Metroid: Other M

[Loki]

I too enjoy wandering around areas looking for power ups so I can wander around new areas

In jRPGs players wander around areas looking for new cutscenes so they can wander around new areas.

In cRPGs players wander around areas looking for new NPCs so they can wander around new areas.

In dungeon crawlers players wander around areas looking for new keys / artifacts so they can wander around new areas.

In FPSes players wander around areas looking for a boss to kill so they can wander around new areas.

In adventure games players wander around areas looking for items / puzzles so they can wander around new areas.

Damn. Welcome to electronic entertainment, BRO!

Ideally, every one of those genres would not limit itself to a particular dimension and instead borrow from the other genres.

For instance, all of those genres should emphasize, through combat, deeds, and new equipment 1) improving stats or abilities that lets you overcome old obstacles, and hence gaining access to new areas. 2) Doing side quests and interacting with NPC's in the right way to gain access to new areas. 3) Inventory based puzzle solving 4) lack of linearity in quests and overall progression. 5) growing relationships between towns and npcs, meaning you help towns and npc's interact with each other, not just with you. An example of this would be in fallout 2 how you can develop working relationships between Gecko and Vault City, or between two NPC's who live in different towns, etc.

I don't care what genre you are among the big 5, you should never exclude any of these.

 

[Salus]

I gave up hope on Dread after Hunters simply because Prime at the time was the predominant view of Metroid games. I honestly enjoy the first two Prime games a lot, but the third just doesn't have the same feeling for me. Of course it may be simply due to the fact that I am not a fan of the wii controls, more the fact that I don't have a quick switch to my scan visor anymore...Ya I love scanning more so for the info, actually the only reason I don't consider Fable II a complete waste of my time when I played it is because of the witty descriptions of things (normal dialogue not so great).

 

[Loki]

edit: I know what you mean about scanning in prime 3, it was awkward, I never did get completely used to it.

Overall though, I thought Prime 3 was excellent, it just starts off slow and the controls take some getting used to. Stick with it long enough, and the controls will seem very good, and you should be amazed at what the game has to offer. The interaction Samus has with her ship is mostly great, the art work and gameplay of Sky town is inspired, and the phazon attacks are a great addition. Although, now that I think of it, the energy cell fetch quest at the end was a mood killer for me. Prime 1 is the best. Never played P2.

My guess is that Dread is going to be a 2D-3D hybrid. Classic 2D side scrolling mixed with some 3D elements, that's my hope.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Prime 3 was great, it didn't really feel like a "proper" Prime/Metroid game due to the change of focus from isolation to gung-ho action and warfare, but meh, it was great fun. I thought the controls worked well and were very satisfying to use; I think one of my favourite things in the game was just opening doors. 1 is still the best, 2 was pretty fucking boring, you're better just replaying the first. Though it had a great final boss(es), unlike the other two games.

 

[Loki]

I'm surprised how many people say prime 2 was bad. I never played it, but how can they fuck up such a good formula? As a sequel, all I need is basically Prime 1 with a new map and puzzles, how did they not do that. I'm looking forward to playing just so I can understand how they could fuck up such a good thing.

 

[Panthera]

I'm surprised how many people say prime 2 was bad. I never played it, but how can they fuck up such a good formula? As a sequel, all I need is basically Prime 1 with a new map and puzzles, how did they not do that. I'm looking forward to playing just so I can understand how they could fuck up such a good thing.

They didn't. People just like to baww because they get lost easily and don't like running out of ammo.

 

[Loki]

Well, if Prime 2 keeps all of what made P1 great but simply ups the challenge, then I will enjoy it. Especially since it's been so long since I played a prime game.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

It's a bit harder, but the world design and exploration is less interesting and there's way more tedious backtracking than in the first. It's still worth playing, it's just a step down in almost every way.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Well, if Prime 2 keeps all of what made P1 great but simply ups the challenge, then I will enjoy it. Especially since it's been so long since I played a prime game.

Not sure about the challenge being different, but I think Prime 2 definitely improved upon the first. The environments seemed more interesting, and I think the interaction was a little better. In addition to all the normal tools and weapons and such, there was also this light-world/dark-world mechanic which added a lot, I think. Plus, I remember in Prime 1 a lot of the upgrades you would just stumble upon. In Prime 2 nearly everything is guarded by a boss, which makes it feel more significant when you get that upgrade. Also, the game was longer.

About Other M, I'm not feeling too hopeful. I know they've said that it features side-scrolling action with free-looking sections. It's like there's this drive with most Wii games to make them look like they're not modern games. Just what the fuck? Anyway, I think the game will be alright but most probably not as good as the Primes.

And Team Ninja is only doing the programming and art? Seems like a waste. I figured they'd be working on the action.

 

[Loki]

programming and art? Seems like a waste. I figured they'd be working on the action.

The action is programmed. How do you think it's made?

 

[Salus]

I liked the feel of Prime 1 better but I enjoyed Prime 2 quite a bit, more so that it actually had a difficulty that continued even when you had the super ultra attack of doom. Well until you got the screw attack that is.

My favorite fight is still quadraxis (I think that is his name) as during the entire fight you lose health (not as annoying as it sounds) which by itself isn't enough to kill you but if you get hit enough you are guaranteed to die anyway. Plus you stuck with your power beam more because the ammo system made it so that you weren't constantly using the strongest weapon and only switching when you had to fight an elemental.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

IIRC Prime had quite a few tidbits regarding Samus' backstory and depicted her as a messianic figure that was raised by the Chozo and infused with their DNA. I don't know that I would call her a masculine character even, more like transhuman. Needless to say, seeing her doe eyed and emo is NOT the direction they should have taken the character. She's 'The Hunter' for Christ's sake, more a force of nature than a human being.

There was something about the light/dark shit in Prime 2 that irritated me. I did play it all the way through and it was okay, but it felt less rounded than the first one.

Prime 2 is kind of like the 'Fusion' of 3d Metroids imo, whereas Prime 1 is more like Super Metroid.

Does anybody else feel like the Metroid games share some heavy thematic similarities with Alien?

 

[Admiral jimbob]

There was something about the light/dark shit in Prime 2 that irritated me.

The way that for the first half of the game or so every venture into the dark world was a shitfest of running from beacon to beacon while shooting vaguely-formed turds? IMO, the dark world wasn't used well in the slightest until the fortress area, which was admittedly pretty awesome. For me, there was nothing in the game - even in those oh-so-riveting swamps you seem to spend half the fucking game trudging backwards and forwards through - that compared with the eerie majesty of the Chozo Ruins, the sheer beauty of Phendrana, or... eh, could go on. I can't even remember the names of the locations from 2, I just found it altogether far less memorable.

IIRC Prime had quite a few tidbits regarding Samus' backstory and depicted her as a messianic figure that was raised by the Chozo and infused with their DNA. I don't know that I would call her a masculine character even, more like transhuman. Needless to say, seeing her doe eyed and emo is NOT the direction they should have taken the character. She's 'The Hunter' for Christ's sake, more a force of nature than a human being.

I'm passing judgement on the emo stuff for now, but wasn't Fusion released around the same time as Prime? It was the one that began showing Samus' "human" side, and to be honest, didn't do it too badly since there wasn't much of it. I wouldn't mind if they kept it in a similar vein.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I always thought she was raised by the Chozo.
This set before she gets the suit from them, but after she leaves them?
What makes her return to them to get her suit? Is that what we'll be going over in the game? Something tragic happens that makes her want to work outside the system? I thought that already happened with her parents being MURDERED by space pirates when she was young, having to be raised by aliens that are nice, but in the end look like scary vultures.

I kind of thought THAT would have been enough, but I guess not.

Unless they're retconning all that.

 

[Loki]

Samus was cool in Fusion, not emo at all. The whole thing with her and the computer reminded me a bit of Hal in Kubrick's 2001. If other M doesn't stray too far from the tone struck in Fusion, it will be fine.

 

[Salus]

Does anybody else feel like the Metroid games share some heavy thematic similarities with Alien?

This is actually confirmed, Ridley Scott the director of the first Alien movie gave his name to Ridley the ever lovable Dragon who wants to finish the job he started back when Samus was 3.

Also for those who remember II who didn't enjoy the Space Pirate entry where they realized that Dark Samus was a separate entity altogether. I believe it went something along the line of "There's two of them now, were screwed."

 

[Loki]

Another thing that concerns me about other m is the controller scheme. You hold the wi-mote like an nes controler, which means very limited buttons. Are the combos during combat going to just be auto-pilot button masher shit? Hard to imagine they could pull of anything too interesting in terms of gameplay with such limited options with the controller.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

You know, I don't really know about this game.

Maybe they'll release a new controller for this game? Or maybe it won't be a normal Metroid game like we've known? Watch, you have to pause the game in mid action in order to turn into a ball.
I can enjoy that in an RPG where turn based combat is the norm, but not in an adventure/action game.

 

[Salus]

The only thing about the control scheme that I am aware of is that it doesn't use any other peripheral, so somehow it has to work solely using the wii mote. But I don't even know if they are going to let us shoot diagonally or if we will have to go into first person to aim up. Plus all those close up kills we saw I have a feeling the enemy will drop to their knees, followed by us jumping on their back and button mashing whatever we use to shoot normally.

 

[Loki]

Latest Trailer for Other M

Game design actually looks fantastic. The earlier trailer seemed Emo, but this latest one has that classic Gothic Metroid vibe.

 

[Silellak]

More like Metroid: Other SHIT

/thisthreadjustgotSKYWAY'D

 

[Loki]

More like Metroid: Other SHIT

So clever!

 

[Jaedar]

I actually think Prime 2 is the worst of the trilogy. The first is by far the best imo, I found it to be most challenging and most rewarding. The second suffered hugely in my eyes because of the incredibly boring and limited weapons. The third only surpasses it because of the wii controls, which I found to be excellent. It's the only game I have ever had fun pulling switches in

As for Other M: I don't know, I haven't played any of the other metroids, so I can't really make any proper comments. It looks good so far, but I'm worried the controls will be clunky.

 

[Dire Roach]

The Prime games are to the 2D Metroids what Fallout 3 and its DLC is to the original Fallouts. Bland, "innovashunal", graphix-whoring newshit that fails at trying to emulate the feel of the originals.

That said, Prime 1 is one of the best console games I own and that Other M gameplay trailer just gave me a boner.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Latest Trailer for Other M

Game design actually looks fantastic. The earlier trailer seemed Emo, but this latest one has that classic Gothic Metroid vibe.

Okay, I feel a little better now. Still though, from the trailer it seems the game will be more linear, which means less exploration which also means less focus on adventure elements. Like I predicted. Didn't see many outdoor environments either.

The second suffered hugely in my eyes because of the incredibly boring and limited weapons.

The first had your normal laser, ice laser, plasma laser, and electro laser. The second had your normal laser, light laser, dark laser, and light/dark laser. Other than that last one which is kinda unoriginal there doesn't seem much difference. Don't see your point.