[gekko]

This is from Fran Mirabella III. If you don't know, he's IGN editor #2. Also ran Dolphin Cove back in the day, way back in the day.

I understand that my cohort in crime Matt Casamassina has reportedly noted that we heard Metroid Prime is around 7 hours.

That's true, but the details are quite sketchy and anything but confirmed. I see he stated it rather matter-of-factly, but that's definitley not the case.

We don't know Metroid Prime's game length, and I spoke to someone on the showfloor who expected it to definitely be longer than that.

Anyhow, if you want my guess Metroid Prime will be 15-20 hours the first time through. But, it can no doubt be beaten in 5 hours or shorter.

This is Metroid. It's never been a 40 hour game -- doesn't need to be. If you want to whine about that, then you may want to reconsider you interest in the franchise.

The first level alone is bound to take most people 30 minutes if you spend time scanning everything. Continue at that pace throughout the entire game, and I imagine Metroid Prime will be very lengthy. And, so as to preempt any other negative comments, no I do not think Metroid Prime will be broken up into levels. The first level, escaping, is always set apart from the rest. Hopefully all loading will take place at save points or map uploads, making for a seamless experience.

So, stop worrying. Wise up. Or I'll think your brain power depleted by a Metroid.