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    The Metroid series follows the missions of Samus Aran--a bounty hunter for the Galactic Federation--as she explores the galaxy fighting off Space Pirates and a variety of other enemies.

    E3's just around the corner - is this the year we finally get another Metroid game announcement?

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    TechnoSyndrome

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    Poll E3's just around the corner - is this the year we finally get another Metroid game announcement? (206 votes)

    Definitely, we'll see a new Wii U or 3DS game announced 15%
    Nah, they'll probably wait until the NX to make another Metroid game 50%
    Never, Metroid is dead 35%

    This August the polarizing Metroid: Other M will turn five years old, which will also mark the five year anniversary of no new Metroid games. In a Kotaku interview last year Shinya Takahashi (the General Manager of Nintendo Software Planning & Development) confirmed that Nintendo is planning a future for both the traditional 2D and Prime style 3D types of Metroid games, but that the company didn't have anything to show at the time. Do you think this will be the year we finally see the announcement of a new Metroid? If you do, what type of game do you think it will be? If you don't, do you think we'll ever see another title in the series, at least in the near future?

    Personally I wouldn't be surprised if a new Prime style Metroid were announced at this E3, as a response to the backlash against Other M. I'm not entirely convinced we'll see it this year, but I can't think of what else they could have in store for fans. Certainly not a new F-Zero...

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    Dixavd

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    I see no reason why they'd do it now unlike any other recent year (especially since they said E3 is focusing only on games coming out in the following 12 months, before next E3, and I doubt they'd make it by then even if it was in full development).

    But going by Nintendo's recent bizarre output strategy, then that probably makes it even more likely.

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    shivermetimbers

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    Considering there are games out there that do Metroid better than Metroid, I dunno if I care.

    *dodges rocks thrown at me*

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    jacksukeru

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    While Other M sort of turned me off the franchise, not just with its story but also the way it depicted its greater universe, (that is, it just wasn't that interesting of a sci-fi world (and to be fair Prime 3 also contributed to this feeling)) I thought it was overall a pretty well put together game (aside from some control annoyances). I played all of the Prime games so you wouldn't have to convince me that, that formula got old eventually. Hell, I think I started the third game 3 or 4 times before I managed to make it through it. What I'm saying is I'm glad they tried something new and as far as I recall it felt like a good adaptation of the 2D games into 3D.

    That said, if they could grow the concept I think I'd be onboard with another Prime style Metroid game more than another attempt at what Other M was doing. Maybe it's because Other M was on the Wii, a system half a generation behind in power, while the Prime games were cutting edge, to start, that makes me feel like the Prime series were the more ambitious of the two, but if they're gonna bring it back I want it to feel like a big deal.

    As for 2D games, there's no shortage of Metroid inspired games these days, but none bring the craft (and budget) to their 2D game these days quite like Nintendoes. It seems to be the way of things these days to move away from sprites and I'm fully expecting that to happen to any new 2D Metroid that's announced, whether its on WiiU or 3DS. I'm also expecting it not to stop the game from looking gorgeous on either of those platforms, considering what you can do with lightning these days.

    In short, I hope they go big if they're going to try to reintroduce the Prime series, I could see them trying it. I could also see them doing a 2D with 3D models Metroid. If they did it would probably be good, as those games have tended to be, and I would most likely play it.

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    ripelivejam

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    Wheres the poll choice for nobody has an effing clue?

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    CrimsonAvenger

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    I can not think of a single reason for Nintendo to make a new Metroid game. They barely sell and probably don't make Nintendo any money at all. Games are very expensive and there's no reason to spend money making a guaranteed flop. A new Metroid Prime game would sell at least a million copies because there's a small audience but 2D? There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

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    BeachThunder

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    If it's anything like Metroid Fusion, I'll be interested.

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    nightriff

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    #7  Edited By nightriff

    The Metroid, coming in 2022

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    nophilip

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    #8  Edited By nophilip
    @crimsonavenger said:

    There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

    ...I'm having a hard time believing I just read that. The majority of the Metroid series is 2D and most of those are considered classics. The vast, vast majority of "Metroidvania" style games are also in 2D. How the hell does Metroid not work in 2D?

    Also, every game in the series except 2 of them (the DS one and Zero Mission) has sold over a million copies. Not sure where you're getting your info, duder.

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    dadjumper

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    I don't expect there to be one but I'll be pleasantly surprised if there is. I hope it's 2D.

    I want a new F-Zero way more than a new Metroid. I hope the inclusion of it in MK8 has been foreshadowing a new one of those

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    DJMoo

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    I guess they could go down metroid fusion path but I don't know. I just can't see them announcing another one. But I suppose I never really know what Nintendo is doing.

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    Justin258

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    #11  Edited By Justin258

    Considering there are games out there that do Metroid better than Metroid, I dunno if I care.

    *dodges rocks thrown at me*

    I mean, if the only Metroid you've played is Fusion, then yeah.

    That said... I don't know. Thinking about a new Nintendo developed Metroid makes me flop back and forth between super excitement and pressing cynicism. Can Nintendo make a modern Metroid game that feels like a Metroid game but isn't essentially a retread of Super Metroid and/or Zero Mission? Especially after Axiom Verge has come out. I don't think that game is as brilliantly designed as Super Metroid, but it does play with the formula in ways that I just don't think Nintendo in 2015 is capable of. None of this is to say that I wouldn't buy a hypothetical new Metroid game - I would, I'd buy a new fucking console for it, unless they farmed it out to Team fucking Ninja again - but the series is too bogged down in history and Nintendo themselves are too bogged down in recreating that history to release a game in 2015, 2016, or whenever that really does the genre and the series's name justice. The genre has come a long way in the last few years - Dust, Axiom Verge, Ori, etc. - and I don't feel like Nintendo's up to following those acts with something that's both as good or better and as inventive or more. I'm all for them trying! Please try! But I seriously doubt that a new 2D Metroid will be anything other than a retread of old design or a bunch of gimmicks that don't fit together as well as Samus's usual grouping of upgrades.

    I don't want to see them tackle 3D without Retro at the helm, for the record.

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    BabyChooChoo

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    Hmmm, I feel like it could go either way. Nintendo is full of surprises and considering how much I love Metroid, I would certainly hope that this is the year, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they didn't even bring it up.

    Would love to put this Samus amiibo to use though. Yes, I bought some amiibos. No, I don't fucking know why either.

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    Justin258

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    @nophilip said:
    @crimsonavenger said:

    There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

    ...I'm having a hard time believing I just read that. The majority of the Metroid series is 2D and most of those are considered classics. The vast, vast majority of "Metroidvania" style games are also in 2D. How the hell does Metroid not work in 2D?

    That's clearly sarcasm. It must be, right? No one who has a functioning brain and the slightest experience with a controller could reasonably come to the conclusion that Metroid doesn't work well in 2D.

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    ripelivejam

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    Top down metroid? A grapple beam to the past, motherfuckers?

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    Vextroid

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    A sequel to Fusion or a Zero Mission style remake for Metroid 2 on 3DS would be cool. Don't see it happening sadly.

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    TheHT

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    The Metroid, coming in 2022

    You know, I think "Metroids" might actually be a fine title for a new Metroid game, reboot or otherwise. Like Alien to Aliens, which is actually quite appropriate for Metroid.

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    civid

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    Having played through Prime 1 and 2 this very year for the first time, I'm certainly hoping, since Prime 2 has become one of my favorite games of all time. I think it's a possibility to, the Wii U still have at least two years left in its life span and Nintendo has to fill that time with SOMETHING. I'm really hoping for a Animal Crossing Wii U verison, but that's mostly because I haven't touched one of those since Wild World.... That's almost ten years old, so I think I'm ready for another of those kinds of games.

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    Teddie

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    You will never have another Metroid.
    You will never have another Metroid.

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    TobbRobb

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    #19  Edited By TobbRobb

    I don't expect to hear from Metroid in a couple of years. But I would very much want to play another 2D metroid. Well I guess I wouldn't discredit the possibility that a 3D would be good too, but I didn't especially care for Prime.

    Igavania is hopefully gonna live up to expectations before that anyways. Hopefully. Hopefully....

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    ottoman673

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    There are so many games that have done 2d metroid better (Axiom Verge, Shadow Complex to name a couple) that I don't care if we get another metroid or not.

    I'd like a new IP more.

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    BananasFoster

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    There are so many games that have done 2d metroid better (Axiom Verge, Shadow Complex to name a couple) that I don't care if we get another metroid or not.

    I'd like a new IP more.

    Engh. I wouldn't confuse "does metroid better" and "has done metroid more recently". It's been 20 years since we got a proper 2d metroid, and the one we got was the template for games for the past 20 years.

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    BananasFoster

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    Nintendo needs to do the legwork and finally create a universe for Samus to inhabit. Metroid is about isolation, but it's impossible to keep making games that exist with no contextual understanding of the outside world.

    I'd make a game that has 3 planets for Samus to explore and a space Bar that acts as a hub world. The bar is full of seedy space people for Samus to interact with and get a feel for sentient alien lifeforms and the culture of her world. The bar could even get attacked by Metroids in the last third fo the game so you can see what it would be like for a Metroid outbreak to actually happen.

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    CrimsonAvenger

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    @nophilip said:
    @crimsonavenger said:

    There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

    ...I'm having a hard time believing I just read that. The majority of the Metroid series is 2D and most of those are considered classics. The vast, vast majority of "Metroidvania" style games are also in 2D. How the hell does Metroid not work in 2D?

    That's clearly sarcasm. It must be, right? No one who has a functioning brain and the slightest experience with a controller could reasonably come to the conclusion that Metroid doesn't work well in 2D.

    I don't see why people like 2D Metroid so much. They were terrible games. Metroid works better 3D and makes sense as a first person shooter. I never grew up with Nintendo so I have no nostalgia for their games. I can't find any enjoyment in playing 2D Metroid. I can not understand why people proclaim games like the original Metroid or even Metroid Prime, to be masterpieces. In the case of Metroid Prime I'd say it wasn't even good, let alone a masterpiece. It was an interesting concept but ultimately falls short in comparison to Halo. Metroid Prime has no story, worse controls (not a fault of Retro though), relentless difficulty, a character that controls like a tank, needless backtracking, and a distinct lack of voice acting. As for the original Metroid, it's very much a product of its time.

    A modern 2D Metroid could be good but I doubt it would be. Nintendo's approach to game design is still largely stuck in the past and that's not what I would want in a new 2D Metroid game. Nintendo hardly has a great track record for 2D games. I mean 2D Mario is dreadful (though 3D Mario at times has hardly been better). If they took modern game design and applied to 2D Metroid then yes it could be good.

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    ottoman673

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    @bananasfoster: Super Metroid was a great game for its time.

    Both of the titles i mentioned, put against it head-to-head, are better.

    Also, 20 years? The GBA games don't count?

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    Justin258

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    @believer258 said:
    @nophilip said:
    @crimsonavenger said:

    There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

    ...I'm having a hard time believing I just read that. The majority of the Metroid series is 2D and most of those are considered classics. The vast, vast majority of "Metroidvania" style games are also in 2D. How the hell does Metroid not work in 2D?

    That's clearly sarcasm. It must be, right? No one who has a functioning brain and the slightest experience with a controller could reasonably come to the conclusion that Metroid doesn't work well in 2D.

    I don't see why people like 2D Metroid so much. They were terrible games. Metroid works better 3D and makes sense as a first person shooter. I never grew up with Nintendo so I have no nostalgia for their games. I can't find any enjoyment in playing 2D Metroid. I can not understand why people proclaim games like the original Metroid or even Metroid Prime, to be masterpieces. In the case of Metroid Prime I'd say it wasn't even good, let alone a masterpiece. It was an interesting concept but ultimately falls short in comparison to Halo. Metroid Prime has no story, worse controls (not a fault of Retro though), relentless difficulty, a character that controls like a tank, needless backtracking, and a distinct lack of voice acting. As for the original Metroid, it's very much a product of its time.

    A modern 2D Metroid could be good but I doubt it would be. Nintendo's approach to game design is still largely stuck in the past and that's not what I would want in a new 2D Metroid game. Nintendo hardly has a great track record for 2D games. I mean 2D Mario is dreadful (though 3D Mario at times has hardly been better). If they took modern game design and applied to 2D Metroid then yes it could be good.

    You could post "I'M A TROLL!" in the biggest, most obnoxious letters possible and that still would have been more subtle than this.

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    CrimsonAvenger

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    @believer258 said:

    @crimsonavenger said:
    @believer258 said:
    @nophilip said:
    @crimsonavenger said:

    There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

    ...I'm having a hard time believing I just read that. The majority of the Metroid series is 2D and most of those are considered classics. The vast, vast majority of "Metroidvania" style games are also in 2D. How the hell does Metroid not work in 2D?

    That's clearly sarcasm. It must be, right? No one who has a functioning brain and the slightest experience with a controller could reasonably come to the conclusion that Metroid doesn't work well in 2D.

    I don't see why people like 2D Metroid so much. They were terrible games. Metroid works better 3D and makes sense as a first person shooter. I never grew up with Nintendo so I have no nostalgia for their games. I can't find any enjoyment in playing 2D Metroid. I can not understand why people proclaim games like the original Metroid or even Metroid Prime, to be masterpieces. In the case of Metroid Prime I'd say it wasn't even good, let alone a masterpiece. It was an interesting concept but ultimately falls short in comparison to Halo. Metroid Prime has no story, worse controls (not a fault of Retro though), relentless difficulty, a character that controls like a tank, needless backtracking, and a distinct lack of voice acting. As for the original Metroid, it's very much a product of its time.

    A modern 2D Metroid could be good but I doubt it would be. Nintendo's approach to game design is still largely stuck in the past and that's not what I would want in a new 2D Metroid game. Nintendo hardly has a great track record for 2D games. I mean 2D Mario is dreadful (though 3D Mario at times has hardly been better). If they took modern game design and applied to 2D Metroid then yes it could be good.

    You could post "I'M A TROLL!" in the biggest, most obnoxious letters possible and that still would have been more subtle than this.

    Well I'm sorry but I'm not trolling.

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    ch3burashka

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    There needs to be a "Who the fuck knows" option. Nintendo is fucking unpredictable.

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    BisonHero

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    #28  Edited By BisonHero

    It would be cool if they announced anything Metroid-related , but it almost seems more likely that it'll be for 3DS. Or it's possible that Metroid is now one of those series like F-Zero that has randomly been relegated to "only appears as a reference in Smash Bros. and Mario Kart now" status, given how controversial Other M was and how it underperformed sales-wise.

    I sorta expect that Nintendo is scaling back game development for the Wii U, and the Holiday 2016 release of Zelda Wii U might be one of the last major releases for the system. Like how Skyward Sword in Holiday 2011 was the last major Nintendo release for the Wii, and really the only thing of note that came out after it was The Last Story and Xenoblade Chronicles.

    Then again, Nintendo is taking weird chances on stuff like Splatoon and Codename S.T.E.A.M., so who knows what they're doing.

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    yinstarrunner

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    @crimsonavenger:

    Wow. I never thought I would see an opinion that could be so incredibly, objectively wrong.

    The fact that you compare Metroid Prime to Halo shows that you have no understanding that the two games are designed to achieve different goals on a fundamental level. It becomes apparent when your first complaint about the game is that there is "no story" (there is, by the way). And no voice acting? God forbid. Your only valid complaint is about the controls; they are an acquired taste. As for backtracking... well, it's clear that your disparagement of the game for not being enough like Halo shows that its just not the genre of game for you. Backtracking and exploration are the lynchpins of these kinds of games.

    There are a couple of reasons why people like Metroid that you are missing: MOOD and ATMOSPHERE. Metroid does it better than any of its competition does. Disclaimer: I haven't played Axiom Verge yet.


    A modern 2D Metroid could be good but I doubt it would be. Nintendo's approach to game design is still largely stuck in the past and that's not what I would want in a new 2D Metroid game.

    Really? Because it sounds like you don't want a new Metroid game at all. Let it be. A lot of us fans still do.

    Nintendo needs to do the legwork and finally create a universe for Samus to inhabit. Metroid is about isolation, but it's impossible to keep making games that exist with no contextual understanding of the outside world.

    I'd make a game that has 3 planets for Samus to explore and a space Bar that acts as a hub world. The bar is full of seedy space people for Samus to interact with and get a feel for sentient alien lifeforms and the culture of her world. The bar could even get attacked by Metroids in the last third fo the game so you can see what it would be like for a Metroid outbreak to actually happen.

    Dude, they did that with Metroid Prime 3. Not the bar thing specifically, but the "trying to create a universe" thing. It wasn't nearly as good as the first two. And also the game that shall not be named.

    There is no need for the series to go full Mass Effect and waste time building a universe. Keep that kind of stuff implied. Keep it mysterious. Dark Souls-esque if anything. I play these games for immersion and I love them for that.

    Metroid Fusion had a fine balance between story and gameplay. If it's like that, I'd be happy.

    Oh yeah, and on the subject of there being a new Metroid game this year.... HA! No way.

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    GERALTITUDE

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    C'mon guys Metroid is as dead as O'Ren.

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    Hunter5024

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    This interview from last year definitely makes it sound like they intend to make a new Metroid game relatively soon. It sounded like early goings in that interview, and it hasn't quite been a full year, so I doubt we will get a proper announcement this e3, but its possible depending on the scope of the project(s?) they're working on. I expect to play a new Metroid game sometime in the next couple years though.

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    BananasFoster

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    @believer258 said:
    @nophilip said:
    @crimsonavenger said:

    There's no audience for that at all (rightfully so because Metroid very clearly doesn't work in 2D).

    ...I'm having a hard time believing I just read that. The majority of the Metroid series is 2D and most of those are considered classics. The vast, vast majority of "Metroidvania" style games are also in 2D. How the hell does Metroid not work in 2D?

    That's clearly sarcasm. It must be, right? No one who has a functioning brain and the slightest experience with a controller could reasonably come to the conclusion that Metroid doesn't work well in 2D.

    I don't see why people like 2D Metroid so much. They were terrible games. Metroid works better 3D and makes sense as a first person shooter. I never grew up with Nintendo so I have no nostalgia for their games. I can't find any enjoyment in playing 2D Metroid. I can not understand why people proclaim games like the original Metroid or even Metroid Prime, to be masterpieces. In the case of Metroid Prime I'd say it wasn't even good, let alone a masterpiece. It was an interesting concept but ultimately falls short in comparison to Halo. Metroid Prime has no story, worse controls (not a fault of Retro though), relentless difficulty, a character that controls like a tank, needless backtracking, and a distinct lack of voice acting. As for the original Metroid, it's very much a product of its time.

    You are a person with specific gaming tastes who is confusing your taste for empirical quality. Pretty much everything you list as a negative is the only reason I play games. The odds are incredibly good that the games you like? I hate.

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    Justin258

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    @crimsonavenger: If you're not trolling then...

    I don't see why people like 2D Metroid so much

    I like 2D Metroid because it's all about exploring an atmospheric, moody, and dangerous world in search of things that will allow you to open up even more areas of the game, providing a world that seamlessly transitions between areas. These games start with very basic mechanics and reward you for being able to use them well by giving you another mechanic to play with. Yes, this can be done in 3D (and was done quite well three times in a row), but the 2D games manage to build a world that leaves a lot to thought and imagination.

    Metroid Prime's story is really rather fascinating. Samus Aran was raised by Chozo on Zebes, so she's not entirely an alien on Tallon IV - but you, the player, are. The Chozo on Tallon IV basically experienced something that we put in our post-apocalyptic stories, only for them, they didn't survive. They fought and fought and fought and still died out, and all that's left are their logs and their ruined civilization. The story is never blatantly and bluntly delivered to you by talking to characters, you have to seek it out, and much of it is still left to imagination and your own conclusions. It's the same thing with the Space Pirates and their business on Tallon IV. The comparison to Halo isn't even a valid one - if you want to compare Metroid Prime's storytelling to anything, compare it to Dark Souls.

    Everything you've said about Metroid leads me to conclude that you just haven't given the series much thought. The things you have written about the series make it sound like you played maybe an hour of Super Metroid and a little more of Metroid Prime and just concluded that these games are not for you, therefore, they must be bad. Instead, why not consider other factors that may not appeal to you specifically, but may appeal to others? As an example, I don't like Red Dead Redemption all that much, but I understand that people love how wonderfully that game recreates the atmosphere of old Spaghetti Westerns. It looks, sounds, and plays more to that particular aesthetic better than anything else ever released.

    Nintendo needs to do the legwork and finally create a universe for Samus to inhabit. Metroid is about isolation, but it's impossible to keep making games that exist with no contextual understanding of the outside world.

    I'd make a game that has 3 planets for Samus to explore and a space Bar that acts as a hub world. The bar is full of seedy space people for Samus to interact with and get a feel for sentient alien lifeforms and the culture of her world. The bar could even get attacked by Metroids in the last third fo the game so you can see what it would be like for a Metroid outbreak to actually happen.

    Someone above pointed out that Metroid Prime 3 does a lot to expand the universe, as does Metroid Other M. Other M is very widely disliked, especially for its story, so I won't bring that up much. But part of the reason I've never actually been able to make myself finish Prime 3 is the expanded focus on filling in the universe's details. Metroid is a series I've grown up with and one of the things that has always kept it relevant to me is how little we know about the universe in which it all takes place. We're only given snippets instead of a full picture - we know only what we need to know to continue on. One of my favorite things about Metroid Prime and Super Metroid is the sense of isolation, the knowledge that there's a bigger world out there but it's irrelevant to what I'm doing and the game I'm playing.

    Plus, I don't like visiting other planets in Metroid games. It means that the world and the areas don't interconnect and the levels just become isolated. Makes it easier on the level designers but it also means that you don't get on an elevator and then come out in a place you left three hours ago. Also, it means more loading screens.

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    BananasFoster

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    Someone above pointed out that Metroid Prime 3 does a lot to expand the universe, as does Metroid Other M. Other M is very widely disliked, especially for its story, so I won't bring that up much. But part of the reason I've never actually been able to make myself finish Prime 3 is the expanded focus on filling in the universe's details. Metroid is a series I've grown up with and one of the things that has always kept it relevant to me is how little we know about the universe in which it all takes place. We're only given snippets instead of a full picture - we know only what we need to know to continue on. One of my favorite things about Metroid Prime and Super Metroid is the sense of isolation, the knowledge that there's a bigger world out there but it's irrelevant to what I'm doing and the game I'm playing.

    Plus, I don't like visiting other planets in Metroid games. It means that the world and the areas don't interconnect and the levels just become isolated. Makes it easier on the level designers but it also means that you don't get on an elevator and then come out in a place you left three hours ago. Also, it means more loading screens.

    Ordinarily I would be inclined to agree with you except for the fact that there are about 10 metroid games. One can only do isolation for SO long. At a certain point a) it becomes absurd that Samus has no interactions with other people and b) it becomes hard to interest anyone in playing again.

    Yes Other M is garbage, but giving up on Story entirely just because Other M had a poor story is throwing the baby out with the bath water. Other M was terrible because of it's emphasis on anime BS.

    Besides, even Super Metroid had Samus Interacting with people at the lab in the beginning of the story. There's nothing wrong with having Samus interact with people.

    As for having Samus explore other planets, I think it opens up the ability for non-linearity. Who knows what McGuffin they would come up with for why Samus has to operate on multiple fronts, but it allows for the player to explore more at their own pace. INstead of constantly saying "Where am I supposed to go?" which is, in itself, a frustratingly video game-y question that should never be, the player could choose a different place to go and come back to a frustrating puzzle later.

    Personally, I feel like Metroidvania games are inherently broken. There is a tiny window where they are functional games, and a ton of fun, but then your character becomes over-powered and you fly through all the levels in a manner completely removed from how the game is actually played. THat "feels powerful", but it's not great gameplay to me. having multiple worlds could help mitigate that, to some extent.

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    ArbitraryWater

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    Nintendo is a company just as capable of surprising as they are capable of underwhelming. I honestly have no clue either way.

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    Justin258

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    #36  Edited By Justin258

    @bananasfoster:

    Ordinarily I would be inclined to agree with you except for the fact that there are about 10 metroid games. One can only do isolation for SO long. At a certain point a) it becomes absurd that Samus has no interactions with other people and b) it becomes hard to interest anyone in playing again.

    It's not absurd, even the early games make it clear that Samus has social interactions with others. Those interactions just don't take place in the game. Also, I don't think that it's hard to keep interest, not necessarily. If Nintendo can pull it off well, that's great! But the series has had two games now where a fair bit of the story involves people other than Samus and in both cases, the story is pretty weak. It's just not why I love those games. But if Nintendo wants to place us in the center of the Metroid universe, then that's what they'll do. I'll still play it, but the idea of a central, traditionally-told story isn't what will get me excited.

    Personally, I feel like Metroidvania games are inherently broken. There is a tiny window where they are functional games, and a ton of fun, but then your character becomes over-powered and you fly through all the levels in a manner completely removed from how the game is actually played. THat "feels powerful", but it's not great gameplay to me. having multiple worlds could help mitigate that, to some extent.

    So why on Earth are you even playing these games? Part of the challenge is in using your new abilities to find secrets. Hey, remember that little morph ball hole you saw that was a few blocks off the ground? Notice how bombs now make your little ball hop a little? Cool! Go back there and use those bombs and the morph ball to jump in there! That's an easy example, of course, but the challenge and fun isn't necessarily found in difficult enemies and you don't necessarily "feel powerful" because you can now kill those early-game bugs in one shot instead of four. Have you ever finished Super Metroid? Think about how you feel in the last ten percent of that game. No part of the environment that is destructible can stop you. You can jump infinitely into the air and your mid-air somersault itself can kill anything! You can run so fast that you burst through everything! Hell, you can even swim in (most) lava like it's an indoor swimming pool on a cool day! Some pools of lava - might be acid - can hurt you, but otherwise every bit of that world is open to you, you'll never turn away from another item again because lack the ability to get it. That's where the satisfaction comes from.

    Placing the game on a single world enhances the whole discovery aspect by having areas link together in unexpected ways. When you have three or four different worlds, that obviously can't happen, unless they have you travel between worlds with portals or something.

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    #37  Edited By BananasFoster

    @bananasfoster:

    Ordinarily I would be inclined to agree with you except for the fact that there are about 10 metroid games. One can only do isolation for SO long. At a certain point a) it becomes absurd that Samus has no interactions with other people and b) it becomes hard to interest anyone in playing again.

    It's not absurd, even the early games make it clear that Samus has social interactions with others. Those interactions just don't take place in the game. Also, I don't think that it's hard to keep interest, not necessarily. If Nintendo can pull it off well, that's great! But the series has had two games now where a fair bit of the story involves people other than Samus and in both cases, the story is pretty weak. It's just not why I love those games. But if Nintendo wants to place us in the center of the Metroid universe, then that's what they'll do. I'll still play it, but the idea of a central, traditionally-told story isn't what will get me excited.

    Personally, I feel like Metroidvania games are inherently broken. There is a tiny window where they are functional games, and a ton of fun, but then your character becomes over-powered and you fly through all the levels in a manner completely removed from how the game is actually played. THat "feels powerful", but it's not great gameplay to me. having multiple worlds could help mitigate that, to some extent.

    So why on Earth are you even playing these games? Part of the challenge is in using your new abilities to find secrets. Hey, remember that little morph ball hole you saw that was a few blocks off the ground? Notice how bombs now make your little ball hop a little? Cool! Go back there and use those bombs and the morph ball to jump in there! That's an easy example, of course, but the challenge and fun isn't necessarily found in difficult enemies and you don't necessarily "feel powerful" because you can now kill those early-game bugs in one shot instead of four. Have you ever finished Super Metroid? Think about how you feel in the last ten percent of that game. No part of the environment that is destructible can stop you. You can jump infinitely into the air and your mid-air somersault itself can kill anything! You can run so fast that you burst through everything! Hell, you can even swim in (most) lava like it's an indoor swimming pool on a cool day! Some pools of lava - might be acid - can hurt you, but otherwise every bit of that world is open to you, you'll never turn away from another item again because lack the ability to get it. That's where the satisfaction comes from.

    Placing the game on a single world enhances the whole discovery aspect by having areas link together in unexpected ways. When you have three or four different worlds, that obviously can't happen, unless they have you travel between worlds with portals or something.

    I think I should be more clear because apparently I'm not communicating properly. I've been playing Metroid since the original and, yes, I've beaten every single one. Being that I am the age that I am, I don't believe that "story" necessarily means movie cut scenes and voice records.

    When I said that the game should have 3 different worlds, that is why I said that the game should have a hub world. Old school as I am, I think games function best when there is an overworld that allows the player to choose what they want to do. It think every game should have at least 3 fronts that the player can be working on at any time. Take Doom, for instance, where a player can play a new level for successful completion, and old level to 100% secrets or an old level to 100% par time. Or Super Mario World where a player can play a new level on the main route, play an old level to find an alternate route, or play Star Road. The best adventure games like Day of The Tentacle and King's Quest 6 were also good at allowing the player to progress on multiple fronts if they so chose.

    I think giving Samus a Space Bar to act as a hub world would give the player the opportunity to not get "stuck" which would make the game MORE accessible and allow the developers more room to make the game more difficult, which is something that is important to a player like myself. Can't beat Kraid? Fine. Go do something else for a while and come back when you are in the mood to try again, or have more energy tanks.

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    Justin258

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    #38  Edited By Justin258

    @believer258 said:

    @bananasfoster:

    Ordinarily I would be inclined to agree with you except for the fact that there are about 10 metroid games. One can only do isolation for SO long. At a certain point a) it becomes absurd that Samus has no interactions with other people and b) it becomes hard to interest anyone in playing again.

    It's not absurd, even the early games make it clear that Samus has social interactions with others. Those interactions just don't take place in the game. Also, I don't think that it's hard to keep interest, not necessarily. If Nintendo can pull it off well, that's great! But the series has had two games now where a fair bit of the story involves people other than Samus and in both cases, the story is pretty weak. It's just not why I love those games. But if Nintendo wants to place us in the center of the Metroid universe, then that's what they'll do. I'll still play it, but the idea of a central, traditionally-told story isn't what will get me excited.

    Personally, I feel like Metroidvania games are inherently broken. There is a tiny window where they are functional games, and a ton of fun, but then your character becomes over-powered and you fly through all the levels in a manner completely removed from how the game is actually played. THat "feels powerful", but it's not great gameplay to me. having multiple worlds could help mitigate that, to some extent.

    So why on Earth are you even playing these games? Part of the challenge is in using your new abilities to find secrets. Hey, remember that little morph ball hole you saw that was a few blocks off the ground? Notice how bombs now make your little ball hop a little? Cool! Go back there and use those bombs and the morph ball to jump in there! That's an easy example, of course, but the challenge and fun isn't necessarily found in difficult enemies and you don't necessarily "feel powerful" because you can now kill those early-game bugs in one shot instead of four. Have you ever finished Super Metroid? Think about how you feel in the last ten percent of that game. No part of the environment that is destructible can stop you. You can jump infinitely into the air and your mid-air somersault itself can kill anything! You can run so fast that you burst through everything! Hell, you can even swim in (most) lava like it's an indoor swimming pool on a cool day! Some pools of lava - might be acid - can hurt you, but otherwise every bit of that world is open to you, you'll never turn away from another item again because lack the ability to get it. That's where the satisfaction comes from.

    Placing the game on a single world enhances the whole discovery aspect by having areas link together in unexpected ways. When you have three or four different worlds, that obviously can't happen, unless they have you travel between worlds with portals or something.

    I think I should be more clear because apparently I'm not communicating properly. I've been playing Metroid since the original and, yes, I've beaten every single one. Being that I am the age that I am, I don't believe that "story" necessarily means movie cut scenes and voice records.

    When I said that the game should have 3 different worlds, that is why I said that the game should have a hub world. Old school as I am, I think games function best when there is an overworld that allows the player to choose what they want to do. It think every game should have at least 3 fronts that the player can be working on at any time. Take Doom, for instance, where a player can play a new level for successful completion, and old level to 100% secrets or an old level to 100% par time. Or Super Mario World where a player can play a new level on the main route, play an old level to find an alternate route, or play Star Road. The best adventure games like Day of The Tentacle and King's Quest 6 were also good at allowing the player to progress on multiple fronts if they so chose.

    I think giving Samus a Space Bar to act as a hub world would give the player the opportunity to not get "stuck" which would make the game MORE accessible and allow the developers more room to make the game more difficult, which is something that is important to a player like myself. Can't beat Kraid? Fine. Go do something else for a while and come back when you are in the mood to try again, or have more energy tanks.

    You mean like giving the player quests or something? If they're going to put Samus in a more social environment, that could work pretty well. I'd still like to avoid objective markers, or maybe just not give every quest an objective marker (if someone wants you to, say, go kill a monster and they know where it hides, that would be all right). That's skirting pretty close to an RPG. Dust: An Elysian Tail actually did that pretty well from what I remember.

    Also, I don't think I mentioned this before, but if they are going to put Samus in a more social environment, I'd rather have her voiced when people speak directly to her. I'm tired of silent protagonists.

    Sorry about misunderstanding what you meant by "different worlds".

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