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As the first entry in the Prime storyline, the game takes place between the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus.
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While mostly taking place in a first-person perspective, it is officially classified by Nintendo as a first-person adventure rather than a first-person shooter, due to the large exploration component of the game.
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The story follows Samus Aran battling the Space Pirates and their biological experiments on planet Tallon IV. Metroid Prime attained widespread critical acclaim from various publications and was a commercial success, selling over 1 million units in North America alone. Along with Metroid Fusion, it was the first Metroid game to be released since Super Metroid, over eight years earlier. It was developed by Nintendo-owned Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. Metroid Prime ( メトロイドプライム, Metoroido Puraimu ?) is the first 3D Metroid game, released on November 18, 2002.
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