Metroid series

[PuppetChaos]

The Penny Arcade comic is how I learned about the new Metroid. I still have yet to clear Prime, but I liked what I played so far in it. (I'm waaaaaaaay behind the videogame cycle, I stopped bothering to keep up a long time ago, roughly the same time college absorbed all my money. Is there a connection?)

Although for some reason, Samus saying one-liners bothers me. Game looks cool, though.

[Action_Bastard]

My exact reaction.

[BrikHaus]

My reaction was, "Who is Team Ninja?"

[Timstuff]

The PA comic was my reaction as well. I went from "boo! This show sucks!" to "ZOMG HOLY SNAP DID U C THAT!?!" when the Metroid trailer played.

[Tokpile Quohog]

I hope the game is as easy as Ninja Gaiden II on master ninja.

[Themaninblack]

I just came in my pants, excuse me.

[Squigsquasher]

[Split from here in Currently Playing 4. - Monk]

I picked up Metroid: Zero Mission for the GBA. For the most part I like it- the music's good, the graphics are nice, the platforming is (mostly) tight and the map is pure Metroidvania goodness. However, I do have a few gripes with it, notably a few sections with extremely annoying jumping puzzles, which coupled with the somewhat unreliable controls (getting Samus to pull herself up onto a ledge is a lot more difficult than it should be) become an absolute nightmare. One section in particular required me to jump across a series of singular blocks above a pool of lava. The amount of times I died on that bit made me want to punch a kitten.

Also, the game is rather stingy with save rooms, and the fact that it doesn't refill your health/weapons at save rooms like Super Metroid did is kinda dumb.

Solitary niggles, lack of transparency and stupid difficulty spikes aside, good game.

[Shinoyami65]

Also, the game is rather stingy with save rooms, and the fact that it doesn't refill your health/weapons at save rooms like Super Metroid did is kinda dumb.

Super Metroid's save stations didn't do that. The save rooms in all the 2D Metroids do not recharge energy or Missiles. Only Samus's gunship can do save AND recharge energy AND missiles, and it also does it in Zero Mission if you can get back to it. Super Metroid had energy rechargers and missile rechargers, but those were scarce and did not save your game, and more often than not were usually not together in the same room.

Perhaps you're thinking of the 3D Metroid Prime, in which Save Rooms were kind enough to restore your energy, but they still wouldn't recharge your Missiles. Again you'd need Samus's gunship or a Missile Station for that.

Or maybe you're thinking of Other M in which yes, Save Stations would recharge all your health and missiles. But it's the only game to do so.

[Squigsquasher]

Super Metroid's save stations didn't do that. The save rooms in all the 2D Metroids do not recharge energy or Missiles. Only Samus's gunship can do save AND recharge energy AND missiles, and it also does it in Zero Mission if you can get back to it. Super Metroid had energy rechargers and missile rechargers, but those were scarce and did not save your game, and more often than not were usually not together in the same room.

Perhaps you're thinking of the 3D Metroid Prime, in which Save Rooms were kind enough to restore your energy, but they still wouldn't recharge your Missiles. Again you'd need Samus's gunship or a Missile Station for that.

Or maybe you're thinking of Other M in which yes, Save Stations would recharge all your health and missiles. But it's the only game to do so.

I must be misremembering. I haven't played any of Other M, as I've heard it's crap, although not because of the gameplay, but rather the godawful writing (THE BABY THE BABY THE BABY) and I've only played bits of Super Metroid and Metroid Prime (both of which are great).

Still. it is a great game. My biggest niggle is how hard it is to get out after falling in lava- it kinda sucks you in, and it eats away health so quickly that if you don't get out fast (which is hard to do) Samus gets boiled alive.

I must admit, I'd love to see a new Metroid title. I actually liked the first-person perspective Prime used (aside from the weird controls), and I think a combination of Prime-style gameplay with the WiiU gamepad for managing beams, abilities etc, and maybe even using it for some puzzles, would make for a killer combination.

[Dataprime]

I must admit, I'd love to see a new Metroid title.

As would I but considering how poorly Other M sold, I doubt we see a new
game in the series for quite a some time.

[Squigsquasher]

As would I but considering how poorly Other M sold, I doubt we see a new
game in the series for quite a some time.

Well, Nintendo are known for being firm opponents of the annualization marketing strategy, preferring to have long gaps between games to make sure the games a polished and complete- it was 5 years between the release of ALTTP and OOT after all. The only series they even come close to annualizing is Mario, and that's because they do 2D platformers better than just about anyone else on Earth and they know that they can make consistently good games. It's possible they're working on it now and are taking their time to make sure it's done well. In any case, as long as Team Ninja keeps their noses out of it all should go well. Maybe get Retro in on the action (they did Prime with Nintendo after all) and all should go well.

[Dataprime]

Eh, you never know Nintendo might be working on a new Metroid right now.
but to tell you the truth the Metroid games just aren't as popular as series' like Zelda or Donkey Kong.
(look at the sales data for the games)

Compared to the other Nintendo IPs, Metroid just doesn't sell well.

[Shinoyami65]

Still. it is a great game. My biggest niggle is how hard it is to get out after falling in lava- it kinda sucks you in, and it eats away health so quickly that if you don't get out fast (which is hard to do) Samus gets boiled alive.

That's kind of the point of lava

SPOILER: Show

Don't worry, eventually Samus finds the Gravity Suit which negates both lava damage and water physics. So lava is practically harmless and Samus can walk in it as if she were on dry land. It's going to be a fair while before you can do that, though.

I must admit, I'd love to see a new Metroid title. I actually liked the first-person perspective Prime used (aside from the weird controls), and I think a combination of Prime-style gameplay with the WiiU gamepad for managing beams, abilities etc, and maybe even using it for some puzzles, would make for a killer combination.

Yeah, they've often hinted at such a thing, but it has yet to become an (announced) reality. Rcently it seems Nintendo is pooping out Mario and Zelda games at a worrying rate while Samus hasn't had a game for the last four years, and hasn't had a decent game for seven years, far longer than any of the other big-name Nintendo franchises (Mario and Zelda) which have both had quite a few recent good releases. They also completely ignored the Metroid 25th Anniversary event for no apparent reason at all, despite Mario getting a 25th Anniversary compilation and Zelda getting tons of 25th Anniversary bonus stuff including Skyward Sword goodies, a free release of Four Swords and the release of Link's Awakening DX.

[Squigsquasher]

Yeah, they've often hinted at such a thing, but it has yet to become an (announced) reality. Rcently it seems Nintendo is pooping out Mario and Zelda games at a worrying rate while Samus hasn't had a game for the last four years, and hasn't had a decent game for seven years, far longer than any of the other big-name Nintendo franchises (Mario and Zelda) which have both had quite a few recent good releases. They also completely ignored the Metroid 25th Anniversary event for no apparent reason at all, despite Mario getting a 25th Anniversary compilation and Zelda getting tons of 25th Anniversary bonus stuff including Skyward Sword goodies, a free release of Four Swords and the release of Link's Awakening DX.

To be honest, I reckon with the hordes of angry fanboys screaming that Other M "RUINED METROID FOREVER" (despite the fact that it was Team Ninja that made Other M, not Nintendo) they're scared to do anything Metroid related for fear of being assailed by raging nutjobs. That, or they were worried not enough people would care about it.

[Dataprime]

To be honest, I reckon with the hordes of angry fanboys screaming that Other M "RUINED METROID FOREVER" (despite the fact that it was Team Ninja that made Other M, not Nintendo) they're scared to do anything Metroid related for fear of being assailed by raging nutjobs. That, or they were worried not enough people would care about it.

Actually Team Ninja has come out and said that people should really be mad at Nintendo,
as TN only really worked on the Gameplay, Game engine etc. Nintendo (Sakamoto) came up with the story.

[Squigsquasher]

Actually Team Ninja has come out and said that people should really be mad at Nintendo,
as TN only really worked on the Gameplay, Game engine etc. Nintendo (Sakamoto) came up with the story.

Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?

[Shinoyami65]

^To be fair, it was the writing/story that really let the game down. Even the voice actress who is often accused of making the monologues onerous and boring is actually pretty good (which is apparently evident in the few scenes Samus shows real emotion; seeing as the VA's IRL job is as an actress, one-woman show, cabaret and comedian she definitely does well in roles other than droning monotone). And it is true that Sakamoto did the writing, production and directing. Sakamoto was also apparently the one who pushed for 2D-like gameplay which may or may not have influenced the game's wonky control scheme. On the other hand I would blame Team Ninja for creating gorgeous FMVs but giving the actual game graphics worse than those of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which had been produced three years prior and didn't even have the increased memory of Other M's double-layer disc. Also the technical flaws such as the game-breaking glitch. Character modeling is also pretty bad; I recall one reviewer described the mens' faces as like mud and after playing a bit of the game I would not disagree. Enemies don't look much better either, and pale in comparison to the Prime series enemies.

...Sorry for the rant.

[NemZ]

It's a justified rant. Other M felt like a failed attempt at a pretentious art game with gameplay and story as just afterthoughts. Did the game actually offer any NEW powerups? Because absolutely nothing comes to mind. And even the game's lameass 'need weapons authority' excuse for limiting powerups still makes no goddamn sense when it also locks out mobility and defensive upgrades as well.

No, Metroid needs a new title that goes back to the series' roots. 2d-sidescrolling adventure gameplay with 3d graphics and flashy effects. Maybe a 3DS remake/update of Metroid 2? That one hasn't gotten any love in a while, and the overall game really could use a reworking to follow more convoluted paths rather than the more linear style it used originally.

[Monk Ed]

I had a dream about Metroid recently actually. Borderline nightmare because of some of the subject matter involved, but in it I was playing (a very different version of) Metroid Fusion, or some kind of cross between that and Zero Mission, and I was playing it on a sufficiently large screen.

But that's neither here nor there.

I was sad when they announced that they felt they had been making too many Metroid games and would let the franchise rest for a while. But, I was also glad that it didn't seem to be related to Other M's performance.

Let's not forget, Super Metroid, a well-heralded classic, was the last Metroid game that Nintendo made for the next 8 years. Of course, the whole reason the series went dormant after that is because the series hadn't sold well, so... :(

The story of the Metroid series really is such a bizarre story. (Metastory?) It's one of the highest-quality franchises of all time overall, and effectively invented its own genre, but is apparently a poor seller. How tragic.

[Sailor Star Dust]

I've only played (and love love love) Super Metroid, but would like to at least play the original or Zero Mission someday. Which other games do fans recommend?