The Most Intelligent Shooter Ever?

The Metroid series was one of the cornerstones of Nintendo's 2D console empire, with titles appearing on the NES, Gameboy and Super Nintendo, all to rave reviews. It was largely feared that Metroid wouldn't survive the leap to 3D though, it's lack of appearance on the N64 lending inaugural 3D outing on the Gamecube proved all the nay-sayers and sceptics wrong.
The game uses a 1st person camera, a style pioneered by frenzied, violent shooters like Doom, Quake and Hexen, but keeps the intelligent aspects from the 2d games. You see, the main thrust of the game isn't wildly shooting things. Ok, so yes, you DO have to wildly shoot things, but this only happens between exploring the immersive environment. The puzzle solving elements of the 2d games are transposed well into 3d, aided by the fact that unlike in most shooters, your character, Samus, is able to jump as well as interacting with the environment in ways other than shooting. The visor system allows not only allows you to use night vision, heat vision etc, but you can also scan enemies and environmental features, to aide puzzle solving, help you determine how to best defeat creatures and to also add information to you data log.
Metroid Prime isn't let down by it's visuals either, with a wonderfully detailed graphical style, with some truly breath-taking textures and features (such as the waterfall you encounter early on, which is magnificent) that put to bed all that nonsense about the GameCube not being as graphically able as the PS2 and Xbox.
The control system is nicely mapped out onto the GC's controller, one of the best controllers ever made in my opinion, meaning that you don't have to reach uncomfortably to hold awkward button combos.