The Metroid Thread

[BANRYU]

A thread for one of Nintendo's best and most underappreciated franchises.

Discuss what you like; share your favorite games, favorite moments in the series, favorite weapons/equipment, etc. etc.

Let's try to avoid getting too heated on the topic of the Metroid franchise's latest game; discussion of Other M's controversial portrayals and shortcomings are inevitable, but let's try to keep it respectful and positive for the most part.

[kingddd]

I've played Metroid 1 never completed it though, Metroid 2 never played it, Super Metroid completed once, Fusion completed a couple of times, Zero Mission many playthroughs, Metroid Prime only completed once but never played the rest of the trilogy and I have completed other m once.

Other m was not a significant problem for me gameplay wise and I did enjoy the asthetics. My favourite game as stated above was Zero Mission. I really like this one for some odd reason even though Super Metroid is considered the fan favourite. I have no idea why that's just me.

Not my favourite Nintendo game series but I do appreciate what they were going for in the Metroid Lore. Where I want to see the series go is probably a continued timeline of Fusion.

[Knight]

Metroid is one of my favourite game franchises ever, a truly awesome adventure. I've always loved the atmosphere of the games, the unknown environments, the foreign planets and the feeling of isolation. Also the gameplay is pretty awesome too.

The games that I've played in order from greatest to least in my opinion: Metroid Prime (my favourite game in general), Super Metroid, Zero Mission, Prime 3, Fusion, Metroid and Other M. (I've played Return of Samus, but was too bored in the beginning)

I hope a new game is announced at E3, a game that hopefully continues the canon and possibly provide more lore.

[Shahrivar]

Don't blame me, but I've yet to play Super Metroid (according to other forums the must play Metroid).

I've played Metroid, Metroid 2, Fusion and Prime 1-3 - but I didn't finish the first game and Prime 2. I loved Metroid 2 as a child although it creeped me out - overall Prime is my favorite.

A thread for one of Nintendo's best and most underappreciated franchises.

I'd agree about the latter.. 10 years without a F-Zero game and hardly anyone cares ~.~

[Komeiji Koishi]

I still need to finish Super, Fusion, and Echoes.

I really liked Prime 1, it's probably my in my top ten favorite game list. What else... Uh... I should get back to Corruption, and I should probably try Return of Samus. Is that one any good?

[secondworld]

I really like Prime 1, I'm not too fond of Prime 2, and my favorite is actually Zero Mission.

There are quite a few games I need to get to(Who doesn't have a giant list of games they need to play?).

[Balcerzak]

I haven't had as much of an adrenaline rush in a game since the Nightmare fight in my 1% Fusion run. The blood was pumping in my ears so hard I thought I was nearly going to pass out. What a high that was. Why hasn't there been another solid 2D entry since forever ago. (Slight hyperbole, perhaps. There were moments in the SF Order of Ecclessia HM Lv 1 Albus Adventure that were probably right up there.)

I do have to agree with the sentiment expressed that Zero Mission is my favorite, however, and that's due mostly to the immense level of polish applied, with a careful eye toward sequence breaks necessary for both speedrunning and low-percenting, and reward image gallery for both. It's pretty much the pinnacle of the series for me, and will be a hard act to follow, but I can still dream.

I don't think I ever finished Echoes or Prime 3. I should do that at some point. Retro's games were definitely a worthy spiritual successor, and I loved scanning for lore everywhere.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Balcerzak

[Ragnell]

I adore the Metroid series and I really can't wait for Nintendo to make another entry. I started the series fairly recently with Prime 3, and I have since beaten Super Metroid, Metroid Prime, Zero Mission, and Other M, and have partially played both Prime 2 and Fusion. I really should get back to Prime 2. I played it within Prime Trilogy and liked the game well enough, but I got lost fairly early on and then stopped playing, and now every time I go back to the game I'm even more lost than before. I also didn't have a huge problem with Other M. It was definitely my least favorite game in the series, but it didn't do anything to reduce my love for the series. I do just generally love the series' gameplay formula. I've considered venturing over to the DS Castlevania games to get some more Metroidvania fix.

I will freely admit, though, that I tried playing the original Metroid and I just can't do it. The lack of a map and the inability to crouch or aim diagonally downward drives me insane.

[LuxSpes]

Ah! You made a thread XD

The first Metroid game I played was Metroid Prime, which I received along with my Gamecube. The game made me fall in love with the series and Prime is my favorite game of all time. From there, I tried Echoes (which I really like now that I've played it a few more times), Corruption, Hunters, Fusion, Super Metroid and Other M (I tried playing the first game, but I couldn't stand the lack of map). I do want to try Zero Mission.

I haven't really tried any speed runs/sequence breaking or low percentage runs since the biggest pleasure I get from playing these games is to explore alien worlds at my pace (and listen to the beautiful music. Furthermore, the completionist in me forces me to try for 100% every time).

I'm personally hoping that a new Retro Metroid will be announced this E3 (it would definitely help to wash off the bad stain that Other M left, which was IMO an insult to the entire series, both gameplay and story-wise.)

[Sasori]

I really really wanted to like Metroid Prime. I liked the graphics and the adventure feel it gave me with all those scannable objects, but I never got very far in the game. I think it had more to do with my age though since I was still pretty young in the early gamecube days.

I've always wanted to pick it up again, but like many games it hasn't happened so far.

[Zera]

A few years ago I saw the following review for Metroid Prime Trilogy:

I'd never played a Metroid game before and I'm not a fan of the FPS genre. But I figured "Hey, it's three full games in one, how can you go wrong with that?". So I bought the last copy at a nearby Wal-Mart. And let me say, that was a VERY good idea! I played all three in order, and they are just stellar. The fact that I got them all for such a relatively cheap price was the icing on the cake.

I also played Other M, but it was inferior to the Prime Trilogy. Unfortunately, my Wii has lost its ability to play dual-layer discs, which includes Metroid Prime Trilogy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

[Orpheon]

Yes, this thread NEEDED to happen!

I feel like most of my thoughts have been conveyed already by previous posters. But one thought I cannot stress enough is that I think it's time for a new installment in the series. I don't know where we can go from here, really. Unless we go to someplace after Fusion. Admittedly, if a game were to acknowledge canon of Fusion, then it would thereby acknowledge Other M, which I really wish weren't the case...

I, for one, would love to see another 2D Metroid game come out for the 3DS. Another open, 3D title would be fine and dandy for those who own a WiiU, but I would really like for Nintendo to pay homage to the series roots with a 2D sidescrolling 3DS title.

[PuffPuff]

Clearing Super Metroid and Zero in under three hours with only a 15% completion for challenge is priceless.

Also the elevator death in Metroid Other M gave me a nightmare. XD

Metroid Prime 2

Always was interesting to explore another planet with the weather being your enemy. I always considered Samus a Chozo bird and not human as some of the things she does in this game...no human would ever do.

It was difficult with a 100% completion in Zero.

Was hard to do this in the Eris hack that I played long ago. x.x

Edited May 3, 2014 by Barbie

[Dai]

Oh, Metroid. Oh, METROID. I LOVES ME SOME METROID.

It's probably my favorite series ever. At least, i the action-adventure/platforming genre. Either way, it's just SO wonderful. Still not sure how in the heck my grandmother discovered this series and decided it would be a good game to give to me back when I was twelve, but whatever!

I've played Metroid 1, Zero Mission, II: Return of Samus, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Super Metroid, Metroid: Other M, and Metroid Fusion.

I've beaten the second, the third, the ninth, and the tenth on that list. I do not own Corruption in any shape or form, sadly.

Metroid Fusion is my favorite. I just love it so much. It WAS my first Metroid, I'll admit, and I probably love it for the wrong reasons. I didn't really mind the linearity or the 'hand-holding' so much. Heck, I didn't mind Adam. I loved him. He was a cool A.I. And Samus' character development was pretty nice too, even if it was mostly through monologue.

I think the biggest reason for why I like Metroid Fusion is that, in spite of being a mostly standard Metroid game, it also doubles as a survival horror game. Yes. I am serious. For one thing, I find a derelict space station floating in space populated by corrupt and mutated life forms a lot more terrifying than a planet of alien wildlife. It just seems a hell of a lot more dangerous.

My least favorite game? Well, if I have to pick one, it's Hunters. I just can't get through even past the beginning. Namely because I find the control scheme to be just AWFUL. I can't work it right. It baffles me. I MIGHT get through it some day, but it sure isn't very high on my list.

As for Other M, I liked it. I really did. It was fun for me, even if it did rehash a few things from Metroid Fusion(maybe that's why) and the characterization was pretty weak. Really, I had fun with it, and that was the important thing.

I REALLY wish Nintendo would continue the series' chronology(C'mon, Nintendo. It's been, what? THIRTEEN years? I think it's about time we moved on.)

[LuxSpes]

I really really wanted to like Metroid Prime. I liked the graphics and the adventure feel it gave me with all those scannable objects, but I never got very far in the game. I think it had more to do with my age though since I was still pretty young in the early gamecube days.

I've always wanted to pick it up again, but like many games it hasn't happened so far.

The fact that the back-story is basically a collectible that you have to piece together is one of the reasons why I like Prime so much. It allows for a certain narrative without breaking the flow of the game too much. (overall, the scan visor is a great idea IMO)

A few years ago I saw the following review for Metroid Prime Trilogy:

I'd never played a Metroid game before and I'm not a fan of the FPS genre. But I figured "Hey, it's three full games in one, how can you go wrong with that?". So I bought the last copy at a nearby Wal-Mart. And let me say, that was a VERY good idea! I played all three in order, and they are just stellar. The fact that I got them all for such a relatively cheap price was the icing on the cake.

I also played Other M, but it was inferior to the Prime Trilogy. Unfortunately, my Wii has lost its ability to play dual-layer discs, which includes Metroid Prime Trilogy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Even though it looks like an FPS, I never felt like Metroid Prime was really an FPS. The focus of the game is on exploration and you have a lock-on system in battle, which would be unthinkable in a lot of FPS.

And it's a shame to hear that your Wii can't read dual-layer discs. Have you thought about getting a Wii U to play these games as well as the new ones that are bound to come?

Yes, this thread NEEDED to happen!

I feel like most of my thoughts have been conveyed already by previous posters. But one thought I cannot stress enough is that I think it's time for a new installment in the series. I don't know where we can go from here, really. Unless we go to someplace after Fusion. Admittedly, if a game were to acknowledge canon of Fusion, then it would thereby acknowledge Other M, which I really wish weren't the case...

I, for one, would love to see another 2D Metroid game come out for the 3DS. Another open, 3D title would be fine and dandy for those who own a WiiU, but I would really like for Nintendo to pay homage to the series roots with a 2D sidescrolling 3DS title.

Well, they could always do like Prime did and place the games between Metroid and Metroid 2 story-wise. Metroid 2-Super Metroid-Other M-Fusion pretty much happened one right after the other. And I don't really see what they could do post Fusion, since the creature that share its name with the series is extinct (and bringing it back would again involve some cloning shenanigans, which have been done to death by Fusion and Other M)

A 2D title on the 3DS would be nice (since it offers freedom of movement and exploration difficult to emmulate in first person), but I'd really like another Prime-style Metroid on the Wii U.

[BANRYU]

Ragnell's experience basically sums up mine, lol.

Fun fact, I basically got interested in the series because I discovered Ridley via SSBM in the height of my dragon obsession. Ridley is basically my favorite video game villain in anything ever, and it's basically just because he's a giant purple space dragon ahaha. Really though I think he's pretty interesting when looked at as a character, and how he contributes to Samus' character and backstory.

I started rather late with MP3, which is still my favorite game in the series currently despite flaws like lack of difficulty. As of now I've played everything but Metroid 2 and Hunters, and beaten everything but Prime 2 and the OG Metroid.

I love love LOVE the GBA games, they're tight as shit and super fun. Zero Mission is probably the best 2D Metroid overall, though I really like the way Fusion handled the beams in terms of making them all unique and interesting (ZM's Wave and Plasma beams were basically just different stages of the wide beam stacked with the wall-piercing effects), but that's basically just a nitpick on the other games.

For those that haven't played it, Super Metroid is good, like REALLY good, but perhaps just a touch overrated. IMO its controls are a bit dated compared to the GBA games, which control really well and smoothly, but it's definitely still worth looking into, a true classic. (Also worth noting is that it's longer than the GBA games IIRC, and has some unique bosses that you won't encounter in those games.)

TBH I know Other M gets a lot of hate and a lot of it seems uncalled for, but I'm with that crowd-- I really don't like this game. Taken on its own merits it's an okay little action game, but IMO it fails as a Metroid game both in plot and in gameplay (too linear, no focus on exploration at all, no creative/new/interesting bosses or weapons). One of the things I DO like about it is Team Ninja's art design for the game, actually; things like Samus' cannon and the redesigns for old enemies like Phantoon and the Kihunters I actually legitimately enjoyed (though I don't care for the heels that possibly sparked the whole Smash 3U laser-hell controversy though lol). Some of the new enemies created for the game were pretty unique and interesting, though, like the dinosaur thing that had a head on each end of its body, and the tree-brontosaur things that would flip their bodies... those guys were pretty neat.

Though I haven't played it, I hear from a respectable source that Hunters is actually worse than Other M. I've only played the demo for Hunters and I kinda liked it, but I can't really comment on it otherwise.

Edited May 4, 2014 by BANRYU

[kingddd]

Though I haven't played it, I hear from a respectable source that Hunters is actually worse than Other M. I've only played the demo for Hunters and I kinda liked it, but I can't really comment on it otherwise.

I forgot about Hunters but I did play it. The single player I couldn't even play for 10 mins of it. It was a snoozefest and boring. It was meant for multiplayer online which is unfortunately shutting down in 16 days.

Edited May 4, 2014 by kingddd

[Knight]

The fact that the back-story is basically a collectible that you have to piece together is one of the reasons why I like Prime so much. It allows for a certain narrative without breaking the flow of the game too much. (overall, the scan visor is a great idea IMO)

This is something I loved about Prime that sets it apart from the other games, the fact that the game rewards you for exploration not only with upgrades and weapons, but pieces of a mystery which actually result in a pretty decent story. It's one of those games that could only be told through a video game, adapting it into a book or movie just wouldn't have the same effect.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Knight

[BANRYU]

^ Yeah, I totally agree. That was why the Prime games were video game masterpieces, and also why Other M falls so utterly flat, IMO.... Other M was trying to be a movie in the form of a video game, and thus used its medium much, MUCH less effectively.

[Zera]

^ Yeah, I totally agree. That was why the Prime games were video game masterpieces, and also why Other M falls so utterly flat, IMO.... Other M was trying to be a movie in the form of a video game, and thus used its medium much, MUCH less effectively.

I think you should read this review.

http://www.gamesradar.com/metroid-other-m-review/

It pretty much sums up Other M. It tries to be an action game, a Metroid game, and a story game, but because of the split focus it doesn't excel at any of them.

[BANRYU]

I think you should read this review.

http://www.gamesradar.com/metroid-other-m-review/

It pretty much sums up Other M. It tries to be an action game, a Metroid game, and a story game, but because of the split focus it doesn't excel at any of them.

I'm not sure why you're handing me a review that sounds like it has the same perspective on the matter as I do? :0 But while we're trading reviews, here's one that elucidated a lot of the game's flaws for me:

Found this at a time when I was arguing with my GF about the game, and I just couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with things like the dialogue and the writing-- things I didn't like without knowing why I didn't like them. Well, this review pretty much hit the nail on the head explaining everything for me.

EDIT: As far as the review you handed me goes, yeah, it's a pretty basic run-down of things that the Gaming Brit goes into more detail on in his review. I don't completely agree with everything he says (for instance, I like some of the cinematic sequences when fighting bosses and enemies), but he's pretty solidly analytical on most things wrong with the game. And yeah I'm sorry, I don't agree that the last third or fourth or so of the game is that satisfying; its gameplay is allright (I actually really like the Ridley fight in this game), but the story kills it for me a bit.

Edited May 5, 2014 by BANRYU

[LuxSpes]

I've seen and read various things that only confirmed why I disliked Other M.

TheGamingBrit made this follow-up video which I found really interesting since it compared and contrasted Other M with the Prime games. (BTW, you should definitely get around to play Echoes. I was put off by it initially, but it has become my 2nd favorite Metroid game).

[spoiler=Huge Rant]

While I agree with the fact that it was spread in 3 directions, I disagree that it managed to pull any of them of. When you only get to freely explore at the end of a Metroid game, it clearly fails as an adventure game, yhe gameplay was dull and repetitive(just sensemove until you get a chance at a finisher move) and the story was bad from start to finish.

Story-wise, the plot is a complete rip-off of Fusion, but where the scary SA-X is replaced with 'The Deleter' and where Adam and Samus act like idiots. Adam is supposedly the 'perfet military mind', yet he tells his men to split off in a space station overtaken by hostiles after they had trouble dealing with one as a group. Then, he lets his men die off one after the other even when he knows a traitor is present. Then, the fact that he considers Samus an annoyance and a liability is completely stupid when you consider that Samus' modus operandi is going in extremely hostile territory by herself and facing overwhelming odds. How to deal with a space station overrun with wild beasts seems like something right down her alley. Also, his whole sacrifice seems a bit stupid when the whole Bottle Ship is blown up anyway at the end of the game. He also comes off more as an asshole toward Samus than the respecting father figure Fusion made it out to be (Why was it necessary for Samus to turn off her heat shield and to not allow her to activate it until she suffered a long hell run?).

Anthony is the most likable character, but that's not saying much since he's the token, big jolly black guy and the rest of the squads are death fodder. Madelyn and MB got barely any characterization and General Smugsalot is a clear villain for the sake of villainy.

Samus herself is maybe the biggest letdown, since she acts throughout the story like a teenager dealing with daddy issues and basically have no effect on the plot (Sector 0, Ridley, the stopping of the bottle ship, MB and securing Madelyn are all achieved by someone else.) Add that she barely displays emotion and show absolutely no growth as a character and she becomes rather terrible. I simply cannot relate the Samus that stormed Zebes, destroyed the Phazon threat and hunted down every Metroid to the Samus presented in Other M. A character so childish and naive, that nearly died several times and was only able to survive because she was saved by someone else doesn't seem like someone who would survive storming a Space Pirate base by herself. The fact that her Chozo powersuit can be disabled by a federation gun or by her losing concentration is also complete BS.

There's also tons of plot point that get dropped or are completely ridiculous. (Mother Brain is a Chozo AI that went rogue. Let's make another one and make her a girl with the power to beat 3 marines in melee combat!)

Gameplay wise, the story forces you in a linear pattern instead of the usual free exploration. The combat itself is flashy initially, but becomes rapidly tedious and repetitive (especially thanks to the recurring forced battles caused by randomly closed doors). The pixel hunts were frustrating and the over the shoulder sequence were just boring. The fact that every power-ups are just unlocked instead of found removes the sense of gradually becoming stronger and having more of the world becoming accessible that was present in the other games (and leads to stupid situations like the 'hell run'). Also, the whole 3rd to 1st person to shoot missile was a drag for me. There was also no moment where I felt truly on edge or scared in Other M while the SA-X and the Metroid laboratories of Prime and Corruption always got me to feel tense (retro did an awesome job at building it up with the scanable Pirate bodies that told how they all died)

Presentation wise, while the graphics are nice, the art design is horrible compared to that of the Prime games. The Space Pirates looked much more intimidating with their burning eyes than the one in Other M and Skytown from Corruption is more beautiful than any sectors of the bottleship. Even the soundtrack is inferior (Kenji Yamamoto, who did the soundtrack for every other games didn't work on Other M and it shows. This Pirate theme is way more intimidating and fun to listen to than this. The less is said about the voice acting the better. Monologue and exposition is a terrible way of doing things. It completely disregard the important 'Show, don't tell' (and do, don't show) rules of cinema (and video games). The multiple cutscenes and the fact that we knew things that Samus ignored created a disconnection between myself and the character, that wasn't present in the Prime games and brought me out of my immersion. The Logbook way of doing things from Prime is IMO one of the best way to convey a story in a Metroid game.

A TL;DR of my rant would be basically this:

[BANRYU]

I would just like to point out that the Mother Brain being a Chozo AI thing is from the manga and thus (if I recall, according to Nintendo) not officially canon. Maybe they canonized it and I'm remembering it wrong or something, but I'm fairly certain that the whole Chozo AI / Gray Voice / Afloralite business were manga-only plot points.

Yeah, I gotta say that the voice acting doesn't deserve the only raspberry credit so far as localization goes; voice direction wasn't so hot either, since they apparently tried to have the chick mimic the JP voice actor (who was much more well-recieved in Japan, since the cool, expressionless voice is like a sign of strength in a woman or something in Japan). Needless to say it doesn't translate well... Not that the writing was good in the first place (hell if the story was okay we might not have minded so much... it's a comparatively minor issue, like the lack of feet in Awakening).

Yeah, there's any number of things you can harp on Other M for, which is why I requested that we limit it in the OP lol... (so let's get it all out now so's we can move on I guess behehe).

Yeah I've seen that 3D Metroid Dissection, it's a great video that equally reaffirmed things that I liked about the Prime games, some of which I didn't even realize were reasons why I liked them lol. Yeah, I can understand people who want to know what Samus is thinking and feeling and whatnot (my fiancee is one of those people), but personally, I'm in the (likely less populated) boat that likes connecting my feelings and experiences directly to hers, or even having that wistful feeling of not knowing what she's thinking. That feeling of not knowing, I agree with TGB, can be way more powerful than not knowing.

[Knight]

I remember reading that manga, it's actually not too bad from what I remember. I liked the origin it gave Samus and other characters.

I've always wondered what Japanese Metroid fans thought of the Prime games that were much more suited for a North American audience.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Knight

[BANRYU]

Yeah the manga was quite well-written as I recall. I liked how it characterized Ridley as well (something all of the games refuse to do lol. Ironically the only ones to explicitly describe his personality were SSB Melee and Brawl....... Unless there's some MP scan data I'm forgetting about)

Yeah, I'm curious about how the Prime games were received in Japan as well. BRB, gonna ask google.

EDIT: According to Wikipedia, 250,000 [copies of Metroid Prime] were sold in the first week of its release [in North America]. As of July 2006, the game had sold more than 1.49 million copies in the U.S. alone, and had earned more than US$50 million. It was also the eighth best-selling GameCube game in Australia. More than 78,000 copies were sold in Japan, and Nintendo added the game to its Player's Choice line in the PAL region.

And to think I got my copy used at Gamestop for $7.

So it wasn't HUGE in Japan, but it did sell.

Edited May 6, 2014 by BANRYU