@pg77: Thanks, and you're welcome! Hopefully that provides some insight for a newcomer. I think it's a great series, and if you're diving in now you have some good stuff to look forward to :)
@turgar: Hmm, I'd have to think about it more to be sure, but I'd likely put Axiom Verge pretty darn high in this list. Maybe even right behind Super Metroid. That game's great. :)
I never found Prime to be any more sluggish or confusing than the 2D ones, but it's a complaint I've heard enough to know that some people just don't like how that game feels. Metroid has always been a more methodical, exploration focused game to me, rather than a twitchy action game, and that applies to both 2D and 3D. There are certainly better-feeling 2D sidescrollers and 3D first-person shooters than Metroid, but that's not what they're going for. Metroid Prime was never trying to be Halo in the FPS department for example; it's doing its own thing.
@fracture: @dayve86: I know plenty of people who never got into the 3D ones, which is totally valid. In some ways I do think Super is executed slightly better than Prime, but the gap isn't large in my mind, and 2D is always easier to pull off in the first place. For me I never felt the 3D ones were clunky. Maybe a little more methodical in their movement, but I felt it fit with the slower adventuring focus of the series and never hindered me while playing. I also really like the perspective and art in 3D, and felt it really sucked me into those worlds, all without losing the defining core traits the 2D games established. But anyway, one person's perspective, and I think both 2D and 3D can work very well :)
@justin258: No debates there! I have a really hard time picking an all-time favorite, but Super and Prime are both easily in the conversation.
@cav829: Thanks so much! It was a really fun blog series to write, glad you enjoyed it! You're actually more in line with what I'm used to hearing, in not liking Echoes as much. The comments here are the first time I've ever witnessed much appreciation for that game. It's a very particular game that really "goes for it" in a way I appreciate. It's probably one of the more divisive Metroids, and all subject to taste, but I like it a lot :)
@pkmnfrk: I like all the love for Echoes around here, I've always felt that one never had much support, but it's a great game. Other M on the other hand... that didn't grab me, we'll have to disagree on that one :) Though it's not like Hunters is anything to write home about either.
@mgalchemist: Thanks! I like Fusion a lot, and the SA-X stuff produced some cool moments here and there. Unfortunately for Fusion there are a lot of really good Metroid games I like even more :)
@csl316: I admire your dedication :) And that's totally valid, stick to your guns! Not the game for me though.
@frontman12: Aww, thanks so much duder! :D It's been a special, and somewhat cathartic project, and I'm happy to have it out there. Glad if others can get something out of it or find it interesting!
Nice write-ups! I'm about to start Furi probably tonight or tomorrow. It initially didn't appeal to me much, but I've heard enough people like it now (including my brother), that it seems like one of those polarizing games that I could love or hate, but I will never know unless I try it for myself.
And The Talos Principle is fantastic. I really liked that game, and it would call it one of my favorite puzzle games to date. As you touched on, it just has a great balance of thoughtful puzzles with a thoughtful narrative. Just an all-around well-deigned game.
@cjduke: I've also been super confused about the level of success Overwatch has had, but good on 'em. I've had fun playing the game, and while I do think it's probably a "better" game than things like Titanfall or Evolve (other full-priced, non FTP pure multiplayer games with no campaign or co-op), I wouldn't have thought so much so to have this kind of impact. It's like everyone else tries to make full-priced, multiplayer only shooters with mixed results at best. Then Blizzard does it and just cleans house. They're damn wizards I tell ya.
Good and thorough review! I really like Valkyria Chronicles, but it's definitely not without its share of issues. Spot on about the tone being all over the place, which is not new for war themed video games (especially when they involve anime), but still sticks out here. I really dug the gameplay, art, and music most of all, despite a few tedious missions. Nice to see the PC release expose more people to it!
Fun list! I really like the idea of highlighting different music based on setting. Some great picks in here! Allow me to add one of my personal favorite lava themed songs:
@slag: I've never been a big fan of open world games, and that's is the main reason why. Sometimes they can overcome that HUD/minimap pollution, but too often it just feels like a distracting mess. Dark Souls is super interesting in the way it handles player death. It's not just loading from a prior save or checkpoint, but rather a natural and continuous part of the experience. It's extremely rare, but I like it when games can figure out ways to incorporate failure in a non-jarring way like that. (Dark Souls can get a little busy with the number of items and stats you have to manage, but as far as RPGs go, it's actually not too bogged down with that stuff.)
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