Metroid - General talk

[Azuremen]

Well, figured I would start a general thread on the Metroid series, since its a great game series and one of my favorite games of all time is Super Metroid.

That, and Metroid Prime 3, Corruption is due out in August, from what I last heard.

So, whats your favorite Metroid game, which ones have you played, how fast can you beat them, etc.

Like I said already, my favorite is Super Metroid, which I've completed in 48 minutes with 27% of the items in the game. I've done it at 100% collection in about 1 hour 20 minutes. I've played all the other Metroid games except the one on the DS, Hunters. Prime and Zero Mission are my other favorites, tied for 2nd place.

 

[DuckRacer]

From GoNintendo:

- First level - You are attacked on a spaceship while meeting with the ship’s captain…action packed

- Play feels motion controls work better than dual joystick

- Super sensitive pointer in “advanced” mode

- Beam stacking ala Super Metroid

- Visor switch: Hold minus and flick Wiimote in certain directions

- Boss fight with Ridley at the end of the first level. Excellent difficulty curve by the time you reach the boss.

- Back tracking in MP3:C makes more sense than in previous Primes

- Extra development time was to give the game more polish. Nintendo wanted “Twilight Princess” levels of polish. Game is focused on Metroid fans and hardcore gamers, but still accessible to newcomers due to controls.

- Second level - floating city focused on exploration

- Larger environments, bloom lighting, better textures than Prime 2

- Corruption Mode not available in demo

- Play says it could be the biggest revolution in FPS gaming since Halo.

And this is coming in August. It'll be interesting if this lives up to what Play is saying...

 

[Kent]

Is there currently a Metriod from the gamecube availible on the Wii (using the pointer to shoot)?
I'm willing to bet Metroid Prime (which I didn't like on the gamecube) would have been much better if they had used normal FPS dual joystick controls. That was the one thing to push me off of metroid prime (I'm one of those silly gamecube owners ).

With the Wii controller I can imagine Metroid being one of the best games on Nintendo's long list of amazing games. 👍

 

[Azuremen]

Did you ever play Metroid Prime Kent? Its really well done and I love it... and I am one of those hard core old school Metroid fans.

I just started playing Prime 1 again, and will play Echoes when I get done with Prime 1. The controls are nice and simple with the L targeting and such. I think it works much better for the nature of the games than dual analog.

That, and if they did the controls exactly like Red Steels, I would kill them. I really did not like Red Steels controls...

 

[Kent]

Of course I've played MP1, I own the game along with a gamecube...
That's how I know about the (IMO) bad controls.

I really hated the system they used in Metroid Prime... When I play a FPS using a dual joystick controller, I need the right joystick as my "aim/look" and my left joystick as my "move."
Metroid Prime didn't run like that and you couldn't change the controls either. It was a bad design for me.

Just the way I see it. Metroid Prime's controls were so bad I couldn't enjoy the game.

I love the look and creativity of the game too... It was a real bummer when one of the first games I bought for my GC turned out to play that way...
(none the less, I've really enjoyed my GC thanks to RE4 alone... In fact, my gamecube is the one thing I will not be trading-in when I buy my next system )

 

[Azuremen]

Well, thats just a bummer... I really liked it, probably because I get frustrated with dual analog, since I was an FPS gamer on PCs long before they hit consoles. I just think a mouse is better when you need to aim for yourself.

And the experience of the games is overwhelmlingly awesome. Echoes a tad bit less so... but still great.

 

[Wolfe]

The lack of dual-stick support never really bothered me, because, as with Azuremen, most of my FPS experience was on a PC. I was able to adjust to the Prime format rather easily, and the way they had you using the L and R triggers made sense to me (although the final boss in the first game made me use a awkward hand position that hurt after a while ).

I gotta say, though, there's one thing in that list Duck posted that's really got me going --

- Back tracking in MP3:C makes more sense than in previous Primes

THANK YOU!! It's about friggin' time. The first Metroid Prime was fine in that area, but MP2 was positively horrid....
1. Accomplish objective.
2. Learn that you have to go all the way to the other side of the mapped area to do/get the next thing.
3. Walk through several rooms that lock shut until you defeat a bunch of space pirates.
4. Walk through several rooms that lock shut until you defeat a bunch of something else.
5. Go through several areas that require a trek through the dark side of the planet.
6. Run away from non-essential enemies, not because you're afraid of them, but because you're tired of spending 3 minutes killing them every time you go through the same room.
7. Reach objective. Go back to #1.

Anyway, I'm a big Metroid fan, but I'm not that keen on replaying games, so I can't contribute to the discussion of time-attack records...

 

[Kent]

It's not that I couldn't adapt to the single joystick format... I managed just fine with the N64 and "Golden Eye." 👍
I just didn't like the control layout and system.
Nothing about my abilities kept me from enjoying the game.

That said... No one's really answered my question.

Will the Wii have a Metroid using the laser pointer (whatever it is called)?

 

[Wolfe]

That said... No one's really answered my question.

Will the Wii have a Metroid using the laser pointer (whatever it is called)?

Yes. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption will use the Wiimote and Nunchuck, likely to a higher degree of success than any shooter on the Wii thus far.

Is there currently a Metriod from the gamecube availible on the Wii (using the pointer to shoot)?

No, there aren't any GameCube games that support the Wiimote.

 

[DuckRacer]

Will the Wii have a Metroid using the laser pointer (whatever it is called)?

I'm not sure since I haven't played the game (duh), and I haven't seen anyone talk about the controls other than that they're really close to nailing it. My guess is that it will since practically all other FPSs on the Wii do so.

 

[Wolfe]

Well, the Metroid Prime 3 preview they just gave us is pretty worthless on its own, but I'm glad they reminded me that the game is coming out this month.

I'm also really liking the fact that Metroid and Super Metroid are coming out on VC.

 

[DuckRacer]

Well, the Metroid Prime 3 preview they just gave us is pretty worthless on its own, but I'm glad they reminded me that the game is coming out this month.

I'm also really liking the fact that Metroid and Super Metroid are coming out on VC.

I'm surprised at the fact they gave us a preview channel streaming videos.

And that two "major" things came out within the span of a week.

Bizarro World.

 

[Wolfe]

I'm surprised at the fact they gave us a preview channel streaming videos.

And that two "major" things came out within the span of a week.

Bizarro World.

Yeah, the whole streaming thing is rather odd. I was expecting a bit more from the channel, really. If it wasn't for the fact that there could be some neat easter egg in there, it'd already be deleted from my Wii's memory.

Also, I remembered why I definitely won't be downloading Metroid from VC -- I already have it in Prime 1.

 

[DuckRacer]

Yeah, the whole streaming thing is rather odd. I was expecting a bit more from the channel, really. If it wasn't for the fact that there could be some neat easter egg in there, it'd already be deleted from my Wii's memory.

Well, there's going to be about 10 total videos from this channel eventually.

 

[Wolfe]

Well, there's going to be about 10 total videos from this channel eventually.

I thought we were just getting two more.

 

[Azuremen]

Yeah, the whole streaming thing is rather odd. I was expecting a bit more from the channel, really. If it wasn't for the fact that there could be some neat easter egg in there, it'd already be deleted from my Wii's memory.

Also, I remembered why I definitely won't be downloading Metroid from VC -- I already have it in Prime 1.

Its also built into Zero Mission. Which is just awesome when I found out about that.

Have you played the GBA Metroids? Fusion is bleh, but Zero Mission is pure gold.

 

[Wolfe]

Have you played the GBA Metroids? Fusion is bleh, but Zero Mission is pure gold.

I have, but not on a GBA. I actually just finished Zero Mission the other day. I liked it a lot more than Fusion, too.

 

[Wolfe]

Double-post to announce that Metroid Prime 3 is freakin' awesome. I'm tempted to go back and start another game using one of the additional save slots, just to do one of the first boss battles again...

Spoiler

While trying to activate a huge, hollow energy tower, Meta Ridley attacks you and knocks you off of the platform at the top. You then fight each other while free-falling through the tower, and an altimeter acts as a time limit for the fight. Ridley even grabs you like he used to do in the 2D games, and while you stare up at him from the clutches of his claw, you have the perfect opportunity to blast some missiles down his throat.

I'm using the advanced (high-sensitivity) controls, and after you get used to finding that neutral "sweet spot" (any movement away from center moves your viewpoint), they work flawlessly and feel very natural. The difficulty and flow of the game are also more balanced so far -- much better than Echoes.

What's most surprising is that there's plenty of dialogue, cutscenes and interaction with other humans and hunters, not to mention plenty of manually-operated gizmos to take advantage of the Wiimote (after you know how to use them, they aren't very time-consuming at all). You even get to hop from place to place in your ship, which has working buttons, levers, and devices in the cockpit.

It'll be the best Prime game based on the controls alone, and years from now I could see this being a true classic like Super Metroid. The prevalence of remixed songs from Super Metroid that I've heard so far seem to indicate that Retro Studios and/or Nintendo think so too.