At a recent press event, Nintendo reps showed off the sequel to 2002's stunning update of the Metroid franchise, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. The game is set on the planet Aether, which has recently been struck by a phazon meteor. The impact creates a rift on the planet, splitting it into two distinct realms--one light and one dark. You'll take control of Samus as she arrives to investigate the disappearance of troops sent to investigate the presence of space pirates on the world.

　　While the specifics of what happens to Samus at the start of her adventure (namely, how her suit gets jacked, as is the norm in a Metroid game) are vague, it appears that she's in store for some changes. She'll be armed with light and dark versions of her weapons, so they will have distinctly different effects on the enemies she encounters. Dark weapons will be more effective on light enemies and vice versa. The new weapon system also appears to bring a significant change in the form of ammo (also in light and dark flavors) requirements for her armaments, which should keep the adventure interesting.

　　The upgrades for Samus' weapons also appear to offer some interesting gameplay mechanics, such as the light beam, which offers single, powerful blasts and area-damage shotgun-style bursts. Charge beams will now have area effects that should come in handy as well. We're especially intrigued by the combo shots you'll be able to perform using missiles, as they'll be able to create mini blackholes that should lend themselves to some interesting gameplay.

　　One of the game's major mechanics will be travel between the dark and light worlds in the game, hopefully Samus' and Link's paths won't cross, since Link tends to find himself on similar journeys pretty regularly as well. During the demo, Samus observed some space pirates entering a portal to the dark world, which she naturally followed shortly thereafter. The interesting mechanic to note is that Samus won't actually be able to initially travel in the dark world without taking damage, because of the nature of the atmosphere in the world. She'll have to travel to safe zones--essentially bubbles she can stand in and not take damage--jumping or quickly running. Before switching to the multiplayer demo, the Nintendo reps mentioned that the screw attack is back in both single- and multiplayer, which should offer some intriguing gameplay possibilities. While reps were cagey on the subject, it was obvious from the demo that Samus' visor has undergone some tweaks as well. The game's length was also touched on, with reps stating that Retro is aiming to offer a bigger single-player game.

　　The multiplayer demo showed off two players fighting in a space station area. Power-ups were strewn throughout the area and could be collected by running through them. The power-ups included invisibility, damage upgrades when you're in human form, and a "death ball" effect for your morph ball form that doles out damage in an area around you. The catch is that you're vulnerable to enemy fire when you have the ball power-up and can't boost. Boosting is actually essential to success in the game, since Retro and Nintendo have chosen to include the lock-on feature from the single-player game. While this seems a bit controversial for a multiplayer mode, you'll have the same options you would in the single-player game to break the lock such as by sidestepping or boosting out of harm's way when in morph ball form.

　　The level in the multiplayer mode was large and featured different tiers you could reach by using morph ball launchers in the area. The launchers appear to be an interesting aspect of gameplay--you're briefly invulnerable when shot out of a cannon and can kill in one hit if you manage to strike an opponent. The multiplayer demo wrapped up with a few more details on what to expect from the new mode. The plan is to support four-player split-screen play at a constant 30 frames per second and to feature other gameplay modes besides the deathmatch type demoed. Multiplayer will not offer online or LAN support.

　　The graphics in the demo we saw showed off a variety of improvements from the original Metroid Prime. The level of detail has been increased a good deal, and the look of the new areas we saw included more little touches of animation that helped bring them to life. We also saw a number of cool new effects used in both the light and dark worlds as well as for the warps that carry Samus in between both. Despite the increase in the visual quality, the game's frame rate appears to be staying nice and high.

　　Based on what we've seen so far, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is shaping up to be an intriguing follow-up to the orginal game. Improved graphics, enhanced gameplay, and an involving story should all add up to a meaty experience fans of the original won't want to miss. Look for more on the game from the E3 show floor and in the coming months.