Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the GameCube console. It was released in North America on November 17, 2002, and in Japan and Europe the following year. Metroid Prime is the fifth main installment and the first 3D game in the Metroid series. Because exploration takes precedence over combat, Nintendo classifies Metroid Prime as a first-personadventure rather than a first-person shooter. On the same day as its North American release, Nintendo also released the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion, marking the return of the Metroid series after an eight-year hiatus following Super Metroid (1994). In 2009, an enhanced version was released for Wii as a standalone game in Japan and as part of Metroid Prime: Trilogy internationally.