METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES

The fragile scale of light and dark hangs in the balance. Nowhere in the universe is safe from the malicious Phazon. Even Samus Aran's victory at Tallon IV was only small in the grand scale of events.

Much like the devastation Samus witnessed at Tallon IV, the people of planet Aether - the benevolent Luminoth - faced a similar disaster when a Phazon-riddled meteor struck their world.

Unlike the Chozo's plight on Tallon IV however, this rock brought a long and arduous war to the Luminoth. For the meteor didn't eject Phazon into the world's environment, rather it created damaging tears in the very fabric of space, opening rifts to a dark and twisted dimension.

From this sordid reality emerged the Luminoth's greatest foe, twisted creatures they dubbed "The Ing." These airborne parasites harboured the ability to infest any living thing - including the Luminoth themselves - and turn them into dark and soulless monsters, shadows of their former selves. Faced with this horror, the Luminoth waged war on the Ing for countless years.

Ultimately losing the battle to the unending horde of their enemies, the remaining Luminoth entered a state of hibernation within their most secure temple, while only a single Luminoth watched over their fate. With their central power systems - known as Energy Controllers - offline and the sources of their power taken by the Ing to Dark Aether, there wasn't much for the Luminoth to do but wait for an untimely end.

Until a new factor entered the equation. Hunted by a Galactic Federation starship, a rogue Space Pirate vessel crash-lands on Aether, not long before their pursuers also set down. With both ships unable to escape the planet and no sight of the Space Pirates, the Federation troops established their own base of operations, but were soon attacked by the relentless Ing.

Receiving a desperate distress call, the Federation calls upon Samus once again to investigate Aether and determine what happened to their troops. Not only will Samus discover the fate of the Federation's presence on Aether, she'll be quickly drawn into the war between the Luminoth and the Ing as the former's last hope in ridding Aether - and the galaxy - of this horrible new threat to civilization.

But the Ing horde is the least of Samus' problems, as an old foe is hot on her trail and deeply wishes to settle a heated score...