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Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide is a strategy guide released by Nintendo Power in 2004 for the game Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. It was published by T. Kimishima and Yoshio Tsuboike, and written by Alan Averill and Steven Grimm.
Like other strategy guides, the cover art imitates the cover art for the game. Samus Aran is shown in full detail, presumably preparing to fire at something. In the background, a blurry image of a Warrior Ing is shown in the bottom-right corner, as well as a blurry image of U-Mos in the top-left. A few aspects of the first-person view are shown, namely the lock-on circle is on Samus's Arm Cannon, and the ammo-meter and beam selection are on the right side of the cover.
The guide starts out detailing the basic controls/functions of the game. It shows a picture of a GameCube controller and outlines what each button does in first-person view. There is a section underneath which states the Morph Ball controls. The next section outlines all of Samus's weapons and abilities in the game, starting with the visors as a way to explain the various aspects of the first-person view. The explanations also indicate the page number in the guide where the items are obtained. The last section of the introduction explains the setup of the guide itself.
The walkthrough is divided into sections by each of the four major temples that need to be restored (or beaten in the case of the last one): the Agon Temple, Torvus Temple, Sanctuary Temple, and Sky Temple. Each section is divided into various subsections named after the ability Samus gains at that point in the game. Optional upgrades are listed where the authors think they are best obtained: Darkburst between Grapple Beam and Dark Visor (not the earliest obtainable point), Sunburst between Power Bomb and Echo Visor, and Sonic Boom between Annihilator Beam and Light Suit. The Sky Temple Keys are all listed between Light Suit and the final battle. Each subsection is preceded by a map, based around the in-game map, outlining the path the guide will follow to get the subsection's item, which includes all of the expansions along the path.
The reference section includes full maps for all areas, both light and dark, and includes the locations of all of the upgrades and expansions. The Sanctuary Fortress and Ing Hive maps include a zoomed-in map model of the Transit Station and its dark counterpart. The reference section also explains how to get all of the expansions in the order that the guide's playthrough obtained them. All of the scan data is accounted for as well, listed off in alphabetical order by sections with the page number that each entry was seen in the guide's playthrough.
The final section explains the multiplayer mode and unlockables. It explains the upgrades available, offers strategies for the two modes, and shows the stages. The unlockables page lists the requirements to unlock Hard Mode, the two cinematic endings, the Concept and Soundtrack Gallery, and each music track in multiplayer mode as well as the last two stages. A Nintendo Power offer is featured in the final pages, offering a promotional T-Shirt for purchasing a year-long subscription to the magazine.