have been given a chance to breathe and develop into so much more. It’s true the track’s length doesn’t become a problem until it’s listened to outside the scope of the game but fifty-three seconds of this bugger is still not enough meaning that some of Prime’s best musical avenues are left somewhat unexplored.

However, beyond a few “what could have beens” how does the Metroid Prime & Fusion Original Soundtrack fare when put up against other video game music releases? Pretty well. Unfortunately, while it’s still amazing that these scores were ever pressed onto disc I can’t completely ignore the faults outlined above – especially the fact that some listeners will feel lost when hearing certain tracks until they see the accompanying action in the game. Experiencing the game was a big factor in my decision to track down this soundtrack and I can see it being one for others as well. That aside, if you are into video game music the Metroid Prime & Fusion Soundtracks is a great choice despite its age and price tag.