Finals are rearing their ugly head right now, so it might not be the best time to talk about video games. Fortunately, like all things horrible and catastrophic, they will be over just as soon as they came.

Those who have made it out alive will pack their things and head home for the obligatory “I barely know you but how is it going” family gathering and maybe even have a nice trip planned for after Christmas; an exotic place to ring in the new year perhaps. Most of us, though, will be working for most of the vacation and will have plenty of time to play once the work bell chimes.

Good thing Nintendo just came out with “Metroid Prime,” the new installment to the ever-legendary series, and it’s a stunner. Besides a few minor setbacks, “Metroid Prime” promises to twist you silly and delivers the goods.

You play Samus Aran, a bounty hunter sent to a moon base by the planet Tallon IV to explore some abnormalities. The Gamecube shows off its graphics muscle in the first cut scene, as the outer space Samus occupies is just as colorful and vivid as any photograph out there.

When inside the spaceship hovering over Tallon IV, Samus finds out she has to confront and destroy newly released baddies that are headed for the planet surface. After taking out the spaceship in a scenic, if easy, beginning battle, you are sent down to Tallon IV to eradicate anything that gets in your way, while uncovering the civilization of the Chozo.

Not to be confused as just a standard shoot-’em-up game, there are numerous puzzles to solve and data to collect before you are able to progress. Power-ups are hidden that will allow the player to get different weapons like more missile capacity, and the monsters range from immobile to overly aggressive.

If there has to be one drawback, it’s the controls, which might just be due to the Gamecube controller taking some time to get used to. What it doesn’t explain is when a flying creature is extremely close to you, it’s nearly impossible to target so that you can shoot. Most of the times, you have to back up and move around a little bit, because all the creature will do is just suck health out of you while you’re trying to fire.

Graphically, the game is an absolute dream, and it has no trouble showing it. Slowdown that has been infamous with Nintendo systems so far isn’t present in this game, no matter the number of enemies on the screen; this helps in those tight situations when choppy graphics mean death.

“Metroid Prime” is an extremely ambitious product that delivers on nearly all of its promises. While the controls do need tweaking, the frame rate is smooth, which is a huge advantage in action games. When vacation comes around and the boredom sets in, strap in “Metroid Prime” and get ready for some alien blood. Just make sure you’re far enough away from them.