Metroid Prime Remastered has finally been announced and you can play it today

Metroid Prime Remastered is finally more than a false leak. The long-awaited HD rerelease was announced for Nintendo Switch at today's Nintendo Direct, and with quite the surprise in tow: you can play it later today, February 8. 

Metroid Prime Remastered will be available digitally today, but the release date for the physical version is technically February 22. Note that, contrary to some previous claims, this is only a remastered version of the first Metroid Prime game, not the whole trilogy. But after the long, rumor-filled wait for the return of this absolute classic, a shadow drop is a welcome surprise. 

The reveal trailer for Metroid Prime Remastered looks great – visually a fair bit behind modern games, sure, but still a far cry above the GameCube original, and mighty slick for Switch. As Nintendo explained today, the remastered FPS also uses an updated control scheme with improved analogue stick inputs – which is code for the established post-Halo FPS setup – but if you really want to experience the OG, more tank-like controls, you can enable them "among other control options." 

"Explore Talon IV with your preferred play style," the trailer suggests. I don't know about you, but my preferred Metroid Prime play style is the least annoying one. I never found the original game difficult or clunky to play, but I'll take those modernizations, thank you very much. 

Many people still consider the first Metroid Prime the peak of the series, and while I'm partial to the sequel, I can say that this game has withstood the test of time, having only played it more than a decade after its release. And I already know deep down that I'll be playing this remaster before the day is over. 

Sadly it appears that the recently pulled Metroid Prime 4 pre-order page was just a glitch in the matrix, not a sign of an impending announcement.